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Thread: Snare Drum advice please

  1. #1

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    Default Snare Drum advice please

    First off, I want to thank many of you guys for the help & advice I've received from a lot of you on my previous posts. It seems drummers are really unselfish, when it comes to sharing their knowledge.
    Anyways, I want to get a new snare drum. I want kind of a 'pop' so I'm thinking wood and maybe a piccolo, but I'm really not too sure. I'd like it to sound really defined, with no ring whatsoever,which is why I've pretty much ruled out metal, but again, I'm not too sure whether I'm right with that. I haven't got a big budget for one,maybe £150/$200. Any ideas???

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Snare Drum advice please

    As I've mentioned before, I use a popsicle stick to remove ring from my snares, and I use nothing but metal snares.

  3. #3

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    popsicle stick????
    i did do a search,but unless i'm doing something wrong, didn't find anything too specific.
    edit; thinking about it I am doing summat wrong Nothing on snare drums,hmmmm! lol
    Last edited by agent_orange; 03-29-2013 at 05:38 PM. Reason: changed opinion

  4. #4

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    Default Re: Snare Drum advice please

    if your thinking about a wood piccolo ive seen some Pearl free floating maple's (14x3.5) going on ebay for around/slightly less than £150 (im from UK too), and ive heard great things about them. Wouldnt mind trying one myself to be honest.

    Dont rule out brass either, slightly warmer and less ringy than steel, and as Rick suggests, with a bit of dampening it can still give a nice pop.

    P.S. Torbay's really nice, been on holiday down there a fair few times
    Its not what your playing, its what your playing

  5. #5

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    Default Re: Snare Drum advice please

    Quote Originally Posted by agent_orange View Post
    popsicle stick????
    i did do a search,but unless i'm doing something wrong, didn't find anything too specific.
    edit; thinking about it I am doing summat wrong Nothing on snare drums,hmmmm! lol

    If you look at any of my videos, you can see the popsicle stick under the head between where my hands fall. The snare is a Black Beauty Super Sensitive that will ring like a bell without it.

  6. #6

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    Default Re: Snare Drum advice please

    Quote Originally Posted by rickthedrummer View Post
    If you look at any of my videos, you can see the popsicle stick under the head between where my hands fall. The snare is a Black Beauty Super Sensitive that will ring like a bell without it.
    That's a good idea Rick! Haven't thought of that before. I have a PDP natural SX (maple with wood hoops) and I've I try many ways to avoid it from "ringing"... Yeah I know it's no common to ring for a snare like that but this one have is own personality. That's how I love instruments...

    But I'm stopping right now this is off topic---- Pearl free-floating is a good one, Dixon made cheaper but probably not so interesting piccolos... I have a Gretsch one, sounds really great but it was an amazing price (100$ and it's worth 300$ easily!). When a tighten piccolo is mounted with 2.3mm Powerhoops like mine... Never heard a rimshot so powerful!
    It can a really versatile snare I'm not kidding. Latin/reggae to punk and don't forget rockabilly, put a muffler on it you get the metalliest rimshots you can. Plus, it's original, and it could be a great side-snare.
    I'm piccolo fan!

  7. #7

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    Default Re: Snare Drum advice please

    Dixon makes a nice little picolo snare that's really inexspensive but not cheap.

  8. #8

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    If you are looking for a pop in a snare I have a Orange County drums OCDP and that has a nice pop to it. Its a 13x7 walnut. You can also get it in Natural Ash. I like both but they ring a lot!!! I fixed it with a remo ring and that helps a lot!!! but I will have to try the Popsicle stick. For $200 it's a nice snare



    Last edited by lukedverlennich; 03-29-2013 at 10:17 PM.

  9. #9

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    Default Re: Snare Drum advice please

    AO, you can get a nice pop out of a 14x5 snare by tuning it right. I do have 14x3 and 14x5 Pearl Free Floating snares (both maple shells), and I can get a nice pop out of them both. Another way to go is with a smaller diameter snare, like Luke suggested (13"). Again, it will depend on how you choose to tune it, and what heads you choose.
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  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by pastor_bob View Post
    AO, you can get a nice pop out of a 14x5 snare by tuning it right. I do have 14x3 and 14x5 Pearl Free Floating snares (both maple shells), and I can get a nice pop out of them both. Another way to go is with a smaller diameter snare, like Luke suggested (13"). Again, it will depend on how you choose to tune it, and what heads you choose.
    Yeah what he said

  11. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by lukedverlennich View Post
    If you are looking for a pop in a snare I have a Orange County drums OCDP and that has a nice pop to it. Its a 13x7 walnut. You can also get it in Natural Ash. I like both but they ring a lot!!! I fixed it with a remo ring and that helps a lot!!! but I will have to try the Popsicle stick. For $200 it's a nice snare




    I've been using a popsicle stick for over 50 years.

