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Help tuning toms...


Ernie

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I know all the "how-to's" and stuff, but it just isn't working well. I had stock reso heads with Remo pinstripes on the batters (13" and 16"). I just replaced both.

I played this kit at a studio with a coated ambassador on the rack tom and a coated pinstripe on the floor tom. Other than being a little old, they sounded great. So I got clear Ambassadors on the resos and coated ambassadors on the batters. I can't get them to sound...good. They just sound floppy and dead.

How exactly should I go about tuning these? I know you're supposed to match each lug, but I can't get a clear tone out of any spot. They all sound the same. I've been working for 2 days on this and nothing.

Any advice?

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Those coated 1 plies are gonna sound different than what y ou have been using. They have more of a retro/warm sound. However coated heads are very forgiving compared to clear heads. Maybe you just aren't used to the 1 ply sound.

 

When you tweak the heads, make sure it's in small increments like 1/16 or even 1/32 of a turn. Tuning one lug even just a little can drastically affect the sound of a tom.

 

How are your batters and resos tuned in relation to each other? I like my batters slightly lower in pitch than my resos. I found that tuning my toms that way kinda gives them some extra attack.

 

I understand your frustration Ernie, I was there a year ago. It takes a lot of frustrating hours to get the hang of it.

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Well, I bought these because I played some coated one-plies at the studio and like them. But I was having the same problem with my pinstripes, which is what leads me to believe it's a tuning problem (I suck at it), not a head problem.

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Well I don't mean to make this any more harder than it is. But I have coated Amb's on the reso and clear Amb's on the batter. But regardless of that. I tune the reso up tighter than the the batter. Tune the reso with gavins method of listening to the pitch of each lug untill you get a tone you want. At least close. Then tighten and tune the batter from there. All tuning will be from the batter once you get a tone you want from the reso head.

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i do the exact oposite.(4 piece tama rockstar custom) i tighten the batter more than the resonant side heads. this allows [me] to tune to a lower note. it works for me. however, i tighten my reso snare head a good amount more than i would the batter head. i do that to take the buzz out of the drum. i get results i like. and i like having my batter heads tight because it makes rolling a whole lot easier. i don't tighten them as much as i used to but if you're not getting a pitch when you hit near the lugs then the head is not tight enough as it is. make sure you stretch it when you're tuning especially if it's a new head. stretch it for a good 5 minutes. and play with the round side of your stuicks. and always start out by taking the wrinkles out of the head. work from there. hope this helps

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I have emperors on top, ambassadors on the bottom of my Tama Rockstars. They work for me...I try to tune them to the same pitch on top and bottom to max out on the sustain.

 

I'm assuming you've already read Prof Sound's Drum Tuning Bible...nobody mentioned that yet.

 

Remember that the heads on the studio kit may have been beaten up much more than your new ones. They may even have been considered 'dead' compared to new heads. Just something to consider.

 

Other than that, all you can really do is take the heads off and start over again sometimes. I try to get a good pitch on the bottom head first, and once that's done I put the top head on and try to match it up. I've been at this for a long time and consider myself to be pretty good at tuning, and even with a whole lot of heads tuned under my belt, I still sometimes can't seem to get a drum to sound right. Sometimes its just a matter of walking away from it and starting over again when your ears are fresh and your patience has returned. On the other hand, sometimes it seems like the drums practically tune themselves and it's effortless.

 

Unfortunately, there's no quick way to climb up the experience ladder...you just gotta do it over and over again.

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I use evans g2 coated heads, and I found them to be a lot warmer and less plasticky sounding then the clear heads. I have had success with them on my DW's and a friend's mid 90's tama swingstar kit. They just work wonders. Maybe the plastic is your problem. who knows. good luck.

 

--2FunkyInHere

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