Over the past 10 years, I've made it a point to try every single drum head on the market from Remo, Evans, and Aquarian. This has resulted in my being able to make informed comparisons, and I definitely have opinions about each and every one. Although I love the sustain I get from a single ply, most are not very practical, as they just don't last long enough. 2-ply heads work, especially for rock, but at the expense of sustain. The UV1 has solved that problem for me, as I've found that they last roughly twice as long as just about any other single ply 10 mil head on the market. What's more, they have a unique ability to stretch, which allows them to be re-tuned over and over. This takes a little getting used to at first, and tuning requires being conscious of the stretch factor, while tuning each lug against its opposite lug with care (applying light pressure in the center of the head, in between tuning each lug), then playing the head briefly, and repeating the process perhaps a few more times than is typical. At least at first, but it doesn't take long to get quick at it. Taking a little longer to initially tune the head pays off in the long run, as the head is remarkably resilient and holds up to re-tuning to different tensions and pitches to a greater degree and for far longer than ANY other head on the market. That much, I can say confidently. Although I didn't used to care for coated heads, I've come to love the sound, as it smooths over the "edge" from attack portion of the sound, which in turn reveals more of the natural "tone" of the drum itself and less of the THWACK of the stick hitting the head. I love the fact that by making specific head choices, I can completely change the sound of my kit as appropriate for the music I am recording. So the UV1 is not the only head I use. However, it has definitely become my "Go To" head for the past year or two. My mission was an expensive one and took about 10 years, and it ended when I discovered the UV1. For sustain, it's UV1. For incredible durability, but a much shorter sustain, the UV2 has no peer. And there you have it! It's an opinion that took a lot of money and time to arrive at, but in the end, it's only my opinion. Your opinion is the only one that counts. My advice is simply to try them! ;-)
Evans
