Mesh heads for DIY: recommendations?

[J.Freeman]

Hello all,

I am trying to make some DIY toms out of some old Pearl shells that I have cut in half. They are 12" and 13", and I am trying to decide what to use for heads. I checked out Roland heads, but I can't find anything in a 13" size. Remo Silent Strokes look interesting, and the price is nice, but would they be a good fit in this application? I think they are being marketed as a practice acoustic head.

As I already have a Hart pro snare, I was looking at getting a set of Hart heads, but they are hard to find. When I did find some, they were around $90 CAD a piece. Ouch. What up with Hart - are they on the way out?

Thanks for any feed back you might have. I want to pull the trigger on this soon and get to playing.

Jim

[allanjohn]

Hart ceased production last year.

[allanjohn]

All you need to know about mesh heads is available here: https://www.distribly.com/product/2001

[J.Freeman]

That's a shame about Hart. Thanks for the link but I'll hold out for free advice.

[Eric J]

I've been really happy with the Remo SilentStroke heads. They work well with my Roland triggers.

[J.Freeman]

Hi Eric, thank you for that feedback. Yeah Remo is a solid name, and those heads sure do look interesting. I think I will give them a go! Thanks again.

Jim

[Tommy_D]

I have the silent strokes and I dont recommend them. They dent easily (10 minutes of playing) and I fear they will not last very long without continual retightening until they break. A Roland head, on the other hand, can last a lifetime while the only wear you will see is a bit of dirt in it.

[angr77]

I just bought a couple of Remo silent stroke...have been using Drum-tec pro before...and my Quartz triggers became even better! I am actually impressed by the trigger characteristics by using the Remos. The price is also extremely low...advantage Remo!

[chain]

Or you could go DIY route and use screen door mesh (the kind used on windows and doors to prevent mosquitos from coming inside).
The advantage is they are usually quieter and you can control the bounciness by adding more layers of mesh, the more you add the less bouncy they become. And really cheap.

[J.Freeman]

I have the silent strokes and I dont recommend them. They dent easily (10 minutes of playing) and I fear they will not last very long without continual retightening until they break. A Roland head, on the other hand, can last a lifetime while the only wear you will see is a bit of dirt in it.

The problem I'm having with Roland is I can't find a 13" head listed - would you know if they carry one?

Or you could go DIY route and use screen door mesh (the kind used on windows and doors to prevent mosquitos from coming inside).
The advantage is they are usually quieter and you can control the bounciness by adding more layers of mesh, the more you add the less bouncy they become. And really cheap.

Interesting idea, but I'd rather just get playing sooner with a proven solution.

[John M]

I'm using Z-ED mesh heads with good results (A2E, Intriggs, MegaDrum). Not sure if they're available where you are? I started out with DIY flyscreen heads. All I can say is if your kit has regular sized drums and mesh heads are available off the shelf, buy them and save yourself a ton of time. I had no option other than to make DIY heads for two of my toms due to the fact they're pre-international sizes and nobody makes mesh heads to suit. For conventional size drums (that's practically every kit made after 1968) you can buy a ready-to-go mesh head. The only way DIY works out less expensive is if you put a huge negative value on your time!

Back to Z-ED... I'm using their 2 ply design. I can't make comparisons with other makes (apart from my DIY mesh heads) because I haven't tried 'em. The Zeds work great. Response and feel is as it should be. They're not expensive. I've only been using them a few months so how long they'll last remains to be seen. They've taken a beating so far and look set to last a good while longer. Either way, there's no way I'm stitching up another DIY head as long there's somebody out there selling ready to fit mesh heads

[J.Freeman]

Hi John,

Thank you for your feedback. I will definitely check out the Z-ED heads! I have some Remo's on order, and for a reasonable price. So I figure I'll give them a try. Even if they don't work out, it's not a lot of cash and I will learn something along the way (hopefully)! One problem I am facing is that the shells I am using are 12" and 13", and I can't find a Roland head in 13". But maybe the Z-ED's are the way to go. I have some Roland PD8's as toms for the time being, and I must say I do like them - more than I would have thought I would like hockey puck drums! But seriously, while I do have a bias towards mesh heads, the PD8's are a solid little trigger. I just find switching between my mesh snare and the PD8's is messing with my (already limited) ability. Good for you for trying such an ambitious DIY project! I know what you mean - I love DIY stuff, and you can save huge money, but time invested can be costly too. And I am itching to get my kit in better shape so I can start to practice more seriously. Thanks again!

I have the silent strokes and I dont recommend them. They dent easily (10 minutes of playing) and I fear they will not last very long without continual retightening until they break. A Roland head, on the other hand, can last a lifetime while the only wear you will see is a bit of dirt in it.

Hey there, thank you for your feedback. I have a set on order, so we'll see how they hold up. I am not a super forceful player, though I do get carried away at times. I wouldn't say I am very heavy handed though. But I do appreciate your input. It may very well be I blow this set of Remo's and then I will certainly move on.

[J.Freeman]

Thank you, all of you. I really appreciate that you would take the time to respond. vdrums.com has been a great resource, and I am happy to be aboard! Especially as something of a novice drummer, it is nice to get the opinions of others, who likely have a lot more experience than I do. Thanks again.

Jim

[markw10]

I tried DIY screen heads.... I won't probably try that again ... I have been using SilentStrokes and agree with the denting ( i could see it when detentioned, but not when the head was tight ) but haven't ripped one, and have probably 10 hours of practice and a 4 hour show on an 8, 10 and 20 inch and haven't been dissapointed in any of them.. it did take some experimenting to get the right feel and to get the bounce out of the kick drum, but I'm pretty sure that is with any diy kick conversion. I ended up using a pd-8 to do the show because I didn't trust the 14" snare i converted ... in the Silentstrokes I have altogether an 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, and 20... a pic of the kit I used is around here some where..... lol.....

[Bdknocks]

Maybe you could just find a 10" or 14" tom used on eBay or Craigslist and cut that in half and then get Roland heads for all you toms. When I built my kit I stayed away from 13" toms.