blue or black cone replacements

[nathunder]

Hey Guys,

Has anyone noticed that the new vdrums have a black cone rather than the blue cone. I didn't know about the change till recently. I noticed that the black cones seem to be made of a slightly different material. I hope they are more durable- I go through a cone every 4 to 6 months on my snare drum. Has anyone else noticed the change?

[Boingo]

Originally posted by nathunder:
I hope they are more durable- I go through a cone every 4 to 6 months on my snare drum. Has anyone else noticed the change?

I have had my V-Pro's for over 2 years. I have not had to replace a cone. I tune my heads to the normal setting. Are you replacing them because they are damaged or is this more of a preventative maintenance thing? I would think they would last more than 6 months for the most aggressive of playing styles.

[criewe]

How do you know when they need replacing?

Does it improve the sound or sensitivity at all?

[cliff]

I called Roland to get a blackcone. The KD 120 that came with my V Session had a blue one. I wanted it to match. The tech suggested I wait and told me the "sensor" would have to be changed also as the black cone used a different sensor than the blue"

[nathunder]

Hey Guy,

I don't think I play any harder than most but I do play hard. As far as the head is concerned-- I like it TIGHT. I know when the cone is wearing by two ways, one I have had the tip of the blue cone completely fall of in a concert(and I had to hit right in the middle to get the drum to trigger; It took about 4 to 6 months before I had to replace it again (I have learned to always have a spare cone). I normally can tell when the cone needs replacing because I notice that hitting closer to the edge at a "lighter" hit caused the side stick sound to trigger. I then remove the head to find the the tip of the blue cone had "crumbled" a little. I am wondering if I am doing something wrong, if you say yours has lasted you that long. But other than having the head really tight and playing hard I don't have any explination. Could I be tighting the head wrong? I do the cross tention method.

Also, the first time I called Roland I got the same spill about needing to replace the trigger also. I called tech support- who gave me completely different info. I bought the black cones and am waiting for their arrival. Unless my eyes decieved me, the black cones are more than a different color- they are a more dense material. Also, they are two dollars more per cone. I say Roland is charging more because they know that the black cones are going to last longer. Maybe you see this different.

[Boingo]

Something is fishy in Denmark. From what I have read in the past 2+ years on this site, it isn't the norm to have to replace anywhere near as often as you do. I would think a loose head would be more damaging to the cone rather than tight. I hadn't checked mine for ~6 months so I just checked. A couple show small spots at the tip flaking ~1/32" (with no sound degredation).

I'd swear I saw a post once where someone said Steve Fisher was asked about the blue cone, he reacted like cone wear wasn't a big deal, checked his, saw signs of flaking and said he had no response problem. I suspect trigger settings and tuning are responsible for many problems where cones are being blamed. Of course, if yours are falling off my theory doesn't apply.

My read on blue vs black... It may very well be an intentional product improvement, but more often than not, it's the result of a supplier having a material availability problem and switching materials or Rolands changing suppliers to one who offers a different but comparable product. They often put a positive spin on these changes and put "new and improved" on the label.

[Stixx777]

Remember also that OIL prices are going up making plastic more expensive. I am going to agree with Boingo in that they are using a different material for cost or availability reasons. Where I work we are experiencing the same problem. High price or low supply, in the last few months we have tested alot of new materials to keep cost down!!

[Arriguy]

Mike Snyder mentioned at one of the clinics I attended that the black cones were from the PD-80s that come with the V-Custom kit. They had gone to the black cones on all the drums now because they noticed that they needed replacement less often than the blue ones which are made from a slightly different material. So yes, it is supposed to be a product improvement. It's probably easier for them to stock one type cone also.

[nathunder]

Hey Guys,

Well, I not going to tie myself down by saying it isn't the way I tighten the head (and only the tip, which touches the head has ever fallen of) but I have a real problem thinking that I have been tightening the head wrong. Maybe I do play harder that the average drummer- but I doubt it. Maybe I'm the problem here. I do wish you guys could see what I'm seeing. It seems that the constant "absorbing" of the cone couses the area next to the tip to start deteriating. I do hope these black cones are more durable.