$80 vs $800 metal snare drum

juanla

Junior Member
Hi,
I have a yamaha dave weckl aluminium 14x6.5 snare drum and sound awesome.
recently a friend of mine, give me a rusty, cheap metal snare, for free, because he had it on his garage, and he will throw it to the garbage.
the thing is that the sound of this snare was also pretty good (maybe as good as the Dave weckl snare that is MUCH more expensive).

I told this you guys to discuss about the real difference (if there is any) between a cheap aluminium snare and a "professional" snare, mainly because, both are made of similar or identical material.
I know that the lugs and the hoop can make some difference, but the body of the sound is made from the body of the snare.

by the end of the day, it is just a "0" which make the difference.

thanks
 
Two metal shells can be similar or even identical, but there are other factors that affect the sound and playability. Hoop material & thickness, heads, throwoff, wires, and lugs (density and threaded inserts) all play important parts in how a drum sounds, feels, and holds its tuning.

Now a wood shell is subject to human craftsmanship and inherent factors that may require human intervention, so differences in price correlate with different levels of quality of construction, consistency from drum to drum, attention to detail, and a greater degree of sound variation as a result.

Bermuda
 
Two metal shells can be similar or even identical, but there are other factors that affect the sound and playability. Hoop material & thickness, heads, throwoff, wires, and lugs (density and threaded inserts) all play important parts in how a drum sounds, feels, and holds its tuning.

Now a wood shell is subject to human craftsmanship and inherent factors that may require human intervention, so differences in price correlate with different levels of quality of construction, consistency from drum to drum, attention to detail, and a greater degree of sound variation as a result.

Bermuda
Couldn't have put it better myself :)
 
My Pearl B1330 is nice, but it doesn't compare to my instructor's Sonor Brass Snare.

His has heavy die cast hoops and all that jazz.
 
Good heads , tuning, and bearing edges are all that are needed for a drum to sound good, most of the time. Peace and goodwill.
 
You could probably get a $120 steel or aluminum snare, put different lugs & hoops on it, and save $500 or more. Honestly, I don't see many metal snares as being 'worth it'. Pearl's Sensitones are probably the most 'high-end' snares I would buy.
 
I find that often you can buy a cheaper metal snare and turn it into the more expensive 'pro' models. I think the main difference besides the obvious are the types of hardware you put on it. You may buy a snare say for $50 and upgrade the hardware, heads and snares on it, and it may end up being worth $500, and sound just as great as the $1000 snare, but you would only know that you paid $50 initially, and also I think once they put the famous name on it, that will usually drive up the cost too!!!
 
I find that often you can buy a cheaper metal snare and turn it into the more expensive 'pro' models. I think the main difference besides the obvious are the types of hardware you put on it. You may buy a snare say for $50 and upgrade the hardware, heads and snares on it, and it may end up being worth $500, and sound just as great as the $1000 snare, but you would only know that you paid $50 initially, and also I think once they put the famous name on it, that will usually drive up the cost too!!!

i see, that's exactly my point. finally in metal drums, cost more for the brand than for the material of the snare it self.
it's kind of a wired feeling, because i have spend a lot of money for this dave weckl snare, and the one that i got it for free have a very nice sound too.
 
i see, that's exactly my point. finally in metal drums, cost more for the brand than for the material of the snare it self.
it's kind of a wired feeling, because i have spend a lot of money for this dave weckl snare, and the one that i got it for free have a very nice sound too.

Sell the Weckl snare and buy a nice wood snare with the money: I have an Akira Jimbo 13X7 beech shell snare with wood hoops that I'm looking to sell.
 
That's exactly what i'm going to do, but have no idea the market pice for this snare.
i have see it here http://bennettdrums.com/museum/dave-weckl-yamaha-signature-model-snare/# (at $2.500) signed by dave weckl

To be fair I think that one has a higher asking price because it was [purportedly] owned by Weckl. According to ebay a used aluminium Weckl snare went for 700USD last October. I'd say that's a fair price: the extra signature on your drum might bump up the price a bit if it's in good condition. Mind you, it's a buyer's market at the moment - so . . .
 
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