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Thread: Steel Snares - Unfairly Judged?

  1. #1

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    Default Steel Snares - Unfairly Judged?

    I thought I would start a thread to discuss steel-shelled snare drums and the fact that they seem to get a bit of a bad rap. I've steered clear of them since I started drumming in 2003 - forums and other reviews tend regard them in a somewhat negative light - but recently I picked up a 14x6 steel-shelled Pork Pie Little Squealer, flat black, and it has caused me to re-think what I thought I knew about steel-shelled snare drums.

    I bought the Little Squealer because it was about as cheap as I've ever seen it, and to that end, I couldn't even buy the parts for what I paid, and that doesn't include the heads or the shell! The whole point though was that I planned to rob the hardware off of the shell and put it on a Keller shell. Then I started fiddling with it. Now that I have it dialed in, I've quickly become quite taken with it.

    Granted, it is loud, but I don't think it's overly harsh in the least, and it sounds GOOD, even with the stock heads and snare wires.

    So - thoughts?
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  2. #2

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    I think steel snares get a bad rap cause they come with the starter kits. But I'd totally rather have a steel snare than matching wood snare. I like steel snares. I also like the Tama Metalworks line of drums. To me, steel is one of the brightest sounding materials for snare drums, and I enjoy a bright, high pitched snare drum.
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  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by trickg View Post
    I thought I would start a thread to discuss steel-shelled snare drums and the fact that they seem to get a bit of a bad rap. I've steered clear of them since I started drumming in 2003 - forums and other reviews tend regard them in a somewhat negative light - but recently I picked up a 14x6 steel-shelled Pork Pie Little Squealer, flat black, and it has caused me to re-think what I thought I knew about steel-shelled snare drums.

    I bought the Little Squealer because it was about as cheap as I've ever seen it, and to that end, I couldn't even buy the parts for what I paid, and that doesn't include the heads or the shell! The whole point though was that I planned to rob the hardware off of the shell and put it on a Keller shell. Then I started fiddling with it. Now that I have it dialed in, I've quickly become quite taken with it.

    Granted, it is loud, but I don't think it's overly harsh in the least, and it sounds GOOD, even with the stock heads and snare wires.

    So - thoughts?
    I've never thought of putting another drum's hardware on a Keller Shell. I might have to look into that... Eventually.

    I think it depends on what you play, really. I have no problem with steel snares, but I also need it to cut through whereas a wood snare would have less cut and prescence. Honestly if I were to tell you that steel snares were absolutely horrible and that nobody should use them, then i'd be a liar.
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  4. #4

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    Default Re: Steel Snares - Unfairly Judged?

    I'll tell you what - this Pork Pie Little Sqealer is a sweet drum, and honestly, it's not terribly bright - it has a brighter after-ring, but otherwise it's a very full sound with a decent amount of body. It may only have 8 lugs, but I've never been convinced that 10 lugs are actually "better" than 8.
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  5. #5

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    I saw that drum as the "Stupid Deal of the Day" last week for $90. I think that the main reason that steel snares get a bad rep isn't just that they often come with stater sets, it's the over ring. Lots of drummers hate resonance when they first start playing and expect to hear that dry compressed sound sound from their favorite recordings. However, when you've got them dialed in, that ring can sound great.
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  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by weezy View Post
    I saw that drum as the "Stupid Deal of the Day" last week for $90. I think that the main reason that steel snares get a bad rep isn't just that they often come with stater sets, it's the over ring. Lots of drummers hate resonance when they first start playing and expect to hear that dry compressed sound sound from their favorite recordings. However, when you've got them dialed in, that ring can sound great.
    That's the one - I added up the cost of hardware for a similar drum from an online supplier, and came up with between $120 and $130, depending on the lug!
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  7. #7

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    Steel snares are awesome, and some time I will own one

  8. #8

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    I've had them, a 1983 Tama Mastercraft 6.5x14 and a Tama Metalworks 5.5x14. They were both great drums, even though I don't have them anymore. Personally I found that I don't love the signature "ring" of a steel snare, plus I wanted to try out different materials. I still have 2 birch snares, but right now I'm loving my COB Tama Stewart Copeland Sig Snare.

