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By Donny Dee Head selection is an important part of the over all process of making not only your kit sound good but in making the group and the music sound good, not to mention the important fact that is helps create your sound as an individual. Many drummers, sadly, do not pay enough attention to this factor. You, as a drummer must take numerous things into consideration when selecting heads for your drum kit. It’s not only about what you like but it’s also about what best fits the music being performed. In this article I will give you my opinion, and that is exactly what it is, “my opinion” and not law, about how one should approach this task of selecting heads. I have limited this article to Remo heads, but as you know, there are scores of other heads available. Keep in mind, it is extremely important to find and maintain your “signature”, as a player, in the way you tune, play, and in your selection of heads. Drummers that have mastered their drum “signature” have done so using a combination of their playing technique, tuning technique, and head selection.
I, personally, prefer crisp, deep, sonic sounding toms with a high, snappy, yet big snare drum sound along with a wet, thudding bass drum sound. I cannot stress enough, the importance of achieving a good drum sound—“your” sound.
A note to beginners or drummers who do not have access to seeing other drummers perform or to talk to them. You may find this information helpful, however, you experienced drummers may not find many new tips written here. This information is common knowledge in the drumming industry. We all may argue certain points we do not agree with, but hey, that’s what makes the world go round. It’s all a matter of “your” taste and preference as a player. No two drummers do the same thing exactly the same way (thank God), and, even if two drummers use the same heads, their sound, most likely, will be vastly different. O.k. … on with the show.
Head Selection One of the main keys in attaining a good drum sound is the weight and style of drumhead used. Of the multitude of drum heads available, I’ll talk briefly about three of the major types of heads in use and some of their possible applications. Again, centering on Remo heads.
Remo AMBASSADOR™ - heads produce an open, bright, and resonant sound with plenty of attack. These medium-weighted heads are available in clear, smooth white, and coated finishes. They are good choice for a big, live sound. Nothing is attached to the head. No sound dots. It’s a plain head. This enables you to vary the sound any way you please. Remember this simple principle, it’s easy to deaden the sound of a live, clear head—but nearly impossible to liven up a pre-dampened head.
Clear AMBASSADOR™ heads are the industry standards for batter and resonant drum sounds. They have become the drumhead choice for almost every OEM manufacturer, (Original Equipment Manufacturer) including Yamaha, Pearl, DW, Gretsch, Ayotte, Mapex, Slingerland, Orange County Drum & Percussion, Premier, Sonor, Pork Pie, and many others. Clear AMBASSADORS™ are known for their tunability, and bright, open resonance, with plenty of attack. Phil Collins, Steve Smith, Simon Phillips, Joey Heredia, and Mike Mangini are just a few artists who’ve built their careers on Clear AMBASSADORS™.
Coated AMBASSADOR™ heads are referred to as the worldwide industry standard batter heads for studio and live applications. They are the factory-supplied drumhead of choice for almost every OEM snare drums because of their tunability, open, bright and resonant tones. Coated AMBASSADORS™ have a warmer attack than Clear AMBASSADORS™. They are also the Timbale drumhead. Remo White—coated drumheads don't last long on toms. They have to be replaced more often. To get a good example of their sound listen to these artists Gregg Bissonette, Vinnie Colauita, Steve Gadd, Curt Bisquera, Matt Chamberlain, Josh Freese, Abe Laborial Jr, Jeff Tain Watts, Shawn Pelton, Dave Weckl, Cindy Blackman, and Terri Lynn Carrington. The Coated AMBASSADOR™ is also known as the Timbale drumhead. Karl Perazzo, Sheila E. , Tiki Pasillas, Danny Reyes, Luis Conte, Arno Lucas, Bobby Allende, Ramon Bonda, and Marc Quinones all rely on Coated AMBASSADORs™ for their trusted Timbale sounds.
Smooth White
AMBASSADOR™
Remo Black Dot - drumheads have a polyester dot laminated to the center of the head for strength and dampening. The attack is not as brilliant as clear heads but works well for a dynamic (some overtones) sound.
Remo Pin Stripe TM - Hydraulic heads or oil filled heads. These heads are filled with oil sandwiched between two plies. They are somewhat muffled sounding with minimal overtones. These heads work well for live performance since they have minimal overtones, are strong and tune quickly and easily. Their sound is more on the “dead” side. They have a mellow, dark, bending type of sound on the toms. A good example of these heads can be heard on “Scenes From A Memory” (Dream Theater – Mike Portnoy).
Again, there are a myriad of heads available to choose from. Experiment! Like me, and most other drummers, you’ll arrive at “your” sound mostly by experimentation, better known as trial and error. Having good, accurate information about drum heads enables you to pick the type of head which will achieve the sound you’re after. That is my hope in sharing this information.
On a practical note and to state the obvious, change heads often. Don’t play on worn, dented heads. I know this may run into some $$$ money, but if your playing regularly, you need to keep the kit sounding good. As dents form, or the coating starts to disappear, it’s time to replace them. I would suggest changing heads as soon as wear begins to show up. Depending on the condition of the heads at the end of the gig, you need to decide if heads need to be changed for the next night.
Personally, I use heads that have a metal hoop. Metal hoops help to keep the head constantly round which is important for a precise, tonal quality under the stress of tuning. Choosing the right heads for your kit is your personal choice and it also depends on what musical application they’ll be used for. Which drum, what kind of music, whether or not you use microphones, environment, and so on. Listen to your favorite drummers and all drummers, for that matter, as a way of hearing what different heads sound like. By all means, find the head that makes “your” sound. Pay attention to what drummers use when playing different styles of music.
Remember, your personality comes out in your playing. You’ll be known for what “you” do, only if “you” and “you” only do it. Don’t be a clone. Add to your “toolbox” so that it’s you using the tool in your way to make “your” sound.
If I may suggest, check out the line of Attack Heads. You can read about them in the article about Universal Percussion in the March ‘99’ issue of Modern Drummer, or visit Terry Bozzio’s web site at www.terrybozzio.com Terry’s site is, by far, the best site I’ve seen, so far. It contains oodles of great, useful tips from one of the greatest, innovative drummers of all time.
Well, I hope this tidbit of information helps someone out there. I hope to share more of my experiences with you all. Keep Kickin'! Comments or questions welcomed with a legit name and email! If you want a response back from Donny, it may take a few weeks.   
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