Is this steel snare good or?

Drum Guy

Member
kinda funny - like a lot of us, I have a ton of great snares, all metals, a dozen kinds of wood, most hover around the $800 mark on up - but not yet a steel snare of any kind or price

so, wondered what y'all thought of this thing?

https://reverb.com/item/43485030-premier-steel-shell-snare-drum-14-x-5Is

Is it a student model? (which I don't want?), and if it is student, then what premiere steel snare from the 70's to 2000's is their top of the line? I know nothing about premiere at all...Looking for the best 5x14 steel snare for ska, reggae style

was interested in premiere as it's made in GB and I don't have anything from Britain nor premiere...and steel is the only snare I don't mind how cheap it is providing it's a great sound, which is why I'm not bothered that my link above is a cheapy model.

Or if you have another suggestion for a 5x14 steel I'm all ears! But I'd really like a 4" or 5"x14" only

thanks much folks!
 
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Send the seller a email and ask the person your questions about the snare. ;)
 
Send the seller a email and ask the person your questions about the snare. ;)

you are correct I actually did email the seller, and it was more factual based as far as the condition of the snare rather than its Pedegree and he didn’t really answer my questions re student model etc, he thinks it a pro model but i’m not sure

so before I bought it I thought I would just ask others if they’ve owned one or if this premiere is a good one in terms of the sound quality, build
 
For a good steel snare cheap I'd find a pearl Chad Smith signature.

thanks yes actually I had looked at the Chad Smith signature and there seems to be quite a few for sale on reverb along with a pearl sensitone which I’m really considering strongly as well.

just curious in the first instance of Premier as a contender
 
thanks yes actually I had looked at the Chad Smith signature and there seems to be quite a few for sale on reverb along with a pearl sensitone which I’m really considering strongly as well.

just curious in the first instance of Premier as a contender

 
I don't know enough about Premier to say for sure if it's a student-level drum, though 8 lugs and the extremely basic throw off does make me think it could be. I have a Premier chrome over aluminum snare drum, and the (different) vintage throw off and butt end were pretty awful and I ended up replacing them both to make the drum usable.

If you are looking for a great steel shell snare my first choice would be a Ludwig Supralite. A Yamaha Stage Custom is another good drum at an extremely reasonable price.
 
I just bought a 1970 premier Olympic steel snare. I got it for my son's kit and I really dig it personally. $70 and a reverse dot remo and that baby sings.
I had a 1970s Premier Olympic kit back when I was in high school. I absolutely loved the steel snare.
 
Vintage Premier are the best my friend…just look at that chrome on a 40+ year old drum from the 70’s!! You can spend more money on another steel drum but why would you? You honestly can’t go wrong at that price. I’ve got a 1970’s Prem 2000 COA 14x5 and a 1980’s Prem APK 1006 COS 14x6.5…here’s my COS:

DB3532F7-B365-495D-BF0F-325F651DDF91.jpeg
:D (y)
 
$139 is probably a little high
+1 on this
It is a solid snare, you'd be very happy with the purchase but I'd haggle a little on that price.
 
That same exact snare was also sold under the Olympic name as well. I have seen many in drum shops. The last time I was in 2112 Percussion in Raleigh, they probably had four or five of them with Olympic and Premier badging. $139 is probably a little high for a drum that needs to be cleaned and detailed, but that one doesn't need anything so I would say it is a fair price. That particular drum is from 1978 and everything that they made was very good quality.

Thanks so much for that info that is exactly the kind of insight I need not knowing a single thing about Premier drums

Wow and somehow you know it’s from 78 that’s great thank you so much and thanks to everyone who’s answered …this forum is so helpful
 
I was just driving through Casper this weekend.

That looks like a 1005 CoS which are great snares; and, still with the Everplay reso skin.

My Olympic by Premier is one of my favorite sounding snares in my arsenal, has a great distinctive pop.
For my snare, unless I have to, I will not change the Everplays for fear of losing the sound.

Agreed you can find them for a little less.
 
I bought one of these recently to go with my 70s Olympic kit. It's a great little workhorse of a snare. From my internet research, seems like anyone who's ever played one loves 'em. Yes, it was basically a student model, and exactly like the Olympic-badged version, but it looks great and sounds amazing. There's a good reason that Premier was able to sell this drum over 3 decades.

On the price, $139 is about what you find this drum in this condition go for. That's exactly what I paid. Yes, you can find it cheaper if you look, but a lot of them have scratches and corrosion. On the other hand, I've seen some deluded selllers asking up to $500 for it. But for one in this clean condition, I'd happily go the asking price. That said, it never hurts to make an offer!

Personally, I'd rather have a clean 40-year old classic drum like Premier over the other choices that have been suggested. It just has that vintage British cachet!

One last thing: the throwoff is a little inadequate. I don't like that you have to tie the wires with string, and once done you can't adjust it without re-tieing. So I replaced the throwoff and butt with an INDE combo. It's adjustable and will fit the mounting holes perfectly. It's also a really cool, lightweight design that perfectly complements the drum. So factor in that extra $60 into your purchase price.
 

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One last thing: the throwoff is a little inadequate. I don't like that you have to tie the wires with string, and once done you can't adjust it without re-tieing. So I replaced the throwoff and butt with an INDE combo. It's adjustable and will fit the mounting holes perfectly. It's also a really cool, lightweight design that perfectly complements the drum. So factor in that extra $60 into your purchase price.

very helpful thanks!
 
Looking for the best 5x14 steel snare for ska, reggae style

Even though this is outside of the parameters you are looking for, I'd suggest a Pearl Steel Piccolo 13 x 3. You don't have to really crank it down to get that "pop" sound for ska and reggae. They can be pretty plentiful and cheap.
 
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