Remo Controlled Sound Clear Black Dot review: John Bonham's see-through head
An editorial review of the Remo Controlled Sound Clear Black Dot drumhead. Single-ply, 10-mil clear film with a reinforced 5-mil center dot, the exact 'CS black dot' head John Bonham's tech ran on his see-through Ludwig Vistalite kit. Spec, tone, and where it sits versus Coated Ambassador and Emperor Coated.
Reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
The Remo Controlled Sound Clear Black Dot (CS-0314-10) is a single-ply, 10-mil clear drumhead with a reinforced 5-mil center dot for durability and overtone control. John Bonham's drum tech Jeff Ocheltree documents that Bonham ran these 'black dot' heads on his see-through Ludwig Vistalite kit specifically because they were transparent, later switching to Emperor coated two-ply for a different sound. Current players include Chad Smith and Mike Portnoy.
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What it is, in one paragraph
The Remo Controlled Sound Clear Black Dot is a single-ply, 10-mil clear Mylar drumhead with a 5-mil black dot laminated onto the center. Remo built the Controlled Sound (CS) line around that dot: it reinforces the head where a stick or beater hits hardest, tightens the head's overtones, and lets the surrounding clear film keep its bright, open attack. The 14-inch (CS-0314-10) is the standard snare and tom batter, but Remo sells the CS Clear Black Dot in 11 sizes, from an 8-inch tom head up to a 26-inch bass-drum batter. It's a workhorse head with one unusual claim to fame: it's the exact head John Bonham's tech chose for his see-through Ludwig Vistalite kit, because unlike almost every other drumhead on the market, this one is actually transparent.
The Vistalite story: why Bonham's heads had to be see-through too
By 1973, John Bonham was playing a set of amber acrylic Ludwig Vistalite drums, the kit most fans picture when they picture Led Zeppelin's live show. The shells were see-through. According to Jeff Ocheltree, Bonham's longtime drum tech, the heads had to match: "On the Vistalite he used the black dots because you could see through them."
That's a specific, functional reason, not just a look. A standard coated Ambassador or Emperor is opaque, white film, and would have covered up the transparent shells Bonham had specifically chosen. The Controlled Sound Clear Black Dot solved that: clear film everywhere except the reinforced dot in the center, so the acrylic shell stayed visible through the head itself.
Ocheltree also documents that this wasn't Bonham's head for every era or every kit. "We went from black dots to Emperor-coated [double-ply heads] and that was a different sound," he said, describing a later shift to a heavier, fully coated, opaque head for a different tone. The black dot was the right call for a specific kit with a specific cosmetic requirement, not a blanket preference across Bonham's whole career. If you're chasing the Bonham sound on a standard opaque kit, CYS's Coated Ambassador review covers the more commonly documented snare batter across the wider Led Zeppelin catalog; if you're building a clear or acrylic kit and want the period-correct look, this is the head.
Tone and feel
Voicing on a 14-inch batter
- Attack
- Bright and focused. The clear 10-mil film has less midrange warmth than a coated equivalent, and the center dot tightens the fundamental so the stroke reads clean even at higher volumes.
- Body
- Leaner than a Coated Ambassador. The dot controls overtones enough that the head doesn't ring out the way an uncoated Ambassador Clear does.
- Sustain
- Shorter than a plain clear head, longer than a double-ply Emperor. The dot's added mass damps the head just enough to control ring without deadening it.
- Durability
- Higher than a standard Ambassador at the point of impact. The laminated dot resists denting from hard rimshots and heavy backbeat playing better than a single uniform ply.
- Look
- Fully transparent outside the dot. The only drumhead on this list built to disappear against a clear or acrylic shell.
Where it sits in the snare and tom batter lineup
| Remo Controlled Sound Clear Black Dot | Remo Controlled Sound Coated Black Dot | Remo Coated Ambassador | Remo Coated Emperor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | Single-ply 10-mil clear + 5-mil dot | Single-ply 10-mil coated + 5-mil dot | Single-ply 10-mil coated | Double-ply 7+7 mil coated |
| Voicing | Bright, focused, tight overtones | Warmer version of the same focus | Bright, warm midrange, all-purpose | Warmer, more durable, less articulate |
| Transparency | Clear except the center dot | Opaque (coated) | Opaque (coated) | Opaque (coated) |
| Durability | High at center, standard at edge | High at center, standard at edge | Medium | High (double-ply) |
| Best for | Clear/acrylic kits, focused attack, harder hitters | Same focus with a warmer, coated voice | Universal default, all genres | Hard-hitting rock and metal snare batter |
The Coated Ambassador remains CYS's universal default snare batter: it's the more forgiving, more broadly documented all-purpose head. Reach for the Controlled Sound Clear Black Dot when you specifically want the see-through look for a clear-shell kit, or when you want a brighter, more center-focused attack than the Ambassador gives you. The Coated version of the same dot construction splits the difference: same reinforced durability, warmer coated voicing, no transparency.
Who else plays it
Remo's own product page lists several working drummers under Played By for the Controlled Sound Clear Black Dot: Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mike Portnoy, Stephen Perkins of Jane's Addiction, Ilan Rubin of the Foo Fighters, and Eric Kretz of Stone Temple Pilots among them. That's a current, active product-page listing, different in kind from Bonham's documented use. Bonham died in 1980, decades before Remo's current artist program existed. His connection to this head comes from his own drum tech's account, not a modern Remo endorsement, and it's worth keeping those two kinds of sourcing distinct.
Historical · Vistalite era, 1973 onward
John Bonham, Led Zeppelin
Ran the CS black dot on his see-through Ludwig Vistalite kit, per his drum tech Jeff Ocheltree, specifically because the heads matched the acrylic shells.
Source: JohnBonham.co.uk, Drum Heads.
Current · Remo product page, Played By
Chad Smith, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Listed on Remo's own current product page for the Controlled Sound Clear Black Dot.
Source: Remo, Controlled Sound Clear Black Dot product page.
Verdict: who should buy this
Buy the Controlled Sound Clear Black Dot if you play a clear or acrylic-shell kit and want the head to disappear against it the way Bonham's did on his Vistalite, or if you hit hard enough that a standard Ambassador dents faster than you'd like and you want the reinforced center without giving up all the brightness of a clear head. Skip it if you play a standard opaque kit with no reason to want transparency: the Coated Ambassador is the better all-purpose default, warmer and more broadly documented across genres. Skip it too if you want maximum durability above everything else, the double-ply Coated Emperor holds up longer under heavy hitters, at the cost of some articulation.
Controlled Sound Clear Black Dot 14-inch (CS-0314-10)
Why this one: The transparent CS black dot Bonham's tech matched to his see-through Ludwig Vistalite kit, and a genuinely brighter, more durable alternative to a standard Ambassador for hard hitters on any kit.
Related
Drummers documented using this drum head
Each drummer profile cites this product in their stick / head / cymbal / kit frontmatter. Click through for the full editorial profile + sourcing.