Steve Gadd Sig

[caprisun3484]

i was thinking of getting Steve Gadd's Sig Snare by Yamaha. I was just wondering if anyone had the snare and what exactly they thought of it. Also would it work in a jazz, rock and funk settings.

[Manicoti]

i got the birch model with wood hoops and i can't make that thing sound like Gadd's! Me thinks his are the real thing and mine is a mass produced knock off. It's probably my least favorite snare out of the 20 i own. I could be mistaken. Does anyone know if he actually uses his snares "off" the shelf?? I even went out and got the same snare head he uses and i still can't get it to sound good and i really like the sound of his snares in any of the videos i've seen.
M

[Class A Drummer]

I have heard bad reviews about the snare. Some people on the forum have said it sounds like an export snare. I think it was Franklin or somebody who said it untunes really easily. I have yet to try it out though so search around the forum, im sure there was a thread on this.

[Tetley]

yeah, i've never heard a good word for it, i think you should probably pass. plenty of amazing snares out there without his name on them.

[willem36]

You can't get Gadd snare sound out of your Yamaha birch may be because Steve Gadd has been playing a 70's Ludwig Supraphonic snare, which is aluminium, for years!
I'd be very surprised if the Yamaha snare he plays was not a Supra replica!

[franklinj]

You can't get Gadd snare sound out of your Yamaha birch may be because Steve Gadd has been playing a 70's Ludwig Supraphonic snare, which is aluminium, for years!
I'd be very surprised if the Yamaha snare he plays was not a Supra replica!

Actually, I think the metal ones are! Mine sounds like old classic rock recordings, like Bonham when I tune it up right. Its a pretty good snare, it just detunes like crazy. Lug locks help though.

P.S.- I am a heavy hitter and usually use pretty decent sized sticks...5B and up. I also do alot of rimshots, so keep that in mind.

[Terry Branam]

I have a Gadd snare from 1997. One of the first ones off the line. (#97 to be precise) I have the 5x14 birch model.

I love the drum. I put some I.T. or Index tuner lugs on the batter side and that solved any detuning issues on the heavy hitting gigs. I don't have that problem on the jazz gigs.

Yes it is a very versatile drum. It depends on tuning/head choice. I also have the triple flanged hoops on it. I can get a metallic (aluminum) sound from the drum at high tunings, and a beautiful dark tone at the low end.

I've had many different types of heads on the drum, and that is what I depend on for different stylistic endeavors. For instance, I am using it tonight with a funk band with a coated ambassador/high tuning, tomorrow with an emperor x/low tuning on a pop/country gig, changing to a fibreskin/medium tuning on friday for a jazz gig.

So many people are worried about getting hundreds of snare drums. I think one or two really great snares and a good set of ears will take you a long way.


Later,
T

[franklinj]

Terry-

I got you beat...mines #3!

[fourstringdrums]

You can't get Gadd snare sound out of your Yamaha birch may be because Steve Gadd has been playing a 70's Ludwig Supraphonic snare, which is aluminium, for years!
I'd be very surprised if the Yamaha snare he plays was not a Supra replica!

All the new videos of him playing the black kit show him playing what is supposed to be the Sig snare, not a Supra.

[da cheese walks]

ill be honest.....although Gadds a genius and im as mesmerized by him as the next guy i still dont like how his snare sounds....never heard his sig snare....but in a lot of his videos i think he has it way tooooo dead....

[caprisun3484]

alright thanks guys
the main reason i was gonna buy it was because it was pretty cheap and i thought it couldn't be bad cause it had Gadd's name on it

but i thought i'd check here and i'm glad i did

[Class A Drummer]

ill be honest.....although Gadds a genius and im as mesmerized by him as the next guy i still dont like how his snare sounds....never heard his sig snare....but in a lot of his videos i think he has it way tooooo dead....

I agree, he is amazing, but i just dont like the snare sound. One or two videos though, i thought the sound was amazing lol.

[jonescrusher]

i got the birch model with wood hoops and i can't make that thing sound like Gadd's! Me thinks his are the real thing and mine is a mass produced knock off. It's probably my least favourite snare out of the 20 i own. I could be mistaken. Does anyone know if he actually uses his snares "off" the shelf?? I even went out and got the same snare head he uses and i still can't get it to sound good and i really like the sound of his snares in any of the videos i've seen.
M


Most of the recordings I see of him he's playing a 400. This is the thing with signature model snares - they sell because people expect to get the snare sound they hear from the player. The player is only producing that snare sound because of the way he's playing it. Especially in the case of Gadd who goes for a very dead snare response, lots of dampening. Combined with his touch, this response gets the classic sound. Most drummers can't stand that kind of dead response.

You can get it to sound like Gadd's, but you'll have to set the heads up, with dampening, and play with the same stick action and dynamics as the man.

[franklinj]

Honestly, im thinking of selling mine and pickin up two snares, but that wont be for a while. The sound just isnt "me".

When or if I decide to sell it, ill put in the classifides (sp?) on this site.