Pearl Free-Floating Maple Snare

cky42091

Senior Member
Who's got an opinion on this snare? I'm using one of those $100 black panther cherry maple 13"s right now, and it isn't versatile enough for the band I'm playing with. Very loud and ringy. Almost sounds like a piccolo snare when I do rimshots.

I can't see myself spending over $300 on a snare (and I'm going to buy it used, because, why not?) I want something that is pretty standard, and can always get a good sound out of it no matter what. I already checked into the supraphonics, but they just didn't stand out to me like this one did. They almost sounded, dare I say it, boring, to me.

share your opinions! I'm interested in good or bad opinions
and If there's another snare that is similar to this, let's hear it!
 
Yeah I've got one. It plays loud, angry and aggressive. Great snare for a mic'up rock band in full flight. The cast hoops make for some killer rim shots and although I've never done it, the ability to swap out shells is a great concept.

But that said, I absolutely love my Supra's and if I had to choose between the two, I'd pick my 402 over my 14x6.5 FF any day of the week. So what pleases my ear, may not please yours.

All in all, if you're diggin' it and it gives you the sound you're chasing, then it's a good option. What size are you looking at?
 
Thanks for the imput. As far as the size goes, I haven't decided yet, but I am leaning toward the middle (5x14) size. I play a fusion sized kit and I think it would fit better than the deeper option.
I've listened to some videos of the snare, and it does have a somewhat aggressive and high pitched sound to it. And I do like that sound for a lot of the music I play. But, I need something that has the ability to be used for some light R&B, jazz, and 50s style rock with the snare just sort of "being there" and not overpowering the rest of the band. Does it have a good dynamic range? I know it sounds good played loudly and aggressively, but can it be played lightly too?
 
Had one, not a bad snare, I also noticed the other day that Drum factory direct is selling Worldmax Black Dawgs and Hawgs for about 50-60% off the MSRP plus have free shipping in the USA on all orders over $99. Heres a link to just a couple of the dozen or so they have available.

http://www.drumfactorydirect.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1788
http://www.drumfactorydirect.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14
http://www.drumfactorydirect.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1776
 
Does it have a good dynamic range? I know it sounds good played loudly and aggressively, but can it be played lightly too?

To be honest, I really only played that snare in a hard rock setting mate......pretty much just always drove it hard at full throttle. That's where I thought it excelled and as I have several other snares that I use for various applications, I never bothered to try it out in more intricate settings.

I'm an avid believer that you can get "most" gear to work in "most" situations, but it's also been my experience that some drums are just better suited to some applications than others. The best way of knowing is by playing the thing before hand. Do you have a local store that stocks one? If so, put a stick to it and put it through its paces. There's really no better way of knowing if a drum will work for you than by hearing it in person.
 
I have the 14x5 maple free-floater and it's a great, versatile drum. Warm but with a great rimshot 'crack' when needed!

I have used it for a funk band and currently use it with a rock band. I would recommend it!
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I'm thinking that this snare may be closer to what I already have, and may not be what I'm looking for after all.
Perhaps I overlooked the supra phonics too quickly...
 
I know that is an old thread but have you condsidered one of the Porki Pie BoBs? This is a 6.5 x 14" brass shelled snare that has a lot to offer. It has a good, full sound and it's capable of a wide range of tunings and applications. It's kind of an "old school" snare. They're avaialble for around $269 new in most places so that puts within your budget. The PDP ACE is another possibility.
 
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I just keep coming back to supras if you want a really versatile sounding drum. You can drive them, or coax them.
 
I have one on the back of my kit. It is the 14 X 3.5. Now here is the thing. It sounded good tuned fairly low and medium and even high. But me, I wanted to try something unique. For a long time I had a Pearl Free Floating Marching snare on the back of my kit to goof around on or if a certain guitarist didn't want to tune his amp down a bit. But it was bulky and heavy. So I found the one above in a slightly used good condition. I threw a Ludwig super thin on the reso side (they can be cranked down even to marching standards and still stay together, probably the best snare reso head out there) and a Remo White Max on the batter side. I cranked it down like I do my marching snare and because of the free floating lugs it is fine. Talk about loud ear splitting crack! And believe it or not it is sensitive and articulate even with a marching head on it. As big a DW/Ludwig Snare Fanboy as I am the Pearl Free Floating Snare I have to admit is as high quality and versatile as any of them.

Who's got an opinion on this snare? I'm using one of those $100 black panther cherry maple 13"s right now, and it isn't versatile enough for the band I'm playing with. Very loud and ringy. Almost sounds like a piccolo snare when I do rimshots.

I can't see myself spending over $300 on a snare (and I'm going to buy it used, because, why not?) I want something that is pretty standard, and can always get a good sound out of it no matter what. I already checked into the supraphonics, but they just didn't stand out to me like this one did. They almost sounded, dare I say it, boring, to me.

share your opinions! I'm interested in good or bad opinions
and If there's another snare that is similar to this, let's hear it!
 
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