Steven Adler's Snare

synergy

Senior Member
Hi Guys, not sure if this is the right place for this but I was wondering if anyone knew what snare drum Adler used for the Appetite for Destruction recordings?

Well apart from speedballs and god knows what else he was on at the time

thanks
 
I seem to remember seeing him with a steel shelled Pearl Free Floating drum in th elive stuff from that era.
Maybe it was that drum.

Great snare (& drum) sound on that album. He got a lot of racket out of that small kit.
 
Whatever he used, it probably made it's way to a pawn shop pretty quick for him to get another fix. Seeing him on celebrity rehab now is just sad. Forget stupid slogans like "just say no" to keep kids off drugs. Just show them footage of him back in the day and how huge G&R was, and then show them the latest episode of sober house. That should keep them off the junk for life.
 
Studio recording was a 6.5x14 Black Beauty from what I remember.

If that's the case, no wonder it sounds good!!

As for his rehab stuff...it's a shame. He was re-arrested recently for failing to finish some community service or some such thing, but at least it wasn't for drugs again.
He seems like a pretty good dude, but drugs always ruin everything for people.
Here's the info if interested:
http://www.metalsludge.tv/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1745&Itemid=42

Just to really see how huge GNR was/is, regardless if you like them or not...the guy had MILLIONS (which were pissed away, spent, stolen etc..) and he was only on ONE album.
 
If that's the case, no wonder it sounds good!!

As for his rehab stuff...it's a shame. He was re-arrested recently for failing to finish some community service or some such thing, but at least it wasn't for drugs again.
He seems like a pretty good dude, but drugs always ruin everything for people.
Here's the info if interested:
http://www.metalsludge.tv/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1745&Itemid=42

Just to really see how huge GNR was/is, regardless if you like them or not...the guy had MILLIONS (which were pissed away, spent, stolen etc..) and he was only on ONE album.

actually he played on the first 2 records, appetite and gnr lies. he gets royalties from all the stuff they did while he was in the band.
 
actually he played on the first 2 records, appetite and gnr lies. he gets royalties from all the stuff they did while he was in the band.

He was on a few tracks from UYI also from what I remember. I know "Civil War" is him and some others I think.
 
I think I'm in the minority here! I love the album, truly enjoy Adlers playing on the album, but hate the snare! It is overprodruced, and sounds more like a gunshot in a cement hallway than a snare. I feel the same way about Banali's snare sound on metal health. I know it is a supra (my all-time favorite), but the studio put so much crap in the mix that it is hard to really hear the beauty of the drum.
 
He was on a few tracks from UYI also from what I remember. I know "Civil War" is him and some others I think.

Yup. He recorded several songs that made it on to the Illusion albums before he was replaced by Matt Sorum.

All told, he did make millions for his time in the band, and it's amazing he isn't dead considering how many times he's relapsed.
 
I almost went to see him at the Roxy on Sunsent last month, but past.
When telling the guys at Peace Drums (he is endorsing them) about it they asked if the showed up this time... I guess he has a problem showing up to gigs.
 
Thanks for the info on what he was on.

I forgot about "lies" .....didn't know he was on UYI.

I thought Sorum recorded all of Illusions, but now that I think about it, the parts that come to mind do sound like Adler's type of thing.

I didn't have any other cd's of GNR, just Appetite, and that got stolen...I just have concert videos and stuff--they got played in Detroit so much on the radio we didn't have to buy the cd to hear the stuff!

I can still remember hearing WTTJ for the first time and going "that was fu%#in cool".
 
I don't think he's actually in the UYI recordings. The songs were written when he was in the band but I think the recording on the album are Matt Sorum.

From what I read November Rain was supposed to be on Appetite but they took it off because they didn't want to release the album with two ballady songs on it (the other being Sweet Child O Mine).

It's really sad especially to know that Steven suffered a cocaine induced heart attack and stroke.
 
I think I'm in the minority here! I love the album, truly enjoy Adlers playing on the album, but hate the snare! It is overprodruced, and sounds more like a gunshot in a cement hallway than a snare. I feel the same way about Banali's snare sound on metal health. I know it is a supra (my all-time favorite), but the studio put so much crap in the mix that it is hard to really hear the beauty of the drum.

God, I totally agree, and am surprised anyone's brought that up!!
 
I dont know the snare that he used for App. but I do know that he only played a 3 piece. Snare, Floor ,Bass when they where still in the clubs and for the recording of App. I got to know Steve well right after they booted them from GnR. I met him at the Beverly Center in the elevator we were both going to get cigarettes and afterwards we went back to his car to listen to the demo he did with Davy Vain (Roadcrew). After that I would hang with him at Sunset bar and grill.....he was very bumed about being booted.....who wouldnt be.
 
It is very sad seeing him the way he is today. But in my opinion, his drums sounded great!!!! Just one more example of how keeping it simple is best. Steve played drums one the best hard rock album ever made. That album changed my life.
 
A few years there was an issue of the UK drum magazine RHYTHM that came with a play along CD and it had the original recording of Welcome to the jungle and it sounds sooo different. Maybe it's with no effects or mixed differently but it sounds like a miked snare and not the fat gunshot (which was awesome at the time). I think he's a great rock drummer. I think I recall him using a steel snare of some kind live. Also the drummer from the GnR Lies Tribute band told me that as well.
 
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He was on a few tracks from UYI also from what I remember. I know "Civil War" is him and some others I think.

Only Civil War and barely at that. They had to splice and tape old school tape together in order to get decent sounding drum tracks. I am a walking Guns N' Roses encyclopedia! Probably the biggest GNR fan on the planet. Steven was too far out there during the rehearsals and pre-production for the Use Your Illusion albums. Mike Clink and the other folks literally had to stay awake 24+ hours in order to cut the old 2" tape reels to piece together a decent drum track for Civil War. The final straw was the infamous "Farm Aid" performance, in which Steven runs onto the stage, falls and proceeds to have an awful sloppy show. It was after that night, he was kicked out of the band.

Matt Sorum is on every single track except for Civil War.
 
Only Civil War and barely at that. They had to splice and tape old school tape together in order to get decent sounding drum tracks. I am a walking Guns N' Roses encyclopedia! Probably the biggest GNR fan on the planet. Steven was too far out there during the rehearsals and pre-production for the Use Your Illusion albums. Mike Clink and the other folks literally had to stay awake 24+ hours in order to cut the old 2" tape reels to piece together a decent drum track for Civil War. The final straw was the infamous "Farm Aid" performance, in which Steven runs onto the stage, falls and proceeds to have an awful sloppy show. It was after that night, he was kicked out of the band.

Matt Sorum is on every single track except for Civil War.

I am not a walking talking Wikipedia but I did like G n R around that time and you are dead right Adler played on one song only.

Even songs they had in 86/87 such as Don't Cry, November Rain and Back off Bitch they re-recorded with Matt Sorum and if you listen to the 1987 version of Don't cry to the 1991 Matt Sorum adds a lot more colour than Steven Adler. Just little fills and opening the hi-hat to accent. Adler's version is just a little boring in comparison.

I know there will be drummers who will not like Matt Sorum and to those chaps I say opening of You Could be Mine. Excellent opening to the song and I doubt Steven Adler would have thought of that.

When I was young I really liked Adler's playing but as I improved I realised Matt Sorum was the better drummer.
 
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