Help in finding the 'perfect snare drum'

[otway]

Hey guys..
Well i’m going to be buying a new snare drum soon and I am COMPLETELY lost.. sigh
I have looked at almost everything possible. I currently own a sonor maple 13x7 and I am looking to get another snare to start my ‘snare collection’ :P.

I realized a while ago that I am a huge fan of maple but I think I want to get something different, probably brass or aluminium (however I am still open to anything else). Basically I am looking for a snare with a nice crack (when tuned tight), great reggae like rim shots (and cross sticking), very sensitive to ghost notes.. and basically makes people want to ‘jizz’ every time i hit it.. I always hear people talking about the Ludwig Black beauties and the Pork Pie BB when it comes to brass snare drums.. First of all the problem I have is that I live in the Caribbean and i’m not around too many drummers so I am not familiar with many different snare drums so I look to the internet to try and find sound samples of snare drums.. which is proving to be hard to find.. So for the only site i found was:
www.indoorstorm.com which didn’t have samples on any Ludwig snares, however there was a sample of the Pork Pie BB which i personally think was QUITE nice..

Another one of my problems is that I generally tend to think that ‘cheap things don’t come good’ and ‘good things don’t come cheap’ so this makes me feel a bit worried to buy the Pork Pie BB, however basically every single youtube video or anything else I have seen of a Ludwig BB has been QUITE horrible (sounds like utter crap)and I always wonder why this snare drum is supposed to be so amazing.. I have a feeling that every sound sample i’ve heard of a Ludwig has just been created by someone who cannot tune very good or something.. So i was wondering if someone could point me to some sound samples (even if you made it yourself) of the Ludwig BB and other snare drums..

And feel free to recommend other snare drums that you think might hold my interest..

Many thanks
Nick

[otway]

Oh and what about the Pork Pie Brass Patina Snare Drum?
Anyone have any feedback on that snare?

[criz p. critter]

How 'bout a good old LudAlloy Supraphonic? You can't go wrong there. One of the all-time go-to snares that will hold its own in any snare collection. Black Beauties you either love or you don't, but everyone loves a Supra!

Whatever you decide, I think it's a good idea to pick some kind of metal snare for a nice contrast to your maple.

Btw here's some clips from Mendozart of the BB and the Supra and some other Ludwig metal snares.
http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?p=455640

[otway]

anyone ever used the Craviotto Unlimited Snare Drum 13x5.5?
yes i'm aware that its maple.. if you've ever played it do you think this would serve well as a main snare?

[randomhero243]

tama warlord snares are simply incredible

the Tama Masai is made of bubinga and is my personal favorite. and plus on tama they give sound clips of the different snares they have.

http://www.tamadrum.co.jp/WarlordCollection/Line-up/index.html for more info and sound clips

[hateplow]

The new DW metal snares sound incredible, and are a decent price. My friend just picked one up. They are loud, and have tons of crack when you crank them up.
AND you can get them at Best Buy...

[otway]

'randomhero243' thanks allot man.. thats actually very useful.. and those snare drums sound amazing.. a very good recommendation.

'hateplow' thanks allot too man.. but i looked on the website and the only snare drum I saw for sale in Best Buy was the PDP Brass snare.. is that what your talking about?

I think I have decided that I will go with another Maple drum because I know forsure that I will be safe with that sound since I am completely in love with Maple drums and all the metal snares I've heard that cost below 1,000$ I haven't felt to great about..

Has anyone ever played the Craviotto Unlimited Snare Drum 13x5.5?

[randomhero243]

while i understand your craving for maple i think youshould at least stay open minded about other snares. knowing youll certainly like maple is a confortable thing. but you may be missing something else out there.

i say go to a guitar center. or some local drum outlet when it isnt busy. take time to pick out snares and fuss with them. as for me. when im making major purchases be it cymbals or drums well i follow procedure.

most times i will pork through the store and hit every snare drum. of that i take the ones a liked a lot. and i line them all up in a row. then i would close my eyes. i do not at all wanna be swayed by price. brand. material at all. sound is whats msot important as far as im concerned. after i hit all of them at least 2 times ill narrow it down to 2 or 3. then ill try to tune it my way best as i can then make a purchase.

[trkdrmr]

The only maple I ever associate with pure jazz is the steambent radio king. Otherwise, vintage (African) mahogany or black walnut will be better than maple. The tonality is richer and lower.

[crlujan]

I can't comment on the 13" Craviotto's. But I've got a 5.5x14 that sounds amazing. Super sensitive. I honestly don't think you can go wrong with a Craviotto if you've got the money for it.

[TTNW]

Oh and what about the Pork Pie Brass Patina Snare Drum?
Anyone have any feedback on that snare?

I played this drum at GC and I liked it alot. Another member here has one. Search the threads and you'll find his review.

Do you have a budget in mind for your new snare?

[Crazy+Hands]

I also tried the PP patina drum, it was very responsive,had a good mix of wood and metal tones and it had diecast hoops for rimshots.

[otway]

Oh cool.. hmm.. but when i look at the PP patina I see the normal hoops.. not die cast hoops.. But really? Are die cast hoops better for rim shots and cross sticking? If it is then i'll go with die cast FOR sure..

wow 'randomhero243'.. those Tama snare drums are really really impressive.. i've been listening to them allot.. the Bubbinga, Maple and Stainless Steel ones are truly impressing me.. I'm mostly thinking about the Stainless steel one though.

I forgot to mention some important information: I will be using the snare drum mostly for reggae style playing and I immagine the steel one will be mostly suitable for this style (PLEASE correct me if i'm wrong)

So I would have to say that so far I am mostly interested in the Craviotto 13x5.5 and the Tama warlord snare drums..

Any advice would still be appreciated

[otway]

Ok people.. i'm just about ready to make my order.. and i still can't decide between the 4:
craviotto maple 13x5.5, tama warlord maple, stainless steel and bubinga.

Any advice and experience with any of these will be appreciated.