shells or heads

[FullMoon]

is it the shells or the heads u use that make the major differnce in the sound of your drums

[Futuro]

is it the shells or the heads u use that make the major differnce in the sound of your drums Both Will make a difference. They each have to comment each other.

[aznriceball]

^exactly.

heads + tuning = 50%
edges = 25%
shell = 25%

thats a rough debatable guestimate, but u get the idea

[Double Bass Jim]

Quality heads and a great tune job will make the most noticable difference to the human ear, bearing edges coming in close second.

Shells will come through on close micing the most, nuance wood types ect ect...

[drummerty]

Yeah as long as the shell is in round and has nice edges than good heads that are well tuned will be most important. Type of wood will alter the sound somewhat also but the heads and tuning MUCH more so.

[Josiah]

You can only tell the difference if the drum is tuned well.

Therefore, I'd say it's a prerequisite that the drum be tuned well to hear the differences in the shell/edges. Given that the drum is tuned well, then the differences are very noticable.