Metal or Wood?

Like most here, I have several snares, 33 total, including 13 metal snares. I’ve bounced back and forth over the years as to which I prefer. I have metal snares that sound like wooden drums, wood drums that you’d believe to be metal, and others that are unmistakably wood or metal according to form. At the end of the day, I prefer variety. I rotate through my drums regularly to give them some love and fortunately, my current band plays a variety of material from Miranda Lambert to Paramore, and everything in between so there are few snares that don’t work in that situation.
 
I can apparently "crisp up/cool down" my snare drums with different reso heads, it seems like different thickness heads change the response.sound of the wires. I could be imagining things, but I think I can hear a difference.
No, sounds pretty plausible to me - and of course changing the snare wires would have a further effect, were you to do that. But I'd guess it's a matter of degree. I'm married to my metals!
 
If I was on the fence between a wood or metal snare, there are two materials that sit sonically in-between wood and steel: 1) bronze and 2) bamboo. I'd give the nod to bronze.

Honestly I like both wood and metal. That being said roughly one third of my snares are metal, two thirds are wood.
 
I'm a bit scattered when it comes to what I like, depending on what I want to hear in that moment. Do I want the dry, crisp sound of a 14x5 Supraphonic, or the complex ringing of a 14x6.5 Black Beauty? Do I want the projection of a Pork Pie maple 14x5.5, or do I want to hear the body of an Allegra maple 14x7, or even the depth of warm tone from a Leedy 14x10, 3 ply with mahogany interior?

Recently, I've really been favoring the Pork Pie maple. Whatever I put into it, I get out of it--it's nice and dry and snappy when played in the middle, and playing off center yields a satisfying wood ring, rich in overtones and full-bodied.

TL;DR...variety is the spice of life!
 
I’ve come to prefer metal snares, in particular, brass. I’ve got three wood snares, Maple, Bubinga and Walnut, and for metal snares, Bronze, Copper, and a couple of Brass ones.
 
Last edited:
Wood. My first kit was a Pearl Export and came with a steel snare drum, but as the years progressed i was more drawn towards the sound of a wooden snare drum on recordings. Eventually i bought my first wood snare (Osan 14x4" Maple) in 2002ish and used that as an aux snare before using it as my main snare for a while. Got another maple 14x5" snare around 2004 or 2005 (can't remember) from Osan too and that was my main snare for the next decade or so. There is just something about the sound of a wood snare, that "pop" you can't get from a metal snare without added "ring".
Did play a Ludwig Supralite 14x5" 3 years back or so and i was really tempted to get one, but i think i would reverted back to my current main snare eventually because (up untill now) that's just the snare drum for me.
My current snare is the Pearl Ltd Edition Kapur 14x6.5" and is my main snare since i got it in 2013. Also have Vision 14x5.5" which is 'meh', but that is/was the snare i took to gigs on bars etc. where i wasn't sure my gear would be handled nicely or could get stolen etc.
There is just something about the sound of a wood snare, that "pop" you can't get from a metal snare without added "ring".
Exactly what you said!!! I feel the same....but I was just going to post the name kind of question and found this thread and I have few questions/remarks:
1) I realized a lot of you have only 3/4 snares while I was thinking that you all have 20/30 + more snare...Well, maybe my reference with my friend make me a bit biased because he has 35 snares...
2) I have a metal snare, Chrome over Steel that was wrapped to match the kit, I don't ear the extra ring that I don't like with metal snare, is it the warp?
3) Is there is one metal snare that I Should try being a "wood snare guy", it should be a copper right? Or Bronze? I still cannot remember which one is the woodiest metal?
 
  • Like
Reactions: iCe
Spun or cast does not affect the sound at all, so, whichever Aluminium snare you get will work fine.
 
Spun or cast does not affect the sound at all, so, whichever Aluminium snare you get will work fine.
Rolled (supra/acro) vs cast (dw/noble & cooley) is what I was talking about.

And that makes a huge difference, as I have noticed after owning many over the past years.

Besides sound, there is also the feel facfor.

For that reason alone, I would never get a rolled model anytime soon.
 
Yeah, an N&B alloy vs an Acro is quite sound different....the the N&C weighs double and twice as thick so it should. At low volume, dry and crispy so maybe can't hear it as much. But an Acro honks like a goose if you pop it, definitely doesn't a resemble a wood drum. N&C had a much warmer/darker undertone to my ear.

But how much the process effects the sound, I have no idea. I don't know anyone casting thin shells or rolling thick shells to A/B it properly...it probably doesn't matter since the the process is producing very different shells.
 
3 snares: birch/eucalyptus, maple, and aluminum.
The aluminum is on the stand currently.
 
Like most here, I have several snares, 33 total, including 13 metal snares. I’ve bounced back and forth over the years as to which I prefer. I have metal snares that sound like wooden drums, wood drums that you’d believe to be metal, and others that are unmistakably wood or metal according to form. At the end of the day, I prefer variety. I rotate through my drums regularly to give them some love and fortunately, my current band plays a variety of material from Miranda Lambert to Paramore, and everything in between so there are few snares that don’t work in that situation.
I think your idea of "several" is different from most of us! 33?? I have like 4. 😳
 
I have no metal snares left. I gave them all away.

I like metal. But I'll pick the wood snare every time.

I rotate between my Guru snares.

Today I wasn't feeling the maple so the walnut went up

I'm down to about 8 snares, but 3 aren't Guru so it sucks to be them
 
Last edited:
Both. My steambent maple is still the daddy snare of the lot but I have 6 snares that are in the gigging roster and all sound great.

Recording is a different beast, Supras really come out to play and an Acrolite can sound very woody
 
While most of the snares I've owned have been metal, a good wood snare is also hard to beat (and I own one of the best in the world, a Guru 7x13 walnut stave). My general rule of thumb is that the snare must sound good; I couldn't care less what it's made of so long as it does.
 
Back
Top