Updated: March 10th, 2024
Of all parts of a drum set, drum heads have the greatest influence on how your drums sound. A high-end set can sound cheap with low-quality drum heads, and a cheap drum set can sound amazing with amazing heads (I’ll show you video proof further down).
What’s the best drum head for 2024?
We don’t want to waste a second of your time. So no long intro here, what is the best drum head for 2024?
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | |
|---|---|---|
 | Best Snare for Rock
| VIEW LATEST PRICE → |
 | Best Toms for Rock
| VIEW LATEST PRICE → |
 | Best Bass Drum for Rock
| VIEW LATEST PRICE → |
 | Best Snare for Jazz
| VIEW LATEST PRICE → |
 | Best Toms for Jazz
| VIEW LATEST PRICE → |
 | Best Snare for Church
| VIEW LATEST PRICE → |
 | Best Toms for Church
| VIEW LATEST PRICE → |
 | Best Bass for Church
| VIEW LATEST PRICE → |
But finding the best drum heads for your purpose can be difficult. I’m not a sound technician, so terms like “pitch”, “sustain” and “reverb” always caused a certain amount of confusion in my head…
Until I dove deep into the realm of drum heads for this article – and found out that actually it’s not as difficult to understand how drum heads work. If only somebody cared to explain it in plain English.
So you’ll get exactly this: an easy-to-understand explanation of how drum heads work – and how you can find the “best” ones.
And since “best” is relative to your purpose, I’ll be showing you the best drum heads for rock or metal, the best ones for jazz and the best for the church. Plus: for each style, I’ll show you snare drum heads, bass drum heads, and packs of tom heads (which will save you money).
Evans or Remo Drum Heads?
Evans and Remo are the major drum head manufacturers. And deciding whether to go for one or the other is like deciding whether to pick brown or white chocolate. Both are great as such but it all depends on your taste!
If at all audible, the Remo heads generally have slightly more sustain than the Evans: (jump to 2:03 to skip the German introduction and hear the sound test)
In the end, the decision comes down to what “feels” best to you. So just pick one brand now and try the other next time you need new heads.
Heavy Hitter? Best Drum Heads for Rock or Metal
Before you kill me: no, I don’t think rock and metal are the same. But I think that drummers who feel themselves affiliated to any of those two styles usually want to achieve a damn punch when they hit those drums.
So my two criteria for rock and metal heads are:
- Double ply (two layers) for a short sustain & little overtones / low pitch
- Clear head for a pronounced punch (“attack”)
1. Best Snare Drum Head for Rock or Metal
Remo Emperor X Coated with Reverse Black Dot
The Emperor X is as thick and therefore has as little sustain and overtones as you can get. So the tone will be low-pitched and the coating will make it very powerful.
The dot will add some muffling and increase durability. After all, snares are hit most frequently of all drums. Available for all snare sizes.
Evans EC Coated with Reverse Dot Snare Head
The only difference to the Remo Emperor is that the two layers of this head are thinner in total (10 + 7 mil). But this will only make for a very subtle sound difference. I’d recommend to let the design guide your decision, as the Evans EC coated looks quite different from the standard.
2. Best Drum Heads for Rock or Metal Toms
Evans G2 Clear
G2 stands for double ply and clear was our second criterion for heavy hitters. Beware that the words “fusion”, “rock” and “clear” in the Amazon description have nothing to do with style, but refer to the sizes of the heads. So:
- standard is for 12”, 13”, 16” toms
- fusion is for 10”, 12”, 14”
- and rock is for a 10”, 12”, 16” setup
Remo Pinstripe Clear Tom Heads
Same in terms of layers, but with one additional feature compared to the Evans: the black line near the edge of the head is an overtone reducing agent, so you’ll get even less overtones / a lower pitch with Pinstripe heads. Available as:
- 10”, 12”, 14” pack
- 10”, 12”, 16” pack
- 12”, 13”, 16” pack (this pack to me is overpriced. It comes with 1 additional “free” head, but the pack costs a little more than the other Remos or the Evans.)
