Snare drum help

Zodiak

Member
Hello!

So I'm gonna buy a snare drum in a week, and I need your help. I have about $150-200, but since I'm in Russia, we don't really have all these cool deals, so drum stuff is a bit more expensive, but still... And unfortunately, I couldn't really find anything perfect, but I've found a couple of options. Could you please help me? And even though I'm not a complete newbie, I still don't know all that much about snare drums, so any help appreciated.

The first one is: http://www.muztorg.ru/cat/details/A006746

What do you think?...

And there's also a Mapex Black Panther Premium one, but it's 10x5 or something, very small, what does that mean?

I think I have enough for a Sonor or some kind of Yamaha, but are they good?

There's also a music store which is the official DW Drums dealer over here, do they have any good snares? I don't know anything about DW snares, what is the budget series called?
 
Well....

I no about good or bad snares but i dnt know what is avalible over is russia because i havn't been to russia lately.....lol

But i can surgest a black panther range (one of them is in my dp ^ ^ ) They are great snares for the price that you said take a look if you can get them over your's

Hope i have helped

tris
 
The snare drum in your link is from one of Tama's budget lines (lower end). Nothing special, but probably fine for general use. The 6 1/2 depth is usually used in rock music.

The 10x5 Mapex is a small drum. Usually, drums of this size are used as secondary snares, often mounted to the left of the hi-hat. It's generally not used as a primary snare unless you are putting together a jungle/dnb kit (small sizes).

The "standard" size snare is 14x5, and is pretty versatile for many kinds of music. But most important is finding a size that gives the sound you want.

Tama, Mapex, Sonor, Yamaha, and DW are all great brands, but each company has high end and low end drums. So, a high end Mapex is probably better than a low end Sonor and vice versa. The "budget" DWs are called Pacific or PDP. Try and do some research on the drum company websites to learn about their different lines and prices.

Also, see if you can find any shops that sell used drums, or look for people selling their own used gear. If you look around and play the drums in person, you can probably find a good used drum for a good price.
 
The snare drum in your link is from one of Tama's budget lines (lower end). Nothing special, but probably fine for general use. The 6 1/2 depth is usually used in rock music.

The 10x5 Mapex is a small drum. Usually, drums of this size are used as secondary snares, often mounted to the left of the hi-hat. It's generally not used as a primary snare unless you are putting together a jungle/dnb kit (small sizes).

The "standard" size snare is 14x5, and is pretty versatile for many kinds of music. But most important is finding a size that gives the sound you want.

Tama, Mapex, Sonor, Yamaha, and DW are all great brands, but each company has high end and low end drums. So, a high end Mapex is probably better than a low end Sonor and vice versa. The "budget" DWs are called Pacific or PDP. Try and do some research on the drum company websites to learn about their different lines and prices.

Also, see if you can find any shops that sell used drums, or look for people selling their own used gear. If you look around and play the drums in person, you can probably find a good used drum for a good price.

Thank you very much, that was very helpful! I have a gig on the 22nd, so I haven't got much time to save up. I heard that if you buy a decent snare drum and install good drumheads and tune them properly, you can a good sound even out of a cheap snare.

UPDATE: I can get a used Pearl Export Select snare drum. Like this: http://www.musicforums.ru/drum_buysell/getfile.php/mfor_drumbuysell/166429/pearl-elx1455s.jpg?full=1

14x5.5, 6-ply wood, new Evans drumheads. Is it a good deal? The price is quite good.
 
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I heard that if you buy a decent snare drum and install good drumheads and tune them properly, you can a good sound even out of a cheap snare.
Yes, this is true. Upgraded snare wires can help too. Also, I prefer not to take expensive drums to gigs where they can possibly be damaged or stolen, in addition to the normal wear and tear of transporting them a lot.

I've never used or heard Export Select drums, but the Export line was a very popular offering from Pearl. They are intermediate level drums. If you can play before you buy, that would be ideal.
 
Ok, thanks again, Disco Stu!!! You've helped me immensely :) I think I'll get that Pearl snare, and I'll also have some money left for new drumheads (even though the guy said he installed new ones) and some snare wires, maybe. And I need some spare sticks for the gig. Damn, drumming is expensive :)

Hehe, expect a thread about drumheads soon, I don't know much about them either... But someone told me that you can get a good sound if you tune the bottom head high and the batter head medium, that was you'll get a full sound. Gonna try that.
 
Ok, thanks again, Disco Stu!!! You've helped me immensely :) I think I'll get that Pearl snare, and I'll also have some money left for new drumheads (even though the guy said he installed new ones) and some snare wires, maybe. And I need some spare sticks for the gig. Damn, drumming is expensive :)

Hehe, expect a thread about drumheads soon, I don't know much about them either... But someone told me that you can get a good sound if you tune the bottom head high and the batter head medium, that was you'll get a full sound. Gonna try that.

this is just the way I tune it. I tune my bottom head to an A, and I tune my top head to a C. I like the bottom head being lower. I also don't have my snare wires cranked up. they're barely on. You could try it this way. there are endless ways to tune, so just play with it until you get a sound you want.
 
Can you get a Ludwig Epic snare in Russia? I hear that they're one of the best snares for the price...

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ludwig-Epic-Series-Snare-Drum-500577-i1428168.gc

2-ply birch on the inside and outside with 4 plies of maple sandwiched between. I have yet to check one out, but from what I've heard, they're pretty darned good!

Hey...I finally checked one out! It was okay, but not as good as everyone is saying. I guess I'd have to try out different heads on it. I tried tuning it through its range, and it sounds pretty one-dimensional to me. Go with something else.
 
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Oh, Ludwig, I love those. You can get pretty much anything over here, but it'll cost a bit more and take time.
 
Well, guys, thanks for all the help!!! I guess I'm buying that Pearl snare... I think it's alright and the price is very good! The guy showed me a couple of videos with him playing on that snare and a couple of MP3 files and I liked it, very deep sounding powerful snare. Much better than what I can get for my money.

So, I don't want to create a new thread, so please help me here... Drumheads)))

I'd prefer Evans... I dunno why, just like them. But which ones?

I'm looking for a... Ok, so we play rock. Not metal, not punk. But I don't really know what kind of rock... We have heavy songs, we have a very jazzy kinda song, we have a slow ballad with a lot of ghost notes. And I generally like a relatively high snare sound, with a good "crack", crispy, you know, but powerful and sensitive, because I play a lot of ghost notes, I want them to be audible and sound good... So generally I need this classic snare sound... if anyone here likes The Deftones, I love his sound on White Pony and Around The Fur. Or... I dunno, John Bonham's sound, of course.

So which drumheads would you recommend? There are so many on Evans' website :(

And how do I tune it? Both heads tuned the same or not?

Thanks!!! I want my first gig to go great, you see))) Have a great sound))) Not many drummers here in Russia pay attention to sound and texture! It's all about technique etc. I want to impress everyone with a goodsounding snare :)
 
Mate its definitely worth saving up and getting a decent snare , because a decent one will last you ages. I only recently got a new snare and got the joey sig snare. Mate , it AMAZING , best snare i've ever played.

As with tuning , because i play heavy metal i tighten my heads quite tight. Usually get them both the same tension round about , maybe the bottom being a bit tighter. Good luck!
 
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