    I don't think there's anything wrong with a nice steel snare if you like the sound. I've thought about getting another one. Having owned a bunch of different materials now, I think I might get into it again.
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  9. #9

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    My 5"x14" Olympic Premier steel snare. This is my only steel snare and it really kicks butt. You can lay in to a heavy rock groove with a rim shot back beat and it will cut right through. I have used it on a jazz gig too. This was a student model. Sort of Premiers answer to Ludwigs Acrolite. It is also a heavy drum which I actually like. Very solid.
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  10. #10
    ThePloughman Guest

    Default Re: Steel Snares - Unfairly Judged?

    I own 4..... 5x14 Rogers Chrome over Steel SuperTen snare drums, 1973, 1976, 1976, 1980. Soon I will own a fifth COS SuperTen, this one will be a 6.5x14 from 1980.

    These are quality, professional level, high end snare drums. There is nothing cheap about them. And... they sound awesome. Ten Lugs, very sensitive, extremely loud.

    As has been previously posted, steel shelled drums get a bad rap mainly because many peoples experience with steel shells is on the bottom end of cheap.

  11. #11

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    Default Re: Steel Snares - Unfairly Judged?

    From what I can see, there is nothing cheap about the one I picked up, at least not in terms of the materials it's made from. The drum is heavy and solid, and the throw is surprisingly good considering the price point. I've seen cheaper throws on more expensive drums, that's for sure. So really the places where they cut corners - the butt, (stamped sheet metal) the finish, (flat black paint) and the snare wires, which are just cheap snappy snares. I'll put some Blasters on this at some point. Even the heads, which are inexpensive logo heads, are made by Remo - probably the equivalent of ProTones, but it doesn't seem to matter too much.

    People mention the signature steel ringiness, but that can be attenuated quite a bit with some muffling.

    That brings us to another snare which seems to be gaining in popularity again recently, the Chad Smith signature snare drum - 5x14 steel shell with 10 lugs.
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  12. #12

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    I have a 6 x 13 Dunnett stainless steel snare, and I have the hardest time getting a sound I'm happy with. It's an awesome, hand-made drum. Brilliant craftsmanship, really. It's a heavy hunkofmetal that's as loud as a gun. I got it used, but when it was new it was quite expensive. It was the drum Joey Jordison used and the drum Pearl copied for his original signature model.

    It has a 40 strand snare wires, with an Ambassador snare underneath. I'm still in the process of finding the right head and tuning combination for it. My preference is a undampened, coated G1. That combo is on nearly all of my other snares with great results. I've put the coated G1 on it, but it was to pang-ey. I tried a EC reverse dot, but that was not at all right, and now I have a clear G-plus, which was alright, for a while. But I'm still not pleased. I will not give up though.
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  13. #13
    dave0549jv Guest

    Default Re: Steel Snares - Unfairly Judged?

    I was looking back at some recordings I made with my old exports the other day, and I was kinda surprised at how good the old steel shell sounded. I kinda wish i still had it.

  14. #14

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    I really want that red steel snare from yamaha. It's steel, and it looks cool. I wonder if anyone makes Iron snare drums.
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  15. #15

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    I'm not sure that I would want an iron shell. Wouldn't it be very prone to rusting?
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  16. #16

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    Me? I love any snare with a bit of ring in it. Be it steel, aluminium, chrome over brass, etc. Even wood snares. Most of my snares have a certain amount of ring in them, just not too much. Only my Pearl Export 14" x 6.5" and my 1960's Premier chrome-over-brass I've deliberately tuned a little lower and muffled a bit for recording. If and when I decide to get a 14" x 8" (or deeper) wood snare, I would do the same, just to have another fat snare sound.

    But my Tama 12" x 4" Nickelworks Steel Soprano is nice, snappy and a little ringy, and that's exactly how I like it. Same with my Starclassic Maple 13" x 5.5" ("The Workhorse") and Pearl 13" x 3" piccolo snares, even though they're wood, they still crank. My Roger's 14"x 5.5" chrome over brass snare is also nice and snappy. Same with my similar sized Drouyn, which has a Ludwig Supraphonic shell as it's basis. And as for my little 8" x 6" Pansini Acrylic Custom Efx Snare? Not just cranking, it's biscuit tin!
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  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by trickg View Post
    I'm not sure that I would want an iron shell. Wouldn't it be very prone to rusting?
    Maybe, but unless you left it in the ocean, wouldn't really be much more than slight surface rust. After a few years.

