Snare upgrade

[cole1paul]

Alright, for all you snare gurus out there: What would be a good snare upgrade from my Cat Maple stock for under $300 preferably?

[cole1paul]

Oh! Also what strainers would you switch to?

[gteps]

Hi cole1paul,

How about a custom made snare, I too have a Catalina Maple kit and have recently been looking for an additional snare, rather than spending money on another mass produced drum which may not give me what I'm looking for I checked out some of the custom drum makers products and came across Carrera Drums, they make some stunning snares, based in the UK so shipping maybe a little costly but worth saving a little extra and investing in a custom drum which you can keep to play with any kit you own, just a thought.

[itchie]

i guess a new gretsch or black panther would be sweet

[Russ]

Personally I tend to lean towards what stands out the most.. Brass hardware is pretty nice, it goes with a lot of different finishes no matter how majestic they can be. That Elvin Jones Yamaha snare is real snazzy to me- it really stands out from the others. But a black panther with a Cat maple would be cool, cause it would be like a Cat to Cat jam session!

[Exotic Matter]

There's so many to choose from. There's really know right answer here. You're going to need to test drive some of them to get an idea of the sound your going for.

Generally, I use a 14x6.5 Pearl Masters Custom. Maple shell with a natural finish. It's an awesome sounding general use drum. I have zero complaints about it and I'm sure you can find one for under $300.

[Gretschhead]

I agree with Exotic, there are countless drums that fit in your price range. The best way to narrow it down would be to determin what sort of sound you are looking for. Do you want something loud and punchy? Get a 14x6.5 or deeper. Do you want something tight and with a good pop? Get something like a 5x13 or 4x14. Do you want metal or wood? What kind of metal? Brass? Steel? Copper? What kind of wood? Maple? Birch? Mahogany? Do you want a wraped finish or a painted/stain? 6 lug? 8 lug? 10 lug? Do you want diecast hoops? Wood Hoops? And so forth... the options are endless.

I could make plenty of great suggestions, but its what I like, you need to find what you like. Everyone and their grandma has a catalina kit (for good reason), make the snare your own, get something unique and special to YOU.

[yohin]

Hi cole1paul,

How about a custom made snare, I too have a Catalina Maple kit and have recently been looking for an additional snare, rather than spending money on another mass produced drum which may not give me what I'm looking for I checked out some of the custom drum makers products and came across Carrera Drums, they make some stunning snares, based in the UK so shipping maybe a little costly but worth saving a little extra and investing in a custom drum which you can keep to play with any kit you own, just a thought.

...And you can get these custom snares for less than $300??