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Aquarians and other Tom heads


icemanjs4

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Ok all, I need a recommendation big time....

 

I'm stuck between Aquarian Performance IIs, Aquarian Super IIs, Remo Pinstripes, and maybe Coated Emperors or Suedes - all for my toms.

 

I definitely want 2 ply for the heads. Other than that, I dunno the difference between the PIIs and the SIIs. What do y'all think?

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Aquarian Performance 2's are thick and kind of dead sounding. Almost like an Evans Hydraulic. The Super 2's are much better and have a way more open sound, problem is, the plys are so thin that you will go through them just as fast as a single ply head. I used them on tour before, and even with a Power Dot added I still had to change them every 3 nights.

 

I would go with Aquarians Responce 2's. They are just like an Emperor or G2. Standard double ply head. I use coated ones on all my Toms now and I LOVE them. They are probabley the most durable heads I have ever played

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Ok all, I need a recommendation big time....


I'm stuck between Aquarian Performance IIs, Aquarian Super IIs, Remo Pinstripes, and maybe Coated Emperors or Suedes - all for my toms.


I definitely want 2 ply for the heads. Other than that, I dunno the difference between the PIIs and the SIIs. What do y'all think?

 

 

Performance II's are more like pinstripes, in that they have a bonded area inside of the bearing edge (pinstripes have a material sammiched instead)

 

Super II's will be more like emperor's, but a bit brighter...in Aquarian film...

 

Response II's are what I use, though I might switch over to Classic Coated.

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So that's a few votes for good old Emperors coated, and some for Aquarian Response IIs, as well as a few votes for suedes. I dunno, I have a midnight blue drum kit - would that look funky with black heads?

 

Right now I don't have a band - it's just me. But my aim is for a band that plays classic rock/alternative.

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So that's a few votes for good old Emperors coated, and some for Aquarian Response IIs, as well as a few votes for suedes. I dunno, I have a midnight blue drum kit - would that look funky with black heads?


Right now I don't have a band - it's just me. But my aim is for a band that plays classic rock/alternative.

 

My kits black, so it looks pretty good to me :idk:

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Best thing to do is buy an example of each for just one drum, say a 12". Tune them up, try them out, and see what YOU like, not what everybody else likes. Hearing them on one drum will give you an idea of what a whole set of them will sound like without costing a fortune on a set of heads you may end up not liking.

 

And: I've been using coated Remo heads for over three decades and have never, not once, had premature coating wear.

 

Since some guys always have premature wear, and other guys (like me) never have premature wear, the issue must lie somewhere other than the heads, and you cannot just say "Remo's coating sucks."

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I only ever have coating problems with toms that are angled. Snare and floor toms get a little dirty, but the mounted tom chips a bit in the middle. It doesn't affect the sound at all though.

 

Perf II's sound fat and punchy for a second then go dead really fast. Pinstripes are a bit more open with a bright boingy attack. Response 2's are going to sound a bit more open still with a kind of mellow dark quiet sound due to the Aquarian film. Super 2's are going to be brighter and more papery sounding with the thin ply. Coated Emperors are kind of a fat and warm sound with a bit of a papery overtone/attack but a fair amount of sustain and controlled overtones. Suedes are a weird sound, very little attack and plenty of sustain but a kind of a weird high pitched yet subdued overtone and just a very strange tone, not like clear or coated heads at all.

 

My favorites are clear Emperors, coated Ambassadors, and occasionally coated Emperors. I like to buy one of each head for my 12" tom like DTD says and hear how they sound before buying for the entire kit. It takes a few heads to find the one closest to the sound in your head.

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Well, a lot of people are recommending the Response 2s. I might try those out. Do y'all prefer the clear or the coated for the responses?

 

Hmm I hate the thought of buying 30 dollars worth of heads to try out, then spending another 45 dollars or so to stock the kit... Plus I don't think I'm experienced to really know what I want the kit to sound like yet.

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Well, a lot of people are recommending the Response 2s. I might try those out. Do y'all prefer the clear or the coated for the responses?


Hmm I hate the thought of buying 30 dollars worth of heads to try out, then spending another 45 dollars or so to stock the kit... Plus I don't think I'm experienced to really know what I want the kit to sound like yet.

It depends what music you play. For your classic rock/alternative I would say clear heads. Coated heads would work good, though.

 

:wave:

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