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Thread: Tuning Your Snare.........Perfectly

  1. #1

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    Angry Tuning Your Snare.........Perfectly

    this is just a thread for suggestions.
    i am trying to get my snare drum to get tuned as good as possible (i am also in the process of getting a new one). i just want to know what you people do. like if the snare head is higher or lower than the batter, perferred pitches, heads, snares, etc.
    it would also be helpfull if you gave what type of snare your talking about and/or it's specs.

    thanks ahead of time for the suggestions.

  2. #2

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    Default Re: Tuning Your Snare.........Perfectly

    i use a steel pearl picalo snare 13X3 and i tune my reso pretty high and leve my batter a bit losser, its got a high dry sound and killer crack as well as killer sensitivity
    play till the day i die. it makes more sense that way.

    "You should set up your drums around the toilet. You know you must use it everyday and lets be realistic, nothing better is going on when your sitting on there. Why not take care of business and play the drums." silver dragon sound

  3. #3

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    Default Re: Tuning Your Snare.........Perfectly

    I've got three snares and I do the same for all of them. I tighten the reso head until the wrinkles come out and maybe a half turn more on all the lugs after that. I tune the batter so that it is slightly higher in pitch than my highest tom (in my case a 12"). I adjust the snares just below the point where they would choke the drum. This works for me and sounds great. Plenty of crack and sensitivity for all types of playing.

    BTW...this is my gear. All die-cast batter hoops and Evans heads.

    7x14 Maple (Custom made by me)
    5.5x14 Brass (Tama)
    5.5 x14 Steel (Tama)

  4. #4
    ThePloughman Guest

    Default Re: Tuning Your Snare.........Perfectly

    I like 80 on top, and a half turn more on bottom. That works out to two turns above finger tight on top, two and a half on bottom. Single ply coated head, Ambassador snare side.

  5. #5

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    Default Re: Tuning Your Snare.........Perfectly

    This is how i tune my snare, the bottom head i make very tight. then the top head i make tight, but not as tight as the bottem head. i have a pdp 14" snare, i think it's maple, but not sure.
    MY drum kit so far:
    pdp ez series drums(14" snare, 12, 13,and 16" toms. 22" bass)
    pdp 10" mini timbale
    Zildjian zbt 18" crash/ride, 10" splash
    paiste 201 bronze 14" hi-hats, 16" crash, 20" ride
    sabian aax 16" ozone crash
    pearl primaro cowbell.

    I love my kit!!!!!

  6. #6

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    Default Re: Tuning Your Snare.........Perfectly

    i give mine to the local music store haha!

  7. #7

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    Default Re: Tuning Your Snare.........Perfectly

    Quote Originally Posted by HeistheLamb View Post
    i give mine to the local music store haha!
    I sure hope they know what they're doing, because I practically cry when I hear how some of my local music stores "tune" their kits! Makes me want to offer my services as the official "drum tuner boy." "Oh drum tuner boy!"
    Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.





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  8. #8

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    Default Re: Tuning Your Snare.........Perfectly

    That's and excellent point, PB. In the last 20 some years, I've only had two drum pro's at local music stores ever tune or work on any of my drums. That's probably why I shy away from the big box retailers...you can find a good price but the quality of service and kknow-how is not always the best....IMHO.

  9. #9

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    Default Re: Tuning Your Snare.........Perfectly

    my local music store doesnt sell any of the good brands, i wished i lived near a big music store! i would prolly go there a lot more than i do my local one
    being a succesful musician has nothing to do with being signed, popular or making alot of money. It has to do with making great music.

  10. #10

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    Default Re: Tuning Your Snare.........Perfectly

    you guys make a good point.. usually its not an experienced drummer or the resident drum tech that actually sets up the kits...thats why they are usually sounding like a guitar player set them up...lol...
    My Kit - Mapex Saturn 6 Pc., Iron Cobra Double Pedal, 14 Sabian HHX Evolution HH, 20 Avedis Ping Ride, Zildjian 16 Vintage Crash, Zildjian K 17 Thin Dry Crash, Sabian HHX Evolution 16 Crash, Evans Heads, Sennheiser Mikes

  11. #11

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    Default Re: Tuning Your Snare.........Perfectly

    Well, I'd tell you how I tune my snares but I have 7 usable ones and I tune them all very differently, and they all have different heads, so..........
    It depends on the sound you want and the snare you're working with.
    "Life is backwards. Happiness isn't something you seek, it's something that finds you when you are doing the right thing." - Zone47

  12. #12

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    Default Re: Tuning Your Snare.........Perfectly

    Quote Originally Posted by justinmill14 View Post
    my local music store doesnt sell any of the good brands, i wished i lived near a big music store! i would prolly go there a lot more than i do my local one
    ************************************************** ***********************

    That's kind of interesting...which brands of drums are available there?

