design your signature snare

braincramp

Gold Member
Say you just got endorsed by one of the big drum manufactures and they ask you to design your signature snare,,what would you do shell,size,rims ect...spare no expense!

since I cant decide between metal or wood (today) mine would be a 3 piece 14" x 7.5" hybrid 3.5" - 1/4" steambent hi-gloss finished mahogany middle with 2" matte aluminum 1/4" cast top and bottom (think dw edge type shell) with black tube lugs and black cast hoops,30 strand german wires..trick type throw with 3 position butt, evans HD dry top and hazy 300 bottom and built in muffler..
 
I actually did design a snare with a company a few years back.
Though it's not my primary snare, I use it often, and it is truly one of a kind.

7" x 14" 9ply Maple.
Double 45 degree baring edges.
White Marine Pearl wrap.
Long Tube Lugs.
Die Cast Hoops.

I use a 7" x 14" Brass most often, and I think if I designed an authentic "signature" snare it would resemble that.
 
I'd like to get Noble and Cooley to build me a steambent solid shell cherry 6x14 with 45 degree bearing edges, polished nickel over brass hardware and hoops.
Finished with a lustrous amber stain over the cherry grain.
 
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I already have it, but I did not design it....so I would copy it and have my own look to it.

The drum is the dw Snakes & Arrows snare...it has the exact snare tone I've had in my head. It's one of a fairly large collection of snares I have....many of which are really great sounding snares, but the S&A just has the sound man....

Probably makes sense since I've been listening to that particular band for 35 years or so

If I could design two, I would do a bell brass variant.
 
I have my creation

A DW 10 ply maple, with 6 ply rings, but retrofitted with a simple Ludwig strainer and a die cast hoop on top. After buying that, and making the retrofits, I just never felt a need to buy other snare drums. I intended to one day have a snare collection, but I just never felt like this snare ever needed to be subbed out.

I suppose if they were going to make me one for free, I'd take a sold shell version over a ply version.
 
I haven't played many different kinds of snare drums (steel, maple, birch, and aluminum), so I can't make a decision on what material would be the best for me. I really like the Gladstone strainer on my Pearl Chad Smith snare, so It would definitely have one of those.
 
I'd like a 7x14 DW Edge with mahogany in the middle and bronze rings on the edges and bronze hoops!
 
13x8 sand-cast brass, all black hardware, die cast hoops, trick throw-off, full length tube lugs,

the opposite colour scheme as that of the steel snare I built myself.

150781_10150785899162063_2107467849_n.jpg
 
Already have mine. Bellwether walnut stave with holly keys. Chrome over brass rims 14x6.5
Custom trick throw

1264509_582073751852909_896823280_o.jpg
 
I don't really know what I would have to spec to get this but I would ask sed company for snare with:

The warmth of a steambent mahogany shell at low tunings
The dry ring of a supra at medium tunings
The rich crack of a brass shell with diecast hoops at high tunings.

Any snare that can do all that = my favorite snare.

That snare is gorgeous Top Hat!!
 
I don't really know what I would have to spec to get this but I would ask sed company for snare with:

The warmth of a steambent mahogany shell at low tunings
The dry ring of a supra at medium tunings
The rich crack of a brass shell with diecast hoops at high tunings.

Any snare that can do all that = my favorite snare.

That snare is gorgeous Top Hat!!

Sign me up for one too... I would say a LM402 or even a 400 is probably the closest you find to get all this from one drum.
 
Already have mine. Bellwether walnut stave with holly keys. Chrome over brass rims 14x6.5
Custom trick throw

1264509_582073751852909_896823280_o.jpg

That's nice, those look like leather gaskets under the lugs. very detailed.
 
It might be boring but I like my tube lugs. I think Brady has the right idea with the trick throw off and the enlarged round bits on the tube lugs. I love the sound of the block shell but I don't really like the color of the jarrah wood, or many other plain looking natural wood finishes.. I like veneers like black heart for example. Or some of the finishes in the Spaun snare gallery.. Black and white twists for example.

It would be a 14 and I think I'd rather a 5.5 or 6" depth drum since I've realized I don't love deep drums.

And all that said I might prefer metal.

Can't wait for my aluminum starphonic to arrive.
 
The Brady badge alone, to me, is worth the price of the drum...of course I'm exaggerating a little, but they certainly are awesome badges and beautiful drums.

Also, that Bellwether snare shown here is awesome...I would love to *hear* that; the picture is pretty dern clear and well shot also....I find the wood bits on the the throw to look a little out of place.

Also,I noticed on the Bellwether there looks to be copper washers seated with steel washers under each tension rod's crown...and I wonder if there is a little bit of dissimilar metals theory at work there to keep the rod from slipping.....ie there can be corrosion of sorts between dissimilar metals, and it would surely add some friction to prevent slippage
 
They are indeed leather gaskets. The hoops are chrome over brass and the washers I think are copper. Tony is a fine craftsman and old car restoration guru, I'm fairly certain I won't have any corrosion issues. I know it was a thought out choice because he normally does rubber but he didn't on mine because he didn't want to dampen out the brass rims in a minute way.

As to the wood touches on the throw I agree in pics they are a little out of place but in real life it looks great. I had wanted a red cocobolo but we decided it might be a little garish and when with the striped black wood I believe it is.
 
They are indeed leather gaskets. The hoops are chrome over brass and the washers I think are copper. Tony is a fine craftsman and old car restoration guru, I'm fairly certain I won't have any corrosion issues. I know it was a thought out choice because he normally does rubber but he didn't on mine because he didn't want to dampen out the brass rims in a minute way.

As to the wood touches on the throw I agree in pics they are a little out of place but in real life it looks great. I had wanted a red cocobolo but we decided it might be a little garish and when with the striped black wood I believe it is.

It's a fantastic drum....I did not mean to imply some sort of bad corrosion, sorry. In the pic it looks like there are two washers under the rod , a steel and copper....the copper is probably softer than the steel and will provide some small form of compression....with some dissimilar metals, when they meet together they react...and that's what I was alluding to.it would cause a bit of friction which would prohibit tuning rod slippage....don't know if that is the case here tho.
 
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