Drumhead Comparison Guide

Whether you are searching for your “signature sound,” looking for a different sound just for a particular session, or just looking to bring back the life to your set of drums, selecting the right drumheads can often be a overwhelming and confusing task. On one hand, we are fortunate in that we have more drumheads on the market to choose from than ever before, but on the other hand, where do you start? It’s not exactly cheap to change all the heads on your kit, so the last thing you want to do is make a bad choice, and have to suffer the consequences.

Well, the good news is that The Drum Site has put together a series of comparative charts on some of the most widely used drumheads to help you make some sense out of all of these options. IT IS IMPORTANT to remember that not all heads are created equally! We have done the best that we can with comparing brands and models, but just because two heads are similar, it does not mean that they will sound exactly alike. This chart is intended to explain the similarities and differences between drumheads, and to best describe the type of sound each head will create. Sometimes certain heads will sound better on certain drums, etc, so this is a great starting point reference. It may still take some personal experimentation and experience to find that perfect sound for your drum kit.

Remo Ambassador drumheads are medium weight (10 mil), general purpose heads. Excellent live sound projection with open, clear tone. Explosive attack with ringing sustain.

The G1 Clear Batter is a single-ply, 10 mil-thick head with a bright attack, warm sustain, and a broad tuning range.

Slightly louder than other ordinary single-ply heads. Bright, crisp attack. Great when you need a little extra projection. Great value.

The most widely used drumheads in the world. The ones all others are judged by. Medium thickness. The Weather King Ambassador heads are the reigning champs for studio recording.

The G1 Coated is a single-ply, 10mil-thick head with a bright attack, warm sustain, and a broad tuning range. The coating adds additional warmth, focus, and depth.

A coated, single-ply, medium-weight drumhead. The Satin Finish is the thinnest and most durable coating ever developed. Unlike conventional coatings it resists "chipping" and it lasts and lasts. It has an amazing stick and brush response and is great for snares and toms.

This replacement head has a slightly "darker" sound than 1-ply clear drumheads. Great when you need a little "extra" projection.

Ebony series Ambassador drumheads feature excellent live sound projection with open, clear tone. Medium weight provides thick attack with ringing sustain. Use them as bottom heads to change the look of your entire set while retaining superb tones.

The thin 7mil Resonant Black head shortens sustain and brightens tone for enhanced projection during live performances.

These medium-thin single-ply heads have an open, sustained tone with a bright attack and full frequencies from top to bottom. They excel as resonant heads and for all playing styles. Available in black or clear.

Response 2's are 2-ply heads that can be tuned tight or loose, played soft or hard, and sound great either way.

Two-ply construction with Tone Ridge for over-ring control without dampening the head's natural sound.

Evans G2 Coated Batter Drumheads are durable 2-ply tom heads with a coating for added warmth, focus, and depth. These heads make small toms sing and floor toms growl. Very popular among professional drummers.

2-ply heads can be tuned tight or loose and played hard or soft and you'll hear every beat. Recommended for toms in any situation. Excellent for a "dry" snare drum sound.

Remo's popular Pinstripe heads are made from 2 plies of Remo clear film and bonded at the collar to dampen both high overtones and overall resonance. The result is a very focused, low-pitched sound with moderate attack and response characteristics that is ideal for creating a deeper, fatter, controlled drum sound in a variety of studio and live drumming situations.

Oil-filled, 2-ply head. Fat and wet sound with dry, short sustain. The oil decreases sustain and enhances attack without affecting feel. General use, rock, live, or studio. Available in sizes for toms and bass drums. Choose clear or blue finish.

Evans broke new ground by developing the EC2 batter head, which removes unwanted overtones, focuses pitch, and enhances attack without inhibiting the dynamic range as other damped heads do. Rolls around the toms spread in clean intervals; floor toms groan with presence. The EC2 features an "Edge-Control" ring mounted underneath two plies of 7mil film. By controlling, instead of eliminating, edge vibration, the ring isolates and damps higher overtones, enhancing low-end and attack, and enabling a broader tuning range. Available in clear or frosted coating.

Designed for loose tuning to get depth and punch with no over-ring. This head is sealed around the edge to create that really deep sound on toms. No muffling needed. Very dry and "boxy" sounding.

A bright sounding head, the Diplomat uses a single layer of 7.5 mil Mylar film. Its clear finish enhances brightness of tone. Overall, its tone is full and rich.

When used as a resonant head with a single- or double-ply batter, they offer a brighter tone while maintaining a full sustain.

A single-ply, thin weight head. Produces a sensitive, bright response when used as a resonant head for the bottom of tom toms.

Features a thin underlay at the outer edge of the head to subtly dampen unwanted over-ring. This design creates a near-perfect balance of response and tone control. Recommended for all drumming styles and situations. Available in clear or coated.

The Evans EC1 is a 14-mil single-ply batter drum head with an Edge Control ring mounted on the underside to produce a warm and dense sound. EC1 drumheads give you improved balance between attack and sustain and extended durability compared to traditional singly-ply heads. Available in clear or frosted coating.

These clear replacement drumheads sound good right out of the box because of the thin second ply around the diameter of the inside head that eliminates overtones. Available in clear or coated. *Only available in bass drum sizes.

Introduced in 1968, CONTROLLED SOUND heads are single-ply Ambassador-weight heads with a 5 mil thick black or clear dot in the center of the head. This combination offers a controlled, centered sound without undesirable overtones. These dual-zone heads have a combination of medium and heavy-duty drumhead characteristics. The outer area of the head's playing surface offers a midrange tone and sensitivity while the laminated center dot eliminates high frequency overtones and adds durability and tonal focus to meet the demands of heavier hitters.

