Type of batter head to buy for a 26inch gretsch kick?

[Duke Duke]

What do you recommend?

[natehusky]

I'm still using the head that came with mine . The only muffling I use are 2 felt strips above & below where the beater strikes .

[Discö Rice]

Aquarian Superkick II and a kevlar kickpad.

[Slow]

Aquarian Superkick II and a kevlar kickpad.

[Mr. Foxen]

I asked the Caricatures/Rose Kemp/ANTA drummer to gimme advice to pass on, since its his sorta territory, and he knows his big drum sounds:

remo powerstroke 4 should do it
probably similar to the aquarian that's listed
basically just want thickest possible head

[chlorpromazine]

I'm in agreement on the Superkick, but I like the sound of the I over the II.

get an Aquarian Regulator for the reso head, and don't put any dampening inside the drum.

tune the batter just above wrinkle tight, and tune up in very small increments from there

tune the reso 1/2 to a full step above the batter

always tune with a looser tuning than you think you'll need and work up from there

Definitely use a Remo kevlar kick pad where the beater strikes the batter head.

[Discö Rice]

I'm in agreement on the Superkick, but I like the sound of the I over the II.

get an Aquarian Regulator for the reso head, and don't put any dampening inside the drum.

tune the batter just above wrinkle tight, and tune up in very small increments from there

tune the reso 1/2 to a full step above the batter

always tune with a looser tuning than you think you'll need and work up from there

Definitely use a Remo kevlar kick pad where the beater strikes the batter head.

I hear ya on the single ply heads. They're definitely more sensitive. I stick to the two-ply heads in case of mid-show breakage. If the top ply breaks, you can limp through the rest of the show without having to change heads or drums (which is handy because I never bring spare heads to local shows, and rarely bring any backup drums. If I do, it's always the snare).