Are All Snare Drums Created Equal?

Hollywood Jim

Platinum Member
I went into a Guitar Center and banged on some snare drums. I discovered that I loved the sound of the Pork Pie Big Black Brass 6.5 X 14 drum. It even sounded better than the Ludwig Black Beauty 6.5 X 14 drum. At the time I assumed it sounded better than the Ludwig BB because of the heads and tuning. Maybe even the room had something to do with the great sound I heard.

Since then I have been to four other Guitar Centers and even a Sam Ash store. And at these five other stores the Pork Pie snares sounded about the same as or even worse than the Ludwig BB snares. I even tweaked the tuning of the snare drums at two of the stores.

My question is this:
If you took 10 of the exact same new snare drums, any metal snare drum of the same manufacturer, and set all of them up in one room with the same heads and the same exact tuning, would they all sound exactly the same?

I am guessing that with wood drums the sound would vary. But can the sound vary with metal drums of the same type and from the same manufacturer?

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My question is this:
If you took 10 of the exact same new snare drums, any metal snare drum of the same manufacturer, and set all of them up in one room with the same heads and the same exact tuning, would they all sound exactly the same?

I am guessing that with wood drums the sound would vary. But can the sound vary with metal drums of the same type and from the same manufacturer?
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There is a fair bit of variance from instrument to instrument. There's also variation on a single instrument from day to day, both due to our listening bias (psychoacoustic) and variables like temperature.

I owned a BBB for a short time and currently own a BB. Both are fine sounding snares and the biggest difference between the two is that the BB carries some nostalgia. You can A/B them and hear a difference, but it would take a true enthusiast to identify one from the other in a blind test. I have a funny feeling that I'd have difficulty telling which is which if they both had the same snare wires.
 
I'd love to see some blind tests like that done..
even with kits too..it would be funny to see the looks on some of those gear snobs faces when they're informed they picked a "mid range" kit over a top of the line!

Most stuff nowadays sounds good, pick a color/finish you like and go from there.
 
I did a blind test snare check with my band, simply took two snares to our weekly rehersal for a couple of weeks. Recorded the same track with a little digital recorder. Then sent the recordings around and simply asked which snare sound do you like the best, A,B,C etc. I tried out most of my snares a Keplinger Brass 14 x 6, Brady Block 14 x 7, Pearl ultracast 14 x 5.5 and 13 x 5 Mahogony ply. They are all fitted with different heads, snare wires etc... but the purpose was to try and assess what my fellow band members rate not an exact drum shoot out. Hmmmm. I kid you not when I say of my 6 band mates only the keyboard player could really tell the difference between hugely differnt snares.
All liked the Brady block (which was my goto snare for 10 yrs before I thought I should diversify), none liked the Keplinger, it was too aggressive, but... the suprise winner was the cheap ebay 13" ply mahogony pearl. The reason was simple - it's quieter and less cutting than the others. I kid you not all three guitarists voted indepently for this, expressing the same basic idea, only with different four letter Anglo Saxon vernacular. To be fair we did the same thing in reverse with guitars and the hallowed Gibsons xx lost every time. Just shows we should ignore drum company / builders BS and just once listen to our fellow musicans.
 
I did a blind test snare check with my band, simply took two snares to our weekly rehersal for a couple of weeks. Recorded the same track with a little digital recorder. Then sent the recordings around and simply asked which snare sound do you like the best, A,B,C etc. I tried out most of my snares a Keplinger Brass 14 x 6, Brady Block 14 x 7, Pearl ultracast 14 x 5.5 and 13 x 5 Mahogony ply. They are all fitted with different heads, snare wires etc... but the purpose was to try and assess what my fellow band members rate not an exact drum shoot out. Hmmmm. I kid you not when I say of my 6 band mates only the keyboard player could really tell the difference between hugely differnt snares.
All liked the Brady block (which was my goto snare for 10 yrs before I thought I should diversify), none liked the Keplinger, it was too aggressive, but... the suprise winner was the cheap ebay 13" ply mahogony pearl. The reason was simple - it's quieter and less cutting than the others. I kid you not all three guitarists voted indepently for this, expressing the same basic idea, only with different four letter Anglo Saxon vernacular. To be fair we did the same thing in reverse with guitars and the hallowed Gibsons xx lost every time. Just shows we should ignore drum company / builders BS and just once listen to our fellow musicans.

Thank you for that. Great post !

Yeah, I think all of us drummers would be scared to find out what our band mates prefer.

When I watch a drummer constantly banging out loud rim shots for every song it gives me a headache. And I can't imagine that the other band members like that.
I would think they only want to be able to hear the backbeat.


