12X14 FT turned into an effects Snare/Floor tom

[signia fan]

Especially with those wide wires, it would probably work a lot better if you extended the snare beds out past the first set of lugs, doing a gradual taper from 1/2" before to about 1/4- 1/2" past the lug. Nice depth on the beds, not many beginner builders get that brave, but deep beds work, I usually go about 3/16" which looks close to where you are at.

[Johnny G]

You guys that do all this custom work... so impressive!
I don't have the knowledge or the guts to do that stuff.

I used to think the same thing. It's much easier than you think if you're just careful about measuring. YouTube has a lot of information. It also happens to be very therapeutic to lose yourself in a project that you can attack with passion.
Leave your daily BS behind and make yourself an awesome custom snare drum!!
My first effort is one of my favorite snares now. She's a 16 x 7, wrapped in a custom Blue Poison Dart Frog from BumWrap. Used to be a black CB700 concert tom.



I also converted an old orphaned 1971 Roger's 12 x 8 tom into a seriously versatile snare.
I don't mean to hijack Spaz's thread. Just want to encourage all the posters that are following this project to try one of your own.

[SpazApproved]

Especially with those wide wires, it would probably work a lot better if you extended the snare beds out past the first set of lugs, doing a gradual taper from 1/2" before to about 1/4- 1/2" past the lug. Nice depth on the beds, not many beginner builders get that brave, but deep beds work, I usually go about 3/16" which looks close to where you are at.

You think so? So just make it wider with a more gradual arc?

[SpazApproved]

here's what I have so far... It sounds awful. Like cardboard. I've tried low tuning and high tuning. Loose snares and tight. I think I cut my snare beds to deep I'm not sure. That's all I can think of. . . thoughts?

[pcs90]

Even with the snares completely off that sounded like it had no tone. It's probably the heads. It also sounds really de-tuned. You'll have to tune it tighter than you'd normally tune a floor tom to really get it to work, I believe.

[SpazApproved]

Even with the snares completely off that sounded like it had no tone. It's probably the heads. It also sounds really de-tuned. You'll have to tune it tighter than you'd normally tune a floor tom to really get it to work, I believe.

That 14" floor tom is cranked tighter than my 10" floor tom in tone when I put it on my kit last night.

I'll get an actual snare head placed on there and see what happens. Swap out the bottom too with a snare reso. See what happens I guess.

[jedi]

What kind of sound were/are you hoping to achieve ?
To me it sounds pretty close to the snare drums we used back in highschool back in the late 70s .
I saw some of the deep snares on Youtube and you're pretty close .

Did you put a snare head on the snare side or is it the stock tom reso head from PDP ?

I would try a coated single ply on the top and a snare side head on the bottom . Cranked up .
And I would go with a smaller strand snare wire .

I heard a 14x8.5 Rogers snare once that had tremendous crack . But the guy who owned it was a slob ! So the snare wires that had snapped from one end were still hanging and there were only 6 (!) wires actually touching the head ! But that thing sounded awesome . I made the mistake of chiding the guy for not taking care of his stuff cause the following week when I went to hear them the drum didn't sound so good . He put a new 24 strand wire snare on it and it lost its mojo .
Don't give up Zack...you're almost there !
Rudy .

[SpazApproved]

Well I watched some many videos on youtube and I heard a ***** 12x14 snare and it still sounded like a normal snare drum but had more of a field marching sound. Mine just sounds like cardboard with a snare wire on it. lol

I'm going to try all new heads and swap out a snare wire from one of my other numerous snares lying around. I'll see what happens. I'm also going to try to recut that bed to be smoother.

[late8]

I'm going to try all new heads and swap out a snare wire from one of my other numerous snares lying around. I'll see what happens.

Sounds like a great idea. I was going to suggest the same.

