Need info on Pork Pie Snare

[jmastrodimos]

Hi guys! Went to a music shop today and saw a Pork Pie Snare, 13x7, Brass w/Patina finish. Nice looking drum and thought it sounded good, but on the dry side. I have no experience with Pork Pie, and did some investigating. The reviews ran the gamut, from praise to criticism of over-all quality.

I've been told that with brass, it's best to have a bit of a ring and some overtones, because then you can always dampen the drum. A dark drum cannot be adjusted to be brighter.

Typically, I do like a darker snare and prefer an open sound. And I believe in keeping the inherent quality of the drum itself, without dampening. In other words, a good drum will sound good without any dampening. However, I have no qualms about using a dry head like an Evans Genera Dry.

I have a DW Collector's Series Snare 14x6.5, Chrome over Brass. One bit of moongel does the trick. I do not dampen the rest of my kit.

The price of the drum was $319 at the shop, but found it less expensive to buy on line. [removed. please do not post music store specials here. see forum rules - Tom]

I've never purchased drum equipment on line, and would like your thoughts on that also.

Thanks much!!!
John

[N2Bluz]

I love my 13" maple Pork Pie. Can't complain about quality....3 years of beatings and no issues. The sound is very cutting, with a dry crack. Certainly not for everyone and every style, but I like it.

[dirtysticks]

You can get a used Pork Pie Patina in close to new condition on guitarcenter.com for around $169-199 plus tax and shipping. They are excellent snares and the build quality on the one I had was stellar. It is a snare that I am most likely gonna purchase again and add back to my arsenal, eventually. It is a little drier due to the coating, but it is not totally dry or dead and it sounded great with any head that I threw at (I settled on the Coated Emperor). It's a versatile, and nice sounding drum.

[porkpieguy]

I love Pork Pie drums, but my only experience comes from the American-made versions of their drums. I've been playing Pork Pie for about 10 years now, and the quality and the sound is pretty amazing. Nice warmth, punch, easy to record, etc. I have no complaints about them whatsoever.

With that said, the ones that I bought came from the time when they were doing nothing but custom sets. There was no overseas company. There was no Little Squealer line.

All in all, if you are buying a snare, get something you like. I wouldn't spend the money on a snare that I didn't love. I wouldn't look to go home and try to tweak it into something that you might like. Get something that sounds good to your ear out of the box. If the PP doesn't do it for you, look to get something else.

Just my $.02.

[SpazApproved]

I own two porkpie snare drums. A 5.5x14 and a popcorn which I can't think of the dimensions but I think it's like a 10x8 and it's definitely one of my favorite snares! (since I own around 8-10 different snares) that's pretty good statistics for me

[jmastrodimos]

Hi guys!

Thanks for your input. I have gone ahead and ordered the Pork Pie brass snare with patina finish, 13x7, through Amazon. I should have it in a few days, and I can't wait to get my hands on it!

This will be my 6th snare so I guess you could say I have g.a.s. and I am somewhat of a collector. Previous purchases include snares by Taye, Mapex, and DW.

In choosing a snare I try to find one with qualities that make it both visually and sonically unique. I think this drum is all of that.

Thanks again!
John

[soren-k]

Glad to help. I bet you'll love that snare. Post your thoughts on it when it arrives!
BTW, what Taye snares do you own?

[jmastrodimos]

I own two Taye snare drums:

1. Taye 14x7, All maple with maple hoops.

2. Taye 14x6, Black aluminum alloy with wood hoops.

They are both beautiful to the eye and ear! Of the five snares I have so far, the maple is my favorite. BTW: I have Evan Genera Dry heads on each snare. With those heads the sound is fat and warm. Just my personal preference.

John

[markdrum]

I think that you'll like the "Patina". I've had mine for about 2 years and it's always been a pleasant surprise as to how versatile it can be. It's really great for reggae, funk and just about any style that requires a fast, sharp backbeat with a good amout of attack but with musical overtones as well. It really likes the combination of a Aquarian "High Energy" batter with a "Classic Clear" snare side head. It also likes Emporers with Ambassador snare heads. I've even tried it on a big band gig and it really came through as a musical snare with serious muscle. I got mine on Amazon as well and it went smoothly. Contgrats!

[jmastrodimos]

Thanks for your response markdrum. I will keep your drumhead recommendations in mind. I definitely want to hear what this drum sound like out of the box first, and if need be, I will give it a good tweaking.

John

[Johnny G]

Pics when she arrives, please, or it didn't happen! The old mantra still holds true.

[jmastrodimos]

Hi guys/gals!

I just received my Pork Pie snare drum 13x7 in Patina finish. I have to admit that I'm disappointed. I had seen a video of the drum and in that video the snare had a very cool, predominantly blue color. What I received was more of a black/granite color. Nice, but no what I wanted. I had been told that with the patina finish, no two drums are alike, but I've decided to return it.

One of the reasons I chose this drum was because of the finish. I already have two snares in a black finish: a Mapex and a Taye.

So it's going back today. I'm not sure what my next step will be.

John

[jmastrodimos]

Hi folks!

I shipped the Pork Pie snare back today. I was very disappointed that the finish did not come up to my expectations.

Made a trip to Guitar Center and purchased the Pork Pie from them. The snare is primarily black with green and purple overtones. A great improvement. They also gave me $30 dollars off. I should have bought it from them to begin with. I would have gotten the snare for about the same price, and would have also saved shipping charges. Live and learn.

I'll post pictures soon.

John

[jmastrodimos]

When I got it, the snare was cranked up tight, as tight as it would go. I detuned it and spent time bringing up the tension slowly. I was amazed at how big and fat this drum could sound. A very versatile snare drum!

John

[jmastrodimos]

Link to photo album of John's gear
http://www.drumchat.com/album.php?u=24799