With the country/americana band I am playing with, I use a lot of the various rod sticks; e.g. Hot Rods, Cool Rods, black rods, etc. I like the volume control and sound texture that these sticks provide.

I have the snare head type that works for me when using rods, but I need some help figuring out what type of tom heads to use.

Rods on toms can sound pretty anemic. Also, I have to hit pretty hard to get a tom hit to cut through the mix. What I want is a head that will get a warmer meatier tone with more volume.

I am not necessarily looking for brands suggestions (although those suggestions would be fine) as I am for thoughts on single vs. 2ply, coated vs. not coated, plastic vs. something else.

I have been playing drums forever but, shamefully, have never really schooled myself on drum head properties.

Thanks in advance

Dave T.

These are basic factors that will make a drumhead sound "warmer" ... in no particular order:

1) Two-plies
2) Thickness
3) Coating
4) Dampening material

Whatever you use to strike the drum also affects the sound you perceive. An apparatus that is small or light will not bring out the low-end (warmth/darkness) of a drumhead like a large, heavy one. If you use a small diameter stick it's not going to sound as "warm" as a large diameter stick. The same goes with drumstick tip shape and size.

Multirods aren't going to sound as "warm" on the Toms as a drumstick would. The impact is dispersed between each dowel rather than being focused in one contact point.

If you want to use multirods, you might want to look at the ones that are made from larger sized dowels.

Playing rimshots with the multirods also seems to bring out more of the fundamental tones on the Tom Toms, but there's also more attack.

The more surface area that the striking apparatus comes in contact with will bring out more of the warmth ... which is just the low frequencies.