Remo Ambassador Coated Drumhead - 14 Inch Snare or Tom Head - BA-0114-00
Remo Ambassador Coated Drumhead – 14 Inch Snare or Tom Head – BA-0114-00
This is the head that most drum sounds you’ve ever heard were recorded on. A single ply of 10-mil coated Mylar, the Ambassador Coated has been the default snare batter in studios for decades because it does everything competently and nothing badly: warm open tone, bright attack, sustain that stops where you want it.
A 14" is the size most people reach for as a snare batter, but the same head works as a tom batter or a tom resonant head, which is part of why it’s the most widely sold drumhead in the world. It also takes brushes properly, something no clear head will do.
Key Features
The Reference Standard
If a drum sound in your head came off a record, there’s a good chance it was an Ambassador Coated. It’s the tone most engineers expect to hear.
Single Ply of 10-Mil Film
A medium-weight single ply keeps the drum open and sensitive, so quiet strokes and ghost notes still come through clearly.
Bright Attack, Warm Body
The coating warms the stick attack while the thin film keeps the tone open, which is the balance the head is famous for.
Works With Brushes
The textured surface is what gives brushes their sweep, so ballads and jazz are on the table in a way they aren’t with a clear head.
Snare, Tom or Resonant
One part number covers a snare batter, a tom batter or a tom bottom head, which makes it easy to keep spares on hand.
Wide Tuning Range
Cranked up it gives you a tight crack; backed off it goes fat and dry. Very few heads cover that much ground.
How to Fit and Tune This Head
- Loosen the tension rods in a star pattern rather than going around the circle, lift the hoop off, and wipe the bearing edge clean.
- Lay the new head on, set the hoop over it, and turn all the rods down finger-tight before you pick up a key. This is what keeps the head centered.
- Tune in half turns, star pattern. Tap an inch from each rod and match those pitches to one another first — the overall pitch of the drum comes after that.
- Press firmly in the middle with your palm to seat the head. You’ll hear a few cracks from the glue seating, which is normal. Then check the tuning again.
Care Tip: Watch the coating, not the film. As the white coating wears through in the center, the head loses its warmth and its brush response long before it develops a dent or a hole. Once you can see clear film in the middle of the playing area, the head has already stopped sounding like an Ambassador Coated, even though it looks perfectly serviceable.