What Are the Best Drum Heads for Me?
If you want your drum kit to sound better, this usually starts with the drum heads, and to find your own sound, you need to experiment with different heads. If you have no idea what you’re looking at yet, this Guide has been put together to explain the most important features of your drum heads to help you find what you need. If you can’t see the answer to your question here, feel free to contact us!
1. What Drum Heads do I Need?
- It goes without saying that you need to pick out drum heads that will fit your drums. The size is always measured in inches. In each of our drum head categories, you can use the filters on the left of the page to specify what size you need. How do you measure your drums? Simply take the measurement from one side of the drum directly to the other side. If you’re measuring in centimetres, then divide your measurement by 2.54 to get the measurement in inches. For example: 35.5 / 2.54 = 14 inches (rounded off).
- It also helps if you have some idea of what kind of sound you want. For example, do you want your kit to sound big or small, flat or rich, warm or bright?
- In this Buyer’s Guide, you’ll find a few helpful rules of thumb so you can make a more informed decision.
- Essentially, finding the right heads does take some experimentation. So, play for a while with a coated head, for example, then when it’s time to change your heads, swap them out for clear heads, or try out various combinations of batter and resonant heads or different tuning methods.
2. What’s the difference Between a Batter Head and a Resonant Head?
All of the drums of any modern kit are fitted with a head on both sides. The upper head is referred to as the batter head, since this is the head you actually hit. Sometimes, it’s also called a ‘top head’. This head shapes the attack (how fast the sound builds up to its peak), the colour of the sound, and the pitch. There are more batter head variations to choose from than any other.
The head fitted to the underside of a drum is the resonant head, also known as the reso-head or bottom head. When the batter head is struck, the resonant head literally resonates in response, moving the air around inside the drum shell, so that both heads vibrate for longer. As such, the resonant head has a lot of influence over the resonance and sustain of the drum. Here, sustain means how long the sound of the drum goes on for, while resonance refers to the ‘richness’ of the sound. When you play a drum without a resonant head, you’ll hear the initial strike but not much else. In the seventies, for example, toms without resonant heads were actually used because they made a specific kind of sound. However, generally speaking, snare drums always have a resonant head.
Tip: Usually, heads are specifically designed to be used as resonant or batter heads. While some drummers use them interchangeably, if you’re a beginner, it’s best to stick to what the heads are made for. Resonant heads can get really thin and therefore don’t respond too well when used as batter heads, and batter heads are sometimes just too thick to be used as resonant heads. But once you get to know your different kinds of heads, you don’t necessarily have to stick to this rule.
Snare/Tom Batter Heads
Snare/Tom Resonant Heads
Bass Drum Batter Heads
Bass Drum Resonant Heads
3. Can I Use a Snare Drum Head for a Tom and the Other Way Around?
Yes, that’s definitely possible. There’s no clear difference between both kinds of heads. Some are made specially for a snare or tom, but that doesn’t mean it’s forbidden to use them in a different way. It is true that any heads finished with a ‘dot’ in the middle are mainly used as a batter head for a snare, but toms and floor toms can also benefit from the more muted and focused sound of a batter head with a dot. If you play with brushes and want to use this kind of head, then make sure to go for a head where the dot is on the underside, so that your brushes won’t get damaged and will last a lot longer.
All Snare/Tom Batter Heads
Snare/Tom Batter Heads without a Dot
Snare/Tom Resonant Heads
4. Do I Need Single or Double Ply Drum Heads? And How Thick Do They Need to Be?
Drum kits are usually fitted with single-ply drum heads as standard and these are great to start with. If you’re looking for a new set of heads, then it’s worth paying attention to the following points:
- Single ply heads have a longer sustain, a richer sound and are incredibly responsive but less durable. The sound is great for most genres and playing styles, but if you play in a more heavy style, then single-ply heads aren’t likely to last too long.
- Double ply or 2-ply heads are made up of two thin heads. Double-ply heads have a clear attack, a ‘fatter’ sound, are more durable, and have less sustain. These kinds of heads are great for playing something like rock or any style that needs a really clear strike sound.
- So, while picking out your batter heads depends on what you want, your personal taste, what you play and how you play it, if you’re a beginner, it’s especially recommended to use single-ply resonant heads.
