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Remo Powerstroke 3 Coated review: the canonical rock kick batter, decoded

Q: What is the Remo Powerstroke 3?

A single-ply 10-mil Mylar kick-drum batter with a sub-ply damping ring perimeter-bonded on the underside. The damping ring is a 5-mil Mylar strip that controls sustain without killing the kick's fundamental tone. Available in 16 to 26 inch diameters; the 22-inch is the canonical rock kick. The 'P3' shorthand is universal in drum communities, the head has been Remo's flagship rock kick batter for decades.

Q: Who plays Powerstroke 3 kick heads?

Lars Ulrich is documented on Powerstroke 3 across Metallica's catalog. Phil Rudd of AC/DC has been on Powerstroke 3 for decades, the AC/DC kick voice is partially the head. Beyond named pros, Powerstroke 3 is industry-default for rock kick batter; if you walked into a recording studio in the 1990s and asked what was on the kick, the answer was usually Powerstroke 3.

An editorial review of the Remo Powerstroke 3 Coated kick batter drumhead. Single-ply with sub-ply damping ring, focused attack with controlled sustain, the rock kick batter on countless 80s, 90s, and 2000s records. Spec, tone, famous records, and where it sits versus Evans EMAD 2 and Aquarian Super-Kick.

Reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team · 2026-04-27

The Remo Powerstroke 3 Coated is the canonical rock kick batter, the head on countless 80s, 90s, and 2000s rock and metal records. Single-ply 10-mil Mylar with a sub-ply 5-mil damping ring perimeter-bonded on the underside, available in 16 to 26 inch diameters. The 22-inch is the rock-kick standard. The damping ring controls sustain without killing fundamental, the focus is on punchy, controlled, full-bodied kick attack that sits in a band mix without external pillows or damping rings. Lars Ulrich's Metallica catalog and Phil Rudd's AC/DC catalog both run on Powerstroke 3.

Remo

Powerstroke 3 Coated

Price tier: $

RockClassic rockHard rock

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What it is, in one paragraph

The Remo Powerstroke 3 Coated is a single-ply 10-mil Mylar kick-drum batter with a sub-ply 5-mil damping ring perimeter-bonded on the underside. Available in 16 to 26 inch diameters, the 22-inch is the canonical rock-kick spec. The damping ring controls sustain without killing fundamental, focusing the kick voice on punchy, full-bodied attack that sits in a band mix without external pillows. The head has been the rock-kick batter default since the 1980s, Lars Ulrich's Metallica catalog and Phil Rudd's AC/DC catalog both run on Powerstroke 3.

Why this head dominated the rock-kick sound

Three things stack:

The sub-ply damping ring is calibrated for rock. Undamped kick heads require a pillow, a felt strip, or moonbags to control sustain to the level rock production wants. The Powerstroke 3 damping ring delivers that control inherently, the head plays right out of the box.
Single-ply 10-mil delivers the transient rock kick wants. Double-ply heads (Evans EMAD 2, EQ4) trade slightly more durability for slightly less attack clarity. The single-ply Powerstroke 3 prioritizes attack definition.
The damping ring is internal and invisible. External rings (EMAD's adjustable rings) require pre-show setup and can shift in transit. The pinstripe-style internal ring is bonded permanently to the head.

Tone and feel

Voicing on a 22-inch rock kick

Attack: Defined, punchy. Single-ply 10-mil delivers the transient cleanly without bloom; the damping ring keeps the attack from extending into uncontrolled sustain.
Body: Full-bodied fundamental in the 60-100 Hz range. Tunes up cleanly to fast double-bass metal contexts and down to thick rock contexts without losing the focus.
Sustain: Short to medium, controlled. The sub-ply ring shortens decay by roughly 25-35 percent vs an undamped single-ply head. Kick sits in a mix without bleeding into the snare or toms.
Beater feel: Standard. The damping ring is on the underside; the beater contact zone is uncoated single-ply Mylar, which gives consistent rebound and beater-mark behavior across the drum's life.
Tuning sensitivity: Forgiving. The head holds tone across a wide tuning range, which is why tracks-engineers reach for it across genre lanes.

Where it sits in the rock-kick lineup

	Remo Powerstroke 3 Coated	Evans EMAD 2	Aquarian Super-Kick II	Remo Powerstroke Pro
Construction	Single-ply 10-mil with sub-ply damping ring	Double-ply with externally-mounted damping ring	Double-ply with felt-strip damping ring	Single-ply 10-mil with denser sub-ply damping ring
Damping behavior	Internal, fixed	External, adjustable (1-inch or 2-inch ring)	Internal, felt strip	Internal, fixed (more damping than P3)
Attack character	Defined rock attack	Modern metal attack	Vintage Bonham boom	More focused than P3
Sustain	Controlled, medium	Adjustable via ring choice	Very short, vintage	Shorter than P3
Best for	Canonical rock kick	Modern metal, adjustable damping	70s rock, Bonham-style boom	Slightly more controlled rock kick

The Powerstroke 3 Coated is the rock-kick default; you compare other heads against it. EMAD 2 is the modern metal alternative with adjustable damping. Aquarian Super-Kick II is the vintage Bonham-style alternative. Powerstroke Pro is Remo's slightly more controlled variant for players who find P3 a touch too open. Pick P3 unless you have a specific reason to pick something else.

Famous records this head is on

A short list of records where the Powerstroke 3 is documented or strongly attributed for the kick voice:

Metallica catalog: Master of Puppets through 72 Seasons. Lars Ulrich on Powerstroke 3 across the catalog.
AC/DC catalog: Back in Black through Power Up. Phil Rudd on Powerstroke 3 for decades.
80s and 90s rock production catalog broadly: the Pinstripe-on-Coated-Ambassador-on-Powerstroke 3 batter combo is the canonical rock kit batter rig.

