DW Snare Drums?

keanyew

Junior Member
Hey guys,

Just before I start things off, I would like to apologize for any false information as I am quite new to drumming ( played for 2 years ) but dont know much for hardwares stuffs,

So, I have been recently looking into DW snare drums. They cost alot and I mainly like their sound and their features eg. MAG Throw Off & 3P, True hoops,hardware colors, True-Pitch® Tuning Rods. These features just really throws me off.

However, I have been looking into some forums and many saying that DW is just a rip off and you should get something else like a Ludwig. Well then again it comes to budget, mine is around U$D 400 or so.

So which snare drum to get ?:p Please do educate me ! :D

Oops. Grammar error: Throws me off . Correct grammar : Gets me excited
 
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As always in this order. Budget, features such as size, 8 lug, 10 lug, material, like brass, copper, maple, etc. Color. Of course none of these matter if you don't like the sound. But always start with your budget. For every brand on the market you will find people that like and dislike them. Let your wallet and ears decide.
 
What kind of sound do you like. High and poppy? Deep and woody, bright and ringy, low and mushy? Start there. Then look for the characteristics that make that happen. Wood shell? Brass, deep, shallow? And so on. Then go and try drums that have those characteristics in your price range. I have snare drums from Gretsch (have a Gretsch kit), Ludwig, Sonor, PDP, Pork Pie and DW. The main gig snares are Gretsch Fullrange, Sonor birch Force, and Ludwig Acrolite in order of loud to soft gigs. The others have some cool sound or the other but these three are set up to sound like general purpose snares for most uses.
 
Everyone has their own opinion.

Some people love Ludwig snares and will play nothing else.

Some people have 101 different snare drums.

Some people love DW snare drums.

I personally bought a DW maple snare drum in 1994 (or what it 1995?) and never looked back.

Other than getting a 2nd one identical one in a different color in around 2001, I've never used anything else.

EDIT: Although I should disclose I replaced the strainers on both snare drums with Ludwig strainers, both done by Pro Drum in Hollywood, because the original DW strainers were horrible. I have no experience with the new DW strainer design.
 
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However, I have been looking into some forums and many saying that DW is just a rip off and you should get something else like a Ludwig.

Please do educate me !

Here's some education. If you're reading that on drum forums.....you're spending too much time reading the wrong ones. Look for a place that offers a little more balance and factual based opinion.......a place like DW for example.

As to the question. Sound baby, sound. Forget the grammar for a minute......hit a few and figure out what drum "gets you excited"......buy that one. :)
 
To add onto the considerable wisdom dispensed on you by these great guys- having bought a MAG throwoff for a custom snare of mine, I'm not really a fan. It's a cool concept and it adjusts nicely BUT it's super heavy (cigarettes on a forest fire as far as DW's hardware is concerned) and it gets in the way when it's off by sticking below the bottom edge of the drum. Not a dealbreaker and it's certainly more reliable than a P-85 but it's something to consider. Don't forget to look at things like Tama S.L.P. series and a lot of Gretsch snares. A lot of dudes like Pearl Sensitone and Free Floater snares too and they're within your price-range, so check 'em out. Make sure, if you're testing in-store, that you can tune the drum how you like since you'll be using it that way and not how it is normally. Good luck!
 
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However, I have been looking into some forums and many saying that DW is just a rip off ! :D

They are not a rip off I dont think, but what you SHOULD be very aware of is what sort of discount the dealer is giving you.

Make it easy.. call Art at Midwest Percussion and get a price, then see who can come close. Probably nobody.

DW make some of the best snares easily. Just dont get ripped off by some punkass dealer. Some are cool.. some are not.
 
What kind of sound do you like. High and poppy? Deep and woody, bright and ringy, low and mushy? Start there. Then look for the characteristics that make that happen. Wood shell? Brass, deep, shallow? And so on. Then go and try drums that have those characteristics in your price range. I have snare drums from Gretsch (have a Gretsch kit), Ludwig, Sonor, PDP, Pork Pie and DW. The main gig snares are Gretsch Fullrange, Sonor birch Force, and Ludwig Acrolite in order of loud to soft gigs. The others have some cool sound or the other but these three are set up to sound like general purpose snares for most uses.

I love wood shells, especially d maple ones. They sound so bright too.

Here's some education. If you're reading that on drum forums.....you're spending too much time reading the wrong ones. Look for a place that offers a little more balance and factual based opinion.......a place like DW for example.

