What is your main snare you gig with, and your back up snare?

I use a Pearl Eric Singer Signature (now discontinued) 1 inch thick maple snare as my main snare. I never had to use my backup snare, never. I carry a 14 x 5 mapex birch snare, and it has a severe inferiority complex.

Hey Larry...I'd love to know more about thick wood shell snares. It seems they would have a very fat crack for a powerful back beat. Would you say this is a good way to characterize it?

Also since this Eric Singer snare is discontinued which snare would be a similar style snare in your opinion?

Thanks
 
I only have two snares at the moment. The 6.5x14" Brass Supra usually stays setup on my home/recording kit and a 6.5x14" Acrolite Reissue usually goes out with me to rehearsals and gigs.

Chris
 
My main snare is a Mapex Saturn 14X5.5. I also have a Peace 14x6.5 steel snare and a Pacific SX 14x5.5. Peace and goodwill.
 
Main snare is Ludwig Supraphonic 402, backup snares are Yamaha Copper 5.5X14 and Yamaha Oak Custom 5.5X14
 
My main snare to date is a 14" x 5" ebony stave C/W die cast hoops. My backup is a 14" x 6" steam bent walnut with die cast hoops. This setup, however, is due to change significantly in the next two months. I may bow to pressure from Bo & Anon, & use a main + side snare setup. That way I don't need a backup snare, & I can switch between voices. One thing's for sure, the main snare will be the new "In-Tense" series C/W segmented ovangkol hoops.
 
I see a trend here. There is just something magical about Ludwig snare drums. That's why I just ordered 6.5x14 Classic Maple in vintage Black Oyster with p86, die-cast butt plate, triple flange hoops and butterfly(?) lugs. Still only 500 bones as a special order.

My current main snares are 6.5x14 Supra and 6.5x14 Supra COB.
 
Main snare: Pork Pie 14x6.5 Big Black - black chrome over brass with tube lugs. I swapped out the triple flange hoops for die cast. Sounds great and very versatile.

My back up is an OCDP 13x7 maple with die cast hoops. Great inexpensive snare.

Actually both of them are!

Ditto on the Pork Pie Big Black. Back-up is a Ludwig Black Magic 5x14.
 
I main my '65 Acro, can fit almost anything.

For a backup i usually have a PDP Woody in a case next to me, but i'll sometimes throw it on the stand just to make it happy
 
I see a trend here. There is just something magical about Ludwig snare drums. That's why I just ordered 6.5x14 Classic Maple in vintage Black Oyster with p86, die-cast butt plate, triple flange hoops and butterfly(?) lugs. Still only 500 bones as a special order.

My current main snares are 6.5x14 Supra and 6.5x14 Supra COB.
Yes, Ludwig snare drums are true bargains when you compare what you get vs what you pay.
You really can't go wrong with them. They have good resale value too.
 
Yes, Ludwig snare drums are true bargains when you compare what you get vs what you pay.
You really can't go wrong with them. They have good resale value too.

Damn. I started this post to see how everyone's back up matched to their main snare.

-Could the back up replace their snare on stage with a similar tone if tuned up or down?
-Was it a smaller snare to help with transport (my interest)?
-Was it just as expensive as the main snare?
-Was it purely a back up "spare tire" purely for emergency use?

What eventually happenned was I did a quick search on eBay for Supras (as they were mentioned often here). bobdadruma is correct, great bargains and great resale.

I immediately got the hell of that site and returned to my current dilemna. Thanks a lot you guys. :)
 
I may bow to pressure from Bo & Anon, & use a main + side snare setup. That way I don't need a backup snare, & I can switch between voices.

I started messing around with a 2-snare set-up at the beginning of this year. It makes for a longer set-up but it's fun to use. I have a gig tonight. I just might do it again. I never used back-up snares and I never had a reason to but this concept is both functional and fun to play.

I see a trend here. There is just something magical about Ludwig snare drums. That's why I just ordered 6.5x14 Classic Maple in vintage Black Oyster with p86, die-cast butt plate, triple flange hoops and butterfly(?) lugs.

I will use my 6.5x14 Classic Maple tonight. It matches (sequential serial numbers and everything) my Sky Blue Pearl set. I might bring my '71 Supra or my '79/'80 Acro for a second snare tonight. Yes, Ludwig snares are awesome!
 
-Could the back up replace their snare on stage with a similar tone if tuned up or down?
-Was it a smaller snare to help with transport (my interest)?
-Was it just as expensive as the main snare?
-Was it purely a back up "spare tire" purely for emergency use?

