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head question on concert toms

Posts: 6170 Threads: 255
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i'm working on getting my vistalite combo kit up an running. these have concert toms. mine has the original heads and arent sounding like i think they could. looking for some head suggestions for concert toms and more specifically vistalites. pinstripes,silver dots?

mike

p.s. see my ad in wanted. looking for a vistalite concert tom.

Posted on 13 years ago
#1
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Pinstripes give an excellent voice to Concert toms. But Silver dots & Black dots are dead & plastic sounding. (of course every style & brand of head has their fans)

Posted on 13 years ago
#2
Posts: 6170 Threads: 255
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thanks for the quick response. clear pinstripes was my gut feeling as well.

mike

Posted on 13 years ago
#3
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Mike - 'try' blk. or silver dot clear heads before dismissing them completely. I've had several vistalite kits and there wasn't one of them that didn't sound better after throwing a set of clear black dots on the toms. Just try it out is all I'm saying. Make up your own mind.

John

Too many great drums to list here!

http://www.walbergandauge.com/VintageVenue.htm
Posted on 13 years ago
#4
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My Vistalites have Evans EC2 SST (the new version) and they have a nice balance of attack and tone. Pinstripes would work, except for the inconsistency between Remo's 2-ply heads. You have to tap a lot of heads to make sure you've got a matched set, or you'll have a dead tom or two or three.

Or four.

If Remo's fixed their QC issues, then I apologize. But I've heard nothing to that effect in the 11 years since I stopped using them.

Bermuda

Posted on 13 years ago
#5
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Should concert toms be tuned tight or loose? I've got a set of 13-16" and am leaning towards a more dead sounding Steve Gadd kind of sound. Thinking Aquarians studio x coated with power dot underneath.

Posted on 13 years ago
#6
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I'm not sure there are enough adjectives to fully describe how much I hate CS & Silver Dot heads.

All the Vistas I've owned over the years get Aquarian Force II heads on top. I really like them on acrylic drums.

Posted on 13 years ago
#7
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From DaSwans

Should concert toms be tuned tight or loose?

The classic sound was tuned a bit loose, just above a wrinkle as they say. Sometimes you'd hear a little head rattle on recordings (check out Joni Mitchell's "Help Me" intro, the late John Guerin on drums.) But they can be tuned however the music requires, just as you'd tune your snare, kick and double-headed toms accordingly.

Bermuda

Posted on 13 years ago
#8
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Hey, what about Evans Hydraulics to stay true to the era? ;)

Posted on 13 years ago
#9
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From gutenberg

Hey, what about Evans Hydraulics to stay true to the era? ;)

I just got a set of clear Vistalites that were outfitted with new Evans Hydraulics and I can't say I like them. Part of the problem could be that the resonant heads are a clear Ambassador on the 12", a Ludwig medium on the 13" and a Ludwig heavy on the 16". I'll probably replace all with Diplomats or the equivalent.

I will say that the snare sounds pretty good with the Evans Hydraulic/Ludwig CS Snare combination that it came with.

I play without mics 95 percent of the time, so I'm looking for some sustain that will be masked by others' amplification.

The Evans and Aquarian models mentioned earlier: Please compare and contrast to Ambassadors. I'm also thinking of using Ludwig Weathermasters ... does anyone have experience with those?

In all cases, I'm looking for clear heads. Perhaps I'll be sacrificing a bit in sound, but what's the point of clear Vistalites without clear heads?

Sorry for the slight detour from concert toms, but we were also talking Vistalites.

9x Slingerland New Rock 50N 12-13-16-22 with 170 (Super S-O-M) holder
• 1979 Oak
• 1978 Blakrome + 6.5x14 TDR SD
• 1977 Black Diamond Pearl + 5x14 SD (gold badge, Rapid strainer)
• 1976 Black Cordova
• 1975 Silver Sparkle + 5x14 SD (Rapid strainer)
• 1974 Chrome + 5x14 COB TDR and 6.5x14 COW Zoomatic SDs
• 1973 Purple Sparkle
• 1973 Phantom (clear)
• 1971 Walnut (gold badges) + 5x14 TDR SD
1x Rogers Powertone Londoner V 12-13-16-22
• 1972 Butcher Block + 1979 big R Dynasonic SD
Posted on 13 years ago
#10
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