snare wires?

kicksnarebrush

Junior Member
I'm just getting into experimenting with my snare wires. Where should I start? I'm using a 70s acrolite with a Fiberskyn FT (thin, 5-mil) and it sounds great. Aiming for more sensitivity and more sustain/ resonant buzz. Currently it has a Puresound 20 strand on there. More strands? Fewer? What else should I consider?

Thanks for any advice!
 
I'm just getting into experimenting with my snare wires. Where should I start? I'm using a 70s acrolite with a Fiberskyn FT (thin, 5-mil) and it sounds great. Aiming for more sensitivity and more sustain/ resonant buzz. Currently it has a Puresound 20 strand on there. More strands? Fewer? What else should I consider?

Thanks for any advice!

You're not going to go much beyond 20 strands because that snare bed isn't wide enough.
24 maybe,otherwise the snares will just rattle.
Grover has some interesting snares that may fit the bill.

http://groverpro.com/product/snare-wires
 
Grover's wires would not work for what the OP wants in my opinion. Non-wound wire sounds noticeably different (much drier and more... chalky) and are commonly used for orchestral/concert use.

I would recommend tuning down the reso head and loosening the wires a bit as a start, without buying any more equipment. Most wires are engineered for less sympathetic resonance and buzz so plain ol' steel might be a good choice. The Fiberskyn reso is also quite a soft, warm, dry head (in my experience) so the industry standard Hazy Ambassador-weight might get you more sensitivity and openness, but with more bite as well.
 
The Fiberskyn reso is also quite a soft, warm, dry head (in my experience) so the industry standard Hazy Ambassador-weight might get you more sensitivity and openness, but with more bite as well.

This would be a big move in the right direction, but may I suggest a Diplomat snare side (reso) head and simple coiled wire, steel, 14 strand snares from a trusted manufacturer. (Beware the cheapos, as they will cause you more grief than you can imagine.) You did not mention your batter head, but start with the standard Coated Ambassador. What I've just described has been the standard head/wire combo for many, many years, and there is a reason for that. This combination will give you an instantly bright, ringy characteristic with tons of sustain. Start here and modify as needed.

GeeDeeEmm
 
Always found the Puresounds to be very dark, and not very sensitive. Prefer any regular steel wires (Gibraltar, Gretsch) -- even though they're probably made from low-quality imported steel.

More wires will give you more snare-ey sound, so stick with 20 strands on this drum. On a snare with a wider bed, you can do 30 strands (good for slugging back beats!). 40 strands sounds a bit ridiculous, and with that many wires the sympathetic buzz is made noticeably worse.

An acrolite, great drum though it may be, is not what would be considered a "sensitive" drum by today's standards, since the bearing edge is quite rounded. A drum with a sharper edge should respond well to soft playing. Also, the crappy P85 strainer isn't doing you any favors. It will lose its position, if and when you ever do get the snare wires to that "just right" tension. You'll be forever readjusting.
 
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