Dual snare throwoffs

Are you talking about drums like the Ludwig Supersensitive?The P-80 strainer does allow fow a much wider degree of fine tuning of your snare wires,but I guess it begs the question:how fine a degree is necessary,and for what style of music?I can see an orchestral percussionist needing that degree of fine tuning,but a guy like Travis Barker...not so much.At a certain point it becomes overkill.

Steve B
 
The super sensitive strainer on my Black Beauty is a dual strainer, not a dual throwoff. Only has one throwoff but two strainer knobs. I absolutely love it and it is the only snare out of my collection with a dual strainer. A few more great things about the super sensitive strainer: The space running down the middle of the snares (like the Puresound equalizer), and the fact that the snares have no plates on either end. Nothing is in contact with the snareside head acccept for snares all the way across. No plates! GENIUS :) I'd like to see more of this with other snares. Above all, it's a Black Beauty! I actually made a little clip on this particular snare the other day. I posted it in another thread but in case you missed it, here it is. I don't talk much about the drum or showcase it really here but you can hear how great they sound :) This is a snare drum they've been making for a longggggggg time and it shows. Mine is 14 x 6 1/2, tube lugs, super sensitive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DurYENi-g6o
 
The snare drum to go with my new development kit has a triple throwoff mechanism, each with a different snare wire/chord gut combo, but all three positioned at one side. Does that count?
 
I think the Pearl Dennis Chambers snare has this (edit yep just checked Pearls site throws are listed as the SR-020 times 2). I have a 14x12 80's pearl marcher I converted for kit use and for some reason the original drilling pattern fit the Dennis Chambers throw offs. So I put the dual throwoffs on instead of drilling for a buttplate. Dunno that i'd say it's a must have feature, but I do tighten both of them up with a noticeable tighter tension where the buttplate would be. Really makes the big ol' snare crack like a gunshot.
 
DW has something similar on their newer snares. A throwoff on one side, and then a swith on the other side that has three settings: Tight, medium and loose. The idea is that you can set your throwoff to your desired setting and then have three instant settings available to you by flicking a switch.

Then there's the Tama Mike Portnoy signature snare which has a dual throwoff design incorporated into a single throwoff. When both are engaged, the snares are tight, but you can also turn off one of them to get a looser sound. When both are turned off, the snares are completely off the head (obviously).
 
Ah, managed to find a picture. This is taken of one of Dean's walnut steambent snares (Guru Drumworks) from last year. He turned me on to this throwoff, & I was super impressed with the range of sound combinations, hence it features on my project build mahogany stave.
 

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I've also wondered how having throws / tensioners at both ends of the same set of wires could be beneficial. (not including Supersensitives and other parallel-action strainers)

I get the multiple wire sets like on Andy's snare or Dave Weckl's snare. That actually seems like a great idea since you can have a tight set and a looser set and sets of different materials allowing for the superposition of different sounds. I've never had one myself, but I love Weckl's snare sound and I've heard him explain the concept.

But one set of wires with two ways to turn them on/off and tension?? I'm not seeing the benefit in that.
 
Thank you all for the informed opinions. I am talking about one set of snares with a throwoff at each end, instead of a butt plate at one end. I have the opportunity to do this to my snare and I wonder if it would be beneficial. I don't immediately see how it could be.
 
The super sensitive is a dual throw off operated by one lever. It's really brilliant in that regard. And as I said earlier, it has two straining or tensioning knobs and no butt plates (not even on the snares). When you release the throw off, it disengages a mechangism on each side of the snares evenly. A very creative, effective design altogether. The only downside is that the supersensitive strainer sticks out about an inch and a half on each side. If you're getting a case for one be sure to get a square case and the strainer will line up in two opposing corners.
 
My steam bent snare has a throw on one side but has adjustment screws on both sides. Rather than pull the snares to one side minute twists on both sides seems to work just fine. I have seen multiple snare apps on orchestra snares but not su how practical they are for a rock application.
 
Here's the Dave Weckl snare.
big.jpg
 
This is a $9 shell I built into something, I used a regular throw off on one side and had this hollywood butt plate for the other side which is adjustable. Great for centering the wires after install. I also just recieved a DW 3 position adjustable butt plate, haven't tried it yet but it is polished brass and looks amazing!!!!!

ebczu9.jpg
 
Thank you all for the informed opinions. I am talking about one set of snares with a throwoff at each end, instead of a butt plate at one end. I have the opportunity to do this to my snare and I wonder if it would be beneficial. I don't immediately see how it could be.

I agree. What does a throwoff do? It just takes the snares away from the head. I can't see how doing the same thing on both sides would be any different from doing it on just one. In fact, having to work both throwoffs to drop the snares, on opposite sides, would be clumsy. Unless you're thinking it would be convenient to be able to work one or the other, using whichever hand is free... but does anyone really need that?

On the other hand, having adjustment screws on both sides is clearly a great idea.
 
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