IBitePrettyHard
Senior Member
Ever since I played the Ludwig Supralite 13x6 at Guitar Center some months ago, it's been eating away at my brain. I already have the 14x6.5" version (which is fantastic), so I didn't really "need" it per se. But it sounds so dang good that I couldn't resist any longer.
The snap, crackle, and pop is just awesome. It's bright, but not brash. It has plenty of low end and throatiness too. The note is clean and articulate and it has an attack that will cut through almost anything. There are no harsh overtones...which is a big deal to me. I want it to sound pleasing enough even without muffling.
The rimshots are to die for. They sound sooooo good when you hit them just right.
It can have an aggressive bite if you want it to, but with the right heads, muffling, and playing technique, it can also sound quite tame and respectable. It's quite a versatile drum for a steel shell. Believe it or not, it feels similar to play to my Sonor Benny Greb signature 13x5.75, albeit with a little more volume and zing.
If you like a bright (but throaty) crack/pop, this is the snare for you. If you like a fuzzy Don Henley sound.........you can still get that too! I used my Big Fat Snare Drum "Steve's Donut", and it sounds perfect. The combination of steel Supralites + BFSD muffling is a fantastic combo that nobody seems to be talking about. It lowers the pitch and makes it thuddier, but the steel still has some crack to it...whereas other snares may completely lose their crack when using a BFSD.
Without the BFSD, some might find this snare to be too lively and crisp, and not fuzzy, thuddy, or round enough. But hey, it's a 13" snare. There are plenty of 14s for that!
I put a Remo Vintage Ambassador on instead of a regular Ambassador because it has the 2 thin plies (7.5-mil and 3-mil) that control the overtones a little more without feeling like an Emperor head. Plus the Vintage Ambassador was about $7 cheaper at GC for some reason.
I put it through a full practice with my rock cover band and my blues band. It fit in very well with the rock band despite its 13" size. For the blues band, I found It tames very nicely for low to medium volumes. I knew there was a chance it would be too raucous for quieter genres, but it's still very manageable. I'm not sure I'd use it for jazz, because it may be too zingy, although perhaps putting a Fiberskyn on it would make it sound perfect.
It appears that Ludwig may have discontinued this 13x6" model, but Guitar Center and eBay still have some for sale.
The newer Supralites come with the upgraded P88 throw-off and P35 butt plate. I'm a big fan! The P88 is silky smooth and the wires do not loosen while playing. It's the same throw-off that comes on the Black Beauty and Supraphonic!
I know I know, the Supralite may have a stigma surrounding it because it's so cheap, and it may not look as visually appealing to some of you. But believe me, in a blind taste test with other steel snares costing $600 and $1200, the Supralites would surprise a lot of people. I would even argue they would clean house. I think they are the best sounding steel snares that exist. I will die on that hill!
I love this thing!
The snap, crackle, and pop is just awesome. It's bright, but not brash. It has plenty of low end and throatiness too. The note is clean and articulate and it has an attack that will cut through almost anything. There are no harsh overtones...which is a big deal to me. I want it to sound pleasing enough even without muffling.
The rimshots are to die for. They sound sooooo good when you hit them just right.
It can have an aggressive bite if you want it to, but with the right heads, muffling, and playing technique, it can also sound quite tame and respectable. It's quite a versatile drum for a steel shell. Believe it or not, it feels similar to play to my Sonor Benny Greb signature 13x5.75, albeit with a little more volume and zing.
If you like a bright (but throaty) crack/pop, this is the snare for you. If you like a fuzzy Don Henley sound.........you can still get that too! I used my Big Fat Snare Drum "Steve's Donut", and it sounds perfect. The combination of steel Supralites + BFSD muffling is a fantastic combo that nobody seems to be talking about. It lowers the pitch and makes it thuddier, but the steel still has some crack to it...whereas other snares may completely lose their crack when using a BFSD.
Without the BFSD, some might find this snare to be too lively and crisp, and not fuzzy, thuddy, or round enough. But hey, it's a 13" snare. There are plenty of 14s for that!
I put a Remo Vintage Ambassador on instead of a regular Ambassador because it has the 2 thin plies (7.5-mil and 3-mil) that control the overtones a little more without feeling like an Emperor head. Plus the Vintage Ambassador was about $7 cheaper at GC for some reason.
I put it through a full practice with my rock cover band and my blues band. It fit in very well with the rock band despite its 13" size. For the blues band, I found It tames very nicely for low to medium volumes. I knew there was a chance it would be too raucous for quieter genres, but it's still very manageable. I'm not sure I'd use it for jazz, because it may be too zingy, although perhaps putting a Fiberskyn on it would make it sound perfect.
It appears that Ludwig may have discontinued this 13x6" model, but Guitar Center and eBay still have some for sale.
The newer Supralites come with the upgraded P88 throw-off and P35 butt plate. I'm a big fan! The P88 is silky smooth and the wires do not loosen while playing. It's the same throw-off that comes on the Black Beauty and Supraphonic!
I know I know, the Supralite may have a stigma surrounding it because it's so cheap, and it may not look as visually appealing to some of you. But believe me, in a blind taste test with other steel snares costing $600 and $1200, the Supralites would surprise a lot of people. I would even argue they would clean house. I think they are the best sounding steel snares that exist. I will die on that hill!
I love this thing!
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