Snare help :)

S

StaggerLee

Silver Member
You guys are lovely right? Who am I kidding of course you are! Ok well I just started my new job, its a 12 hour shift at a factory that produces some well known magazines. And well the work is hard, manual labour with only 2 20 minute stops in the entire 12 hours. Oh yeah and I start at 6am-7pm and I live an hour away so I am generally up at half 4 to do this. And I am doing this so I can pay my fiance through her masters degree and then to live with me for a year when she does her work experience. But in the mean time I am treating myself to a new snare, and these are the ones I am mainly thinking of. yes its a lot of choices but for the next 2 weeks (as i get paid in areers) i need something to keep me going that i can read when I come home to make me realize its so worth it haha. A goal and a thread to come home and enjoy. Anyhow, I want ONLY legitimate compliments or issues you have with these snares, and PLEASE don't be biased towards a certain snare I KNOW people will want to be nice about due to a certain Andy :p

So Options:
1) Dixon Artisan Chris Brady Signature
ImageProxy.mvc


2) Drumcraft Solid Bronze
ImageProxy.mvc


3) Pearl Masters Premium Legend
ImageProxy.mvc


4) Ludwig Blackrolite
ImageProxy.mvc


5) George Way Studio
ImageProxy.mvc


6) A Guru snare

7) Rock & Whiskey checquerplate solid purpleheart
ImageProxy.mvc


8) Pearl free floating copper
ImageProxy.mvc


9) Pearl free floating maple
ImageProxy.mvc



10) Ludwig keystone
ImageProxy.mvc


11) Pearl carbonply
ImageProxy.mvc


12) PDP Solid shell
ImageProxy.mvc



All these are really high end drums, or were when they came out, so a hard choice. PLEASE keep this going with as much feedback as possible until I have bought one? I would be so grateful if you can help me through this aha
 
opentune said:
can't see any of your pics.
Click to expand...
I can't see the pictures either, although I know most of the snares quite well.

I've always been a fan of the Pearl free floating snares. I don't think the free floating bit adds anything to the deal because of the high mass of the frame & associated components, but it's still a very well built snare for a great price. focussed & articulate, also, in metal shell form - F loud!

The problem I have with your list is that it's very diverse in terms of sonic strengths. Perhaps it would be helpful if you could indicate what you expect from your instrument. That would certainly narrow things down a bit.

Oh, almost forgot - don't get a Guru - it will put an end to your G.A.S pleasures ;)

Edit: one last thing - solid shell is no guarantee of a good/better/superior sound. There's just as many under performing solid shell drums as there are under performing multiple ply & metal shell drums.
 
I wan't an all rounder snare. Something that can really fill in all the gaps. So far my snares, as much a I love them, do tend to fall into being rather specific at what they do.
Dixon Cherry: My fav sound, but if I session for a rock or metal gig it would not fit in.
Pearl Masters: Has calfskin heads so only use for brushes.
Traps a400: Very limited to stuff like hiphop.
Albermore: Open and resonant, though not as much as I like to be. Good for rock though.
Antique Signal drum: I VERY rarely use this unless I have no space for a full snare
13x9 Luan snare: Was an experiment... it just meh

So yeah, no all encompassing snare. Yet;
 
We need to keep these threads in the proper section please. Drum Gear , Drums,
 
I can't be biased to a certain brand, damn!!! Well then I would buy'em all!!!

Seriously I've read some awesome things about the Dixon Brady snares. They are very well put together, and for the cost, not too bad either. Personally I was considering picking up a Dixon Brady snare to add to my collection. For a new, I prefer the vintage snares, but for new Dixon Brady has my vote...
 
Of all of those I have only played the pearl free floating copper. I could have bought one but they are quite heavy and I sort of designated my next snare to be a gigging snare.
 
I'm mostly in the wood snare camp, so I'd recommend the Guru or maybe the Dixon. The Guru will probably breathe since the Dixon looks a bit bulky in terms of hardware, finish, etc. A Brady Jarrah block snare might work as well. 13-14", 5.5-6.5" dimensions probably. I think it's more a matter of tuning/heads once you get into a certain range. For example, I think my stave Padauk 13x5" does a beautiful job at a 'rock' sound, or the metal I cover. Put a 12-or-14-mil coated single ply head on there and you're pretty much covered for anything. (btw, just in case- my snare was built by Terry Thompson for a very reasonable price. get some aluminum hardware on there, and you will probably be in good shape!)

As far as metal snares go, I think bronze is a lovely choice. I know I would want mine hammered.
 
Well, great news :) I just got offered a pearl free floating piccolo snare used by my tutor Daniel Dolman (who the keen drummers would realize was a house drummer for a season at Ronnie Scotts and used this very snare) for just £45. So I can't say no to that, and will get some more shells made up from Dave Carrera and I saw a few people using longer tension rods to make it a 5" (but I was advised not to go any larger than 5" deep with tension rods as it puts an unnecessary amount of stress on the lug posts. And I can easily get old of a rock maple shell from carrera for around £52 meaning instead of splashing out £355+ on the maple free floater I can pretty much get one for £97 which isn't bad methinks. I just think this is an offer I shouldn't let slip past. And I have seen that with the ability to change shells and depths this truly is one of the most versatile snares out there. And I am still very happy with my custom brady/dixon era cherry snare that surprises me every time I strike it. Anyone else agree that this is something I cant let go of?
 
StaggerLee said:
Well, great news :) I just got offered a pearl free floating piccolo snare used by my tutor Daniel Dolman (who the keen drummers would realize was a house drummer for a season at Ronnie Scotts and used this very snare) for just £45. So I can't say no to that, and will get some more shells made up from Dave Carrera and I saw a few people using longer tension rods to make it a 5" (but I was advised not to go any larger than 5" deep with tension rods as it puts an unnecessary amount of stress on the lug posts. And I can easily get old of a rock maple shell from carrera for around £52 meaning instead of splashing out £355+ on the maple free floater I can pretty much get one for £97 which isn't bad methinks. I just think this is an offer I shouldn't let slip past. And I have seen that with the ability to change shells and depths this truly is one of the most versatile snares out there. And I am still very happy with my custom brady/dixon era cherry snare that surprises me every time I strike it. Anyone else agree that this is something I cant let go of?
Click to expand...

Sounds like an excellent score for an excellent price.
 
That's a good price.. but if you are looking for an 'all rounder' I'd go for a deeper shell either 5 or 61/4". I find piccolos don't have a lot of bottom end but have a good ear piercing crack.. which in some cases can make your guitar player want to throw a heavy object at you!
After playing with various 13"x61/4 configurations for the past couple of years (Maple and Fiberglass) I'm thinking of heading back to 6/14x14" shell sizes.. you get the depth and bottom end and also get a much better crack when using the cross-stick (rim-click).
 
moxman said:
That's a good price.. but if you are looking for an 'all rounder' I'd go for a deeper shell either 5 or 61/4". I find piccolos don't have a lot of bottom end but have a good ear piercing crack.. which in some cases can make your guitar player want to throw a heavy object at you!
After playing with various 13"x61/4 configurations for the past couple of years (Maple and Fiberglass) I'm thinking of heading back to 6/14x14" shell sizes.. you get the depth and bottom end and also get a much better crack when using the cross-stick (rim-click).
Click to expand...


I intend to get the adaptions needed to switch shell sizes to 5" but not having much luck finding the help I need at the moment which is a shame :/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top