Your least played snare(s)

It would be my 1960's Premier Royal Ace.

I haven't played it in years, simply as the snare wires are mostly broken and no one makes replacements- not even Premier!!!

Would love to have it back in working order. It's mostly sat in a case for nearly ten years.

What the snares look like? I’ve never tried to replace the snares for my Premier since the early 90’s, it’s from the late 80’s, I wonder if it’s similar as they are a bit odd due to the strainer.
 
Tama SLP Vintage Steel 5.5 x14 (NOT the hammered version which Tama replaced this version with.)

This ends up being my extra snare that I bring to gigs in the event my gig snare fails. It's never happened BUT better to have and not need.

I'm not sure why I don't care for it as much....I prefer 6.5"depth is probably one reason. I just prefer my brass snares and acrylic (which ironically enough, two posters mentioned 2 of mine as their least-used snare: the Pork Pie BOB and Pork Pie Pig Lite.)
 
Tama Superstar 5" that came with a kit. The kit is good, but the snare is hard to get a good sound from. Edges, heads and everything is good, as far as I know, but still sound plain bad. It lives in its case while I play my trusty Supraphonic.
 
My Sonor 14 in Safari Snare but now I'm repurposing to turn it into a bass drum with the advent of 22 in snare. The cosmic balance must be kept so this act could save the universe. If I succeed thin I'll repurpose my crappy Pearl RT POD 12 snare into a bass drum. It takes two to compensate for that big snare.
 
My 15"x8" Tama Star. I bought it to get a low thud snare sound, which it does well, but that application is limited. Tuned to normal tension, it's the loudest drum I have.

Star-snare.jpg
 
Well, I actually have a drum that's sort of a novelty.

It looks like another Colaiuta sig, which it is, but was made for Vinnie for a specific occasion. To my knowledge it's not really been in prioduction. It's basically a 4160 with a thick coat of white paint + the regular black hoops and Vinnie badge.

It sounds pretty dead. I'm sure I'll find a place for it, but I haven't really done much with it.
 
Tama Superstar 5" that came with a kit. The kit is good, but the snare is hard to get a good sound from. Edges, heads and everything is good, as far as I know, but still sound plain bad. It lives in its case while I play my trusty Supraphonic.
I think mine is similar. Superstar Custom all birch; love the kit, hate the snare.
 
The one snare which I never liked and eventually sold was my Pearl Masters Studio. 14 x 5 1/2 inch.

I eventually NEVER played it.

It was a pig to tune, it sounded like a pig, it was as heavy as a pig and smelled like a pig.

But seriously......it had the harmonics of a pizza box.

Beautiful lugs though.
 
ive got a collection of snares. the ones that get played the least (and reasons for such are) are:

premier 13x5.5 Cabria APK (detunes easily)

1970s pearl 14 x 6 COB (needs new heads, never got round to buying them)

1960s premier 14x4 COB royal ace (needs a grub screw for the throw, theyre even rarer than the wires!!!)

1970s premier 14x5 aluminium 2000 snare (yet to find a head combo that works for this snare)
 
Well, I'm down to three snares, so they all get a little time. Probably the least played is the Yamaha Musashi, but I still wouldn't part with it. Right now, I used that "Sounds Like a Drum" gaff tape hack on it, and I have it tuned reallllllly low. It sounds amazing that way! It's not my most commonly used snare sound, but it is there when I need it.
 
I like listening to 5 inch deep snares...but I don't like playing them as much as a 6" or deeper.
Interesting, Larry. For years I only owned deeper drums, but lately I've really enjoyed playing the 5" deep snare.
 
I gotta say, I feel pretty fortunate that I have enough drums to have a "least played" snare.

It's probably my Tama Warlord Bubinga. It sounds phenomenal but I find it's a one trick pony, so if I want a heavy sounding, ultra-articulate, DARK sound then this will beat out anything else, but if I'm looking for something that can be a bit more of a chameleon, either of my supraphonics or my Benny Greb sig. are my drum(s) of choice.

-Jonathan
 
Interesting, Larry. For years I only owned deeper drums, but lately I've really enjoyed playing the 5" deep snare.
Maybe I'm just not where you are yet. My tastes change without warning. And I like the sound, like on all the James Brown stuff for example.

Playing it just feels toyish to me, my issue completely.
 
Maybe we could set up a LFSS...least favorite snare swap. I send you mine, you send me yours. Assuming we both want what the other has.

It could be a win/win.
I'm still waiting for an offer. Whatcha got, Ace?
 
I'm also down to three snares: My Guru 7x13" walnut, my Ludwig Black Magic 6.5x14", and my Ludwig Standard 5x14" aluminium. The Standard stays in its case the most now, as I find the other two do everything I want beautifully. I think I played it on a couple of jazz gigs last year and a recording in 2018.
 
I'm still waiting for an offer. Whatcha got, Ace?

14 x 5" Sonor Players snare (poplar shell) is the only one I'd let go.

You don't want that.

But if you did, what do you have?
 
14 x 5" Sonor Players snare (poplar shell) is the only one I'd let go.

You don't want that.

But if you did, what do you have?
Tama Star maple 15x8

edit: or Tama SLP Super aluminum. 14x5
 
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