  13. #13

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    Default Re: Tuning Your Snare.........Perfectly

    I'd tell you but then I would have to kill you! Really though there is some good advice on here just follow what some of the other posters have done and then see what your particular drum sounds like.

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by fiacovaz View Post
    ************************************************** ***********************

    That's kind of interesting...which brands of drums are available there?
    half of the brands ive never even heard of
    being a succesful musician has nothing to do with being signed, popular or making alot of money. It has to do with making great music.

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by pastor_bob View Post
    I sure hope they know what they're doing, because I practically cry when I hear how some of my local music stores "tune" their kits! Makes me want to offer my services as the official "drum tuner boy." "Oh drum tuner boy!"
    very well said bob... i was thinking the very same thing earlyer in the day

  16. #16

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    Default Re: Tuning Your Snare.........Perfectly

    Yeah, I was once taking mando lessons at a local store that sold Mapex's, and had several nice kits on the floor - all out of tune, because there was no drum tech there. I just took some time before and after the lessons to tune their kits, one by one. I don't know why, other than drummer's OCD and I couldn't stand to hear those nice kits sound so awful.
    And the trees are all kept equal by hatchet, axe, and saw. . .

  17. #17

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    I have mine pretty tight on both batter on resso.
    Paiste Posse
    14inch 2002 series Sound Edge Hi-hats
    16inch and 18inch Signature series Fast crashes
    20inch 3000 series Ride
    18inch PST5 series China

    Pearl Forum Series drum set
    Pearl Chad Smith Signature snare(steel shell)
    Tama Iron Cobra Chrome

    RIP Frank - You will be remembered

  18. #18

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    For me the holy grail is the snare sound on blood sugar sex magik (the track) by the Chili Peppers, love that sound. Mine is pretty close as it is.

  19. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by rhaAw@ View Post
    For me the holy grail is the snare sound on blood sugar sex magik (the track) by the Chili Peppers, love that sound. Mine is pretty close as it is.
    a great sound for sure. i get a similar sound with my brass free floater (cranked up w/ an emporor-x.

  20. #20
    Larrysperf Guest

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    I have that exact sound outta mine but then my snare is Chad smith signature

  21. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by rush_fan View Post
    . like if the snare head is higher or lower than the batter, :
    the snare head is always gonna be higher coz its positioned on the top and the batter is on the bottom, Doh.



    Official cowbell hater.

  22. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by ratmycue View Post
    the snare head is always gonna be higher coz its positioned on the top and the batter is on the bottom, Doh.
    Well that sure is good technical information.
    Signature here

  23. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by ratmycue View Post
    the snare head is always gonna be higher coz its positioned on the top and the batter is on the bottom, Doh.

    The batter head is the one you hit and the snare head(or snareside) is the one on the bottom. Anyway, like most guys in here I tend to crank the snareside head pretty tight and the batter slightly less.

  24. #24
    Larrysperf Guest

    Default Re: Tuning Your Snare.........Perfectly

    Tight I wont go there lol

  25. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by mkennedy View Post
    The batter head is the one you hit and the snare head(or snareside) is the one on the bottom. Anyway, like most guys in here I tend to crank the snareside head pretty tight and the batter slightly less.
    thats what Ive been doing wrong all these years, playing it upside down!! well spotted mkennedy.
    I will have to stop this dry British humour.
    Seriously though, so much will affect your snare sound , the choice of batter skin,/ less so the reso, the actual amount of snare strands you choose, its a personal thing, I would have to say I prefer my snare to give a meaty crack, for this I choose a deep 6.5 inch all birch, and I currently have an evans Uno 58 head on it. Many moons ago I always had to have a steel snare usually no more than a 5". The best advice I can give is not to be scared and just set at a certain sound you like, play and listen to it for a couple of days then try another one, you will eventually lock in to what tweaks your ears. all the best.



    Official cowbell hater.

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