show off your snare

[longgun]

While my collection is nowhere near the size of many of the other users (which are all amazing by the way!), here's my humble little set. I feel like I can cover most, if not all, the sounds I need with these just from different tuning, heads and snare-wire combos.

Ludwig:

14 x 5 Supraphonic
14 x 5 Black Beauty

Shells that I made:

14 x 5.5 Stave Canadian Maple
14 x 6 Stave African Bubinga

Do you notice much of a sound difference between the supra and the BB?

 

[ianjphil]

Do you notice much of a sound difference between the supra and the BB?

They both share the characteristics of the Supraphonic formula, i.e. articulate snare response, wide tuning range, projection, record-ability, etc.

The big difference between the two is the tone of the shell. The Black Beauty has much more low-mid warmth, and a more rounded tone. I find the Supraphonic has more of a mid-range focused tone, with a slight edge on top-end crispness.

Even though I primarily use the Black Beauty, as that is what my ear is drawn to, they are both equals in my mind. Just different shell characteristics to drawn upon depending on the gig.

 

[oldrockdrummer]

My humble collection

 

[zarrdoss]

14 x 6.5 ludwig Supralite, 14 x 6.5 Tama Metalworks, 14 x 8 Ludwig BM, 14 x 5 Ludwig Acrolite (sold). 13 x 7 OCDP black brass, 14 x 6.5 Natal old world bronze, 14 x 10 custom Pearl maple Die cast hoops and Trick throw, 13 x 9 Pearl Limited Birch with die cast hoops and Dunnett throw, PDP 14 x 6.5 Ace snare with 2.3 mm hoops and DW mag throw. 10 x 6 PDP 805 maple, 14 x 5,5 Crush ash, 13 x 7 OCDP ash with die cast hoops, 13 x 6.5 Tama Metalworks, 14 x 3.5 steel Pulse piccolo (sold), 14 x 7 Crush acrylic, 14 x 6.5 Crush aluminum. Mapex MPX 14 x 8 maple with die cast hoops and DW mag throw, 14 x 6.5 Ludwig Acrolite limited.

 

[scooter540]

My modest collection. I've owned countless snares in the past but I tend to sell what I don't use. These three have me covered no matter what the gig is.

Saw a Morgan Rose snare a few posts down. Used to own one of those a couple years ago. Nice snare but pretty one dimensional. And the glow in the dark alien things didn't actually glow all that well. Safe to say you don't have us all beat

 

[uniongoon]

Whose lugs are those on that last segment shell, Allstars? Is it Canarywood? Nice snares, all 3.

 

[alparrott]

Only 3 so far, but trust me, I have quite a wish list. This also doesn't include several I have owned, but for whatever reason no longer have.

(1) This 5x12" 10-ply maple with re-rings started life as a DW Collectors' Series and was modified by its previous owner, who replaced the lugs and refinished it... none of which appears to have affected its sonic properties. Currently with a Genera Dry batter and Hazy 300 snareside.

(2) I got this steel 5.5x14" snare secondhand. I can't figure it out. It has 8 lugs. The original lugs are cheap, pot-metal copies of Ludwig's imperial lugs. Five of them have snapped in half, and so I replaced them with generic Taiwanese lugs. The original strainer and throwoff were made of cheap stamped metal, so I replaced them with Pearl parts. Removed the interior muffler. The bead on the shell is concave like a Yamaha, not convex like a Ludwig shell. Doubtless an imitation of an LM400 by some Japanese or Taiwanese company back in the day. Came in a hard case very similar to what Ludwig used to put their snares in. Currently running a coated G-Plus over a Hazy 300.

(3) A Peace 3.5x14" steel piccolo with 12 lugs. Quick, snappy, poppy. The only snare I own that I bought new. Frosted G-Plus over Hazy 300.

Best yet: the total cost (to me) for all three of these snares was $250 (the 5x12 cost me $100 used, the other two cost $75). I have made back the money I spent on these snares several dozen times over!

EDIT 14 April: Well, I took the plunge. I plunked down some serious money for a serious snare. I've never been a big Pearl fan, but for the value and quality of this snare, I decided to go ahead and get it -- a Sensitone ELite 5 x 14" nickel over brass. And I am absolutely loving it. The funny part is, I had been looking for a used Acrolite and had given up. The store had a Sensitone Aluminum, but the brass seemed more all-purpose. Then, at the counter as I'm paying for the snare, a kid and I start talking and he says he's got an Acrolite, and when he gets home, he'll snap some pictures. Turns out it's not an Acrolite -- in fact, it's a Ludwig Standard Aluminium, same quality, no bead, harder to find. I'm swapping the piccolo out to get this puppy, since I have the high, poppy sound covered with the modified DW.

