The Acrolite. Is it the most versatile snare drum?

Love my Acro! Can play it phat or super cranked. Great with rim shots or rim clicks. Easy to tune and has that unmistakable sound.

Prices have skyrocketed in recent years as it it no longer a secret that it can do so much, although it still is a bargain compared to its more expensive cousin the Supraphonic or other equivalent snares.

Definitely one to keep in your arsenal as it can do so much!
 
I have mine set up as a side snare, works great for that. Totally different from my main snare drum(s).
 
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Not seeing the controversy it's part of the four horsemen aka Black Beauty/400/402/Acro and one of these are in most drummers arsenal and recording studios worldwide.

I only use mine on light gigs and recording. The 60s P83 doesn't like heavy playing. My supras see a lot of action though.
 
I-P said:
What do you like in a snare drum?
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I like cranked up and ringy. The acro was dryer than I liked. After about 3 or 4 tries with different heads, I just wasnt happy with it.

The Dyna-Sonic was modified and sounded awful. I wasnt willing to invest the $$$ into a complicated snare setup that I may not even like.

I'm not sure I want a snare over 13" at this point either.
 
Can be tuned high or low. It's super sensitive and great for brushes and jazz. I can slam it and has tons of head room without choking. The overall dryness and then the twanky honk on the edge is funky and gives it personality....others it could be annoying for some .It just doesn't have any warmth compared I would say, get off a brass shell.

I love it but I don't use it for everything. I'd probably rank a Black Beauty or Supra above an Acrolite for shear versatility because it is too shrill for some music....but in other music a BB or Supra is almost too generic and polite so 🤷‍♂️
 
I think 10 or 15 years ago when you could pick up a used one for about $100 USD, they were awesome. Now, if I'm going to buy a drum for that sound I'll just get a Supra.

I had one for a few years, but gave it to a good friend of mine and he plays it all the time.

Edit to add:

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't believe it is all that versatile. It definitely has a place, but it makes a perfect Acrolite sound and a pretty decent Supraphonic sound.
 
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"Is it the most versatile snare drum?

I very much believe that versatility depends more on the drummer than on the drum. Most snares of respectable quality can adapt -- through changes to heads, tunings, and, if necessary, muffling -- to a variety of performance demands. Most important is that the snare be placed beneath the sticks of an able player.
 
C.M. Jones said:
"Is it the most versatile snare drum?

I very much believe that versatility depends more on the drummer than on the drum. Most snares of respectable quality can adapt -- through changes to heads, tunings, and, if necessary, muffling -- to a variety of performance demands. Most important is that the snare be placed beneath the sticks of an able player.
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"Most important is that the snare be placed beneath the sticks of an able player." (y)

I might try to include this statement in every thread about drum gear. LOL

.
 
I think it's a good all around drum, but aluminum isn't exactly what I'd call versatile.
A bit dry.
You can remove ring and liveliness but I'm not sure how you can add it if it's lacking.
 
I don't think it's really possible to label any snare drum as THE most versatile. As C.M. pointed out, most non-specialized snare drums can be used on a wide range of stuff. I do think that some drums respond more generously to head and tuning changes and such, and that's an area where an Acrolite really shines. But so do many others. If I had to commit to one snare to do everything for the rest of my life, I'd probably go with either some form of deeper Black Beauty-ish drum for metal and a Canopus "The Maple" or a Noble and Cooley SS for a wood drum. But I'll admit that right now despite owning all those drums I've been using the Yamaha Recording Custom aluminum-- kinda a beefed up Acrolite clone-- for just about everything-- from Jawbreaker-type rock to acoustic piano jazz. It's just the mood I'm in, I guess.
 
Mine was gorgeous, but I hated the sound. SO SO dry. If I were 14 and it was 1985, I would have Loved it! But not today. I need some resonance within my drums.
And my particular Blacro had NONE.
 
RickP said:
I would not use the word versatile in describing the Acrolite snare . IMHO the Acrolite has a niche sound that it does very well . It is a popular sound with Producers these days and that explains its popularity . This also explains the meteoric rise in prices for these drums . Personally when they were a $50 to $100 drum they were a great deal . Seeing them sell for $300+ not so much .
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I think we are so used to seeing them sell that cheap it makes it that much harder to justify the increase. An aluminum drum from any maker is pretty pricey these days. I'd say most available drum.
 
Acro was my first snare ever back in 60's. For nostalgia I recently bought an excellent condition Acro from 60's a keystone badge era classic. I've been comparing it to my Sakae Trilogy super-thin maple shell snare with re-rings. The Acro chokes out more quickly than the Sakae. I'm able to tune the Sakae more easily. I was thinking about buying a newer Acro for gigs, but after comparing to Sakae I decided against it. I like my Acro it's my time-machine back to my childhood, but I'm gigging my Sakae. For versatility, I think a maple shell on thin side offers greater range of tuning and versatility.
 
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