Evans Calftone '56 Series Heads

92
| JANUARY 2017 WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM
GEAR REVIEW
I
t’s 60 years since Evans was founded
and in recognition of this the company
has launched its ’56 series of Calftone
heads, designed to mimic the sound
and feel of the skins Chick Evans’ plastic
revolution replaced. Real calf skins were/are
inconsistent, subject to organic variations,
but many drummers would still like to
recapture the sound.
Build
These are cool-looking heads with their
classic 1950s-style logo, and as ever with
Evans there is the air of quality about the
construction. The underside reveals the
shiny clear Mylar that provides the base,
while the top is a creamy, fi brous parchment
that looks similar to Remo’s longstanding
Fibreskyns.
There is at present just the one standard
Calftone for toms and snares (ranging from
6" to 18"). There are though three bass drum
alternatives: standard, EMAD and EQ4, in 16"
to 26" sizes. Calftones also benefi t from the
Evans Level 360 construction which aims to
make seating and tuning easier.
From £18.80 Celebrating its 60th anniversary Evans goes retro
with these fi bre-topped heads which evoke natural calf skins
EVANS CALFTONE
’56 SERIES HEADS
WORDS: GEOFF NICHOLLS
Hands On
Calftone toms and snares have a 7-mil
Mylar base where Remo’s Ambassador
Fibreskyns are 10-mil, so the Calftones are
more akin to Remo’s (7.5-mil) Diplomat
Fibreskyns. As such they are lighter and more
resonant and toms tune up readily to vintage
bebop levels, supplying a classic Max Roach
jazzy, concise tone. Tuning the smaller toms
medium-high there is a good ping with a
thicker, more complex timbre than from the
usual modern single-ply head. Damping is
unnecessary.
They also work tuned lower for a more
throaty rumble, particularly on fl oor toms. Go
too low and they rattle, but the tone remains
plump with minimal overtones, which makes
tuning easy and drums studio/mic ready.
Bass drum heads have a 12-mil Mylar base;
the EQ4 has a 10-mil perimeter control ring
while the EMAD has its interchangeable
system of foam damping rings in the plastic
perimeter tray. They both, and particularly the
EMAD, focus the darker, thumpier, edgier
frequencies of the heads. Is this at odds with
the Calftone goal? Well, it’s 2016, not 1956,
PRICE S
12", £18.80; 13", £19.60;
14", £20.90; 16", £23.90;
22" bass, £46.50;
22" EQ4 bass, £50;
22" EMAD bass, £63.50
CONSTRUCTION
Single-ply Mylar with
blended fi bre surface
GAUGES
7-mil (tom/snare), 12-mil
(bass) Mylar fi lm base
TYPES
Toms, snare and bass
heads in standard
Calftone. Plus, bass
drums in EQ4 and EMAD
variations
HOOPS
Evans Level 360
technology steeper
collar with roll-over
hoop
SIZE
AVAILABILITY
Toms/snares: 8" to 18";
Bass drums: 16" to 26"
CONTACT
D’Addario
0191 300 3000
www.daddario.co.uk
www.evansdrumheads.
com
Essential spec
and some drummers will want the earthy calf
tone but also a click-ier, rock-ier bite.
Fitting the 22" EQ4 to my 1965 Ludwig it
was fabulous – a hard-ish punch capping a
full-bodied richness, not as slappy as modern
heads, more a vintage Mitch Mitchell ‘bonk’. A
keeper. The standard 22" ’56 was similar and
even warmer, lots of mid-range presence,
when accompanied by an old-school felt
strip damper.
Slapping the 14" on a wood shell snare was
equally gratifying. There’s that parchment-like
crispness, a taut, versatile, sonorous and
luxurious feel, the snares always crunchy. Oh,
and absolutely perfect for brushes.
VERDICT: With Calftones you enter a
different sonic world, one with many
fans in today’s music which
encompasses world-jazz-folk-acoustic
elements.
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
RATING
FIBROUS COATING
With Calftones you enter a different sonic
world, one with many fans in today’s music
CLASSIC ‘56 LOGO
Celebrating 60 years of innovation, the
Calftones hark back to the real skins
Evans’ plastic heads replaced
RHY263.gear_evans.indd 92 11/28/16 6:10 PM