3. Best Rock or Metal Bass Drum Head
Evans EMAD Clear Bass Drum Head
“EMAD” stands for “externally mounted adjustable damping” and means there’s a foam ring sitting on top of the head:You can apply and remove the ring by hand and use the whole thing or half of it to achieve your desired amount of dampening. Available in all possible bass drum sizes (18”, 20”, 22” and 24”)
Remo Powerstroke P3 Clear
This is actually single ply, but the dampening ring (black line near the edges) acts as a second layer. The ring takes away the overtones and gives you a powerful mid-pitched punch with a bit of sustain. Available in 18”, 20”, 22” and 24”. (Oh, and you’re not getting two heads at once. Don’t know why Remo put a picture of two up on Amazon.)
Best Drum Heads for Jazz
If you’re playing jazz, you’ll probably want a some amount of sustain & a somewhat high pitch. That’s why I recommend single ply (single layered) heads.
You also likely want a gentle response rather than a punch from your drums. So I’m showing you coated heads.
1. Best Snare Drum Head for Jazz
Remo Ambassador Coated
This is the best selling drum head on Amazon and supposedly also in the world. With it’s long sustain, relatively high pitch and gentle response it’s my go-to head for jazz or latin music. Available in 14” or 13”
Evans Power Center Reverse Dot Coated
Two differences to the Remo Ambassador: the dot in the middle (hidden away at the bottom side) reduces the sustain of this head a tiny bit. And the Evans Power Center is available in all possible snare drum sizes. (Even for kids drum sets).
2. Best Drum Heads for Jazz Toms
Evans G1 Coated
G1 means single ply and this head has a particularly thick layer (10mil). That means, it has got overtones and a high pitch, but not excessively so. Available in all possible tom sizes.
Remo Ambassador Coated
Properties are the same, so there’s only the customary chocolate-or-vanilla sound difference between Evans and Remo. Yet, on Amazon these tom heads are only available in 10”, 12”, 14” (fusion pack).
3. Best Bass Drum Head for Jazz
Evans EMAD Coated
If you’re after reducing some of the overtones, this head’s “externally mounted adjustable damping” ring will serve you better than the Remo. Otherwise it’s chocolate or vanilla again. Available in all usual bass drum sizes.
Remo Ambassador Coated
Just like the Evans this head will give you a high pitch and a gentle response. Different from it, there will be more sustain because there’s no ring here. My favorite for the jazz bass drum! Available in 22”, 20” or 18”.
Best Drum Heads for Church
In most modern worship settings, you’ll want to have a sound in between of rock and jazz. First: less sustain than in jazz, because church architecture usually provides enough of that already. So we’re going double ply (double layered) heads.
Second: not as much punch as in rock, because (usually) you don’t want to blow people from their seats. So we’re going coated.
1. Best Snare Drum Heads for Church
You might notice that these heads are actually single ply. But they both have a muffling dot that makes up for the additional overtones.
Remo Controlled Sound Coated with Reverse Dot
The dot produces a muffling effect which is valuable for church and also enhances the head’s durability. “Reverse” means that the dot is on the back of the head so it doesn’t get in the way once you play with brushes (in which case you swish over the surface). Available in 14” or 13”.
Evans Power Center Coated with Reverse Dot
Essentially the same characteristics, but this head is available in all possible snare drum sizes (for kids drum sets too).
2. Best Tom Heads for Church
Evans G2 Coated
A little sustain and overtones and a gentle response on top. That’s as good as your church toms can get. Available in all tom sizes.
Remo Emperor Coated
Same properties as the Evans. But note that Remo’s labels on Amazon are confusing as all tompacks are called “Remo Emperor Coated Drumhead Pack”. I’ve got things sorted out for you: here is
- the pack for 12”, 13”, 16” toms
- here the one for a 10”, 12”, 14” setup
- and this one is for 10”, 12”, 16”
3. Best Bass Drum Head for Church
Evans EMAD Coated
Although this is single ply, the “externally mounted adjustable damping” ring will reduce some of the additional overtones and sustain this layering would have.The ring is applied on the surface of the head and you can use it full-size or in half. Anyway, this head will give you a mid-pitched tone with a gentle response and some sustain. Available in all bass drum sizes.