    Take a piece about 1 1/2" and place it about 2" out from the rim between where your hands fall. It has worked on a Dynasonic, all my Supras, and all the Black Beauty's I've had. It takes the ring out, but, past that, doesn't affect the sound of the snare at all.

    I don't use it on my Black Magic because it doesn't ring, which surprised the hell out of me.

  12. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Northern Redneck View Post
    Dixon makes a nice little picolo snare that's really inexspensive but not cheap.
    Natural wood one with a little lacquer finish to it? I remember seeing and trying out one like that years ago, going for not even AU$200. Been kicking myself for not snapping it up. Oh well, my other small snares have been keeping me happy in the meantime.
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  13. #13

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    Default Re: Snare Drum advice please

    +1 for Pearl free floater. The fact that it's interchangeable with any shell of the same diameter is a brilliant design. Tama's stewart copeland snare along with Mapex's chris adler are also very good for poppy sounds.
    ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
    Snares: 4
    RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    I wish I was your wife
    Quote Originally Posted by amdrummer View Post
    if double bass is cheating then so is using two sticks

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  14. #14

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    get a wooden one for sure...Put a remO on it

  15. #15

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    Does anyone rate the Mapex MPX 13" by 6"? They're maple and not a load of cash, so am thinking of getting one, and loading it with a remo pinstripe batter. Any thoughts??

  16. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by agent_orange View Post
    Does anyone rate the Mapex MPX 13" by 6"? They're maple and not a load of cash, so am thinking of getting one, and loading it with a remo pinstripe batter. Any thoughts??
    They're excellent value for money. If you go to the mapexdrums site you can listen to sound files of the whole range.
    Mapex Armory - Photon Blue
    Mapex VXB kit - Transparent Black
    Mapex & Pearl snares
    Paiste Alpha & RUDE cymbals
    Remo & Vater

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by rickthedrummer View Post
    I don't use it on my Black Magic because it doesn't ring, which surprised the hell out of me.
    ...................probably due to the diecast rims

  18. #18

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    Hi agent orange. Greetings from north east England (County Durham) I can't give any advice on your question other that to hear what drums sound like you have to get somebody else to play them and stand away and listen as the sound is so much different from afar than it is while sat at the kit. Just thought I'd mention that I used to get down your way when my son (stage name Jonny Gavin) singer songwriter, lived at Goodrington Sands but now lives in Vietnam. We used do a set at an open mic night at Ryan's Bar in Torquay and had some great times there. Who knows he may move back there some time in the future.

  19. #19

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    yeah, I know Ryans bar, we're talking to them about doing a gig at the moment. There are a few jam nights on here at the moment, so if you get down this way, give me a shout.
    I'm in a bit of a quandary about the snare. I can probably afford a better one in about two months wages time and the one I have right now is too awful for words. I have a gig on sunday when I'd love to have at least a half decent snare, so am swaying towards the MPX 13x6 maple or as mentioned, a Pearl Vision, which I could get delivered before then. This would also enable me to have an auxiliary snare when I did get a better one.
    There is another one I've seen, it's steel 14x6.5 and has 2xten lugs. The thing is it's a WHD, which is an own brand of Gear for Music and they don't have a particularly good reputation. It's about the same price as the mapex and pearl ones, but it would be a complete shot in the dark. I mean an £80 steel snare with twenty lugs is just that, it ain't going to tear up trees but on the other hand it's an £80 twenty lug steel snare!!!!

  20. #20

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    Update; budget stretched to a MPX 13x6 have put a coated EC2 on it and I'm sooo happy with it. Not far off exactly the 'singular' kind of sound I'm after.No extra damping and have it tuned right up. Only one thing, compared to my old no name snare, it's so loud! rest of the band are whining. It's a bit rich when after a guitar solo, I find my ears are ringing,lol!

  21. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by agent_orange View Post
    Update; budget stretched to a MPX 13x6 have put a coated EC2 on it and I'm sooo happy with it. Not far off exactly the 'singular' kind of sound I'm after.No extra damping and have it tuned right up. Only one thing, compared to my old no name snare, it's so loud! rest of the band are whining. It's a bit rich when after a guitar solo, I find my ears are ringing,lol!
    haha. Yep, guitarist complaining about loud drums are a bit pot/kettle!
    Mapex Armory - Photon Blue
    Mapex VXB kit - Transparent Black
    Mapex & Pearl snares
    Paiste Alpha & RUDE cymbals
    Remo & Vater

  22. #22

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    Are you wearing headphones?
    ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
    Snares: 4
    RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
    Quote Originally Posted by Pearl MCX Man View Post
    I wish I was your wife
    Quote Originally Posted by amdrummer View Post
    if double bass is cheating then so is using two sticks

    Forum Rules
    DrumBum
    No metronome?
    The Rudiments

  23. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Russ View Post
    Are you wearing headphones?
    sorry Russ, not sure what ya mean, headphones for what?

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