Need help with a Starclassic snare

[Moldy]

A few months ago I bought an old Starclassic birch snare shell that a guy had added five plies of maple to. I've been slowly restoring it and am just now finishing up.

Or would be but for one small detail: The strainer. At first, when screwed into the shell, the strainer couldn't disengage any lower than about a quarter of an inch because it'd hit the rim and stop. I fixed that with longer screws and nuts to secure them in place. Now, however, the strainer gives me a new headache: straps. I tried securing a snare on with the cloth straps that came with the shell but that ripped. I bought some plastic strips, but they slip through the strainer clamp no matter how tightly I do everything up.

This has been frustrating me for weeks now and is the only thing keeping me from having a fully functional snare drum. Is there any way around this problem?

Also, just as a sidenote, any recommendations for a decently priced wood snare? I'm not a big fan of wood, but steel can be too loud and biting for every application.

[drumhammerer]

I recently had this problem with a Ludwig snare I recently bought. On the butt plate side, the bar was put on upside down, so it wouldn't hold the tension on the butt side. Try flipping the bar over on the other side. Sometimes they're made to fit on a specific side, and if not put on right, they won't hold tension. With the strainer, the strap that held the strip was bent outwards a little, so it would slip when tension was applied. I took off the strap holder and put it on a table, and hammered it a little bit to straighten it out, and this solved the problem. I'm assuming this is not the stock Starclassic strainer?

However, I've used the cloth type strips and found them to be stronger than the plastic ones, so you may have some other issues going on there. You could always try some heavy duty snare cord, or maybe try getting a different strainer. If the strainer was hitting the rim that quickly, then it likely isn't the stock strainer.

[HOUSTON 94]

550 paracord?????????????????????????

[Moldy]

It is the stock Starclassic strainer, but it was an older Performer snare, so the strainer is pretty... bad. And I can see that they don't hold up well over the years. I did replace the diecast snareside rim with a triple flanged hoop though, which may account for some of it. I did try flipping the bar like you suggested, but it still slipped through.

Thanks for the help, though. I just decided to order a Ludwig P86 strainer: same hole spacing and it looks sturdy. I've invested a lot into this snare, but the few times I've gotten everything to work great for a few test hits, it sounds amazing. Almost like a studio recorded snare.

[bradmapex]

You can try cloth staps instead of the plastic ones, maybe add some more friction, n there thicker so you can tighten it down more.