Drum head choice for jazz

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 4:32 pm

I purchased a USA maple ludwig set 1990's with 12 and 13 inch toms, 16" floor, 22x16 bass drum, 14X5 maple snare.

I want to use them for session drummers.

What heads would be good for recording jazz?

Also any recommendations for cymbals would be helpful. Most guys I am told carry their own and may have different cymbals for recording.

Thanks
-jim

Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 7:04 pm

Drums have personalities of their own and vary widely from individual to individual, but generally Remo coated Ambassadors on the batter side of everything will give you good results for jazz. Brand new coating can make brush work a little sticky and Ambassadors, when brand new, have a cacophonic ring to them (to me), so be sure to wear in the heads for at least a week before you're ready to record them.

Zildjian K series, Sabian AAX, and Sabian HH are my picks for cymbals. The bigger, the better.

Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2007 10:06 pm

Well I mean with the right tuning you could get a nice jazz sound out of some of the drums. But those sizes are standard [12, 13, 16, 22, 14 snare] not fusion [10, 12, 14, 20, 14 snare].

That bass drum will sound more like a rock bass no matter what tuning.

Ambassadors all around coated on top and clear on bottom.

Cymbals...Zildjian K, K Custom, Sabian HH, HHX, Paiste Dark Energy.

Any size is good really depends on the sound though. The thiner the better really but go for the high end stuff.

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