Advise please

Sam1

Member
I've recently bought a ludwig LM 402 and firstly tuned the bottom quite hi and top medium ish, this made it sound a bit high and ringey so I've since tuned them down a bit but still quite ringey, the heads are Ludwig heads can anyone one suggest heads for it that would make it sound less ringey and more awsome, even tho I quite like the sound but sounded a bit ringey when we recorded it in the band, or I'm I tuning it all wrong?
 
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Mmmmmm.......ring! Don't fear the ring. Love it. Embrace it! It's part of the magic of the 402!
However, I'd dump the stock heads in favor of coated emperor batter and a diplomat or hazy reso with some pure sound blaster wires. Yummy!,
 
I quite like Ludwig snare heads - if anything they are heavier than most Ambs or Emps.
Ringy? hmmmm,...to me, its part of being a snare. Dunno, have a look at many YouTube videos for snare tunings, many even showing the LM402.
You may also wish to use the dampener a bit to take off the edge of ringiness.
 
Cheers guys, yeah must admit I love the sound, will check out some 402 tuning vids, I only noticed it after hearing the recoIrding we did, so probs more to do with the mics etc. I will now embrace the ring he he, I will defo take your advice on the heads as well, cheers! : ) (just checked them wires out as well cheers!)
 
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It will sound nicer with snare cord rather than plastic straps. I went back to cord a year or so ago and won't go back to anything else. The cord lasts too. No wear at all on the cord I put on the snares back then--Ludwig's Gold-ish colored cord.

Also, check to see that the 2 heads are working together to create a NICE ring, and not some obnoxious "poing" that goes up, or dips down after you hit it.

Ludwig heads can sound good, but it seems to be easier to get a sound you really like faster with other brands (Remo, Evans, Aquarian). I used Ludwig's heads for a while, and they did sound nice, but it WAS different sound than I was used to, and took some fiddling to get what I wanted. They didn't wear out very fast though, and the coating is good stuff.

The tone of the 402 shell can be a bit long, so don't be afraid of a little "extra" compared to some other snares.
Sliver of Moongel will tame it down a bit if you need that sort of sound, but you don't need a whole slab, just a slice of it, maybe an 1/8th of an inch wide toward the edge (like around the brand logo). Any more than a small piece of that stuff will just kill any drum IMO.

Ludwig's wires are fine, but other wires, such as Puresound Customs do add to get a little more "solid" a sound. I personally like some "dirt" in my snare sound, so I don't mind cheaper wires sometimes :) As long as it's not "over the top ring" I hear through the monitors, or the mains I'll leave the snare open. I might move the mic a little further off the head to hear that first, but I'm not opposed to a sliver of Moongel.

Have fun experimenting!
 
To my ear Ludwig heads have always sounded a little thin. They've never really done it for me and I swap them out immediately. I've always had great results with a coated Emperor over a snare side Ambassador on all my metal Ludwig snares. I have 4 in total (including a 402) and they all have the same head combo.....have done for years. I never bother swapping the wires. I've always found standard Luddy wires to what I need them to do.
 
Cheers for the advise I'm new to the forum and it's good to speak to people who really know what there talking about, thanks again : )
 
If anything I think the Ludwig batter heads cut down on the frequencies. I think a coated amb, emp, g1 or g2 brings out more freqs more than the Ludwig heads. Brand new Ludwig coated heads sound kind of dead to me. Actually lately all new heads are sounding dead to me, but Ludwigs, even more so. So any other head will make that drum more lively IMO.
 
It will sound nicer with snare cord rather than plastic straps. I went back to cord a year or so ago and won't go back to anything else. The cord lasts too. No wear at all on the cord I put on the snares back then--Ludwig's Gold-ish colored cord.
I think it was a Gatzen video I watched that suggested using nylon strap for the snare. I needed to replace the fraying-fabric-whatever was holding my snare and decided to try it. It's working great, and have had some compliments on my snare sound. Only 83 cents a meter, too. :)
 
I'll echo what Karl said....put a dab of moongel close to the edge of the head, almost touching the rim. If you need more move it until you get it dialed in. LM402's are metallic so they are going to ring more than a wood snare. You probably just need to get used to it and you'll end up loving the sound.
 
And there's always this ......​
 

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