Remo Powerstroke P3 Coated
Just like the Evans this is single ply too and also has a damping ring which reduces the higher overtones (black line at the edge).Contrary to the Evans, the damping ring is applied on the inside and you can’t take a portion off of it. Available in 18”, 20”, 22” and 24”.
The 2 Crucial Properties of Drum Heads
If you’re wondering why the hell why I’ve been using strange words such as “sustain”, “pitch” and “attack”, you’re about to find out. Because actually it’s quite simple to figure out how a drum head will sound from just its description:
It only depends on two properties that influence how a drum head vibrates (and thus generates sound). These are:
- thickness. In drum head jargon this refers to whether the head has one layer (“single ply”) or two (“double ply”)
- additional mass on surface. If there is some, the head is coated. If there isn’t it’s clear.
What thickness will influence:
- Two layers of a head (“double ply”) will vibrate “against each other” and thus cancel each other out pretty quickly. The result: Short sustain (time spent vibrating).
- Two layers will also be thicker than one, and thickness means the head vibrates at a lower frequency. The result: Low pitch / little overtones.
- A single layer (“single ply”) will do the opposite and give you a longer sustain + higher pitch / more overtones.
What coated / clear influences:
- A coated head has more mass on the surface than a clear on. This adds a dampening effect. In subjective terms this means: coated heads have a less pronounced attack. There isn’t that much of a hit or slap.
- Clear heads, by contrast, have no dampening and thus a considerable attack, punch, hit or whatever else you want to call it.
The difference is subtle, but this video shows it very well at 1:03:
So there you have my best drum heads for rock, metal, jazz and the church. Now I’m interested to find out what your recommendations are! Or do you have a question left? In any case: let me know in the comments. I’ll respond to every one of them!
A Cheap Drum Kit With Amazing Sound?!
I’ve promised to show you how to make a cheap drum kit sound amazing. So here it is. Enjoy – I bet you’ll want some new heads afterwards 🙂
Shopping Online for Drum Heads – FAQ
Which type of drum head do I need to play rock?
There are two things that you will need to consider when purchasing a drum head specifically for rock. The thickness of the layers and the type of head will determine the type of sound. A coated drum with a double-ply (two layers) head will produce a short sustain with little overtones or low pitch. A clear head will produce a pronounced punch or “attack”.
How do I choose the right drum head for playing jazz?
When playing jazz you will need some amount of sustain and a slightly high pitch. A single-ply (single-layered) drum head will give you the perfect amount of sustain and pitch. Coated drum heads have more mass on the surface this adds a dampening effect. This effect will produce a gentle response rather than a punch from your drums.
What type of drum head do I need to play contemporary praise and worship?
In most modern worship settings, you will want to have a sound that is between rock and jazz.
You will need less sustain than jazz and a more gentle response than rock. A double-ply (double layered) drum head with a coated head will give you less of a punch.
What is the difference between using a coated or clear drum head?
A clear drum head has no dampening this will give you a considerable attack, punch, or hit. Clear drum heads are best for playing rock or metal where you will want that punch.
Coated heads have more mass on the surface this adds a dampening effect. These heads produce a less pronounced attack. There is not that much of a hit or slap and works well when you want a more gentle approach when playing jazz.
How often do I need to change my drum heads?
Drum heads should be replaced at the first sign of excessive wear on the coating, dents, or extensive markings on the head. Snare drum and bass drum batter heads should be changed every 6 months. TomTom heads every 3 months, TomTom and Snare drum resonant heads once a year. You will not need to change your bass drum resonant.
How do I clean drum heads?
Drum heads generally do not need to be cleaned. If your drum heads are looking very dirty you can use mild soap and water. It is best to stay away from anything that has a petroleum component. Most modern drum heads are made from mylar, this type of plastic does not tolerate it well.
How often should I tune my drum heads?
Depending on the amount of play, with regular practice of up to three times a week you can tune the drum heads once or twice a week. It is recommended to tune the heads on a more regular basis as often as twice a week for professional musicians to achieve the best sound during each performance.