Time to replace kick batter

[JimmyM]

This thread reminds me so much of Talkbass where lots of folks just throw out their favorite amps or strings when someone asks a question of this nature

I have nothing else to contribute, except to say I haven't heard a bass drum head I've disliked. By the time you're done muffling them, you could use pretty much anything.

 

[Houndog]

This thread reminds me so much of Talkbass where lots of folks just throw out their favorite amps or strings when someone asks a question of this nature

No kidding …..

 

[drumfx]

Hi Boys;
Figuring that since the old head I have on my kick dates back at least to the Reagan administration, I'm feeling it's about time for an upgrade.
I'm playing a Slingerland 20" (1963), playing old rock, specifically Allman Brothers, so I'm in search of a vintage sound. Have always been a Remo guy. Have them on the rest of the kit, but I'm open to recommendations. I know there are a few more options out there -- duh -- since the last time I did this.
Thanks

I have a single ply EMAD batter side and a COATED Ambassador with a coat of latex paint on it for every kit that i own. No port, nothing inside the drum ever. Boom boom for 18's, 20's, 22's and 24's. The coat of paint helps on the reso side just enough, not quite as deadening as an Emperor plus i can put the proper logo on the front without having the massive REMO stamp.

 

[Rich K.]

FWIW, 1 mil = 1 thousandth of an inch.

I haven’t used one, but think the Sounds Like A Drum guys use G12s (or whatever they are) on their bass drums a bit too.

1 millimeter is 1/10 of a centimeter, not a thousandth of an inch.

 

[Seb77]

1 mm (millimeter) = 1/1000 of a meter
1 mil (milli-inch) = 1/1000 of an inch = 0,0254 mm

An Ambassador/G1 strength film is 10mil thick, or 0,254mm.

 

[Rock Salad]

Seb is correct.
I just switched out a coated Ambassador for a clear P3, I like the slightly more flexible feel of the clear since I play hard at times. Coated is so precise though

 

[Matched Gripper]

Hi Boys;
Figuring that since the old head I have on my kick dates back at least to the Reagan administration, I'm feeling it's about time for an upgrade.
I'm playing a Slingerland 20" (1963), playing old rock, specifically Allman Brothers, so I'm in search of a vintage sound. Have always been a Remo guy. Have them on the rest of the kit, but I'm open to recommendations. I know there are a few more options out there -- duh -- since the last time I did this.
Thanks

I’m an Aquarian fan. For bass batters, if you want a minor amount of dampening, the Superkick I is a great drumhead, IMO!

 

[Matched Gripper]

1 millimeter is 1/10 of a centimeter, not a thousandth of an inch.

FYI, mil =/= millimeter. A mil is 1/1000 of an inch.

 

[Rich K.]

FYI, mil =/= millimeter. A mil is 1/1000 of an inch.

No it's not. It's 1/1000th of a meter.

 

[Matched Gripper]

No it's not. It's 1/1000th of a meter.

A millimeter is 1/1000 meter.
A mil is 1/1000 inch.

 

[Rich K.]

A millimeter is 1/1000 meter.
A mil is 1/1000 inch.

Learn something new every day.
So is a remo Ambassador 7/1000ths of an inch or 7 millimeters?

 

[JimmyM]

Learn something new every day.
So is a remo Ambassador 7/1000ths of an inch or 7 millimeters?

Remo uses "mil" in their descriptions so 7/1000ths of an inch.

 

[Matched Gripper]

Learn something new every day.
So is a remo Ambassador 7/1000ths of an inch or 7 millimeters?

Ambassador’s are 10 mils = 10/1000 or 1/100 inch. Ambassador X’s are 12 mils. Ambassador X14’s are 14 mils.

Diplomats are 7.5 mils.

IIRC Emperors are 2 ply, 7 mils each.

 

[audiochurch]

I have a single ply EMAD batter side and a COATED Ambassador with a coat of latex paint on it for every kit that i own. No port, nothing inside the drum ever. Boom boom for 18's, 20's, 22's and 24's. The coat of paint helps on the reso side just enough, not quite as deadening as an Emperor plus i can put the proper logo on the front without having the massive REMO stamp.

Do you paint them on the inside?

 

[drumfx]

Do you paint them on the inside?

No exterior only with a roller.

 

[dcrigger]

Hi Boys;
Figuring that since the old head I have on my kick dates back at least to the Reagan administration, I'm feeling it's about time for an upgrade.
I'm playing a Slingerland 20" (1963), playing old rock, specifically Allman Brothers, so I'm in search of a vintage sound. Have always been a Remo guy. Have them on the rest of the kit, but I'm open to recommendations. I know there are a few more options out there -- duh -- since the last time I did this.
Thanks

What's on there now? If that's been working for you - why change? Unless change is what you're looking for.

I'm a fan of old skool Coated Ambassador batter with a single ply ported reso with whatever you need in the drum to create the sound you are looking for.

A slightly different but still way versatile batter would be a PS3 type head - for me that's PS3 Clear (never like the Coated's that much) or the Aquarian Force One.

 

[dontfeartheringo]

Man, I think about this way too much. Way too much.

If you want a set it and forget it head? PS3, coated. You can pretty much put anything on the resonant side if you do that, and it'll sound pretty ok.

If you're going for a really vintage sound, plenty of attack, but not too much woof- Coated Emperor, throw pillow or a towel against the batter, big port on the reso, dead center.
If you want to round that out a little, just move the port to five o'clock or make it smaller or both.

Vintage jazz-ish, Ginger Baker or Joe Morello sound: Coated Emperor with a felt strip, no laundry, single ply coated on the reso, also with a felt strip, no port.

Vintage-ish, but less fussy to tune- PS3 on the batter, single ply reso, felt strip. This is my default for 90% of my gigs. No port on slow, heavy stuff. 5 o'clock port for stuff that needs to be fast and still have defnition.

Lots of attack, but lots of low end? Like a modern country or Americana sound? PS3 batter and reso, no laundry. I like a PS3 Fiberskin reso. Looks classy, plenty of low end. Porting this configuration is wasting a PS head, though.

If your sound man is making a big fuss about the lack of a port, I have discovered that having a Shure Beta 91 hanging from a Kelly Shu spider web in the kick covers their lack of definition argument. Handing them an XLR shuts them right up.

I don't much care for the EMAD or Super Kick heads. I find most of them to be too dead so I don't Finder with them. If that's what you're after, though, I bet they're great!

 

[Browny]

Learn something new every day.
So is a remo Ambassador 7/1000ths of an inch or 7 millimeters?

Mm is metric, mil is imperial. 7mm is just over 1/4”.

When spoken, millimeter is often abbreviated to ‘mil’, but that’s in the context here of metric being the dominant measurement system and it being pretty rare that anyone needs to refer to a thousandth of an inch.

Inches are basically only used for products that are locked to that sizing (drums, car wheels, electronic rack equipment, etc).