What snare is worth a look?

[lionheart]

I'm an intermediate drummer, normally playing my electronic kit (please don't throw things at me)
I'm getting in to jamming with some mates at some rehersal studios and want to buy a new snare (the old one is rrrrrrrubbish)
What's you fav?

Thanks

[Phil Woodney]

Personal favorite is a Rogers Dynasonic, but Ludwig bronze snares are also wonderful.

[rmandelbaum]

go to the music stores and play them, your ears will know when you have found the right one.

There are far to many amazing snares out there, take your time and have some fun ;-)

[RHD03]

go to the music stores and play them, your ears will know when you have found the right one.

There are far to many amazing snares out there, take your time and have some fun ;-)

This.

What's you fav?

Well, if THIS is what you really want to know, hehe, I'm very partial to the Ludwig Black Beauty, or my DW Super Solid...

[markthechuck]

mapex black panthers are all sweet.

[lionheart]

Personal favorite is a Rogers Dynasonic, but Ludwig bronze snares are also wonderful.

Phil - thanks, will give them a look at

go to the music stores and play them, your ears will know when you have found the right one.


There are far to many amazing snares out there, take your time and have some fun ;-)

rmandelbaum - nice idea ... doesn't tuning make a big difference to their sound? [Trying not to distract in to another topic about tuning preference - resist the urge David!]
Will definitely have fun trying them, but because there's so many want to know what to start with

This.



Well, if THIS is what you really want to know, hehe, I'm very partial to the Ludwig Black Beauty, or my DW Super Solid...

RHD03 - it's coming up to Christmas Cheers though

mapex black panthers are all sweet.

markthechuck - ah, hadn't thought of these.


All - to be honest I saw Nicko McBrain in a UK tour recently, which was a bit of a sales horse for Premier (though it was amazing to meet him). I noticed no one mentioned Premier... is there a reason for this? Unless you aim top end?
[Genuine innocent question]

[markthechuck]

i have a artist maple premier kit but the snare that came with it was a bit shabby, i've not really seen that many posts or pic's of premier snares, have a look in the premier thread, there might be some in there of interest.

birmingham eh..not far from me.

Cheers Mark

[Dad3353]

Good afternoon, lionheart (wouldn't be Richard, I suppose..?)...

IYou probably realise that your question is a bit vague for us to be able to really guide you, but there are a few factors that could perhaps be considered, in general terms.
The style of music that you'll be playing, the sound that you're hoping to hear, the budget that you can put towards your goals... these are a few basic considerations.
In general, the differet 'families' of snares can be summed up as...
Wood or metal (there are other oddities, too, such as perspex...)
Shell diameter (typically 14", but can be more or less...)
Shell depth (again, varies, typically 5.5" to 6.5"; other depths exist...)
Budget range (between £150 and £500 there are a vast number of models. One can pay half that, or ten times more, for specific snares...)

There could be a preference for one or two manufacturers (fans of Tama, or Ludwig, or whatever...), or for a particular finish (fluorescent orange, brushed aluminium, zebra stripes...)
There are also special features, such as the 'free-floating' models, which enable the change of shell for another material or depth.

If you really have no preference in any of these criteria, or wish to investigate first-hand the differences, a visit to a biggish drum shop would be in order. In a previous post, tuning is mentioned; this should not be a major factor, as it is a matter of seconds to retune a snare, at least approximately, to find out how it reacts. If you have a more experienced drummer friend for guidance, that would help in this, perhaps. I would personally not be happy about trying out a number of drums if the shop in question had no chance of obtaining my trade, but that is a matter for yourself to decide.
As to my own favourites: I play either pop/rock variety, for which a I have a Tama Artwood maple, 14x6 (not chosen; came as a family present, but is excellent...) or light 'jazz/swing', using a Camco maple 14x5.5 vintage. For all round use, I find the Tama to be perfectly satisfactory. In general, I am of the opinion that most decent drums can be made to sound damned good in resonable hands, and that there is a great deal of 'nit-picking' done, most especially by inexperienced beginners, often mis-led by adverts and hype. A superb snare, badly set up, will be disappointing. A modest snare, decently tuned, will honour most drum kits. Most of what's left is in the playing.
Just my tuppence worth; hope this helps...

[lionheart]

i have a artist maple premier kit but the snare that came with it was a bit shabby, i've not really seen that many posts or pic's of premier snares, have a look in the premier thread, there might be some in there of interest.

birmingham eh..not far from me.

