Pearl Sensitone Elite vs. Chad Smith Signature snare

R

rmac86

Member
Hi all,

A Sensitone elite snare in phosphor bronze has come up for reasonable money near me and I was wondering how this would compare to the Chad Smith snare, which is the only metal snare I currently have.

Am I right in thinking that a bronze snare would sound "warmer" in tone than the steel CS model - kind of like maple vs birch snares?

Any advice would be appreciated.


Thanks,

R.
 
In general bronze will have a darker tone and with the Sensitone shell having a bead a drier shell ring. I like the tone of bronze, but I also like the bite a steel shell has too.

Pearl makes great drums, so if you can snag a bronze snare for a reasonable price I think you should go for it.
 
As Winston said, a bit warmer, drier, with some of the ring taken off. Steel tends to be a bit of a live, ringy sound. The bronze might be a bit tamer for lower-volume work. And I can attest to the quality of the Sensitone snares - very nice.
 
I'll take it one step further than just pointing out the extra warmth: with few exceptions, steel can sound downright cold. I've goofed around on the Chad Smith, and my first snare was a non-descript steel drum. They are not the exceptions to the rule. I used to have an old Tama 8056, which had a 6.5x14 steel shell, and it was the exception; total beast and not terribly cold, but it still had a bite to take your head off.

I've had two Pearl Sensitones (both brass) and they are really nice drums. If you can get one for the right price, I seriously doubt you'll regret picking one up. Once you get it dialed in the way you like, I doubt you'll have much use for your Chad Smith. That's just a prediction, though ... I'm wrong a lot on these things :)
 
But, then again, a used Chad Smith is only a $80-100 drum (I have one). Given how well built they are and how they can be made to sound good, I would be looking at this as an "a" AND "b" proposition rather than an "a" OR "b" choice. Get the Phosphor Bronze if it's that great a deal, but just keep the Chad Smith.
 
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