why buy a fiberglass snare...and which one?

D

Drum Guy

Member
got a ton of diverse wood and metal snares (22), got 12"-14" diameters and every depth but 5"...thinking about a fiberglass 5"x14" snare - maybe a Jenkins Martin or the Pearl 14x5 Kapur/Fiberglass Hybrid Exotic Snare

Why would a fiberglass snare be of sonic value? And between the two which do y'all like and why?
 
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I would go with a Jenkins-Martin snare. I have a Jenkins-Martin 6.5" X 14", a Jenkins-Martin 7" X 13" and a Blaemire 5" X 14". They are all great snare drums: insane tone, sensitive and articulate. I can't figure out why most drummers don't have at least one fiberglass snare on their wish list.
I don't think you can go wrong with a Jenkins-Martin.

As a general rule try out one in your favorite snare drum size and you'll likely have exactly what you're looking for. Even though I wasn't a 5-inch deep snare fan for decades the Blaemire 5" X 14" converted me to 5 inch depth snare drums. Simply put it is an incredible snare drum!

Check out Don Gunn's Jenkins-Martin snare drum test video at his studio.

 
There have been a lot of fiberglass & composite drums over the years, with assorted construction and properties. I'm not sure sure who else is making fiberglass right now, but the Jenkins-Martin drums sound fabulous.

I normally don't recommend buying something that makes a sound without trying it first, but you can order a Jenkins-Martin snare with complete confidence. You will love it.
 
I’d love to get a whole Jenkins-Martin kit - those drums are awesome. Not only do they sound good, from a practical standpoint they’re basically all-weather. You can leave them in the sun, in the cold, any harsh environment and they’ll survive (I regret letting go of my 1975 black Vistalite - which was not as indestructible as the JM kits).

I may need to orchestrate acquiring one….
 
Bo Eder said:
I’d love to get a whole Jenkins-Martin kit - those drums are awesome. Not only do they sound good, from a practical standpoint they’re basically all-weather. You can leave them in the sun, in the cold, any harsh environment and they’ll survive (I regret letting go of my 1975 black Vistalite - which was not as indestructible as the JM kits).

I may need to orchestrate acquiring one….
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The Coca Cola Green Vista Lites are on sale from Maxwell's !!!
 
Rattlin' Bones said:
The Coca Cola Green Vista Lites are on sale from Maxwell's !!!
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Tempting, but after getting to check out a Blaemire snare, I told myself if I do another fiberglass kit, it would have to be the Jenkins Martin kits. Absolutely solid and as a kit the drums all sound like they belong together.

BUT - I’ve been really happy to play the vintage drums I do have - which is probably why I haven’t gotten a fiberglass kit yet.
 
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Ok. Check this out for a second. This is a 5 x 14 Rogers copy using a Blaemire fiberglass shell. Of course they're the original Jenkins Martin,
or however, you want to describe the lineage. The drum was made by the Valley Drum Shop in Van Nuys, California. Bermuda can probably give us some information on this, but it was one of the go to custom shops for a lot of the studio guys. They used to advertise in the back of Modern Drummer and reworked a lot of Radio Kings, and made their own 7 x 14 "studio ready" Keller shell snares that apparently are very good.

My go to playing, gigging, recording size is a 5 x 14 or 5 1/2. I have a bunch of deep drums that rarely get used. So this is just my experience. And my daily players are a 80's bronze Supraphonic and a walnut Craviotto with a baseball bat edge. The fiberglass is rather neutral sonically, it doesn't seem like it adds a lot of color. ( whatever that means :) Where as the wood is obviously woody and maybe dry, the bronze has both the crispness and a lot of splat and wetness when it's tuned low. But the fiberglass it's almost generic in a good way. Like the best vanilla ice cream you would ever have. Which is the same way I describe Paiste reissue 602s, which I also play.

I bought this drum from a semi-well-known player and collector in Philly. I won't mention his name, but he's a great guy and if he's reading this then thank you again. It really is a great drum IMG_2210.jpegIMG_2211.jpeg
 
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jaymandude said:
good call on that...
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Here are some:

reverb.com

Yamaha FRP Snare Drum Fiber Black Color 14x6.5 | Reverb

Here is a great Yamaha FRP snare drum in the very sought after 14x6.5 size. FRP meaning, fiber reinforced plastic. This drum is super durable and sounds great. All chrome parts fully functional and super clean. Remo heads are used but have plenty of life left.
reverb.com reverb.com

www.ebay.nl

Yamaha Snare Drum FSD1465 Shell Glass Fiber FRP Reinforced Plastic Case w/ Soft | eBay

Yamaha Snare Drum FSD1465 Shell Glass Fiber FRP Reinforced Plastic Case w/ Soft | Musical Instruments & Gear, Percussion, Drums | eBay!
www.ebay.nl

www.ebay.nl

YAMAHA FSD1350 FRP Snare Drum Black 13"x5" Made in Japan | eBay

YAMAHA FSD1350 FRP Snare Drum Black 13"x5" Made in Japan | Musical Instruments & Gear, Percussion, Drums | eBay!
www.ebay.nl


I would add some alu hoops to them.
 
Valley Drum Shop- I am sure Mr. Bermuda can tell us about it......but I know a little....in the meantime.
Burbank Blvd. in Van Nuys, CA. Ron Syde and his son Rick ran it. I went there weekly. First time I saw the Blaemires was there.
They had all the coolest, latest gear. Asba Carline BD pedals, pro Mark hat....and maybe a flexatone too.
Ron was just a tiny bit gruff (understandable as i was a young cocky drummer who did not know clicks or all the rudiments)
and smoked behind the counter. He was good and very serious about drumming.

Thank You Valley Drum Shop.
 
Valley Drum did indeed make custom kits with Blaemire shells. You could get whatever hardware you wanted: Slingerland, Rogers, Camco, Ludwig, maybe Fibes, but not Gretsch. Apparently even drum shops couldn't order Gretsch hardware, at least not enough to make a whole drum or kit because they might pass it off as a Gretsch product. I can't recall when they closed, maybe in the late-'80s? A lot of pros secretly used their Blaemire kits in the studio, and occasionally one of those kits or snares shows up in the marketplace.

I imagine that Pro Drum, Valley Arts (where Paul Montineri worked), Drum City et al also made custom Blaemire drums, but Valley Drum was the go-to shop.
 
Thanks Bermuda....."Pop" at "Drum City"....my first drum store with my Dad....Pop wore a white lab coat at the store.
Very scientific.
OK IMHO....Blaemire or JM are good choices......very good.........real good.
 
green glass drum said:
Thanks Bermuda....."Pop" at "Drum City"....my first drum store with my Dad....Pop wore a white lab coat at the store.
Very scientific.
OK IMHO....Blaemire or JM are good choices......very good.........real good.
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I remember Pop! My parents bought my first Slingerland kit from him back in 1977! Just this tiny place on Santa Monica Blvd.!
 
Thanks Bo....I thought I was the only one.....besides Bermuda......Drum City.......Yes on Santa Monica Blvd.....I remember walking in the first time and seeing a Zalmer Twin BD Pedal by the front door.....it was exciting....and I was hooked.
OH!....... the thread......still Blaemire/JM.
I did....make a snare out of a Pearl FG shell......and it is good.
 
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