Snare rack or cases?

Cherokee40

New Member
There was just a post in the alert thread about a snare rack on sale, and I’ve seen a lot of you post pictures of snare racks or display cases of some kind. I may be the exception, but I try to keep my snares cased up and ready to go. Plus, I feel like in most cases that’s the best protection for them so they don’t get dirty/dusty, oxidized, etc. I recently bought a snare from someone I was really excited about and it was obvious to me when I got it that it had been sitting on a rack in one position for awhile, as the top panels were corroded from moisture of some kind.

What’s your storage solution? Why (if you care to share)?
 
I use an IKEA shelf as a snare rack. It was inexpensive and works perfectly. I bought it in late 2020 for about $100 CDN.

My intention is to use some kind of separator between drums (Plexiglas sheets maybe) so that I can store 8-10 snares per rack. That's more than enough for me.

20201009_220324 (1).jpg
 
Last edited:
Because I only have 3, mine are cased 99% of the time. The only one out is the 10" Gretsch side snare that's to my left most gigs.
Nice ideas here for sure!
 
Primarily use display shelves. The same long-discontinued Ikea ones as Todd Sucherman uses for his impressive collection. My collection is nowhere near the size of his, but I do appreciate the ease of access for snare drums. All my snares are tuned up and ready to go at a moments notice. I have cases for about 75% of my collection, (which sits around 15 snares at the moment, I think?) but even for recording sessions, I’ve never bought more than 4 snares at a time. All of my spare cases are on a shelving unit that is maybe 5 feet away just inside an adjacent room, so I can case up almost any snare in my collection in less than 15 seconds and head out the door.

My display cases are in my meticulously controlled basement in terms of temperature and especially humidity year-round so I don’t have issues with oxidation or corrosion. Dust? Well…I’ve learned that depending on what type of case or bag you use, snares get dustier in those things than the do just out in the open, at least in my house. Ahead bags are notorious for leaving dust all over your drums. The same can be said for padded SKB cases, just to a lesser extent.

Prior to owning those Ikea shelves, I did just leave my snare drums cased/bagged up. But then I realized that I had no idea which snare was in which case, so then I tagged them all, to make it faster to access whichever snare I wanted on that particular day. Only after I bought those Ikea shelves did I realize that it was much easier to cycle through my collection and keep tabs on everything in a much easier and timely manner. Snares in cases tended to not get used as frequently. Out of sight, out of mind thing, at least for me.

(Don’t have any pictures of my display shelves at the moment. Sorry.)
 
I store up to six snare drums—in their bags—on a drum Proline rack I bought from GC online. Here's a pic, but I removed the snare bags for the photo:

View attachment 108029

I've bought/sold a few snares since this pic was taken. Here's a link to the rack (currently on sale with free shipping!):

This is all fine and dandy, but the lugs don't precisely align...how can you sleep at night?

just kidding, that is an awesome collection!
 
This is all fine and dandy, but the lugs don't precisely align...how can you sleep at night?

just kidding, that is an awesome collection!
Thanks! I need to update the pic. The Tama Star 15”x8” maple and the Starphonic bubinga has been sold. In their place is a Tama Star Reserve 14”x5” single-ply maple and a Tama Star Reserve 14”x6.5” hand-hammered brass snare.

I’ve mentioned this before: I use the rack to limit the number of snares I own. Otherwise I’d never make a confident decision on which to play. My thinking is to have a variety of sounds available to me without getting overwhelmed.
 
Here's my low tech solution
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5931.JPG
    IMG_5931.JPG
    534.1 KB · Views: 9
I may be the exception, but I try to keep my snares cased up and ready to go. Plus, I feel like in most cases that’s the best protection for them so they don’t get dirty/dusty, oxidized, etc.

Same here, and they store more compactly in cases. I have a lot of snares and that makes a difference.
 
Tama Star Reserve 15”x8” maple.
Which has been sold a while ago to a guy Who's very happy with!!! Ouos, sorry, didn't see you were saying that it was sold few post later, I really need to go to bed now!!!
 
Last edited:
🤯

I recommend 1” foam padding or even bubble wrap between the drums.
I'd be worried that the rims would get stuck to foam or plastic if left too long... I might cut out some corrugated paper or cardboard to create separation.
 
I'd be worried that the rims would get stuck to foam or plastic if left too long... I might cut out some corrugated paper or cardboard to create separation.
Plastic is probably not an issue, but foam, definitely. The lugs need to be protected as well, maybe place the snare inside a plastic bag?
 
I'd be worried that the rims would get stuck to foam or plastic if left too long... I might cut out some corrugated paper or cardboard to create separation.
I suggest acid-free foamcore from Hobby Lobby or Michael’s Art Supply. The acid in cardboard will stain things like wood and drum heads.

But anything to avoid abrasion on the hoops!
 
Back
Top