Worst expensive snare you've ever owned?

Ha - so interestingly, this has been my only snare for ages. I got it when I was playing actively in a relatively quiet anti-folk band, just before I pretty much stopped playing. Since I've started playing again, mostly in pub-cover bands, so generally louder, both these things are happening to me - the metal separates from the wooden hoop, and the snares just loosen!

Annoying, as I really like the sound of it, but it's a real liability to gig with. Those hoops are still sold by Dunnett for $150 which seems insane. I'm tempted to just get some triple-flange/die-cast hoops and some thread-lock, but more tempted by a new snare...

Definitely don't buy another of those Dunnett hoops. The second one I got under warranty seemed as bad, if not worse, than the first one. I just didn't keep it long enough for it to start splitting.

I'd just sell it and move on, if I were you. Too many great snares out there to deal with a dud. But if you must keep it, while I'm partial to diecast hoops, I don't think it'd be worth the expense to get into one for that snare.

I've been tempted by these stick saver style hoops from Drum Factory Direct, but I don't have need for new hoops on any of my drums. It could work well on yours if you decide to keep it.
 
So you go to the store or find a used sale, bang on the drum, tune it up and down, sounds nice, price is right, good condition... and then..... remove a lug to check?

I have to wonder how many, and how often drummers are taking all their drums apart, turning all their screws, stripping all bolts, tightening their tension rods down to all hell and back...enough to wreck bolts and split lugs on a snare or kit so frequently?

Just post a pic of the drum here on DRUMMERWORLD, we'll tell ou if the lugs are pot metal, or not.

The OPs question is 'Worst 'expensive' snare drum....' Why would anyone buy an 'expensive' snare drum with pot metal lugs? Only because they don't know any better. Cheap snare drums have pot metal lugs.





How can you tell if a lug is made out of pot metal?
Post a pic, we'll tell you. Someday you'll get good enough at identifying yourself, or one can.



I'm curious about the breaking lugs. Are y'all referring to the swivel nut breaking because of too much tension on the head, or the screws inside the drum that holds the lug itself on the shell? I've broken a few swivel nuts on a snare, but never the screws inside the drum. Or does the lug itself give up the goat?

Actual lug casing fails, usually at the mounting screw insert points. We've covered this topic many times here on the forum. Simply put, quality drums do not have pot metal lugs.






I've actually seen snares so over-tightened on drums where the metal on the lug itself was actually starting to rend and tear. Granted, those lugs were "pot metal" but at the same time, they were never intended to hold under that kind of stress.

I've never understood why some drummers think they need to over-tighten the heck out of everything. I backlined my kit once (and only once - never again) at a show, and some jerk over-tightened my favorite snare stand to the point where the threads started to strip. It was only a Pearl 800 series snare stand, but I've had it a long time - it was the first piece of hardware I owned that wasn't base/entry level. Those threads finally gave it up earlier year, but I managed to repair it by swapping that tightening collar with one that came from an 800 series cymbal stand I wasn't using.


Who are you to set the torque standards for drum gear anyway? You can't expect people to finger tighten hardware, or not tighten snare drums down, you can design for it to happen tho. TAMA got smart, put steel inserts into their stands, YAMAHA has had steel inserts for a long time.
 
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