You guys and your Classic Maple drums in "vintage" sizes are killing me. How do I look at my poor drums now?? It'll never be the same again.
Now seriously, those kits are amazingly beautiful. The sizes are perfect, the 4-piece is just pure class, the finishes are outstanding, the lugs are the prettiest.. And of course they must sound heavenly. Congrats.
To the OP, I have a 24" bass drum too and I use a Coated Emperor with a felt strip. To me it gives a beautiful open, round, boomy sound. Great for live gigs unmiced.
Now I switched to a Clear PS3, just for a change, and it sounds great too, but much more "modern".. that is, a fat, short punch. Almost no resonance, pure attack.
No one is
better than the other, they're just different. I think the Emp would suit your style better though.
Anyway, congrats, enjoy those drums.