It's the same design as the standard Power Center head, but with the center-reinforcement dot moved to the underside of the head.Designed to add durability in the spot where the stick strikes it the most, the Power Center also adds focus to your sound. The coated, perforated, center-reinforced head still allows overtones to ring freely when struck on the edges. The head has an open, bright sound and creates a fat backbeat.

The Aquarian Texture Coated Power Dot Drumhead is a coated, single ply, medium weight drumhead with a power dot for added durability. The Satin Finish is the thinnest and most durable coating ever developed. Unlike conventional coatings it resists "chipping" and it lasts and lasts and lasts. It has an amazing stick and brush response and is great for snare drums and tom toms

The most durable Mylar heads in the world are made with 2 free-floating plies of 10 mil Mylar with a 5 mil reverse black dot. Their consistent, focused, warm tones make them a favorite among many of today's hardest-hitting drummers. They naturally filter out ringing overtones, making them easy to tune on virtually any drum.

EC Reversed Dot snare heads come with a unique "reversed dot" made with the same 3mil material as the ring. Each head consists of a 7mil top ply and 10mil bottom ply for maximum durability, especially with the reversed dot version (which totals 20mils thick at its center). This features the sophisticated edge control system that banishes unwanted overtones. A translucent frosted coating lends a unique, attractive look. Despite the head's relative thickness, it has a forgiving feel; ghost notes project tremendously well; rim shots offer a "tweaked" palette of rich overtones; and center-of-the-head strokes yield fat, focused tones. The stress-relieved reversed dot patch has the unique effect of eliminating some mid-range frequencies, yielding a desirable crack in all tuning ranges.For snare drums it's particularly effective and yields a pre-EQ'd sound that will please both player and sound engineer.

Introduced in 1968, CONTROLLED SOUND heads are single-ply Ambassador-weight heads with a 5 mil thick black or clear dot in the center of the head. This combination offers a controlled, centered sound without undesirable overtones. These dual-zone heads have a combination of medium and heavy-duty drumhead characteristics. The outer area of the head's playing surface offers a midrange tone and sensitivity while the laminated center dot eliminates high frequency overtones and adds durability and tonal focus to meet the demands of heavier hitters.

Designed to add durability in the spot where the stick strikes it the most, the Power Center also adds focus to your sound. The coated, perforated, center-reinforced head still allows overtones to ring freely when struck on the edges. The head has an open, bright sound and creates a fat backbeat.

A clear, 2-ply head manufactured with Aquarian's Vacuum Process which eliminates air bubbles and wrinkles between the 2 plies. Sealed around the edge to create that really deep sound on the tom toms. Designed for "loose" tuning to create depth and punch with no "over-ring." Features patented Power Dot on top for added durability.

The Hazy Diplomat is a single ply of 2-mil Mylar® designed as the perfect resonant head for snare drums. They’re known for their bright warm tones, resonance, and sustain. Hazy Diplomat heads accentuate snare drum response and give a classic look to snare drums.

Ultra-sensitive 2-mil construction on the Genera 200 snare-side makes it the lightest-weight head Evans makes. When combined with a single-ply batter-side head, you'll get incredible articulation and sensitivity for soft rolls and brush work.

The Remo Powerstroke 3 Clear Bass Drumhead with Dot is a clear, one-ply drumhead with dampening ring. Available in clear or coated.

The EQ4 Batter Clear features an internal control ring that varies depending on the size of the head and 10mil single-ply construction that's durable. It gives you precise slap with just the right low-frequency thunder.

A clear, single ply, medium weight bass drumhead. The Full Force drumheads feature an acoustically "vented" muffling ring that is tucked into the hoop on the underneath side of the head. The muffling ring has special "tone holes" that allow the ring to move and resonate with the head. This head has a powerful attack with outstanding projection.

These clear replacement drumheads sound good right out of the box because of the thin second ply around the diameter of the inside head that eliminates overtones.

The Powersonic bass drumheads give the drummer controlled mid-range and low end for the most powerful bass drum sound that's It, right out of the box.The Powersonic bass drumheads are constructed of 2-ply 7 mil Mylar with two specifically placed internal subsonic dampening rings with External Snap-on Dampening System (ESDS) technology. The two mounted 3/4" internal dampening rings enhance low end without affixing trays or hard-backed dampening materials to the drumhead.The unique patent pending ESDS system employs snaps mounted directly to the drumhead to eliminate the possibility of vibration. This allows you to easily customize your muffling, feel, and sustain for different playing situations by "snapping" the strategically placed weighted pillow to the drumhead. Also included is the Falam Slam for added attack and durability. Available in clear or coated.

Controlled low-end rumble and focused attack make the EQ3 the perfect live head. A double-ply head with fixed internal overtone control ring and removable EQ muffle ring, it will hold up under heavy hitting.

The Evans Adjustable Dampening EMAD Bass Drum Head comes with 2 damping rings, each of which affects the head's sound and pedal response. EMAD stands for Externally Mounted Adjustable Damping and this external system maximizes natural attack characteristics. It offers tremendous dynamic range (even at low dynamic levels where other systems fall short). It also allows quick, easy adjustments without having to remove the head from the drum — an especially valuable feature during recording sessions. Evans EMAD Bass Drum Heads come in 18", 20", 22", and 24" sizes.

The Remo Ebony Powerstroke 3 features a thin underlay at the outer edge of the head to subtly dampen unwanted overtones. Ebony P3 heads are best known for use as a resonant bass drum head. This creates perfect balance of mid and low tones that has quickly made Ebony Powerstroke 3 one of Remo's most preferred resonant bass drumheads.

The combination of a solid front, internal overtone control ring, and dry vents produces an absolutely cavernous rumble that is microphone friendly.

Features a "vented" muffling ring and the Port Hole which lets you place the hole where desired.