Decade Maple Tom Head Upgrade

[Dynadrummer]

Just bought a Decade Maple 7 piece set. From everything I've read the stock heads aren't the best, so I want to upgrade. My old Pearl Export Select I used Evans G2 coated heads. Was wondering what type of head you would recommend? I'm kind of leaning towards clear heads this time. Or stick with coated heads. And have had good luck with the Evans G2's. See they also now have EC2 heads. Also heard good about Remo pinstripe heads. Any thoughts?

[ChongRRMC]

My friend, it's all personal preference. What I find warm and focused, you might find bright and crisp.
However, if I were in your shoes, I would use a 2 ply head. The G2's or the Pinstripes. Get that warm maple shell sound !
Best of luck, welcome to the forum, and congrats on your purchase.

[melvinspeed]

Evans Onyx heads are a slightly thicker two ply than the G2. I find they really bring out some low end.

[my sticks]

It is defiantly personal opinion mixed with trial and error. Most manufacturers out there i.e. Remo, Evans, Aquarian have sound examples and a detailed description of what their products do to the sound. A good place to start might be a 2 ply Batter and a 1 ply resonant *the stock heads work fine for resonants*. There is some conventional wisdom in Emperors over Ambassadors or their brand equivalents, this is a real if it aint broke don't fix it kind of thing. For me I prefer coated emps over clear ambs, this is my go to starting place from there I can begin trying different heads for different sounds *preferably the cheapest one to buy heads for*. Also a Remo Powerstroke P3/ evans emad/ aquarian super kick , coated or clear for the kick are all great options. Don't just take my word for it. Read the websites and watch some videos to get a feel what each head does to the sound but, also keep an eye out for head package deals cost may not be an issue but it can be a real factor! I didn't mention snare heads since quite frankly I haven't figured that one out myself. I hope this helps in some way. Good luck, I hope you find something that suits your tastes!

P.S.
Also Nick D'Virgilio has a great video that demonstrates the drums with 2 ply batters you can check it out here https://youtu.be/tAqacNp_x6A

[The_Prowler]

I was an Evans man up until I got my Decade kit three years ago. I had always used the G2's, but I decided to try clear Emperors for the Decade, and I must admit that I'm probably going to remain a Remo man from now on. They sound great, and I love the resonance and overtones I get out of them.
I still have the stock heads on the bottom of the toms, but I definitely want to upgrade those to Diplomats whenever I can afford it.
As for the kick, I have a Powerstroke P3 on the batter side, and it's quite punchy with a decent low end. I may experiment with a thinner head to try and coax a little more boom out of it eventually, but the P3 hasn't really done me wrong.

[Dynadrummer]

Been doing some research on my drum head upgrade. Guess I'm down to either Evans G2 or Remo Emperors. I want a 2 ply head, These seem to sound alot alike. I have the Evans heads in past and they seem to tune up good also. But kind of feeling like trying the Remo's for something different. Then going to have to decide clear or coated heads. Any more input or anyone any of these?

[my sticks]

I don't think you can go wrong with either brand coated or not. That said, for me coated heads have a little more of a warm characteristic. I think clear heads are going to give you a little more cut with extra sustain on your note. I really like that folky almost classic rock sound that has those real throaty and deep tones thats what I've found 2 ply heads help me with. If your looking for that fat punchy sound that you hear from modern pop music maybe clear 2 ply's are for you. Really it depends on what sound you hear in your minds eye. Good luck!

[MusicMan]

Just bought a Decade Maple 7 piece set. From everything I've read the stock heads aren't the best, so I want to upgrade. My old Pearl Export Select I used Evans G2 coated heads. Was wondering what type of head you would recommend? I'm kind of leaning towards clear heads this time. Or stick with coated heads. And have had good luck with the Evans G2's. See they also now have EC2 heads. Also heard good about Remo pinstripe heads. Any thoughts?

It's all personal preference, but any of those heads will sound a little different and you might like them better.

The Pearl stock heads really don't sound that bad for general use.

You have to be careful how much money you spend upgrading all the heads on a mid-priced kit like that.

[Mountain]

It's all personal preference, but any of those heads will sound a little different and you might like them better.

The Pearl stock heads really don't sound that bad for general use.

You have to be careful how much money you spend upgrading all the heads on a mid-priced kit like that.

Upgrading heads will make a difference and is recommended for almost any kit you have. The Decade Maple kits are excellent sounding drums and unless Pearl have upgraded the stock heads, I'm sure it will improve the sound. You can always just buy a few batter heads to see if you like them, and if you buy them from Amazon and the heads don't work out, they will exchange them for other heads or give you a refund.

[my sticks]

Upgrading heads will make a difference and is recommended for almost any kit you have. The Decade Maple kits are excellent sounding drums and unless Pearl have upgraded the stock heads, I'm sure it will improve the sound. You can always just buy a few batter heads to see if you like them, and if you buy them from Amazon and the heads don't work out, they will exchange them for other heads or give you a refund.

Well said, I agree completely and can attest.

[J Brasket]

I have a 5 piece Decade kit (standard 10, 12, 16, 22, and 14 snare) and usually play coated G2s as well. I found the G2 seemed to choke the 10" tom a little, so I stuck a G1 on it and sounds fantastic. On my Reference kit, I ended up doing the same thing with my 8" tom.

[The_Prowler]

I finally upgraded the stock resonant heads the other day. I went with Ambassadors instead of Diplomats like I originally planned on, and holy hell, they sound amazing. They just opened up and have a wonderful, warm resonance. They've got some punch, but they're definitely not choked, they're more "alive".

[Eric]

Late to reply but good for you. Quality heads
make a big difference in how a drum performs.