On these bass drums i use a Remo P/S on back and a clear or white assb. on front.Back head is looseer than the front.No hole in front head.Sometimes i use a small piece of felt on front side head...Mikey

Have you listened to it from where the crowd will be? Probably less ring out there.

Mikey nailed it.

John

The next thing to do is double check the adjustment range up or down on your bass drum pedal........the sweet spot may or may not be in the exact center of the drum contrary to popular belief. The "sound and feel" are all at your control, you need to experiment to find it.

if you hit it, the drum will come alive like you've never heard it before. Maybe a wood beater if you are using a felt one, or perhaps a plastic or lamb's wool will better milk that sound out of the drum. Experiment! Also try a patch over the area where the beater makes contact with the head. I usually just put a piece of gaff tape right on the drum head at gigs. I've learned after much consternation with bass drum tunings that all the pillows, tape, packing peanuts, balloons, laundry and blankets, vent holes and kickports all have their place. I eventually grew into accepting that every drum needs to be tweaked somehow, somewhere, sometime. The final decision as to what works for the music and the gig might best be arrived at with some consultation with your band mates too. Ask your bass player "what do you think of my kits sound, are you happy with the sound of my bass drum?' Bass players often have the best ears in the band, they might just surprise you with a suggestion you hadn't considered.

Glen

A couple of things. First, I love Vistas and have played them for years. My heads for the bass drum are almost exactly what you use: SKII batters, and CLEAR Amabassadors on the reso side. The SKII is tightened passed the wrinkle stage, but not by much. Also, I use a clear evans plastic EQ patch where the beater strikes, which is roughly 1" above dead center of the head.

Next, is this a vintage Vista kick? If it is, you could have an issue with chipped bearing edges or the V notch at either the top or bottom of the seam. The V notches can pinch the heads, so it's always a trick to try and tune them. You may have to either tighten the rods closest to the seams or loosen them. It just depends on what shape that notch is in. If the drum was played without a reso head during it's life, and supported one or more toms mounted on it, it could be out of round. If the heads take a bit of work to fit on the drum, check for roundness. Aquarian heads will help this a tiny bit; they straight up-and-down collars seem to fit shells that are a little out of whack a bit better than Remos. You may also want to try a clear reso instead of an ebony one.

Last... Aquarian QC since they moved to Mexico has been spotty, IMO. I've seen lots of bent/cracked collars, crushed felt rings, and mylar that was not tucked in properly. You may have a dead SKII.

This was exactly my problem, it's been a year since this post and I actually forgot to reply. I switched out the reso head for a clear and pulled the SKII off of another drum and found the sound I was looking for. I've been gigging with the vistas ever since and haven't looked back.

Thanks for all the advice and tips!

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