Regarding snare issue.

Chinmay147

Active Member
Hello everybody. My friend tried to tune my snare fat. So he tightened the resonant head super tightly and followed some dude's instructions on YouTube for the batter head. Few days passed and my place gets dusty, thus same guy told me that he'd open up the snare to clean it from inside. Whilst opening both the heads two tension rods each from too and bottom came out really tight,with some thread wear on both. I didn't understand as I'm new to drumming and this guy teaches me. Afterwards he assembled the snare and now it sounds aweful. Now I shit scared as I don't know what is to be done. I live in a remote area so there's no one who knows drumming or anything related to it besides him. I'm having two questions, 1) Is the tension rod or its female part damaged? If yes does it mean that my snare is damaged now ? 2) Can I get the snare to sound good by getting it tuned by some expert ? Please help guys. Also how can I attach a video of the same so that I can show you how does it sound now.
 
If the tension rods are damaged it's no big deal. You can easily buy new rods. The threaded inserts in the lugs themselves are called swivel nuts. They come in bags of multiples and are simple to change. Your drum is not ruined by any means.

Tuning is about even tension. You want the lugs to sound even all the way around the drum. Anyone can learn to do it. You can also purchase tools to help you do it (TuneBot).

There are tons of threads here on tuning. Read through them. Lots of linked videos also.

Sounds like your friend isnt really qualified to teach you anything if he must reference a YouTube video instead of actually knowing how to tune the drum. A big fat snare can be achieved just by damping the head. Moon gel, tape, control rings, set your wallet on it. That's works too without tuning anything.
 
Overtightened bottom head may need replacement. As stated, lugs and swivels can be replaced if need be.
 
. . . and followed some dude's instructions on YouTube for the batter head.

Your snare was doomed from the outset in that case. The only thing more dangerous than following YouTube "instructions" when you know what you're doing is following YouTube "instructions" when you don't know what you're doing. A hack with a drum key is a menace to society.

As @MrInsanePolack advises:

"Sounds like your friend isn't really qualified to teach you anything if he must reference a YouTube video instead of actually knowing how to tune the drum. A big fat snare can be achieved just by damping the head. Moon gel, tape, control rings, set your wallet on it. That works too without tuning anything."

Read it and learn.
 
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Your so called friend is an idiot. Don't let him near your drums again. As mentioned above, you may need to replace t-rods and swivel nuts. Just make sure you get the right swivel nuts. Bottom head may be stretched as well. BTW, you don't get a "fat" sound with the resonant head tightened to the max.
 
Your so called friend is an idiot.

That's the polite way of putting it, he'd be getting a bill for the damage caused.

There's loads of hacks to get a 'fat' snare sound, cut an old head out and place it on your snare or a wallet. There's two for free, zero dicking around with tuning needed. Big Fat Snare Drum which is essentially the old head hack but a little heavier round the edges to kill overtones, again no messing with the tuning.
 
Your snare was doomed from the outset in that case. The only thing more dangerous than following YouTube "instructions" when you know what you're doing is following YouTube "instructions" when you don't know what you're doing. A hack with a drum key is a menace to society.

As @MrInsanePolack advises:

"Sounds like your friend isn't really qualified to teach you anything if he must reference a YouTube video instead of actually knowing how to tune the drum. A big fat snare can be achieved just by damping the head. Moon gel, tape, control rings, set your wallet on it. That works too without tuning anything."

Read it and learn.
Some youtube dudes do know how to tune though. Rob Brown for instance?
 
Some youtube dudes do know how to tune though. Rob Brown for instance?
Well yes. But you dont "teach" someone by having to look up how to do it yourself.

It would be like me holding a transmission rebuilding class. I have the tools. I have tons of mechanical assembly experience. I can build engines. I have never rebuilt a transmission. I have no business teaching anyone anything transmission related.
 
I will go only as far as using a cut-out head with about an inch of plastic along the edge.
Placing an entire drumhead on the batter is too much for me;
Too much wire sound and not enough batter head sound.
Whenever you add mass to a drumhead, the pitch will modulate downwards, depending on the amount you're adding.

On the other hand, in a band setting, you may not have enough crisp snare response to your liking if the reso head isn't tight enough.
Try tuning your top head to Middle C and the bottom head a fourth higher; F.
That should provide enough fatness!
In fact, remove any batter head muffling if the band is on the loud side as this will help the drum to project better.

And, NEVER let this clown take a drum key to ANY of your drums ever again!
 
Some youtube dudes do know how to tune though. Rob Brown for instance?

Sure, YouTube drumming instruction isn't pure tripe from top to bottom. Valuable resources can be found there as well. The peril pops up in distinguishing the experts from the frauds. Most beginners are unqualified to do so, and those who seek tuning guidance on the Internet are often beginners.
 
Sure, YouTube drumming instruction isn't pure tripe from top to bottom. Valuable resources can be found there as well. The peril pops up in distinguishing the experts from the frauds. Most beginners are unqualified to do so, and those who seek tuning guidance on the Internet are often beginners.

If Sounds Like A Drum or Bob Gatzen don't address it, it probably isn't a problem or doesn't have a solution!
 
Well yes. But you dont "teach" someone by having to look up how to do it yourself.

It would be like me holding a transmission rebuilding class. I have the tools. I have tons of mechanical assembly experience. I can build engines. I have never rebuilt a transmission. I have no business teaching anyone anything transmission related.
Fair dinkum ?
 
It would be like me holding a transmission rebuilding class. I have the tools. I have tons of mechanical assembly experience. I can build engines. I have never rebuilt a transmission. I have no business teaching anyone anything transmission related.

This reminds me of when my mom went in for knee replacement surgery a few years ago. She said that the surgeon looked really young and during the consultation he had talked of a new procedure they were using. She asked him if he had done this kind of surgery before and he replied jokingly, "No, but I watched a youtube video on it yesterday".
 
This reminds me of when my mom went in for knee replacement surgery a few years ago. She said that the surgeon looked really young and during the consultation he had talked of a new procedure they were using. She asked him if he had done this kind of surgery before and he replied jokingly, "No, but I watched a youtube video on it yesterday".
Yeah that's a bit unnerving. I would have not found it funny.
 
Hello everybody. My friend tried to tune my snare fat. So he tightened the resonant head super tightly and followed some dude's instructions on YouTube for the batter head. Few days passed and my place gets dusty, thus same guy told me that he'd open up the snare to clean it from inside. Whilst opening both the heads two tension rods each from too and bottom came out really tight,with some thread wear on both. I didn't understand as I'm new to drumming and this guy teaches me. Afterwards he assembled the snare and now it sounds aweful. Now I shit scared as I don't know what is to be done. I live in a remote area so there's no one who knows drumming or anything related to it besides him. I'm having two questions, 1) Is the tension rod or its female part damaged? If yes does it mean that my snare is damaged now ? 2) Can I get the snare to sound good by getting it tuned by some expert ? Please help guys. Also how can I attach a video of the same so that I can show you how does it sound now.
First off ,dont listen to your friend,2nd get the female and male thread sizes from the drum manufacturer and order the same tap and die, and check all male and female lug threads,repair and replace same. watch some tuning videos by experienced drummers or manufactures . AND REMEMBER WE ALL STARTED OUT THIS WAY WITH TUNING, IT TAKES TONS OF PATIENTS,AND EXPERIMENTING BUT MOST OF ALL YOUR EARS AND YOUR FEEL<AND YOU GOT IT, DONT GIVE UP THERES A POT OF GOLD SOUND WAITING FOR YOU !! GOOD LUCK !!
 
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