Cheers Mark

Mark - cheers for this. Will investigate. To be fair Nicko raved about it, though the one drum he held up was £10k (that's not a typo!)... he also mentioned one that was made from one piece of wood i.e. no glueing.

Yeah my office is in Aston - home is halfway between Bham and Walsall
If you're in the area pop in the office for a coffee

Good afternoon, lionheart (wouldn't be Richard, I suppose..?)...

IYou probably realise that your question is a bit vague for us to be able to really guide you, but there are a few factors that could perhaps be considered, in general terms.
The style of music that you'll be playing, the sound that you're hoping to hear, the budget that you can put towards your goals... these are a few basic considerations.
In general, the differet 'families' of snares can be summed up as...
Wood or metal (there are other oddities, too, such as perspex...)
Shell diameter (typically 14", but can be more or less...)
Shell depth (again, varies, typically 5.5" to 6.5"; other depths exist...)
Budget range (between £150 and £500 there are a vast number of models. One can pay half that, or ten times more, for specific snares...)

There could be a preference for one or two manufacturers (fans of Tama, or Ludwig, or whatever...), or for a particular finish (fluorescent orange, brushed aluminium, zebra stripes...)
There are also special features, such as the 'free-floating' models, which enable the change of shell for another material or depth.

If you really have no preference in any of these criteria, or wish to investigate first-hand the differences, a visit to a biggish drum shop would be in order. In a previous post, tuning is mentioned; this should not be a major factor, as it is a matter of seconds to retune a snare, at least approximately, to find out how it reacts. If you have a more experienced drummer friend for guidance, that would help in this, perhaps. I would personally not be happy about trying out a number of drums if the shop in question had no chance of obtaining my trade, but that is a matter for yourself to decide.
As to my own favourites: I play either pop/rock variety, for which a I have a Tama Artwood maple, 14x6 (not chosen; came as a family present, but is excellent...) or light 'jazz/swing', using a Camco maple 14x5.5 vintage. For all round use, I find the Tama to be perfectly satisfactory. In general, I am of the opinion that most decent drums can be made to sound damned good in resonable hands, and that there is a great deal of 'nit-picking' done, most especially by inexperienced beginners, often mis-led by adverts and hype. A superb snare, badly set up, will be disappointing. A modest snare, decently tuned, will honour most drum kits. Most of what's left is in the playing.
Just my tuppence worth; hope this helps...

Dad3353 - one word "Wow".
Yes you are right, I gave no clues about use, preference etc Sorry that's my inexperience showing through. But thanks for your patience.
So here's an attempt to fill in (a lot of) the gaps:

I love Rock music (Classic, Heavy) and Metal. Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Accept, Black Sabs.... as well as now Avenged Sevenfold, Lonero...
Size I guess 14" ... on the electronic kit its actually a little smaller so a bigger target would be nice (and I can do rim shots )
Depth - what's the difference? A deeper sound the deeper the depth?
Metal or wood - erm daft question but what are the benefits? My current snare is metal - I'll take a photo later and post it.
Budget at the moment I guess is circa £150 (guessing this will change a lot of the suggestions?)

Paint jobs I have no preference ... yet its about how it sounds
Fair point about the drum centre - was going to try out there but needed some background (Perfect Preparation Prevents a P*** Poor Performance or something along those lines, well I didn't want to turn up and look like I had no idea, then hoodwinked in to a poor unit)

I will need to sort out some new cymbals at some stage, but that will be another thread.
I touched on tuning as surely the snare sounds different depending on how it is tuned? Hang on we're going off topic, I'll search for a tuning thread...

Anyway, thanks to all contributors

[Lucius-Borich-JR]

I'm getting a Joey jordison snare for Christmas. Goes for about $300-$350 at any local store. It has great diversity, which means it sounds great with whatever style your playing. Tuned up real tight and it produces a nice strong crack with hardly any resonance. And with the snare off it produces a nice loud sound to. The snare on sounds like a constant rim shot. I recommend trying it out. Awesome versatile snare.

[Drumbledore]

Have you a particular snare sound that you like to go for? Whether a bright popping sound or something a bit more midrange that blends in with the rest of the set. As Dad3353 has pointed out, there is a myriad number of choices out there. First thing I would consider is are you looking for a versatile snare that will help you play a wide variety of styles or are you more focussed on a particular style and sound? Another thing to ask is are you a fan of a particular drummer and his or her style, and perhaps you want to copy that sound? Read up on them, that's what I do, find out what gear they have for recording as opposed to what they use live (be aware though, that in the studio, different mic's, effects and studio tricks are used to change the sound of a particular drum on a particular track, so sometimes copying their set up might not be the way to go). Above all, get to a good drumshop with knowledgable and experienced staff, and get talking with them.

