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In this guide we’ll take a look at the best drum heads for toms.
I’ve compared performance, design, durability and cost
to give you my top recommendations.
Contents
What Are The Best Drum Heads For Toms
The Best Drum Heads For Toms Reviewed
Evans G2 Clear Drum Head Pack
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Evans G2 Clear Drum Head Pack Review
The Evans G2 Drum Heads are the best drum heads for toms for the modern drummer looking for a clear and well-rounded tone. These are the best tom drum head that work well for all styles of music, delivering lots of clarity and punch.
Evans designed the G2 with 2 plies of 7-mil film to produce the perfect blend of depth, sustain and attack. These drum heads are incredibly versatile and perfectly suit a wide range of musical styles.
I love playing Evans G2 drum heads on toms, they have a fantastic tuning range and they sound great tuned up both low and high. They aren’t as dampened as the Remo Pinstripes, and the sound isn’t quite as warm, but they have a better tonal clarity and projection.
The Evans G2s are undoubtedly some of the best drum heads for toms for rock music and will equip your drums with truly professional sounds!
Pros
- Pro choice as the best drum heads for toms
- Fantastic tonal clarity and projection
- Wide-open response and fat low-end
Cons
- They might produce some unwanted overtones
Remo Ambassador Coated Drum Head Pack
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Remo Ambassador Coated Drum Head Pack Review
Up next on our list we have the legendary Remo Ambassador Coated Drum Heads. The Remo Ambassador is categorically the popular drum head in the world, and for good reason!
Ambassador drum heads offer warm and open tones and they are highly articulate and responsive to play. The single ply 10-mil film works wonders and prove themselves to be a time-tested classic within the drumming world.
These drum heads are constructed with a 1-ply 10-mil coated film. These drum heads represent the industry standard for quality, resonant drum heads that are incredibly versatile and provide premium and natural sounding drum tones.
These are the best drum heads for toms that work well across all tuning ranges. They have a very open sound that works particularly well with a medium or high pitched tuning. You will also find that the single ply construction provides these with a longer sustain compared to twin ply heads.
Remo’s Ambassador drum heads are the best drum heads for toms for a wide range of musical styles, but in particular jazz, blues, light rock or pop music.
Pros
- Most popular drum head in the world
- Best drum heads for jazz and blues
- Increased sensitivity and open tones
Cons
- Less durability than two-ply drum heads
- Not ideal for heavy playing or loud music
- Some muffling or dampening might be needed
Evans EC2 Clear Drum Head Pack
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Evans EC2 Clear Drum Head Pack Review
The Evans EC2 Clear Drum Heads are some of my favourite drum heads for toms. They have an incredible dynamic range, fast attack and a really nice level of sustain.
Evans designed the EC2 drum heads to sound fat and deliver a lot of punch! They are constructed of two 7mil films and feature a sound shaping ring on the outer edge which helps to dampen the drum and control unwanted overtones.
These drum heads are an amazing choice for rock drummers and I find they are easy to tune and have a full-bodied sound. My drums really do sound killer with these heads, and they produce a lot of attack combined with a warm low end.
Not only are these drum heads punchy and musical, they are incredibly durable and they really do have a great dynamic range. They sound excellent tuned up high or tuned down low.
If you are looking to try out some new drum heads, or you are upgrading the cheap stock heads on your beginner drum set, you seriously have to give these Evans EC2 drum heads a go. They are definitely some of the best tom heads out there right now!
Pros
- Wide dynamic range
- Highly durable
- Produce a fantastic mid-deep tone
Cons
- Not as responsive and articulate as single ply heads
Remo Pinstripe Clear Drum Head Pack
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Remo Pinstripe Clear Drum Head Pack Review
Up next we have a set of the legendary Remo Pinstripe Drum Heads. These drum heads offer immense durability as well as warm and focused sounds, and they are some of the world’s best drum heads for rock music.
Remo Pinstripe drum heads are constructed with 2-plies of 7-mil film and they feature a distinctive pinstripe around the drum which helps to control unwanted overtones.
The Pinstripe series has proven to be one of the most popular amongst drummers because of their excellent durability paired with a full-sounding drum tone. They produce a fantastic sound that has a lot of projection and warmth and they are the go-to choice for many professional drummers around the world.
These drum heads provide a well-rounded tone and have just the right level of dampening. Remo make fantastic drum heads, and these are the go-to choice of drummers around the world.
These are some of the best drum heads for toms both live and in the studio thanks to their pre-dampened, warm and focused sound. They truly deliver great sounds on all types of drum sets, and can completely transform a beginner drum set from sounding cheap to high quality and musical.
Pros
- Pinstripe controls unwanted overtones
- Excellent durability
- Warm and well-rounded tones
Cons
- Not as dynamic and responsive as single ply heads
Remo Emperor Clear Drum Head Pack
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Remo Emperor Clear Drum Head Pack Review
Remo produce some of the best sounding drum heads in the world. These Remo Emperor Clear Drum Heads are ultra versatile and deliver an ultra clean sound with lots of attack and projection that makes them suitable for a wide range of musical styles.
Remo designed the Remo Emperor tom heads with two plies of 7mil film to have a clean projection whilst remaining highly durable and warm sounding.
These drum heads are very musical, and they are favored by many of the world’s most in-demand professional drummers of all musical genres such as rock, fusion, funk, pop, metal and R&B.
Remo Emperor drum heads are without a doubt some of the best drum heads for toms on the market. They will allow your toms to sing beautifully whether tuned up high, low or in between.
Pros
- Great amount of attack and projection
- Bright and open tones
- Incredibly versatile
Cons
- Will likely require muffling or dampening
- Not very durable drum heads
What’s The Difference Between 1 and 2 Ply Drum heads?
1-Ply Drum Heads:
Single ply drum heads are traditionally the most commonly used type of drum head. These drum heads are made from a single sheet of mylar and come in various thicknesses. The most popular single ply drum head is the Remo Ambassador – which comes in a 10mil thickness.
Single ply drum heads are the industry standard for resonant drum heads (the underside skin opposite the batter skin.
Some qualities of a single ply drum head:
- Increased sensitivity
- More ring and overtones
- Open sounding
- Highly articulate
- Less durability
- Better tuned to medium/ higher pitches
- Best suited for jazz/ light rock/ folk/ latin
2-Ply Drum Heads:
2-ply drum heads consist of two layered plies, commonly of either 7 or 7.5mil thickness. Generally speaking, 2-ply drum heads provide greater attack and depth compared to single ply drum heads. For most modern drummers, 2-ply drum heads are the ‘go-to’ choice for batter skins, and single ply drum heads consistently the choice for resonant drum heads.
Some qualities of a 2-ply drum head:
- Fatter sound
- Shorter sustain
- Increased durability
- Higher tuning range
- Pronounced attack
- Less overtones
- Better tuned to low/ medium pitches
- Best suited for rock/ R&B/ metal/ pop
Coated vs. Clear Drum Heads
Drum heads come in either a coated or a clear finish, and each type offers a drum head its own unique sound characteristics:
Coated Drum Heads Provide:
- Warmer sounds
- Subtle muffling
- A distinctive sound when played with brushes
Clear Drum heads Provide:
- Brighter sounds
- More clarity and attack
- A cleaner tone