What size is your main snare? Why?

14x6.5 Ludwig Black Magic Stainless. It has great pop and tone. I do also like my Gretsch maple snare also. Good tone.
 
I have two snares. The first, a steel Tama Imperialstar 14x6.5 that I've had since 1982 and a recently aquired Yamaha MCA 14x7.

I find that between them I can play any style of music. The depths are very versatile and allow for high or low tuning.

The steel is super sensitive and LOUD if I want it to be and the maple is sensitive and warm.....what else do you need?
 
Bringing this back from the dead.

I now have four snares, each different sizes :

a PDP 14 x 5.5" Maple snare
Yamaha Musashi 13 x 6.5" Oak Snare
Pearl 14 x 5" Free Floating Maple snare
Pearl Ultratone 14 x 6" Chrome/Steel snare

and they ALL sound different. The PDP sounds "conventional", the Yamaha sounds "deep and responsive", the Free Floater sounds "professional/snappy", and the Ultratone sounds "fat".

They all have their purposes but my Musashi was my go-to snare for years and now the FF has taken that duty for the most part.

My Ultratone may be butting in pretty soon...
 
Well like many on here I have several snares. I have my Trick 14x7, I like the fullness of big drums, you can still crank them up and get a great pop, but unlike smaller "pop corn" type drums you have plenty of body still. I also have a Trick Kodiak 14x5, this is a VERY thick aluminum snare that has a huge fullness. I have a 14x6 copper snare. I like that size with that metal, it's throaty and powerful, too big would be a ring machine, to small to nasally. I have a 14x8 artstar, maple. Loud, good projection, full sound. There are a few more snares, but those are my main snares, and why I like the size for that specific material.
 
My current main snare is a Mapex 6.5 x 14" Sledgehammer. It does pretty much anything that I need it to do. I also use an old 6.5 x 14" Pearl non-beaded aluminum snare on occasion. What condition is that Mapex snare in? Trading two cymbals for it doesn't sound like all that great a deal from here. I'm probably wrong on that front.
 
I currently own two snares and reach for them equally - 5.5" x 14" & 5" x 14". Both are Gretsch USA Customs. Why? I love the sound, feel and response.

Someday would love to add a Guru stave snare drum to the mix.
 
14x6.5" Ludwig Black Beauty (tubes) - because it's the greatest snare drum in the universe.

+1

I have a bit of a 13 fetish but it's more aesthetic/ergonomic really, a rimshot on a 14 just feels better to my hands, has more power and pop. Whether its 13 or 14 I prefer deeper drums. Not to say I don't like my shallower drums but if I'm in a drum store and trying one snare after the other depth grabs me.
 
14 x 6.5, as is the size of every snare drum I own. Call me lazy, but I like to switch out the drum without having to adjust the height of the basket. Oh, and they sound great too ...
 
14 x 6.5, as is the size of every snare drum I own. Call me lazy, but I like to switch out the drum without having to adjust the height of the basket. Oh, and they sound great too ...


If you're lazy, then I'm cheap. I use 14's because I always get heads 'on sale' for them - ha ha.
 
I have 3 snares at the moment and they're all 6.5x14 - a Supra, a Black Beauty, and an '80s steel Tama Mastercraft 8056. What can I say, I like that size.
 
For Progressive stuff: 13 x 6.5: Only because it's easier to fit the rest of the kit around it.

Everything else is either 14 x 6.5; or if it isn't a kit share, I take my 14 x 5.
 
My main snare is the old reliable 6.5" x 14" Ludwig Supraphonic model 402, chrome finish.
By far the best snare drum I have ever used. The drum is so versatile, and records beautifully. Someday I would like to move up to a Black Beauty, or even a Black Magic.

I also on occasion use a 4.5"x14" 1978 Ludwig Acrolite. Another great sounding snare! I found it at a yard sale for $15.00. Put new heads and snares on it, cleaned up the shell, hoops, and lugs and it is a great sounding drum. It has a very dry attack, a great pop. It's perfect if you're playing some funk, it cuts through everything.
The contrast between the two drums is night and day, I think Ludwig still makes the best snare drums in the industry..
 
My main question is what snare sizes do you like and why? What would you consider ok and versatile enough to use as your main snare? Why?

Well, here is more of my 2 cents. I have played 14x5.5 13x3 14x6 14x5 14x7 14x8 13x6 13x8 14x4 and one night I borrowed a 12x6 (hated it!) Size is important, sorry fellas, but the type of material, thickness of the shell, bearing edge, hoops and snares/snare bed are all important factors in how a drum sounds. The nice thing about deep snares, typically you get a lot of body. If you like a higher pitched drum, a 13x6 or so could be a really great snare. The Steve Jordan sig is a great example. It's a high quality maple drum, it has plenty of bottom end and body, but you can crank it up and it's got pop for days. Not to say you can't crank a 14x7, but if the snare is too big and you tune it too high, you can choke the drum out. Not everyone will be able to notice the drum has been choked out, but as your ear develops you will be able to pick up on these nuances. Short answer, the snare in question could absolutely be a main snare.
 
I've tried lots , but always come back to the 5 or 5.5 x 14. Responsiveness, range and sensitivity. Right now my two main squeezes are a square badge delite and a phonic rosewood reissue, I can pretty much cover anything between those two snares. As far as fatness is concerned Phil Rudd always uses a 5 and his snare sound is pretty fat!
PC
 
I have 4 or 5 but really really prefer my steve Jordan 13X6.5 aquarian studio X on top and voila . Tunes up low or high . Only problem is that the darn thing resonate so much, the tension rods loosen up like crazy (I play 99% rimshot on the back beat). Tightscrews fixed that problem.
 
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