Snare Drum Flaw??

[RobertM]

I'm considering buying a GMS Freddie Holliday signature snare. It is cobalt blue aluminum shell with gold lugs, 5.5x14.

When I inspected this snare up close, I noticed that the two air vent holes on the inside of the drum shell were NOT shaved down to be level with the shell, which is usually done with most drums. Instead, the two metal pieces used to make the usual air vent hole extend a few millimeters inside the GMS snare, and one of these air vent pieces is not perfectly round like the other one--it is dented.

On the outside of the shell, all is fine: the air vent holes are level and look like all drum air vents. These differences can only be seen upon looking inside the snare/through the bottom head.

Usually, most air vents on drum shells I've seen are level with BOTH the outside and inside of the shell. So, this difference makes me wonder if this difference is a sign of sloppiness or a flaw.

Is this a problem, or should I be concerned?

This snare is very pricey, so I don't want to spend a lot of precious dough on a snare with quality issues--even if those quality issues aren't a big deal to the drum's sound, etc. In my mind, the quality and craftsmanship should be perfect in all aspects of the drum, especially if one is going to charge a high price.

Thanks!

[rendezvous_drummer]

Someone must've just forgotten to smooth it out....idiots! It shouldn't affect the sound of the snare, I wouldn't be concerned, unless it's a knockoff cheap replica of a real GMS snare that someone has put together and labelled it as GMS, but if you want a perfect shell (which we all do) then it's entirely up to you...what do you think?

[Les Ismore]

I'm considering buying a GMS Freddie Holliday signature snare. It is cobalt blue aluminum shell with gold lugs, 5.5x14.

When I inspected this snare up close, I noticed that the two air vent holes on the inside of the drum shell were NOT shaved down to be level with the shell, which is usually done with most drums. Instead, the two metal pieces used to make the usual air vent hole extend a few millimeters inside the GMS snare, and one of these air vent pieces is not perfectly round like the other one--it is dented.

On the outside of the shell, all is fine: the air vent holes are level and look like all drum air vents. These differences can only be seen upon looking inside the snare/through the bottom head.

Usually, most air vents on drum shells I've seen are level with BOTH the outside and inside of the shell. So, this difference makes me wonder if this difference is a sign of sloppiness or a flaw.

Is this a problem, or should I be concerned?

This snare is very pricey, so I don't want to spend a lot of precious dough on a snare with quality issues--even if those quality issues aren't a big deal to the drum's sound, etc. In my mind, the quality and craftsmanship should be perfect in all aspects of the drum, especially if one is going to charge a high price.

Thanks!


In your favor, work it, ask for money off.

Who cares, It won't affect the sound. Buy and call GMS for info on how to fix (probably easy).

[RobertM]

Thanks for the feedback!

Rendezvous: the snare is definitely a real GMS, not a knock-off. I've inspected it carefully, and I know the guy and the shop (for the past four years) that is selling the snare, and they pride themselves on stocking professional line equipment--they're a private store, not a cheap chain.

Les: You're right--it shouldn't affect the sound of the snare, but I think I will give GMS a call this week just to voice my concern/post a question about this issue. I don't think the shop will give me a discount on the snare--in fact, I'm fairly confident that the drum shop manager I know there will tell me that it is not a big deal and shouldn't affect the sound. So, I'll ring GMS and see what happens. If for nothing, I'm just curious as to why they would leave the air vent finish in that state. Even if it doesn't affect the sound, it just looks like they didn't put enough care into their work.

I'll report back once I get a response.

[RobertM]

Here's an update, for those interested:

I've checked out other GMS snares and noticed that the inside finish of the air vent holes appear to be even with the drum shell, unlike what I found with the Freddie Holliday Signature model.

I wrote to GMS today, via their website contact form, to report the issue I found with this snare. I will let you all know what I hear back from them.

I like GMS's stuff, but I don't think it is right to ask for over $750 for a snare that doesn't have every facet of the drum in tip-top shape. (Even my inexpensive $115 Pearl piccolo snare has perfectly capped/finished air vent holes!!) If you are going to charge high prices and call yourself a "custom" drum shop, then I expect truly "custom" workmanship.