Drum Forum

[Gremson]

Well, maybe not F uck Aquarian, but I'm pretty disappointed.

Ordered some Super 2s for my kit a while back to record with Leaves Russell. Everything fit great, except for the snare. After tuning up it developed a wrinkle that I just couldn't tune out. I figured I got a dud, and would replace it later. 

Now I'm finally back to playing my Tama snare, and I ordered a new head for it. This time a Performance 2. Threw it on just before practice and tuned it up. Same problem. I can't get a wrinkle out of it.

I am the bummed out.

[RumStik]

If you haven't already, you should verify the shell and hoop are in-round.

Otherwise, F**k Aquarian.

Never liked 'em myself.

[1001gear]

FAQuarian. I just wanted to add that.

Incidentally they stormed Dirty Word Police 3.0 and disabled it although the write arounds aren't that bad.

[cdawg]

yeah, i've been a remo guy since i started. very consistent, imo.

[fusionfunk]

I've mentioned this before, but a good drumming bud of mine, has an Aquarian endorsement deal, so during my endless search for the perfect head, I took advantage of his graciousness, and I was able to try everything they made that interested me, and I came to the conclusion...........................F*ck Aquarian. 

I ended up back with Remo, and have never regretted it since.

[Gremson]

I know the drum is fine, I've used Remo and Evans for years without this kind of issue.

The annoying thing is, the heads sound awesome. My toms sound great, and my kick has never sounded better.

Looks like my snare will have to be the odd man out.

[lossforgain]

Funny, but my Aquarian experiences have been positive almost without exception. I did have a couple of snare heads where the coating came off far too quickly, but that was a fluke. 

At the moment I prefer the Texture Coated heads on my wood snares, and have a Modern Vintage head on my copper 6.5x14. Great heads. I'm not a huge fan of the Response 2s or Force heads but it's been a long time since I tried them. The SuperKick I and Regulator small hole combo is definitely my favorite on many bass drums. 

[lossforgain]

Should have mentioned - I almost never prefer Remo. Other drums in my collection have Evans or Ludwig heads on them.

[Drumstix101]

In the past I have always used Remo. But then I ran into a lot of problems with the coating flaking off; sometimes a few hours after changing heads. I switched to Evans and I have to say I have been very happy. I can't say anything about Aquarian as I have never used them. Until Evans lets me down or goes out of business, I'll be buying their products.

[danrothmusic]

My old drum teacher swore by Aquarians; my only personal experience with them is the kit he had in his teaching studio (I thought they sounded fine).
I've always been an Evans player, but I think that's just because I have a setup that works for me, and I don't have the funds to experiment with different heads. Even if I'm not replacing the whole kit at once, heads are expensive.

[masonni]

I have been playing Aquarian for a long time now.

I have nothing against Remo or Evans, but Aquarian was the first head that I tried that really "tuned itself".

With Evans, I always found great kick and tom heads, but never liked anything they offered for snares. The few heads I did use for a snare just never did it for more. Too "boxy" sounding.
With Remo, overall I was pleased. Always found great heads to fit any situated. I did notice that the coating came off their heads much faster than any other. Still this didn't bother me.
Larger drums, 16" and up, did seem to give me porblems with tuning.

When I tried Aquarian for the first time, I slaped a 16" on and gave it a little nudge and BAM!
It was perfect! It sounded as if the drum was pre-eqed in a studio. I have been an Aquarian guy ever since.
I have NEVER had the coating come off, and they tend to last much longer and hold tuning better than any other head I have tried.
Currently I'm using their new models. Force 10 on my Toms (coated in the studio, clear live) Super Kick 10 on my studio kick (Clear Force 1 Live), and ALL my snares have the new Triple Threat heads.

Only time I have had a wrinkle problem is if the drum or hoop is out of round.

[melvinspeed]

I've only tried the Super 2's on my toms. They definitely didn't last as long as similar 2-ply heads from Evans.

YMMV.

But I agree with Dan and Grem; heads are expensive so it's a bummer when you're disappointed with a new head selection.

[6topher]

i use all the head flavors depending - never had a problem w/ Aquarian

[FitchFY]

I was a Remo guy for most of my life, but their recent lack of QC killed me. I switched to Evans and have been in love with them ever since.

I find the overall Aquarian sound a bit muffled to me, even their single plies... we all have our own ears, I guess!

[melvinspeed]

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FitchFY wrote:
I was a Remo guy for most of my life, but their recent lack of QC killed me. I switched to Evans and have been in love with them ever since.

I find the overall Aquarian sound a bit muffled to me, even their single plies... we all have our own ears, I guess!

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No need to guess Fitchie, we really do all have our own ears.

[danrothmusic]

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melvinspeed wrote:

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No need to guess Fitchie, we really do all have our own ears.

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What?!