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Hollywood Jim you are right I think most non drumming musicians just don't hear the detail in a snare drum sound. However, I suppose the argument is that some can. Or it's possible I am delusional and suffering emperors new clothes syndrome. In addition we all know they feel and respond a little differently, which can translate to actually playing the music a little differently.
 
My question is this:
If you took 10 of the exact same new snare drums, any metal snare drum of the same manufacturer, and set all of them up in one room with the same heads and the same exact tuning, would they all sound exactly the same?

I am guessing that with wood drums the sound would vary. But can the sound vary with metal drums of the same type and from the same manufacturer?

.



I'd say you'd be hearing differences in the drumheads and the snare wires, which would present way more inconsistencies than 10 metal drum shell's of same.

The thing to do would be undress the 10 shells and tap on them ala John Good, then you'd have a sound difference info.
 
I sit here and say I can get a good tone from any drum, but there are some drums I have that I just don't like. A 67 Acro is one of them believe it or not. I have a Supra that sounds so much better in the same room. So no they are not all created equal. They all make me feel a little different when I play them.

That's probably a great thing.
 
My question is this:
If you took 10 of the exact same new snare drums, any metal snare drum of the same manufacturer, and set all of them up in one room with the same heads and the same exact tuning, would they all sound exactly the same?


If they all had brand new heads, same snare wires, and were struck with the same stick by the same person, yes, they would sound exactly, or almost exactly, the same (in the same room).
 
I'd love to see some blind tests like that done..
even with kits too..it would be funny to see the looks on some of those gear snobs faces when they're informed they picked a "mid range" kit over a top of the line!

Preferring a quality kit is not snobbery. There are differences between quality kits and cheaper ones. A lot of what we prefer comes down to tuning, head choice, etc., and a kit that sounds good one way won't always sound good another.

But, there's usually a reason that expensive things are expensive. You're paying for something, and it's not always sound. Sometimes it comes down to options, hardware, wood choice, as well as where a drum comes from - Is it made in Indonesia, U.S., Taiwan, Canada, Turkey? And how is it made? These things matter, and I find that usually those who swear by the cheaper things do so because they can or will not pay up for the finer goods.

No free lunch.

All this above applies to the original question as well. Keep in mind that a poorly or cheaply made drum - wood or metal - will be more susceptible to cheap construction, hardware, and flaws, such as poorly shaped edges or uneven hoops. These can all have a huge effect on the sound.

Hope this helps.

-Preston
 
If they all had brand new heads, same snare wires, and were struck with the same stick by the same person, yes, they would sound exactly, or almost exactly, the same (in the same room).

That's what I was hoping. I was wondering if I should have purchased that first Pork Pie snare I found. I was assuming that I could buy one later on that would sound just as good. Could have been the room acoustics.
But I have not found one that sounded that good. But then again I have not played around with one trying different heads and tunings.


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?..as well as where a drum comes from - Is it made in Indonesia, U.S., Taiwan, Canada, Turkey?

Now this bit I disagree with. It's all about the perception of quality. Whilst working in the Middle East some years ago I found that electronic stores would sell, for example, two versions of a Sony TV model no. ABC123, one made in Taiwan and the other made in Japan. The dealer would sell the Japanese made version at a premium price, be it as it may that the products were identical.

Now here's the thing - if a drum kit made by, for example, Yamaha of a particular model line is made in both Indonesia and Japan, they will be of identical quality as they will both have been produced under Yamaha's quality system.

Of course, if any manufacturer chooses to produce a "high end" kit in Japan, the USA, the UK or elsewhere but produces the lower end kits in what might be perceived by some as "third world" countries, these lower end kits will still have been produced to the OEM's quality system but the kits could quite rightly be deemed as being of a lower quality. This lower quality would be by design, perhaps using cheaper components, hardware etc. After all, as we all know, one gets what one pays for...

:)
 
...But, there's usually a reason that expensive things are expensive...


I agree with this, until you reach the point of greatly diminished returns.

Higher quality materials, production methods,
and increased time spent hand finishing are going to cost more.

The additional costs beyond that are due to the expectation of achieved peer status and personal lust fulfillment.
 
Just shows we should ignore drum company / builders BS and just once listen to our fellow musicans.
And especially the producer ;)

I test out my band mates from time to time, just by bringing along different drums. They are incredibly perceptive, & most forthcoming with their views - often unsolicited.

How many people are actually capable of NOT listening with their eyes?
& how true is that!!!!!!!!

The simple fact is, we use all of our senses, as well as our pre-conceptions, to come to a conclusion. The difference between listening solely with our ears compared to listening with a combination of ears & body is huge in itself, before you even bring visuals into the equation.
 
Mart61 - My only point there was that if you are particular about where or by whom a drum is built, you'll likely end up paying more than you would for a drum built by the cheapest available laborers.

That make a little more sense?
 
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