Remo coated emperor

I prefer a 2-ply head on my snare drum most of the time, and I've used Remo Emperors before and I like that head a lot.

I really like the Vintage Emperor more than the standard Emperor, but I've also used a Smooth White Emperor on a snare drum before too. The Smooth White is nice because you get a little more open sound than a coated Emperor, but not quite as bright as an Ambassador.
 
If you have a little extra in the budget, I suggest that you get 3-4 different batter heads, try them each with low/med/high tuning, and choose the one that best compliments your musical style and your particular snare drum. Maybe try an Evans and Aquarian in addition to the Remo(s).
 
I like it, John Bonham liked it. Depends on what you like, feel and sound wise.

Here's a massive comparison between all the Remo snare heads:
Can’t argue with Bonham
 
Can’t argue with Bonham
I argued with Bonham. Yeah it was somewhere in the early seventies when I declared that guy doesn't know how to play the drums right, because I was trying to learn black dog and his snare placement in the song was beyond my young talent. 😀😀😀 Young and dumb
 
I have recorded myself over the course of 16 years at my church and for most of that time I took note of the various heads I used on snares. Just recently I finally noticed that the times I loved my snare sound the most was when I was using a Coated Emperor. But I also noticed that the head I like most for snare volume is a Clear Black Dot. Maybe it's my imagination, but the clear black dot head appears to cut and pop better, if I want that sound. For a thicker and mellower sound that I prefer over all, it's the Emperor Coated, for sure. I know that sometimes Emperors have been marketed for heavy hitters. I'm a light to moderate player and love the Coated Emps on snares as well as the toms. For the toms I love the Emps tuned up high.
 
I argued with Bonham. Yeah it was somewhere in the early seventies when I declared that guy doesn't know how to play the drums right, because I was trying to learn black dog and his snare placement in the song was beyond my young talent. 😀😀😀 Young and dumb
Fortunately we were all there at some point, knowing more than the pros and willing to show them lol. Youth is wasted on the young
 
Really no right answer ..... because it's up to you and your taste. One of my favorite snare heads, is the coated Evans HD Dry. I have that on a couple of my snares. I use coated Ambassador on a couple, also.
 
After hearing that comparo vid as well as my experiences with a handful of those heads, I see no need to put anything on a snare but a regular Ambassador. I can get those muted sounds with an Ambassador but I can't add ring to muted heads, and I by far preferred the ring of the Ambassador to anything.
 
I was surprised how good a diplomat sounded on the video- I was expecting it to be thin and wimpy. Huh I’ve got an Evan’s Genera on my snare now and Powerstroke 3 similar-and I’m surprised I’m not loving it on video but Vintage Ambassadors sound great on this video ( I’ve only tried on toms).
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all your replies, guys I'm confused now I'm going to have a stiff drink or 2.

Haha, that's what happens when one asks for head recommendations, it's like asking "what is the best color?". So many opinions and preferences and experiences and playing styles, and we're not even getting into the whole Remo vs Evans vs Aquarian debate.

At the end of the day, you have to try them out for yourself. I stayed off Emperors for a long time because everyone on the internet told me that Ambassadors or Controlled Sounds were life. Then I tried one for fun and there it was the sound I had been trying to get from the beginning.
 
Thanks for all your replies, guys I'm confused now I'm going to have a stiff drink or 2.
When looking at heads, look at the specs. It will tell you how many plys, and each plys thickness.

As a general rule, the thinner the head, the livelier it will be (more ring and overtones). The thicker the head or more plys it has, the deader it will be (less ring and overtones).

If you have two heads that are the same but one is coated, the coated one is slightly less lively because the coating adds mass. The same goes for a head with a dot in the center.
 
Thanks for all your replies, guys I'm confused now I'm going to have a stiff drink or 2.

All those members with all kinds of different opinions... ;)

It's all trail and error. Used coated Ambassador for a while, even a clear Pinstripe (which i split, don't ask how i managed to do that), but for the first years coated Ambassador.
Eventually switched to coated Controlled Sound and haven't looked back since. Basically a coated Ambassador with a power dot underneath so it's more or less 2 ply there. Just the perfect amount of muffling to reduce ring without sounding dead.

If you have two heads that are the same but one is coated, the coated one is slightly less lively because the coating adds mass. The same goes for a head with a dot in the center.

True :)
I tried a clear CS for a while and although it cracked and cut through more, i missed the warmth that a coated CS gives me. So reverted back to coated CS
 
I swear by a coated Emperor on my 402. Match made in heaven.

Variety is the spice of life!
 
Well I have an old 13 in Vintage Ambassador I replaced the Evans Genera and yes I like it. It tunes up way higher pitch without choking out (so more range than Genera), and much more volume it seems. I was thinking of trying the Diplomat M5 because so sensitive and responsive but compared to the two-ply I don't think it will have volume and be a bit wimpy without a mic? But I do like how the Diplomat M5 sounds.
 
With Remo heads, for ME, an Ambassador has always sounded too perfect.
I prefer some "dirt" in my snare, and the Ambassador sounds too good for that type of sound.

Coated Emps never sounded tubby or too low for me because I like a more snug batter head.
I've used a coated TOP DOT Amb, or Emp for a couple decades +, and, for the last 5 or so, I have really liked the Aquarian Hi Velocity head on a few snares I have too.
That one is a 2 ply head, with a LARGE underside dot.
Even though the dot is pretty huge, it still has more life to it for me than a P77, or an Emp X.
The regular coated CS black underside dot head is nice, but it seemed like BITD, EVERYONE was using it, so I didn't want to use it haha. It sounds OK, but, meh.
I prefer the sound of the coated top dot heads.
 
Back
Top