Rattlin' Bones
Gold Member
When did Premier stop using slotted tension rods? I see a late 70's Premier snare for sale with slotted tension rods. Did they use them through the 70's?
Yeah that's what I thought. The snare I'm looking at on Reverb is around '77 and is an aluminum shell Resonator with inner shell of wood. Fairly rare drum.I thought it was late '60s, I think '70s Premier are almost always regular tension rods. 1968 seems to be the transition year, but I'm only a Premier fan and not an expert.
From some reading I've done (and I don't know how accurate it is) ...... around 77/78 ..... they came out with the first 10 lug drum (snare) the model 35. And that used square headed tension rods. I had an 80's Baron kit (no snare) and all the toms had slotted tension rods. So ..... unless you're looking at a 35 snare ...... slotted sounds correct.When did Premier stop using slotted tension rods? I see a late 70's Premier snare for sale with slotted tension rods. Did they use them through the 70's?
I know the first snares with 'normal' tension rods were the 35 and 36 aluminium drums. Early-mid 70's seems about right. The 76 catalog has normal tension rods.I’ve got early 70’s in my head; any thoughts @mpthomson ?!
Unless you've heard one and like them I'd be a bit wary. The design innovation isn't lived up to by the sound IMHO and a standard HiFi is a much better drum.Yeah that's what I thought. The snare I'm looking at on Reverb is around '77 and is an aluminum shell Resonator with inner shell of wood. Fairly rare drum.
Interesting thing is, I think they may have been standard HiFi aluminum snares with the wood internal "resonator" insert, but the insert can be removed maybe? Thus you have a standard HiFi if you remove it?Unless you've heard one and like them I'd be a bit wary. The design innovation isn't lived up to by the sound IMHO and a standard HiFi is a much better drum.
Yes, in the same way that a Resonator becomes an Elite (or Projector in later life) in shell terms once the liner is taken out. Worth noting that a few Premier Resonator endorsers took the linings out as they felt they sounded better and I've always preferred Projectors to Resonators in sound terms but horses for courses and all that.Interesting thing is, I think they may have been standard HiFi aluminum snares with the wood internal "resonator" insert, but the insert can be removed maybe? Thus you have a standard HiFi if you remove it?
That would require swapping the inserts too as those Sonor tension rods are slightly wider in diameter than the standard square head ones. When the SQ2 was introduced 'normal' rods were standard but you can still order slot head rods for them in a new design that is identical in dimensions to the square headed ones should you wish to.Was the slotted head rod a European thing? Sonor did the same thing. They must’ve loved the flathead screwdriver over there. The Steve Smith Signature Kit has slotted rods. That’d be the first thing I’d swap out.
I guess I’m too American because I don’t get the slots. Another thing I don’t get is the DW “more threads than you need” rods. They’re basically making every one of their customers buy a cordless drill to change heads.That would require swapping the inserts too as those Sonor tension rods are slightly wider in diameter than the standard square head ones. When the SQ2 was introduced 'normal' rods were standard but you can still order slot head rods for them in a new design that is identical in dimensions to the square headed ones should you wish to.
It's something many Sonor purists get excited about. I like the slot heads but not to the point that I'd order them specifically if I ever ordered an SQ2.
I didn't mind it when they came out with those... nearly 20 years ago, was it? But fairly recently they've increased the thread count *again*. Point of diminishing returns...?Another thing I don’t get is the DW “more threads than you need” rods. They’re basically making every one of their customers buy a cordless drill to change heads.
Heaven forbid we couldn’t already tune drums with the original thread count....I didn't mind it when they came out with those... nearly 20 years ago, was it? But fairly recently they've increased the thread count *again*. Point of diminishing returns...?
I found that they work as advertised- more precise fine-tuning, which was a solution looking for a problem- but they do hold tension better.Heaven forbid we couldn’t already tune drums with the original thread count....
I still say they’re a PITA.I found that they work as advertised- more precise fine-tuning, which was a solution looking for a problem- but they do hold tension better.