For the full catalog of artists with documented Powerstroke 3 use, see Remo's artist roster.

Verdict and the affiliate hook

If you want a rock kick that sits in a mix without a pillow ritual or a producer's intervention, the Remo Powerstroke 3 Coated is the answer. The head delivers focused, punchy, full-bodied kick voicing out of the box, the rock-kick default for 40+ years. Lars Ulrich's Metallica catalog and Phil Rudd's AC/DC catalog both run on Powerstroke 3, the head's recording-studio canon is dense. Pick EMAD 2 or Super-Kick II only if you have a specific reason to pick the modern metal or vintage Bonham voicings instead.

Remo

Powerstroke 3 Coated 22-inch Kick Batter

Price tier: $

Why this one: The canonical rock kick batter: single-ply attack with the sub-ply damping ring controlling sustain. The 22-inch coated spec is the one on decades of rock records.

RockHard rockMetal

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**Snare batter that pairs with this head:**Remo Coated Ambassador **Tom batter that pairs with this head:**Remo Pinstripe Coated **Drumstick that pairs with this rig:**Zildjian Tré Cool Signature stick **Drummer profile:**Tré Cool, Green Day's drummer **Gear hub:**Gear index

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.

Phil Rudd
AC/DC
Phil Rudd has anchored AC/DC across most of the band's catalog from 1975 onward. Sonor / Ludwig kit, Zildjian cymbals, Remo Powerstroke 3 kick batter, the canonical hard-rock pocket.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Remo Powerstroke 3?

A single-ply Mylar kick batter with sub-ply damping. 10-mil Mylar top with a 5-mil sub-ply damping ring perimeter-bonded on the underside.

What the damping ring does. Controls sustain without killing the kick's fundamental tone. The kick plays focused and punchy out of the box, no external pillow or front-head port required for most rock contexts.

Sizes. 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 inch. The 22-inch is the rock-kick canonical; 20 inch is jazz/fusion; 24-26 inch is metal and very large rock kicks.

Why is Powerstroke 3 the rock-kick default?

Three reasons. (1) The sub-ply damping ring delivers focused, punchy kick voicing without the floppy-pillow ritual that an undamped kick head requires. (2) Single-ply 10-mil construction gives a clear transient and consistent attack across multiple takes. (3) The head holds tuning across long sessions and tours, the rock-kick durability profile is well-documented. Combined, the head sounds correct in a band mix straight out of the box, which is exactly what producers want.

How does Powerstroke 3 compare to Evans EMAD 2 or Aquarian Super-Kick II?

All three are damped kick batters with different damping approaches. Powerstroke 3 has an internal sub-ply damping ring, single-ply, focused-but-warm voicing. Evans EMAD 2 has an externally-mounted damping ring (sold as a separate accessory; you choose 1-inch or 2-inch ring), double-ply, modern metal kick voicing with more attack. Aquarian Super-Kick II has a felt strip damping ring, double-ply, the John Bonham-style controlled boom. Pick Powerstroke 3 for the canonical rock kick; pick EMAD 2 for modern metal with adjustable damping; pick Super-Kick for vintage Bonham boom.

Who plays Powerstroke 3 kick heads?

Documented users with named Powerstroke 3 attribution:

Lars Ulrich (Metallica), Documented across the band's catalog rig coverage.
Phil Rudd (AC/DC), AC/DC's kick voice for decades.

Beyond named pros, Powerstroke 3 is industry-default rock kick batter. Modern Drummer's gear archive treats the head as canonical. Specific tour-current attribution per individual artist requires individual rig-rundown citation.

What diameter Powerstroke 3 should I buy?

Match the size to your kick drum. Standard rock kits use 22-inch kicks (Powerstroke 3 in 22-inch is the canonical fit). 20-inch is the jazz, fusion, and indie-rock kick size. 24- and 26-inch are metal and big-rock kick sizes (John Bonham's Ludwig kick was a 26-inch, for context). Match the head diameter to the drum diameter exactly, the Powerstroke 3 is sold per individual head per diameter.

Do I still need a pillow inside the kick if I use Powerstroke 3?

Usually no for rock; sometimes yes for studio control. The sub-ply damping ring delivers most of the control a kick needs. For live rock, the head alone is typically enough. For studio recording, engineers may add a small pillow or moonbag inside the drum to fine-tune the attack and sustain to a producer's preference, but you don't need a 1980s-style fully-stuffed kick the way undamped heads required.

Coated vs Clear Powerstroke 3?

Coated has a textured surface and slightly warmer top-end response, the rock-kick standard. Clear Powerstroke 3 has the same construction without coating, brighter and more open, used by some metal and modern rock players. Pick Coated unless you specifically want the brighter Clear voicing.

How long does a Powerstroke 3 last?

Years on a practice kit. Months of touring on a hard-hitting rock tour. Single-ply construction means the Mylar wears at hit zones over time, but the damping ring stays bonded for the head's full life. The most common replacement signal is a visible dimple at the beater contact zone or a tone change. Rock pros replace P3s every 2-6 months on tour; studio engineers replace per-session for top-tier work.

Where can I buy the Remo Powerstroke 3 Coated?

Sold on Amazon, Sweetwater, Reverb, Guitar Center, and any drum retailer. Amazon is the affiliate path CYS uses; Sweetwater offers multi-pack pricing. The 22-inch coated bass drum head (Remo P31122-C2) is the canonical SKU wired above.