- The thickness, measured in ‘mil’ (the thousandth of an inch) is especially important when it comes to single-ply heads. A good rule of thumb for this is: the thicker the head, the greater the resonance and sustain. A thicker single-ply head is also relatively harder to tune if you don’t have much experience with it yet.
Snare/Tom Batter Heads: Single-Ply or Double-Ply
Snare/Tom Resonant Heads
Bassdrum Batter Heads: Single-Ply or Double-Ply
Bassdrum Resonant Heads
5. What’s the Difference Between a Coated and a Clear Drum Head?
Clear drum heads are transparent and have a brighter sound with masses of resonance. New drum kits will often be fitted with transparent heads. Also, the resonant head of a snare or tom is usually clear.
Coated drum heads have a raw coating that slightly dampens the resonance and shapes a warmer sound. If you play with brushes, you should always use a coated drum head, otherwise you’ll barely hear any sound.
Snare/Tom Batter Heads: Clear or Coated
All Snare/Tom Batter Heads
Snare/Tom Resonant Heads
Bassdrum Batter Heads: Clear or Coated
All Bassdrum Batter Heads
Bassdrum Resonant Heads: Clear or Coated
All Bassdrum Resonant Heads
6. How Often Should I Replace My Drum Heads?
Old heads will lose their lively sound and feel. They have much less sustain and resonance, but since some drummers are sitting at their kit every day, it can sometimes be hard to hear when the sound starts to deteriorate. So, here are a few things to watch out for:
- Don’t wait until you’ve smashed holes in the head.
- The average drummer can get away with replacing their heads a minimum of once a year.
- Resonant heads are often forgotten about, since they always look fine. It generally makes sense to replace them once every two years, and when you do, you’ll immediately hear the difference.
- If you play a lot, then it’s only logical that you might need to change the heads more often.
- You use the snare drum more than any other, so you might need to replace the heads earlier.
- When you replace one tom head, replace them all. This makes sure that you have a balanced sound across all of your toms.
- With coated heads, you can easily see where it’s been struck, so if the coating in the middle of the head is starting to wear out or get slippery, then it’s time to replace the head.
Drum Head Packs with Snare Head
Drum Head Packs without Snare Head
Snare/Tom Batter Heads
Snare/Tom Resonant Heads
Bass Drum Batter Heads
Bass Drum Resonant Heads
7. Can I Replace & Tune My Drum Heads Myself?
Replacing drum heads is not that hard. If you have a good drum kit, then it’s likely that a drum key came included, but you can also just buy one separately. Using the drum key, you can loosen the tension hoops and remove the old heads to replace them.
Tips:
- By using two drum keys at once, removing an old head becomes a much faster process and has the added benefit of reducing the tension on the shell in a more gradual and balanced way (here, the keys are used directly opposite of one another across the head, at the same time).
- Make sure that you fit the head on the correct side of the shell. You can easily see which side is the top by looking at the logo-badge on the shell.
- With snare drums, it’s important that you re-fit the correct tension hoop back onto the underside so that it matches up with the snare mat.
- Tuning up your drums might be difficult at first. But by following some clear instructions or a good video tutorial, you’ll get there!
8. What Are Mesh-Heads & What Can You Do With Them?
Mesh-heads are special heads that can be used for practising without making too much noise. They make barely any sound but have a really natural playing feel. The advantage is that your drum kit makes very little noise, which is perfect for rehearsing at home. The disadvantage of fitting a set of mesh-heads is that, when you’re rehearsing with your band or you’re about to play a gig, you need to replace them all again with normal drum heads and tune them up. It’s also worth knowing that you can’t play mesh-heads with brushes.
Tip: In combination with a set of drum triggers, mono-jack cables, a sound module, and a set of headphones or speakers, you can turn your acoustic drum kit into an electronic drum kit!
Mesh-Heads for Acoustic Drum Kits
Triggers, Cables, Modules, Headphones and Amplifiers
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All Drum Heads
Snare/Tom Batter Heads
Snare/Tom Resonant Heads
Bass Drum Batter Heads
Bass Drum Resonant Heads
Drum Head Packs
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Mesh-Heads for Acoustic Drum Kits
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