snare

[ecpietscheck]

anyone ever tried a 20 or more ply snare?
what varies when a snare has more or less plies?
thx you guys

[dxtrinc]

Hey ecpietscheck


20 ply drums are loud as heck!!!

Basically the more plys the drum has, the higher the natural pitch of the drums and the less sensitive they are (or at least i've found anyways). Also obviously they are louder. I would only suggest getting a drum that big if your playing massive stadiums or your in Motorhead.

Whats the drum gonna be used for? or if it just a curious question?

God Bless,

dxtr

[larryace]

I play a 20 ply 6.5x14 maple snare. The difference isn't earth shattering but I do like the sound so much I haven't felt the need to replace it in the last 4 years. I have a thin shelled birch snare drum, same size, that sounds killer too. Thick shelled drums do project better unmiced than thin shelled drums. My unmiced thick shelled snare drum always records better than my unmiced thin shelled toms. Thin shells choke easier IMO. I'm actually thinking of going to thicker shelled toms for live unmiced...

[ecpietscheck]

thankyou for your replies guys!
just wondering just wondering :)

[caddywumpus]

The thinner a snare is, the more the shell will be able to "absorb" some of the vibrations from the head and the soundwaves traveling within the drum. This makes thinner-shelled drums quieter overall, but with more of a woody, resonant sound. Thicker shells will reflect more sound waves (as long as it's a hardwood--I've never played a 20-ply luaun snare...) and be brighter, higher-pitched, and have more "crack" to them.

[eamesuser]

Not all plies are created equal,I have an eames 15 ply birch that is 3/4 inch thick,a 6 ply keller shell is less than a 1/4 inch thick,so 20 lpy keller would still be be thinner than the eames.I feel that anything 3/8 thick or above as a thick shell,with plied drums you start to get more projection and volume,all things being equal.I don't believe that a thick shell has a higher fundamental pitch,does a low thicker e string have a higher pitch than a thinner high E ?Some thick ply shell drums are sensitve some not so,and I have played some thin shelled ply snares that were sensitive,but had little clarity ,only really good for miced or low volume applications.A lot depends on the quality and construction of the shell,the wood,the int finish,and the bearing edge and how they all work together.