DW Snare Drums?

Got myself a Collector Series 14" dw snare!
Never Looked back!!
Never Been the same again!!!

This zone is so subjective to Likes and Dislikes esp when it comes to what each person wants... Thus I think there are far lesser folks who are dissatisfied with DW. in turn making them a fav!!

DW users are not 'other drum' bashers, they are dw praisers' LOL

There are many great snare's out there... this one stole my heart.... :)
 
Good day all. I hav a snare drum comparison question. And if I’m takin this thread off track I apologize.
But is there anyone with first had expreance with a Gretsch USA bronze 14 x6.5 and a dw collectors seres brass 14 x 6.5. I play rock, raggae, calypso, and funk. My question is based on the fact that a brass is a brighter material but this is a 3mm brass shell vs a 1mm bronze shell whic is warmer. If I’m not mistaken. I love the bright cuttin side stick and rim shot. But also like a warmer tone when playing center skin. Anyone input would, be helpfu,. Thank you
 
pick the opposite of what you have now...

the main reason i say that is; playing a snare drum in the store is fun but, recording it, playing it live, at rehersals, tunning it all the way up and down, changing the head on it a couple times is what will make you realize what it will do

so if you have a wood snare now, get a metal one-
if you have a metal snare get a wood one.

you dont have to break the bank to try this method, look for something used (ebay, craigslist, used.guitarcenter.com)

just my 2 pennies

I Agree totally. I picked up a used Pearl Export chrome/steel snare. $110, new heads, I even wrapped it for fun--my first attempt. The thing sounds like a cannon! I love it. It's not for every day, but it is different than my other snares for sure.

If you want to spend $300 $400, go for it. If you can afford it, and want something nice, nothing wrong with that. But, if your motivation is just to give yourself options, check out a lot of reviews online, videos, GO DEMO.

DW has an amazing build procedure. I've been watching a ton of their videos. A LOT of their stuff is overpriced in my opinion. $6,000 for a Tasmanian Oak or some crazy whatever wood. If you're touring pro, go for it.

One of the reasons, JUST A GUESS, as to why their snares are difficult to tune, They lacquer the inside of ALL of their snares to dampen the sound somewhat. NOT on their toms or bass drums, but the snare being a different animal, they treat the shells differently.

Heck, I bought a $40 dollar piccolo snare off of Ebay, I love it. A completely different note and tone and sound than my others. It's not made great, and I'm not promoting it, saying go buy one yourself.

Make your OWN choice, in the end, you'll be happiest.
 
DW has an amazing build procedure. I've been watching a ton of their videos. A LOT of their stuff is overpriced in my opinion. $6,000 for a Tasmanian Oak or some crazy whatever wood. If you're touring pro, go for it.

One of the reasons, JUST A GUESS, as to why their snares are difficult to tune, They lacquer the inside of ALL of their snares to dampen the sound somewhat. NOT on their toms or bass drums, but the snare being a different animal, they treat the shells differently.

Lots of bad info here. The Tasmannian kits are 8 grand. LOL

DW snares are not difficult to tune. They tune like any other snare. Some are lacquered on the inside which makes the tone brighter. Most are raw fininhed on the inside . I own 14.

Expensive and overpriced are two different things.

YMMV
 
Lots of bad info here. The Tasmannian kits are 8 grand. LOL

DW snares are not difficult to tune. They tune like any other snare. Some are lacquered on the inside which makes the tone brighter. Most are raw fininhed on the inside . I own 14.

Expensive and overpriced are two different things.

YMMV

I'm convinced there's a segment of players that are just flat out cheap. It's as if some people think that there isn't a snare worth paying over $300 for. That just isn't true. Below drum cost me $475 used. 2004 DW solid steambent maple with re-rings. I replaced a worn out DW drop throw with a Dunnett R4 and added an S-hoop on the batter side. Total cost about $575. Worth every penny. Just a killer drum.
 

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I'm convinced there's a segment of players that are just flat out cheap. It's as if some people think that there isn't a snare worth paying over $300 for.

I am one of those players. I have a lot of very nice gear, most of it vintage and I'm not ashamed of my cheapness. The hunt for deals on used gear is my hobby. I like scouring pawn shops and used sites for good gear. I don't think I'll even own a DW kit but I'm certainly not opposed to it.

I have never spent more than $300 for a snare and I'm perfectly fine with that.
 
Here's a few of mine.
 