EDIT 2: Here it is, September 2014, and the Pearl was a bit bitey and sharp for a lot of my playing, plus I wanted a meatier snare in 6.5" for use with the Standards. A guy I knew had a Mapex Black Panther Sledgehammer and we up-and-up traded. He even had the same brand bag for his snare that I had for mine. So now I have quite a bit more thump in my snare.

 

[Joseph "Stix" Davis]

I recently picked up this Mapex Saturn Series maple walnut snare. I love it!

 

[macr0w]

Here are a few that I made.

From the left Walnut 7x14, Waterfall Bubinga 7x14 and Waterfall Bubinga 5x13.

 

[Konne]

Some of my snares:

14x8 Ludwig Coliseum (12lugs/side)
14x6,5 Ludwig Black Beauty
14x6,5 Ludwig LM402 Supraphonic

14x3,5 Mapex Maple Deluxe Piccolo
13x6,5 Yamaha Steve Jordan Sig. w/ WoodHoops
14x7 Yamaha Elvin Jones Sig. w/ WoodHopps

 

[frozenhenkka]

Haven't had much time to post here latelty because of my military service but here we go:

Sonor SQ2 14"x6,5" medium beech snare drum (6 mm/9 ply), satin finished scandinavian birch outside, double lugs, 2,3 mm triple flanged hoops and new Sonor throw-off system. I have owned several quality snare drums before (Tama Starclassic G-Maple, Tama Starclassic Maple, Yamaha Copper Custom & Mapex Black Panther etc.) but this is by far the best snare I have ever had. It acts well with both lower and higher tunings and it has got some crack and bottom end too! The new strainer system is such a joy to use as well. Enjoy!

 

[zarrdoss]

most current line up

 

[sacco]

Shells that I made:

14 x 5.5 Stave Canadian Maple
14 x 6 Stave African Bubinga

Your collection is not that humble, and I wanted to tell you that I like very much your stave snares! Is your production just for your own use or do you sell your snares?

 

[ianjphil]

Your collection is not that humble, and I wanted to tell you that I like very much your stave snares! Is your production just for your own use or do you sell your snares?

Thanks for the kind words! I started building snares just for my own sake in 2009, and have started to sell a handful to some local drummers in the last two years.

For now, I am happy not turning it into an enterprise, and to build some for myself and some of my fellow drummers in the local community.

 

[RickP]

Some of my Ludwig snares. Missing is my Vintage OBP Ludwig Legacy Classic.

 

[RickP]

Steve Jordan snare, it now has JTP wood hoops, sounds good either way. Got it for a killer deal that I could not pass up.

 

[Dodeska]

I don't have as many snares os some of the impressive collections shown so far, but here's my offerings:

Stack of snares:

Pearl Vision VBA "Black Flava" 14x5.5

Mapex Meridian Birch Black Forest Fade 14x5.5

Mapex BP Maple/Cherry 12x7

Mapex MPX Steel with Chrome finish 10x5

Mapex Black Panther "Panther" 14x5

Pearl Chad Smith Sig Snare 14x5

 

[drummerboyfitz]

Here's one I have not seen anywhere, ever. It's a 1961 Super Ludwig - kinda like a Supraphonic, but with crimped snare beds. NOT a Super Sensitive - apparently an extremely rare drum. I love the drum - it's a little more sensitive than a Supraphonic, sounds great! COB, I think. Imperial lugs.

 

[Mirkko]

Hi guys, i did this pic of my snares in my studio, thought that would be nice to share it with you all :

From up-left
Dixon artisan maple 5,5x14
Tempus 5x14
Ludwig '79 acrolite 5x14
DW collector's 3 mm bronze shell 6,5x14
Up-right
3G (italian drums maker) Custom Padouk stave shell (1cm thick shell) 5,75x14 fitted with Slingerland radio king lugs, die cast hoops and trick throw off, all in satin chrome/golden finish
3G standard hornbeam 5,5x14 with tube lugs,die cast hoops and trick throw off, satin chrome/golden finish
Premier Signia 5,5x14
Mapex Phospor Bronze 5,5x14
And in the other pic there's my last toy, a Leedy Shelly Manne COB (10 lugs) 5x14

Tomorrow i'll receive another Ludwig snare, and in the next days, my custom Dixon drums will arrive at home, so i'll post pics of the snares

 

[Tommy_D]

Its a damn shame to see that much lug splay on a drum that cost more than most of my drum kits. Is the hoop and head seated correctly on that shell, or is it just that undersized?