Evans EC2 and EMAD Drum Heads
GEARREVIEWS
KEY FEATURES
slip one of two supplied black foam rings.
One ring is 2cm wide and the other is
4cm. Now we add the new front head
which, like the batter, offers the choice of
two foam rings, a softer and a fi rmer one.
In total, both the batter and the resonant
heads have three levels of damping,
giving a wide range of combinations.
Ju
gg
li
ng f
oa
m r
in
gs
The great thing about the EMAD system
is that it is quick and easy to play with. You
soon discover that damping the batter
head makes the bigger impact, while
damping the front head is more subtle.
Nevertheless, the firmer (darker) front
ring has a slightly greater impact than
the softer (lighter) ring.
I went for a medium combo, with the
lighter 2cm ring inserted in the batter
head sleeve and the softer foam ring
encircling the mic hole. The effect was
dramatic with increased attack and a
lowered pitch. Edge damping, as with
the EC2 tom heads, subdues the higher
overtones so that the deeper tones
predominate, and as sustain is reduced,
so the attack is exaggerated. Overall a
ballsy sound, quite hard and, with no
internal pillow, loud.
Ev
ans’
appr
oa
ch to
damping has alw
ay
s st
ruck me as eleg
ant and
inventive. The EC2’s new edge damping provides just enough control
to accentuate attack and depth without sacrificing too much
re
so
nanc
e.
The EC
2 is a har
d we
aring double-ply he
ad which is liv
ely
,
ea
sy
t
o
tune and ve
rs
atile
.T
he EMAD Re
so
nant look
s a bit st
ra
ng
e,
but
it’
s subtly ef
fe
ctiv
e.
To
ge
ther with the EMAD ba
tt
er it is both fun and childishly
easy to experiment with.The system provides appropriate damping without
having to gaffer a pillow inside your bass drum. It’s flexible, easy to adjust and
the lack of
int
ernal ob
st
ructions me
ans yo
u ge
t a full,
vibr
ant to
ne
.
Yet again Evans comes up with ingenious
and practical solutions to drum head damping.
The new resonant EMAD front head is no
good if you prefer to use a full front head.
★★★★★
RATING
Quick as a flash, I then took both front
and rear rings away and got a great open,
rounded sound, with more highs, perfect
for non-miked situations. With the two
heaviest rings in place, the attack was
maximised and the tone was short, dark
and brutal. But as there was no pillow in
the drum there was still lots of air and
body. The clever thing about the EMAD
external system is that changing rings
is quick, and easier than messing about
with internal pillows or felt strips. The
drawback is that the EMAD Resonant only
works with a hole cut in the front head.
Stress-relief slots allow the EC2’s
silver Edge Control damping rings to
flex with the vibrations of the head.
RHY121.gear_evans 0106RHY121.gear_evans 0106 16/12/05 5:20:53 pm16/12/05 5:20:53 pm
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