    Oh man, that brushed iron snare is a beauty.
    Last edited by Kazaamski; 01-16-2012 at 11:52 PM.
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  18. #18

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    I have a Mapex Black Panther 14" x 6 1/2" stainless steel snare. The thing is a monster. Really loud. Cuts through everything.

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  19. #19

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    My Pearl World series 14x6 steel snare is a really nice drum. It definitely cuts, it's sensitive, it's loud, and I love how it has an internal muffler, so I don't have to stick anything to the batter head.
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  20. #20

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    I sold my very first kit, a beginner Peace kit, to my school after I bought the export. It had a steel snare which I eventually tuned up and really made it sound good. For that reason, I kinda wish I didn't sell it. That snare sounded that awesome. I've been tossing up whether to pick up an old steel Pearl/Tama snare to add to my arsenal for ages
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  21. #21

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    I think they're great for getting certain sounds that wood just simply can not. They have a kind of 'larger than life' feel to them due to the ringy echo characteristic associated with metallic shells. But aside from being metal and bearing that factor, steel is classified as bright toned, brass is warm toned, and copper is dark toned. Keep this in mind should you be interested in picking up any type of metal snare. Wood species of drums are very much the same, the difference being that wood has a different type of overtone than metal does- but both have the potential to be ringy.

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  22. #22

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    I think at least one steel shell should be in your snare arsenal. The last one I got was a 6 1/2 x 14 Premier older P badge made in England 8 lug. It's rather cheap but I like it a lot. the weight of it is nice too (light). Will probably use it for gigs which is why I bought it.

    Problems are one of the throw off nuts and washer on the inside needs some loctite, it loosens up. Also need to get lug locks because the one tension rod at point of stick contact needs to be tightened after every song.

    You can get them sounding pretty good (the cheapo's) just expect to tinker a lot or like to.
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  23. #23

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    Steel snares, like any other material, can be used to produce good and bad snares. The quality of the shell, hardware and hoops all make a huge difference.

    As far as a bad rap, I think it has to do with the fact that most student starter snare packages (Pearl, CB, Ludwig...) come with a steel snare. Likewise with many low-end shell packs. It gives the perception a steel snare is of low quality.

    I've personally got two steel snares, and they couldn't be more different:

    14x5.5 Yamaha Jimmy Chamberlin Sig Snare - Thin, beaded and powder coated shell; lacks body and depth, but has a monster ring with almost a "conchy" sound to it. It is extremely sensitive and the backbeat really cuts through the rest of the music.

    14x6.5 DW 3mm Cast Steel Prototype - First run DW, heavy shelled steel snare. Deep and full, yet the crack and overtones are distinctively metallic. This is a great all-purpose snare for mid to heavier music: rock, blues, country.

    IMO, a well built steel snare can, and when tuned properly, will sound great. I've found my two prefer single ply heads that keep them open. However, like most other metals (brass/bronze, copper...) the thickness of the shell makes a huge difference in the sound, moreso than even the material type I believe. Thick shells provide body and crack, wheras the thinner shells accentuate the overtones of the drum.

  24. #24

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    I think a steel shell snare can sound really good. About 5 years ago, a music store in my hometown brought in a whole bunch of those Ludwig steel shell Rocker snares (14 X 5 1/2) and were selling them for either $89 or $99 dollars. I grabbed one thinking "Well, for $90-100 this should be ok. When I got it home and tried it out...wow! This thing sounded like a gunshot! Huge crack with very little ring, which is odd because the stock head was an Evans G1 coated. Best $100 I ever spent.

    Of course, I was drooling over that $90 Pork Pie snare... I hate being broke!
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  25. #25

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    I had a steel snare with my Tama Rockstar kit. It was very ringy with the stock head. I managed to dial it in to my liking using a strip of thin material to muffle it a bit. Granted I didn't know much about tuning when I was a teenager.
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