£300 on a new snare

DaveyBoy

Senior Member
Hey guys

I've got like £300 to spend on a new snare for Christmas. I've been doing a fair bit of research and I've so far acquired a small list of drums to try out when I next go to a drum store. The list so far:

Pearl Sensitone Brass/Aluminium 14" x 6.5"
Mapex Black Panther 'Phat Bob' 14" x 7"
Mapex Black Panther Velvetone 14" x 5.5"
Mapex Black Panther Machete 14" x 6.5"
Ludwig Acrolite 14 x 5" (I'm looking on eBay for an older one as well)
Pork Pie Big Black Bob 14 x 6.5"

The sound I'm essentially looking for is a fat, wet sound, although I would prefer the snare to have a wide and versatile tuning range so I can use it in more then one context.

Are there any more snares that you guys think I should check out when I go shopping? (If it helps, the stores I will be visiting will be GAK in Brighton and Andertons in Guildford)

Cheers

Dave x
 
If you are looking for the most versatile drum from that list then it would probably have to be the acrolite.

However, I have read nothing but good things about the Pork Pie BoB - considered to be the working man's black beauty. That would be my choice in that budget.
 
What sort of music do you play? It's nice having new gear and good for the peace of mind on warranty, but don't rule out Gumtree. I recenty bought a 2nd hand Mapex Mars Pro kit in mint condition for £110 that came with a 14 x 6.5 steel snare.

My mantra with drums and deciding on sizes is always: "you can make a big drum sound small, but you can't make a small drum sound big". For that reason, if I were you I'd ignore the 5.5s. (That's not to say 14 x 5.5 is a small drum though! I just mean that you'll notice the extra inch)
 
I recently bought a Pearl Sensitone Elite Aluminum 14 x 6.5. It's been a really great snare so far, it has a broad tuning range and sounds good right out of the box with stock heads and wires. I replaced the heads and added my preference in snare wires and it has become my main snare. Being aluminum it's nice and light to boot for a snare that size.
 
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