Acrylic snare? Any good?

johnwesley

Silver Member
Guy here in town has a DW 5x14 for sale and I'm thinking about it, but.....not sure about the pros and cons. If you have one or have played one, I'd like your input/review. I have an Acrolite, a solid copper, solid maple, and an oak stave and thought an acrylic might add a new sound.
 
I've got a little 10 inch acrylic snare, so not similar size-wise, but it's extremely loud compared to my wood and metal snares.
 
It's purely subjective, of course, but I really liked the 6.5X14 acrylic snare I played. It was loud, bright, full-sounding and very much unlike any of the wood or metal snares I've tried. If I found a good deal on one, I'd go for it.
 
I have a 6.5x14 Ludwig Vistalite snare that is one of my most favorite drums. Somehow crisp & warm at the same time, very responsive, great thud and crack with a clear emperor batter. It sounds fantastic, especially when played with the matching amber Zep kit and a fat family of Paiste 2002s.

Acrylic is a great material for drums - I've never understood it when people say they are loud, bright, and harsh, as that has never been my experience. They also record wonderfully.
 
I liked my acrylic snare a lot when I had it.
 
If it's a good price and you like the sound go for it.

Just remember you can get a brand new Crush Acrylic with die cast hoops for about $225.

I've played a few(Fibes,Crush,Tama) and they all sounded fine.
 
I have the Crush acrylic snare (and 5-piece kit). The snare sounds really good- it's a different type of sound, hard to describe. It does take some careful tuning to not sound kind of bland.

One issue I had is the shell cracked! It cracked between the upper and lower lugs with little hairline cracks because they put the upper and lower lugs too close together. If you go Crush I would ask about that before buying one.
 
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