Oh and by the way, I wouldn't be "throwing things at you".....I'm into electronic gear and sounds as well, lol. Both with drums and percussion. Keep asking questions, that's what we're all here for.

As for my current fave acoustic snares? I have two for recording that I favour the most, my maple 13"x 5.5 Tama Starclassic in Deep Brown and an old 14" x 5.5" 1960's Premier chrome over brass snare. Live though, I seem to rotate between the Tama Starclassic, a 14"x 5.5"Roger's Dynasonic (also a chrome over brass) and at the moment a 13"x 5.5" Ludwig Epic Birch/Maple snare in Natural to Black Fade.

[markthechuck]

have you gone for anything yet?

[longgun]

If you're in the area pop in the office for a coffee

I thought all you Brits only drink Tea!!

[lionheart]

I'm getting a Joey jordison snare for Christmas. Goes for about $300-$350 at any local store. It has great diversity, which means it sounds great with whatever style your playing. Tuned up real tight and it produces a nice strong crack with hardly any resonance. And with the snare off it produces a nice loud sound to. The snare on sounds like a constant rim shot. I recommend trying it out. Awesome versatile snare.

Will def have a look at that Lucius - thanks

Have you a particular snare sound that you like to go for? Whether a bright popping sound or something a bit more midrange that blends in with the rest of the set. As Dad3353 has pointed out, there is a myriad number of choices out there. First thing I would consider is are you looking for a versatile snare that will help you play a wide variety of styles or are you more focussed on a particular style and sound? Another thing to ask is are you a fan of a particular drummer and his or her style, and perhaps you want to copy that sound? Read up on them, that's what I do, find out what gear they have for recording as opposed to what they use live (be aware though, that in the studio, different mic's, effects and studio tricks are used to change the sound of a particular drum on a particular track, so sometimes copying their set up might not be the way to go). Above all, get to a good drumshop with knowledgable and experienced staff, and get talking with them.

Oh and by the way, I wouldn't be "throwing things at you".....I'm into electronic gear and sounds as well, lol. Both with drums and percussion. Keep asking questions, that's what we're all here for.

As for my current fave acoustic snares? I have two for recording that I favour the most, my maple 13"x 5.5 Tama Starclassic in Deep Brown and an old 14" x 5.5" 1960's Premier chrome over brass snare. Live though, I seem to rotate between the Tama Starclassic, a 14"x 5.5"Roger's Dynasonic (also a chrome over brass) and at the moment a 13"x 5.5" Ludwig Epic Birch/Maple snare in Natural to Black Fade.

Drumbledore, again some great advice. I know I started it vague as it's quite overwhelming the amount of choice.
I have lots of influences (I enjoy a lots of bands) so a specific sound I guess I'll develop that over time. I've been playing for about nearly 3 years but again mostly on my e-kit.
I've been using a snare at the rehearsal studios, which is doing its job, and once we've sorted out the front room, I can see what we're going to do there.
The fact you have a selection of snares actually tells me more than you realise. You see I was looking for a killer snare, but I'm guessing here that you wisely stated what sound do you want, then follow that up with chase the snare to match. Your snares show the great approach of different snares for the different sounds. Something I will look at duplicating over time.

have you gone for anything yet?

Not yet - thought I'd persuaded the wife to buy me one "for Christmas" but she's gone off in to her own world... I've seen a nice looking Gretsch which I will make a bid for (based on Drumbledore's approach)

I thought all you Brits only drink Tea!!

You drink tea at 3pm! If its in the morning we drink filtered coffee.
Oh and we love limes too http://www.drumchat.com/images/smilies/icon_lol.gif

[MDK]

For that kind of music it sounds like you would love a Ludwig Supraphonic, should be able to find a nice used one for about $200-$250us, not sure what that is nowadays across the pond.

I agree about the Joey Jordison snare, I hate their music but that snare sounds incredible when I played around with it at the local shop.

[pastor_bob]

lionheart, I would look into a Pearl Free Floating snare, because those snares allow you to buy additional shells and change them out. I also support the recommendation of Mapex Black Panther snares, and I would add that you should look into the Ludwig Acrolite snare too.

[Lucius-Borich-JR]

No problem lionheart. I'd also recommend any black panther snare especially the sledgehammer. Awesome hand hammered snare. Strong attack and nice crisp sound. I still think the JJ snare is up their with the hand hammered snares.