-- Yes.
-- The smaller side snare is for a different voice; I would switch out the brass and aluminum.
-- No. The brass was nearly $300; the aluminum was traded for another snare (which only cost me $75 back in the day).
-- No. I switch 'em out based on the situation and my mood. But they both play divinely, so it's not a "one over the other" issue.
 
Hey Larry...I'd love to know more about thick wood shell snares. It seems they would have a very fat crack for a powerful back beat. Would you say this is a good way to characterize it?

Also since this Eric Singer snare is discontinued which snare would be a similar style snare in your opinion?

Thanks


It's hard to characterize sound with words. Fat crack. That depends on if you use the rim. The drum only cracks when you use rimshots. A powerful back beat depends on how the drummer hits it more than the drum itself. I tune it pretty tight so I don't know that fat is the right way to describe the sound. I go for a Buddy Rich type snare sound, tight tuning, tight snares, really tight reso, so it's a very precise sounding instrument. There's nowhere to hide with that tuning. Double strokes have to be played cleanly to sound right with that tuning. There's zero slosh the way I tune it. I like it to sound like a gunshot.

I don't know that thicker = better for snares, I have a thin birch snare that I like just about as much as my thick maple. There's just something about the tone and the overtones of the thick maple that satisfies me more than any other snare I've played, including Black Beauties, Supra's, Acro's and Sensitones. It could be I just prefer a wood snare.

A similar thick snare? I don't have a good answer. I know Ludwigs "The Brick" is thick. I know DW's Super Solid is thick. I can't speak intelligently about them as I've never had a chance to gig them. I'm not sure but I think the old Radio Kings are thicker shells, but I may have that wrong.

As far as BigDinSD's comparison of backup snares to main snares, my backup snare is a lesser drum, sounds lesser, was less expensive and the only reason I carry it is for emergencies. I don't even bring it in, it sits in my van, kinda dumb, but I never needed it. Why do extra work? If I have an equipment failure, which really never happens, too bad, I take a time out to fix things. My gigs aren't that critical that I can't take 5 minutes to correct equipment failure. It''s not like I play concerts on a regular basis. When I do festivals, I do keep a backup handy, that's different. You gotta keep those events moving along. My bar gigs are a lot looser than a festival.
I don't want an expensive backup snare sitting in my vehicle. I don't give a hoot about a 14 x 5 Mapex snare that I got with a kit that I traded a bass guitar for. I'm more apt to change the head than to change snares anyway. I keep the spare heads in the van too because I rarely break heads. I really should bring spare heads and the backup snare with me, that would be the professional thing to do, but I don't except for higher profile gigs.

I do keep a few 8 x 11 plastic laminating sheets at arms length in case I break a bass drum head. I hate when that happens, the wheels come totally off if I don't have a kick drum. Any other breakage can be worked around...but not my bass drum.
 
I should mention mention that I am going to get a 13x6.75" something for a main snare within the next year or so. Maybe an Ovangkol stave, maybe another Padauk, maybe one of Andy's new series, I don't know. But I am utterly surprised that I can get the range of sounds from a 13x5".
 
I don't know that thicker = better for snares,
Agreed. Of course, "better" supplied with the usual caveats. Thick shells can sound great. IMHO, they sound best when constructed in a certain way, & partnered with the right species. Thin shells too have their talents, again depending on ---------------.

One thing I hate is the grouping of "wood snares". As if, in some way, they're all similar. Same applies to "metal" snares. All quite different, but the variety of sounds achievable from different constructions & species of wood snares way eclipses the breadth of voices available in metal snares.

I have had a couple of players over the years state that all wood snares sound very similar, & said in a derogatory way. Well, those players either never get out of their own bedroom, or they're just plain deaf/stupid. "It's all down to the heads, tuning, & edges". Bollocks - absolute bollocks.
 
I usually just take one snare to a gig, a Pearl hammered brass Tony DeGrasso. However, after reading all the posts lately about having a spare, I decided to take a second to a gig I am playing at the Norman Music Festival in a couple of hours. My back up will be a 1970"s Zickos clear shell. Both drums are quite bright and that is what this gig calls for.

Well, did the gig last night and I tried both snares. Turns out that I liked the sound of the Zickos better than the Pearl for this venue. Hmmm, I'll have to try this again.
 
I mainly bring 2 Brass 6.5 Black Beauties to my gigs. If something should ever happen, I want the same drum as I had.
They're always tuned slightly different, so depending on what I like better at the venue, that's the one I put up. They both get used on a regular basis.

I use my 6.5 (COB) Brass Edition with tube lugs with one group. I just like the vibe of that drum for that band. I also use a 6.5 Acro Classic with that band, but I always bring a BB.

I have a few wood snares, and I like them a lot, but for me on a gig the Brass is just "it", so I stopped bringing other snares and just played them at home when the mood hits.
 
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