[pcs90]

You weren't using a snare side head on it, just a tom reso? Well that would definitely not let it sound very good as a snare... :P I picked up a 10" snare the other day that was set up like that and it sounded terrible until switching the heads.
I'm not sure what heads people use on field drums, but those would probably work. And by field drums I don't mean the actual marching drums on a field but the ones some companies make for concert use. I know Pearl has several. They are usually 14"x12", 14"x14" or even 16" diameter but they still resonate...probably use thinner heads.

[crispycritters]

I'm pretty sure that most of your problem is caused by the snare side head - I tried fitting a regular 10 mil tom reso to a snare out of curiosity. It sounded pretty bad - and close to the sound you are currently getting.

Try swapping over the reso head from one of your other snares before contemplating recutting the snare beds

[SpazApproved]

update:
Masked off a smoother arc


sanded it down




Then used a sanding block for final smoothing and peeled the tape

[SpazApproved]

Also installed a HD Dry top head


hazy 300 bottom head



but I still get a wrinkle







But so far the drum is 100% better! Sounds like a regular snare now. I tried two snare wires (standard 12 and 42) and the difference was there but nothing crazy. The 12 was pretty bent so I'm going to order a new pure sound and try that out. Either way I'm happy with the turn out! Just wish I wouldn't have cut the beds so deep now.

[jedi]

Yup...looks like you got a winner there Zak !
Now you have far more experience at turning toms into snares than the rest of us ... well most of us... ok me .
Good work .
Rudy .

[SpazApproved]

So I put the snare on last night! I was as giddy as a school girl!! So now I have my PopCorn snare, standard snare and this deep field marching snare all next to each other on one kit.

We started learning a new song (ball room blitz) last night and let me tell you I used this snare for that song and it was truly MEANT TO BE!! It fit so perfectly for this song I was in tears of joy!

[late8]

Thanks for sharing the pics! Awesome documentation!

[SpazApproved]

[pcs90]

Much, much better! Sounds great now!

[jedi]

Wow what a difference ! I really like the way it sounds now .
We all learned .
Great thread Zak !

Rudy

[late8]

Thanks for posting a video and "taking one for the team" on the snare beds Zack. When I cut mine, I'll go a little at a time and maybe put the snare wires on and try it as I go. I have a '80s Ludwig Rocker II (L77) 10x14" rack tom I want to convert into a snare drum. I like how you improved the sound by swapping out the heads.

[SpazApproved]

^no problem always glad to be the guinea pig haha

Next time I'll definitely do the snare beds in smaller increments and I learned it's better to make more of an arc then a drop down.

[Markadiddle]

I've been following this thread. Wow, night and day difference after smoothing out the snare bed! Sounds awesome!

[Seforeman]

Very Cool Dude!

[Powertrip240]

Damn dude! Why do you gotta go and get me inspired to do the same thing? I have an extra 14" FT in the closet, that might just become a snare now.

My question is, how does it sound with the snare wires turned off? Meaning, do you still get a little buzz, or is it clean enough to pass as a regular floor tom until you flip the snares up? I'm just wondering if I should convert the extra 14" FT, thats' just collecting dust in the closet, and make it pretty much a dedicated snare drum, or if I should convert me regular 14" FT that I use with my kit.

Either way, thanks for the great write-up and the great ideas!

[SpazApproved]

Damn dude! Why do you gotta go and get me inspired to do the same thing? I have an extra 14" FT in the closet, that might just become a snare now.

My question is, how does it sound with the snare wires turned off? Meaning, do you still get a little buzz, or is it clean enough to pass as a regular floor tom until you flip the snares up? I'm just wondering if I should convert the extra 14" FT, thats' just collecting dust in the closet, and make it pretty much a dedicated snare drum, or if I should convert me regular 14" FT that I use with my kit.

Either way, thanks for the great write-up and the great ideas!

I'm glad I could help get the hamster running on the wheel!
The snare turned off it has a clean tom sound. The funny part about it though as even though it's a 14" tom, because it's tightened for the snare so high it almost matches my 10" tom in pitch. But it's a clean tom sound. I keep the snares off mostly and use it as a tom. Then during certain songs turn the snares on and off.