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I use a 6x14 maple DW snare which is awesome - but it wasn't without hiccups. I can understand some of the comments about sounding boxy and dead. It took a while before I was happy with the snare as I found it has a very precise tuning range and struggled to 'find the right zone' for a while.. and I consider myself an expert at tuning drums! Once I found the sweetspot I matched the pitches with another snare I don't use that often so I have a point of reference.
I was also struggling with what I consider DEFECTIVE heads from Evans - that kept losing the tuning - they finally settled down after about 3 months of retuning.. and now the snare is killer.

At first, it sounded great in practice but in different venues it went dead on me or the heads sounded out of sync no matter how much I tuned them. Now it sounds crisp with body, a nice crack and a solid woody sound.. I think part of my issue was with the crappy Evans heads that cost a lot and just sucked (and I've been using Evans for a long time, first time I've run into this).
 
Lots of bad info here. The Tasmannian kits are 8 grand. LOL

DW snares are not difficult to tune. They tune like any other snare. Some are lacquered on the inside which makes the tone brighter. Most are raw fininhed on the inside . I own 14.

Expensive and overpriced are two different things.

YMMV

As I said, it was a guess. And to be perfectly honest, I'd choose DW over a lot of other brands. And the lacquer process for the snares, it does impede resonance, correct? I watched so many videos of Mr. Good explaining the process of how they developed their procedures for building.

What you're not realizing is, I'm a fan. I was simply stating that maybe some, have difficulty in tuning because they don't really understand the snares being a different monster. I don't own any DW snares. Luckily you're here to provide your expertise though right. Notice that's rhetorical.

You're exactly the reason why I don't have any loyalty to any brand.
 
I've always gravitated towards metal snare drums, and having never played or owned a 6.5x14 snare drum, I splurged and spoiled myself with two DW Collector Series 6.5x14 Metal Drums.

Top drum is Bell Bronze, bottom drum is Brass, both consist of 3mm solid (no seam) shells, polished finish, both worth every penny to me.

Wicked sound! Absolute beasts!

picture.php
 
Wow !

In my experience, brass is very sensitive and reactive at every dynamic level, from a very light touch to more agressive playing.

Never owned a bell bronze, and I wonder about its qualities ?
 
Wow !

In my experience, brass is very sensitive and reactive at every dynamic level, from a very light touch to more agressive playing.

Never owned a bell bronze, and I wonder about its qualities ?
You captured the essence of a brass snare drum perfectly, and as for the bell bronze, it's loud, really loud, and does everything the brass drum does, but the brass drum provides a more refined sound over the bronze I find.
 
Those look amazing! Very nice
 
Re: DW snare being body... I ran into that at first but it really is a tuning issue.. I had to invest some time to find the sweet spot range and it paid off. Not sure why. But this 14x6 1/4” maple snare was the hardest to tune snare I’ve had .. but I’ve got it figured out now.. and it sound killer. The other thing to add is it’s built like a brick shiitake mushroom house and it’s heavy!
 
I have a lower priced DW Performance series snare drum. I like the mag throw off. It's the kind you see here: https://www.musiciansfriend.com/drums-percussion/dw-performance-series-snare-drum

And it's under $400. It's maple, high quality and the 6.5 one.

I think it sounds really good. One thing and DW drums, is that they seem HEAVY as heck, maybe because of the hardware? Also I was having a problem with the bottom lugs detuning, but I'm guessing this isn't specific to DW. Some tunerfish seemed to help with this.
 
I have a Performance 6.5x14 and it kills, stock heads and all. I own a Black Beauty, COB, Aluminum, and Bronze Supraphonics, and vintage Jazz Festivals, and the Performance snare ranks right up there in the gigging rotation. I have never been a fan of the matching snares that come with kits, but this one is different. I can't find anything bad to say about it.
It's on the lower right:
 

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I have a Performance 6.5x14 and it kills, stock heads and all. I own a Black Beauty, COB, Aluminum, and Bronze Supraphonics, and vintage Jazz Festivals, and the Performance snare ranks right up there in the gigging rotation. I have never been a fan of the matching snares that come with kits, but this one is different. I can't find anything bad to say about it.
It's on the lower right:

Didn’t know Ludwig made 10 lug Acrolites
 
In 2009, I got a Gretsch Catalina Club mahogany snare for next to nothing.
I'm a fan of that wood and (as far as I knew) at the time, Gretsch was the only company that offered a 100% mahogany shelled drum.

As the Catalina Club line isn't on the USA Custom level, I figured it would need work. The hardware on that drum was crap, so I "DW'd it".
I replaced the hoops with die cast, put on the mag throw off & 3p butt plate as well as upgraded the tuning bolts and snare wires.

DW to the rescue. Now that drum is rock solid and is my prime mover for most gigs.
 
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