As to the question. Sound baby, sound. Forget the grammar for a minute......hit a few and figure out what drum "gets you excited"......buy that one. :)

Oh I see. Erm, then again will the drum skins affect it?

They are not a rip off I dont think, but what you SHOULD be very aware of is what sort of discount the dealer is giving you.

Make it easy.. call Art at Midwest Percussion and get a price, then see who can come close. Probably nobody.

DW make some of the best snares easily. Just dont get ripped off by some punkass dealer. Some are cool.. some are not.

Haha yeah true, many scammers out there. Its so sad that I am in Malaysia. Dealers of DW set such a high price for us in Malaysia. The cheapest I could find (brand new) RM2800 which is like 900USD. Where as I could get the exact same thing in USA for USD 350. :(
 
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There are certain DW snare drums that I really love the sound and there are others, not so much. Buy with your ears, not by what others are telling you. I particularly like the little extras that DW is supplying with their drums, especially their Mag throw-off.

DSC_0827-1.jpg


Dennis
 
The only one that I've tried that I could have taken home was a super solid shell. That thing sounded great.
 
There are certain DW snare drums that I really love the sound and there are others, not so much. Buy with your ears, not by what others are telling you. I particularly like the little extras that DW is supplying with their drums, especially their Mag throw-off.

DSC_0827-1.jpg


Dennis

Yeah its real cool how it uses the magnet system
 
I had 3 DW snares, an Edge, a Collectors Brass and a Collectors Bronze - sold em all. There are many better choices out there.


F
 
I had 3 DW snares, an Edge, a Collectors Brass and a Collectors Bronze - sold em all. There are many better choices out there.
I've had two DW snares: a 6x14 Collectors Maple and a 6x14 Edge. Neither lasted even 6 months. I've never seriously played any of their metal ones, at least not enough to really get acquainted with them, but Thomas Pridgen's copper sounded amazing on some TMV recordings.

I like the new hoops and the mag-throws, and they seem to be built well, so I don't know how I feel about them in general. I only know I didn't like the two I had and that I love my two Ludwigs to death and back (402 Supra & 417 Black Beauty), so I'm not feeling a huge need to spend what it would take to experiment with anything else. I'm done with that whole racket.
 
I haven't played with that mag throw off, but I'd agree that it looks a bit clunky. Like it would take twice as long to flip on and off given how far you have to move it. Especially as you have to reach down below the drum to do it.

While I've played some great sounding DW drums I've become less enamored over their hardware. I used to think it was top shelf but I keep running into too many design gaffes in something that outwardly appears to be well done. I've talked about the flaw in the 5000 hat stand. The throw off in my snare had a weird V spring thing get messed up and DW wouldn't sell a replacement. They said I'd have to buy a whole replacement throw off. Since it's over center anyway and I use that drum for tight sounds, it stays even without the spring and I've left it alone. If I ever want to have a wider range of adjustment I have a Gibraltar throw off laying around that will go on it. Who cares if it doesn't look right, I just want it to reliably work.
 
Are you able to get to a shop that stocks many different snare drums? I suggest you go in with some sticks and a drum key and try out different models and brands. You might really like the DW snares, but they aren't the only high-end snares out there.

I've owned two DW snares (when I played DW drums) - both 5x14, one was maple and the other was heavy brass, and on both I couldn't get them to the sound I liked. Granted, I had started to venture away from my usual pick of Ludwig Supraphonics and Black Beauties and I was trying to find a new voice. Apparently, my voice is the Ludwig Supraphonic having come back to it. That drum just seems to work for everything I do these days so rather than try something new, I'll just stick with it. No point messing with my formula.

But I've owned Tama's Stewart Copeland snare and really liked that one - but it was basically a Ludwig Black Beauty in chrome ;). I have a couple of Tama 13" snares and I like those too. Even the Tama 6.5x14 Rockstar snare isn't bad (bought it for $40 on eBay). I'm eagerly awaiting a 1970s Slingerland 6.5x14 Chrome-over-brass Buddy Rich TDR snare I just bought to go with a vintage Slingerland kit I got this week. That drum (another brand I grew up with) should be more of my voice and should be a good contrast to the Supraphonic.

But try as many as you can and see what you like. Yamaha, Pearl, Tama, make great snares. $400 can get you into so many good snares it's almost hard to recommend anything in that price range because that's where alot of them start getting really good. If you said "under-200" or "over-600" then your choices narrow a bit, but it's scary to think how many good ones can be had in that 400-range. Good luck!
 
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