Wait, so if I want the LM402 I have to like John Bonham and also want to sound exactly like him? I thought the Supraphonic was a versatile drum.
This guy’s a little silly but he really nails the sound of a Bonham snare
If this isn’t the sound of the perfect snare drum to you then the 402 is not for you.
Exchange it for another Supra that isn't faulty. Don't replace it with a different make/model...none will sound as good as a Supra!Well I can tell you it does NOT sound like the Supra in YouTube videos and recordings. I have had a lot of success tuning other snares (like the Dave Weckl signature I mentioned before) but this one is just bugging me. I might just return it and get a Yamaha snare instead.
I’m going to try changing the snare wires and straps to cords and see what happens. If nothing goes right I’m going to bring it to my drum teacher and let him tune it since I really don’t know what I’m going to do.Exchange it for another Supra that isn't faulty. Don't replace it with a different make/model...none will sound as good as a Supra!
And the Supra IS a versatile drum, arguably the most versatile on the planet. You don't have to tune it like Bonham.
Not true. I play mainly jazz on my LM402, and it is the most musical snare drum I ever used. When I bought it brand new a couple of years ago, it was love at first glance. No hassle to dial in the heads and the wires for a sweet sound. I really like the sound and the texture of Ludwig snare heads, and although there might be better wires out there on the market, I never felt the need to change.If this isn’t the sound of the perfect snare drum to you then the 402 is not for you.
I would suggest you try a coated Emperor on top, with the stock reso.
FWIW, When I first got my Supra I was a little overwhelmed by the overtones, as I had been using wood snares for years. I actually took a while to get used to it.
I think the CS dot head might be making it 'worse' - it may not be damping the ring or overtones, as the extra material is in the centre, not at the edge.
The head combination and tuning you are using on that drum is spot on in my opinion. I have my 1976 402 tuned the same way, the top is about 306, just a hair sharper than yours. I have snare cord and Ludwig 20 strand snare wires on it. It sounds great. The only difference is that you have those tone sucking gaskets under the lug casings. It probably doesn’t affect the problem that you are describing, but that’s the first thing I would have done, removed those, when I got the drum. They inhibit shell resonance and the drum sounds “subdued” when compared to one without the gaskets. Very noticeable difference. I don’t think a Diplomat batter tuned higher is your answer, or changing tuning on the bottom head. You could try changing snare drum wires, but other than that, your drum should sound great. You’ll never get rid of snare buzz completely, but you should be able to play the drum without it being an issue when playing it in a band setting.I'm still wrestling with my Supra. The drum sound is just what I want, but the snares buzz in response to every sound. If I could get the snares under control, I'd be a happy camper.
Can anyone suggest how I could get a relatively subdued snare response while still letting the drum sing? Right now I'm using an ambassador reso tuned to about G4 (392) and a coated emperor tuned to about D4 (294). Should I start by replacing the stock snares, or maybe going with a Diplomat reso and a higher tuning? (If I try to tune the Ambassador any higher, it really chokes up.)
I have a question. What is the “Supraphonic sound”? Because some people say the drum has a very clean but distinct sound with little overtones while others say there’s a particular “ping” sound and some overtones. When I play the drum completely open with a diplomat side and CS coated batter I hear this overtone that kind of sounds like “wewew” or a kind of a “meowing sound” if you could call it that. Is that normal or am I doing something wrong?If all else fails you might want to try one of the Remo Ambassador-weight collarless heads. Because of having no collar they mold to the drum's bearing edge better. I've had a couple of problematic snares that came around when I used these heads on them. I know, this gets expensive after a while but the end result can be so sweet!.
I have a question. What is the “Supraphonic sound”? Because some people say the drum has a very clean but distinct sound with little overtones while others say there’s a particular “ping” sound and some overtones. When I play the drum completely open with a diplomat side and CS coated batter I hear this overtone that kind of sounds like “wewew” or a kind of a “meowing sound” if you could call it that. Is that normal or am I doing something wrong?
Is it because the reso isn’t tuned with itself or the batter? Or both?Describing the Supra sound gets a bit subjective, so this could get a bit weird!
It does have a certain sound, yes. It's clean but it has body, warmth and resonance. A nice balance of brightness and almost woody tone, depending on how you hit it. Clear and dry right in the centre, more overtones as you move out. It kind of has a characteristic 'thonk'. There! That's my attempt at describing it, haha.
If you're hearing a 'wewew' sound then it could be that the head is not in tune with itself - if the 'wewew' sound you describe is the 'beats' you hear when two or more lugs have pitches that are close, but not the same. If that's the case, I try to tune this out when getting a head in tune with itself (i.e. finely adjust the lug tuning until the beats disappear and you hear a single, clear tone from the head). I find the Supra exposes this more than some other drums because it is such a resonant drum. It can be infuriating if you haven't come across it before (and indeed if that is what is it - I'm just guessing based on your description). This drum taught me a number of lessons about tuning, and that was one of them.
Is it because the reso isn’t tuned with itself or the batter? Or both?
Well I tried to tune the heads “to itself” and I still have this goddamn wavy “eeeeeeee” sound. I can’t believe I’m not able to tune this snare. It’s really really really really frustrating and I think I’m going to have to bring this snare to my drum teacher so he can tune it himself.Best way to know for sure is to tune each head with the other head muted so you can clear any dissonant overtones in one head first, then play the drum (with the snares off) to see if you've ended up with an unpleasant interval between the two. In my own experience the reso is high enough above the pitch of the batter that I've rarely had an issue with dissonance between the two heads.
It might be helpful to try a straightforward tuning method like Bob Gatzen's snare tuning video. Following that may not get you exactly the sound you're looking for, but it should get you to a solid baseline snare sound that should be easy to adjust to your desired sound.