I use this head on my 13" solid maple Craviotto. Of course, I tried it with a coated Ambassador first but soon had to learn that the shell size in combination with the wood doesn't really work for me. The sustain was too long and it only sounded good when you really tuned it up. Since that's a very specific sound and not really what I want and because I heard good things, I decided on the Evans HDD. I couldn't be happier. It gives me the option to get a thick smack out of a smaller shell size. I don't know how I feel about the look of the air holes, but they appear to do their job. If you're in a similar situation as I was and you're not sure whether or not this will completely kill your tone - it doesn't. Occasionally I still throw my wallet on the drum for that very controlled sound.