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
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.
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
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)
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.
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!!!!!
i give mine to the local music store haha!
Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.
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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.
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.
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
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
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.
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. . .
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
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.
maple goodness......
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...12802333_l.jpg
I have that exact sound outta mine but then my snare is Chad smith signature
Tight I wont go there lol
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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