Very punchy with good Remo coated Emperor heads.I changed the front head to a Remo emperor and got some really good low level bass tones! the snare will take some tuning with a 2 ply head..maybe an Ambassador?? I had to crank it a bit to get it to tune higher.Using the 12 inch tom will require lowering the bass drum a little.If it's too high the bass drum will tilt,because of the weight of the tom on just one side! The 10 inch is very tunable to low range to fit the same tones as the 12...!! I love this kit,it screams vintage tones and easy tuning!! It records very well!

Reliable yes..even with the stock heads!!