THERE ARE THOSE in the drumming fraternity who reckon that heads (or skins as they were known when they were made out of uh... skin) are responsible for as much as seventy per cent of a drum's sound.

Now that might strike you as an awful lot - it certainly does me - and while I might question the exact proportions, there is no doubt that a decent set of heads is essential in obtaining the best possible sound from your kit. You may have noticed that during kit reviews I will invariably urge you to at least consider investing in a new set of heads. This is not because I have run out of things to say (well, not entirely) but because most budget drum kits are supplied with less than salubrious heads. And the potential for improvement in their sound by simply swapping them for a better set is quite astonishing.

If you do decide to take the plunge and re-skin the old - or new - tubs then a few names will immediately become important to you. One of which will be, or should be, Evans.

Not, as you might imagine, manufactured in New Town Powys, Evans Heads come in fact from Dodge City Kansas. They have had something of a low profile in this country for a few years but are now, due to some excellent innovations, experiencing something of a renaissance.

Among these developments are the CAD/CAM computer designed aluminium hoop and the Uno 58 single ply head.

It's perhaps a little difficult to assess the performance of a drum head hoop but I was surprised at how perceptibly well these heads performed. Firstly the hoop is extremely rigid which makes it unusually easy to tune and much less susceptible to variances in tension on individual lugs. All good stuff and I'm in no doubt that ease of tuning will be a boon to all players who aren't over experienced in that area. Which to be honest is most of us.

Another point in their favour is their great durability, the construction is nothing short of superb and the life expectancy of a head is especially worth considering when you're paying out this kind of dosh.

The Uno 58s are single ply general purpose heads that come in either clear or white with the option of a brush coating on either. They possess a very wide open ringing tone and are available in three different weights - 500, 750 and 1000. The lighter weights make excellent snare heads while the heavier gauges seem more suitable for bass and toms. I particularly liked the clear coated snare head, it had a great deal of projection and a beautifully crisp retort.

More to my taste on the bass and toms though were the Evans Rock heads. Double ply in construction they take a bit of whacking but when hit hard they have an exceptionally powerful and controlled sound. On bass drums they elicit a massive punch that remains warm and full of depth.

In combination with Evans Resonant heads - specifically designed for the bottom of tom toms and the front of bass drums - they were quite excellent and I was able to achieve one of the best sounds I've ever managed with this particular set up.

Not quite so pleasant were the selection of Hydraulics offered for perusal. Very popular in the seventies (which speaks volumes I feel) the Hydraulics are in essence the same as the Rocks but with a film of oil injected between the plys. This damps the sound to an absurd degree and kills most of the natural tone of the drum. Very nasty to my ears but they are very strong and unless you play with chain saws they will probably last you a life time.

And there it is. A range of professional quality heads that sport a plethora of design features to improve on sound and tuning. They are obviously not cheap but as I said I can guarantee your amazement at just how much they will buck up your drum sound. They will also last longer and because of the choice of brilliant colour options available will increase the poseworthiness of your kit no end. Which is probably the most important thing after all!

EVANS DRUM HEADS: Hydraulic from £8 to £39: Rock from £7 to £26: Resonant from £6 to £21: Uno 58 from £6 to £21.

INFO: FCN MUSIC, Morley Road, (Contact Details).