Drum head replacement.
New heads, fitted and tuned on site, in one visit.
A split head the week before a concert does not have to cost you rehearsal time. We bring the heads or fit yours, and every one is seated, cleared, and tuned on site: snare drums, concert toms, concert bass drum, and full drum sets. Head changes are priced per drum, with a package rate for a full drumline.
Trusted by directors and programs across Texas and North Carolina
New heads before the downbeat, not after
A head change is not a big job, but a whole section done right takes time and a steady hand. We plan it around your calendar and finish it in one visit.
“Rich accommodated an emergency head change with short notice and left our drums in mint condition. Highly recommend and VERY affordable.”
Manny Flores
Short notice
“He makes sure the equipment is in top working condition and is very reasonable on pricing for a school band budget.”
Mark Cashin
School budget
“Anthony arrived promptly with tools and new heads. He finished the overhaul in a few hours.”
Jonathan Mueller
One visit
A 30-day guarantee
If a new head is not seated right or the tuning has not held within 30 days, we come back and sort it for free.
Heads, sorted either way
We order the heads and bring them on the truck, or fit the ones you already bought. Remo, Evans, or any brand you prefer.
What we re-head, and how it works
One drum or a full section, the same team handles it. Open a section below for the detail.
| Drum type | What the job covers |
|---|---|
| Drum sets | Batter and resonant heads on snare, toms, and kick, then tuned to the room. Old or mismatched heads swapped for a matched set. |
| Concert snare and toms | Fresh heads seated and cleared, tension even around the hoop, and tuned so the section speaks together. |
| Concert bass drum | New heads front and back, tuned low and full, the hardware checked while the heads are off, and whatever the students have dropped inside fished out. |
| Marching snares, tenors, and basses | Head changes for the whole line, each drum tuned as it goes back together, scheduled around contest season. |
Timpani heads are their own job, with pedal and gauge work included - see timpani repair. Djembe, conga, and other hand-drum skins are on the hand drum repair page.
- You tell us which drums, the make and model if you know it, and the sizes. Not sure of the sizes? We will show you how to measure.
- We send a clear written estimate, and no work starts until you have approved the plan and the price.
- We order the heads and bring them on the truck, or fit yours.
- A technician fits every head on site: old head off, bearing edge checked and cleaned, new head seated and cleared.
- Every drum we work on is cleaned and its new head tuned before we leave, and the section checked together.
- You are covered by the 30-day guarantee.
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Drumline Head Change Package (5 snares, 3 tenors, 5 basses) | $685 |
| Concert bass drum head change | $125 |
| Concert snare or tom head change | $65 |
| Drum head change, 6 to 16 inch | $65 |
| Drum set head change | $45 per drum |
Heads are billed at our cost, or you can supply your own. Nothing starts until you have approved the plan and the price. The full itemized price list is on the repairs and services page.
A few we're proud of
An emergency head change with short notice
A high school director had a head go right before a performance and no time to spare. We fit it on short notice and left the drums, in the director's words, “in mint condition.” That is the job most weeks: a small fix, done fast, so the concert is not the thing that suffers.
A whole inventory, over time
Mark Cashin at Cardinal Gibbons High School has had us work through his whole percussion inventory: ten snare drums, four timpani, three djembes, and a pair of timbales, with heads and tuning a regular part of it. His line: everything “in top working condition” and priced for a school band budget.
A drum that fell apart when the old head came off
A player brought us a set of bongos from 1957. When the old skins came off, one drum literally fell apart. We reglued the shell, fitted new heads, and handed them back. The owner says they sound better than they did in 1957. We take the drums other shops turn away.
Fresh batter heads and new snare wires, cleared and ready to play.
Common questions
For a full drumline there is a package rate: 5 snares, 3 tenors, and 5 basses re-headed for $685. On their own, a concert bass drum head is $125, a concert snare or tom is $65, and a drum-set head change is $45 per drum. Heads are billed at our cost, or you can supply your own, and nothing starts until you have approved the price.
It depends on how hard and how often the drum is played. A school snare in daily use usually wants a fresh batter head once or twice a year. Concert bass and toms last longer. Timpani heads go no longer than five years, or two if they are played frequently every day. Any head that is dented, pitted, losing tone, or will not tune evenly is done, whatever the calendar says.
That is most of what we do. Every visit is planned in advance so the right heads are on the truck, and the work is finished in one visit. Some visits book within a few days, others wait on a specific head. Tell us the date you are working toward.
Either way. We can order the heads and bring them on the truck, or fit the ones you already bought. Remo and Evans are the usual choice, but we can get any brand you want.
Any drum size, on any make of drum, from a piccolo snare to a marching bass. Remo, Evans, or the brand you prefer. Not sure of the size? We will show you how to measure it so we bring the right head.
Yes. Every head we change is seated, cleared, and tuned as part of the job - a new head is not finished until it is in tune.
Where we work
A technician lives in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, Raleigh, Greensboro, and Charlotte, and comes to your school, church, or hall. Outside those metros we still travel for the right job. Tell us where you are.
Need more than heads? The percussion and drum repair page covers the rest of the section.
Tell us what you've got
Send the drums and sizes, or just the date you're working toward, and we'll come back with a clear price before any work starts. You're covered by our 30-day guarantee.