16, 20, 30, 42????

[CommanderRoss]

I'm building a "snom" from an old Pearl Export 14x14" floor tom. All the hardware is in place & all I need are the wires.
I had one of those RhythmTech Active snare wires in a drawer, but they're crap.
So I'm curious as to what youse all think are a good set for a drum like this?

What's the advantages of a larger count set over the smaller ones?

 

[MrInsanePolack]

I'm building a "snom" from an old Pearl Export 14x14" floor tom. All the hardware is in place & all I need are the wires.
I had one of those RhythmTech Active snare wires in a drawer, but they're crap.
So I'm curious as to what youse all think are a good set for a drum like this?

What's the advantages of a larger count set over the smaller ones?

I'm just thinking out loud here, but wouldnt a higher strand count be better for a deep drum? My thinking is a tight headed shallow snare transfers impact energy more directly than a looser tuned deep drum. However, if the reso head is loose also a big wire count might sympathetically buzz more than a small wire count.

Obviously I have no idea as I just thought myself into a circle.

One thing I know for sure is those Rhythm Tech Active Snares are horrible. I felt like a sucker after I bought and tried one.

 

[Winston_Wolf]

I used 12-strand wires on both my 8" and 10" deep snares. More wires will give you a more wire-forward sound, but that may be more than you actually want on a deeper drum.

If unsure start with a 20-strand and see what you think.

 

[J-W]

Have you given the RhythmTech Active Snare mechanism a try on that snom? They're similar to the Dynasonic system where there is no snare bed so it might actually work well in your situation. It might be worth a try since you already own one.
I actually had good luck with one on a coliseum snare making it more sensitive than I could ever get it with any traditional wires (and I tried a lot). The trick is to not overtighten the strainer mechanism otherwise it will choke the drum pretty quickly.

 

[calan]

I was really hoping the topic title was kit drum sizes.

 

[CommanderRoss]

Have you given the RhythmTech Active Snare mechanism a try on that snom?

I have a set & did. They just didn't get the sound I was after and since you can't adjust the tension on them against the head, the sound was always sloppy. It just never sounded right.
This is why I was curious if a larger number wire set would give me the sound I needed. I might create another thread on snoms & see if anyone else has had these struggles.

I was really hoping the topic title was kit drum sizes.

Oh, I'm sure there are many threads on that topic.

 

[ToneT]

I'm building a "snom" from an old Pearl Export 14x14" floor tom. All the hardware is in place & all I need are the wires.
I had one of those RhythmTech Active snare wires in a drawer, but they're crap.
So I'm curious as to what youse all think are a good set for a drum like this?

What's the advantages of a larger count set over the smaller ones?

Did you put in a snare bed on that bad boy?

 

[CommanderRoss]

Did you put in a snare bed on that bad boy?

Oh yes!
I had a Gretsch snare that didn't have one & it was really flat sounding. It was my guinea pig in learning how to cut them and get the curve accurate.
I've gotten pretty good since then at getting the curve right to have the snares work well.
The trick is tuning it for a good floor tom sound with the wires off & a good snare sound with them on.

 

[someguy01]

I'm building a "snom" from an old Pearl Export 14x14" floor tom. All the hardware is in place & all I need are the wires.
I had one of those RhythmTech Active snare wires in a drawer, but they're crap.
So I'm curious as to what youse all think are a good set for a drum like this?

What's the advantages of a larger count set over the smaller ones?

This may be a little dumb, but why not try to get the snare wires that Tama uses on their snom or the wires DW uses on theirs? I should think that would be a great starting point at the very least.

 

[CommanderRoss]

This may be a little dumb, but why not try to get the snare wires that Tama uses on their snom or the wires DW uses on theirs? I should think that would be a great starting point at the very least.

Not dumb at all, it's a good point.
This is my first snom, so I'm sorta going at it based on what I know works on snare drums & applying it to this.
If it sounds good, I'll roll with it.

 

[ToneT]

I'd probably start with your standard 20-strand wires.
I assume the bottom head is tuned a bit higher.

 

[ToneT]

I used 12-strand wires on both my 8" and 10" deep snares. More wires will give you a more wire-forward sound, but that may be more than you actually want on a deeper drum.

If unsure start with a 20-strand and see what you think.

I recently put on Gibraltar 16-strand wires on one of my DW BNOB 8x14s and the improvement was so pleasing! More treble from the wires, more snap. An improvement over the DW wires.

 

[NouveauCliche]

I'm building a "snom" from an old Pearl Export 14x14" floor tom. All the hardware is in place & all I need are the wires.
I had one of those RhythmTech Active snare wires in a drawer, but they're crap.
So I'm curious as to what youse all think are a good set for a drum like this?

What's the advantages of a larger count set over the smaller ones?

I was really hoping to see a set here with a 42" bass drum then 16", 20" and 30" toms.

 

[someguy01]

I was really hoping to see a set here with a 42" bass drum then 16", 20" and 30" toms.

 

[CommanderRoss]

I would bring that to as many gigs as I could haul it to. Just to see the look on the Front of House guy's face as he figures out how to mic & mix it.

 

[someguy01]

I would bring that to as many gigs as I could haul it to. Just to see the look on the Front of House guy's face as he figures out how to mic & mix it.

with these sticks

 

[sumdrumguy]

For a snom I would start at 20. On standard, 5 to 6.5 depth snares, I usually cut wires of the snares - from 20 down to 8. On a drum that depth, having the full set of strands makes sense. At least to me

 

[CommanderRoss]

For a snom I would start at 20. On standard, 5 to 6.5 depth snares, I usually cut wires of the snares - from 20 down to 8. On a drum that depth, having the full set of strands makes sense. At least to me

I like the way you think.
I've never thought about trimming the wires for smaller drums. My 14x6 Gretsch is my guinea pig for experimentation & I might go this route just to see what happens.

 

[IBitePrettyHard]

More wires may be better for such a deep drum. 14x14" drums already have a ton of body to them and what they are lacking is focus, don't you think? You may want 30 or 42 wires to rein in the overtones and resonance a little.

 

[sumdrumguy]

I like the way you think.
I've never thought about trimming the wires for smaller drums. My 14x6 Gretsch is my guinea pig for experimentation & I might go this route just to see what happens.

It's worth a try. Cut off the outside strands in pairs, one on each side. Depending on the shell material, I usually cut down to 12 or 8 stands.

*Credit to both Steve Gadd and Gavin Harrison for the idea.