Top metal snare drums

All my snares are metal shelled Pearls. Each one takes turns being my "favorite".

Sensitone steel: 5.5x14, 6.5x14
Sensitone brass: 5x14, 5.5x14
Sensitone aluminum: 5x14
Limited edition steel: 7x13

I love the sound of metal shells. Pearl makes a great drum.
 
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A J said:
All my snares are metal shelled Pearls. Each one takes turns being my "favorite".

Sensitone steel: 5.5x14, 6.5x14
Sensitone brass: 5x14, 5.5x14
Sensitone aluminum: 5x14
Limited edition steel: 7x13

I love the sound of metal shells. Pearl makes a great drum.
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My brand new drum set is not Pearl. However, I have retired the snare that came with the new set and replaced it with a used Pearl 14" Steel Shell in mint condition. For the low price that I paid, I am getting the best sound from this Pearl starter steel snare. One other thing that I like about this Pearl snare is that it has an internal muffler.
 
striker said:
My brand new drum set is not Pearl. However, I have retired the snare that came with the new set and replaced it with a used Pearl 14" Steel Shell in mint condition. For the low price that I paid, I am getting the best sound from this Pearl starter steel snare. One other thing that I like about this Pearl snare is that it has an internal muffler.
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My very first snare was a steel shelled Pearl (forum, I think). Frankly, it sounded just as sweet as my more-expensive Sensitones. I sold it off decades ago, but would love to have it back.
 
striker said:
A month ago I was researching about metal snare drums before buying. I came across this clip. This fellow drummer is rating not just metal snare drums but this is his top 7 snare drum picks no matter the build material. I was very surprised that most or almost all of his picks are metal snares. Others have posted clips claiming that the Ludwig Supraphonic LM402 is the most storied snare drum of all time. I have two questions:

1) Is Ludwig Supraphonic LM402 the most sought after metal snare no matter the genre of music?
2) What metal snare drum is most common among Jazz drummers?

Thanks.

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I'll answer question 1 = YES that snare speaks for its self thats just my opinion.
 
I have a 5x14 BB with die cast hoops. The rest of my metal snares are Gretsch. Just what I prefer.

That BB will do most things, but for me it's mostly an orchestral drum as well as something I often use for brushes, rods and such.
 
I wasn’t a steel guy, and not even a 14” Kep could change that.

Then this 13” Kep fell in my lap and it was love at first sight.

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I loved the cast bronze snares I had too, but they were mostly too heavy for my taste.

The older DW 3mm no re-rings cast alu snares however are golden. If it came in 13x6 or 7 that would have been the ultimate snare for me probably.
 
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Dunnett and Joyful Noise belong in the Millionaires club right?

Friend had one, Saw him. Heard it being played. Got close to it myself. Was magical as if it actually had it's own spirit

reverb.com

Joyful Noise 6.5x14 Beacon Bronze Snare Drum - New! | Reverb

Up for sale:A new Joyful Noise 6.5x14 Beacon Bronze Snare Drum!This snare drum was taken out of his box and is now displayed in our store.it is in new condition.*Comes with originals unplayed drum heads*Don't Hesitate!About the Joyful Noise Beacon Bronze: The JNDC Beacon bronze she...
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no thank you not for me Spirits and ghosts scare me I don't want any parts of one.
1948 wood 6L WFL 6.5 , 1965 RB 8L Renown pearl, about as exotic as I care to be

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next level

 
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I have a '64 Supraphonic that was my first snare that I never take out anymore, but lately, I've been liking my Slingerland Gene Krupa snare. I've had a few of them, and sold them all, except for this one. It's a very throaty sounding drum. It sounds great in certain rooms, and not as good in others, but that's not the drum's fault. I also have a 70's Acrolite that's for sale.
 
My two favourite metal snares are, thankfully, two that I own.
Both are 5” by 14”
One is a Black Galaxy Acrolite and the other is an 8 lug Black Beauty.
Both have Pearl Fat Tone hoops for that slightly-more-open sound (at 1.6 mm), however, they don’t flex the way standard 1.6 mm triple flanged hoops do. They hold tunings nicely.
Puresound 30s and P88 strainers are on both drums.
An Inde butt plate was added to the Acrolite because the morons at Ludwig don’t provide usable hole spacing on their current butt plates to replace P32s.
My $0.02, they sound excellent live or in a studio and have sensational versatility.
 
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DrummerWorld has just posted a new updated video clip of Charly Antolini's Caravan drum solo.
Does anyone happen to know what metal snare drum he is using in this performance?

 
That looks and sounds like the Ludwig Supraphonic, or just a Supra for short.
 
Bo Eder said:
I think the real reason the supra is so popular is because it’s on many of the hit records from the 60s and onward. That’s why it’s sought after (in my opinion). And of course, that guy from Zeppelin played one too. So I figure it stands to reason if you’re gonna play the popular classic music, you might as well have the snare that did it. I agree the BB is also great, but those are more expensive. The Super-Sensitive is great, but it’s been discontinued for some time. And they both suffer from the same question: “do I need that if the regular Supra is what did it in the first place?” So I think this is why they’re sought out, not necessarily that they’re superior instruments, but they produce the sound that everyone associates the music with.
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I go back and forth on bass forums with this argument when people say the same thing about Fender and Ampeg. My stance is if it didn’t work well in today’s environment, nobody would still buy them. But they do, and they are supremely adaptable to different styles.

So I believe Supras to be one of those types of drums. Sure, other snares work and work well, but the Supra just seems to work with everything, it’s not ridiculous expensive, and it’s shiny ;)
 
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