Remo vs Evans vs Aquarian – Drum Heads Review
- The three big names (Remo, Evans, Aquarian) in drum head manufacturing offer quality products that cater to different tastes and styles.
- Remo has been around for 60 years, perfecting the art of crafting superb drum heads. Remo drumheads are best known for their punchy attack and balanced overtones, making them a favorite among many drummers.
- Evans is also a pioneering name in the drum head industry. Around the same time as Remo, Evans developed the first synthetic drum head. Evans drum heads offer a warm tone with enough punch for a well-defined attack.
- Aquarian came into the picture long after Remo and Evans, however, they managed to accumulate a reputation. Aquarian drum heads are responsive and resonant, producing a clear and warm tone.
- Investing in quality drum heads, as well as having a backup set around, is a crucial component if you’re serious about your playing.
Contents
Remo Drum Heads
Remo Drum Head Recommendations:
Evans Drum Heads
Evans Drum Head Recommendations:
Aquarian Drum Heads
Aquarian Drum Head Recommendations:
The Importance of Investing in Quality Drum Heads
If you don’t change your drum heads frequently you will eventually puncture the skin. A ripped drum head can set you back a few days of practice if you can’t quickly get a replacement. It can be rather embarrassing if it happens right at the start of a gig/jam or during a sound check.
Drum heads are to a drum set what strings are to a guitar. They play a vital and inescapable part in the tone of the kit. As musicians, we all know that a good instrument can elevate our playing and feel. In that sense, getting the ‘right’ drum head will undoubtedly revolutionize your playing/practice.
But, there can never be a generic ‘best drum head’ title handed out because each brand and unit caters to a different sonic palette. At the end of the day, your choice will boil down to what tone you prefer and how to find the best value for money when you buy it. All three brands offer maximum variety, durability, and high-quality construction.
Why do you need to change drum heads?
- Regular maintenance: If you are using your drum set regularly, you should opt for the habit of changing your drum heads once every 3 months. Use this opportunity to clean your entire kit, tune it meticulously, and service the hardware in case anything has come loose.
- Damaged or punctured drum head: As you play frequently, you will notice cracks, indents, or little bumps (from all the strokes of your drumstick) on the skins or drum heads on your kit.
- Old/flat drum heads: Each drum head has a lifespan or time frame in which it sounds fresh and crisp. With wear and tear, depending on the coating and the quality, all drum heads will eventually lose flavor and sound flat.
- Replace stock drum heads: Starter drum drum sets are equipped with stock drum heads. Unless they are good quality heads, you would benefit from replacing them, particularly if you prefer a different tone from that of the stock brand.
- Experimenting with brands/lines to find ideal tones: Every good drummer has to try out new drum heads until they find the style of drum head that they love. This process is largely just trial and error and lots of experimentation.
How to Tune Drums and Why is it Important?
The internet will forever argue over the ‘right pitch’ to tune the drums. But the one thing they will never argue about is the importance of tuning your drums. Unlike the guitar that is tuned to EADGBE (standard tuning), the drums aren’t tuned to fixed notes. The pitch is determined by the tonal quality you want i.e. – sharp and high pitched like the reggae snare or the meaty thud of 70s rock.
The idea of tuning drums is to ensure that they are all tuned to a relative pitch and to eliminate any unwarranted overtones. For example – if your high tom and floor tom are tuned to the same pitch, can you imagine how strange this would sound?
Stick to pure pitches when tuning the drums. The human ear likes familiar tones (i.e. notes it can sing) – don’t settle for something in between as it can sound dissonant and unpleasant.
The quality of components like drum shells, heads, and hardware determines how easily drums can be turned and how well they stay in tune. However, drum tuners and high-quality drum heads will play an equally important role in the tones you can dial in to suit your taste/genre.
Drum Tuners
As a beginner, tuning the drums can be a daunting task. It is a task you keep putting off until your drums sound like trash cans rattling in the wind. We’ve all been there. Even the pros struggle to get consistent tuning without some extra help. But you can invest in a reliable drum tuner and/or a tuning table to avoid these problems.
Summary
All of the ‘big 3’ manufacturers produce great quality drum heads, but which one you should go for is mainly down to your individual preferences. I’ve also recommended a few drumheads of each brand that are battle-tested and proven to offer great value. Of course, it is not a definitive list of recommendations.