Solid gold snare drum

It would depend on the size, the thickness of the shell, and how pure the gold was.
 
hmmm... at current gold prices it would sound like a million bucks. GET IT??? A mill.... uh...nvm.
 
But hey, if DW came out with one, dontcha think PDP could just do a fool's gold snare???
 
If you have the funds, i could have one made (seriously). Gold is intrinsically a soft metal yet very heavy in mass. As such, odds are you'd want a 14k at most, maybe even 10k. So that begs the question what metals do you use to 'mix' the pure gold with and how would that sound? Personally, would not bother making a gold snare unless you REALLY want it for a big press splash/promotion thing.

Also agreed, depends on the size, shape/depth, etc.
 
You'd have to be Buddy RICH to be able to afford one of them.
Fools gold Dios...thanks for making me spit my coffee all over!
 
If you have the funds, i could have one made (seriously). Gold is intrinsically a soft metal yet very heavy in mass. As such, odds are you'd want a 14k at most, maybe even 10k. So that begs the question what metals do you use to 'mix' the pure gold with and how would that sound? Personally, would not bother making a gold snare unless you REALLY want it for a big press splash/promotion thing.

Also agreed, depends on the size, shape/depth, etc.

+7. Gold is really not a good metal to make snares out of. You want something that is tough but flexible and a light weight would be a bonus. Gold is none of these. You could have a gold plated snare though, that would be cool.
 
+7. Gold is really not a good metal to make snares out of. You want something that is tough but flexible and a light weight would be a bonus. Gold is none of these. You could have a gold plated snare though, that would be cool.

Heavy materials, just like light materials, are desirable for their own reasons. Even the heaviest snare still doesn't weigh much. Although there was that 70-lb snare made from a section of cast iron pipe somewhere around here.

I think a gold snare would be great but to make it would have to be very thick to hold the hardware. I think it could weigh hundreds of pounds and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. I bet it would be extremely loud because of the density, but also mellow because of the softness. I think if you made a drum of lead it would behave similarly acoustically.
 
I think if you made a drum of lead it would behave similarly acoustically.

...but that wouldn't cost as much. I'd coat the lead with something though... maybe galvanise it with a thin layer of chrome. Just to be on the safe side considering lead poisoning...
 
Is this comment toung in cheek? or are you truly being outrageously pedantic?



lol, good point, i'll ask them.

It was neither tongue in cheek or pedantic but merely fact. The sound of any snare will depend on its size and materials.
 
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It was neither tongue in cheek or pedantic but merely fact. The size of any snare will depend on its size and materials.

Surprisingly I already knew that, materials have general characteristics, which is what I was after.
 
We have a contender.
 

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What would a solid gold snare drum sound like???
I think it would sound just like lead, only different. Maybe with a richer timbre and shinier ring?

If you want something heavy with a bang that's really out there, you might try plutonium, but I think you might need to wear special gloves when tuning it up.
 
If you want something heavy with a bang that's really out there, you might try plutonium, but I think you might need to wear special gloves when tuning it up.

Hmmm, actually platinum may work though it does cost more than gold.
 
We have a contender.


I'm sure this is plated something or other.

Edit. For about three years in the mid-1920s (1925 to 1928 if you want to get technical,) Ludwig and Ludwig Drum Company offered for sale a “top of the line” drum called the Triumphal. These were very specially-crafted drums that featured an acid-washed spun brass shell, 24-karat gold plating (thought there was probably only two or three ounces of gold used on each drum,) and lavish engravings on the shell, hoops, and tube-style lugs. Much more than the engraved “Black Beauty” of the day, Triumphals are as much works of art as they are drums.
 
I love those descriptive words that the marketing department in those companies come up with:

Imagine...solid gold snare drum: Shining, high pitched with a warm and bright set of overtones.

...I'm quite suspicious about any metallic-shelled drums, the ringtones tend to set off the the snare wires loads, anyhow...I think a drum carved out of a log with a natural exterior finish looks much better.
 
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