Bearing Edge Question

Jhostetler

Senior Member
Hi guys. So, I'm thinking about "building" my own snare drum. It's more of an "assembly" of various parts since being I don't have a workshop here at college. I've found few places online that offer decent prices on shells and drilling services, and I'd like to have some input from you all as well.

I'm looking at a 14"x6.5", Keller 5 ply maple shell with reinforcement rings. I have a set of older Rogers Dynasonic hardware (Minus the snare bridge) that I plan to use. (Note: I've looked into making a Dynasonic clone, but it's not really what I'm looking for at the moment.) It will mainly be used for Jazz, though I also do some recording work and am always looking for new sounds.

In looking at what bearing edge to get, I was wondering what will give me the best overall combination of "vintage" and "versatility?" I was thinking of a 45 degree edge on the Reso side, and a vintage 30 degree edge on the batter.

I sometimes wonder if I'm over-thinking this and should just go with dual 45's. But I also want to get it right the first time and save myself from not liking the results.

Thoughts?
 
I was wondering what will give me the best overall combination of "vintage" and "versatility?"
The ideal edge for your stated requirement is a part round over on both sides. Truncate the round over radius at around 70 degrees with a 45 degree counter cut, then use a sharper peak radius on the resonant side, a more generous radius on the batter side. A peak radius something like R1.5mm on the batter side, R0.5 on the resonant side will work nicely. This arrangement should give you a nice combination of shell involvement, sensitivity, & overtone control without the need for pre-dampened heads.
 
If you plan on doing this yourself and want to keep the unnecessary expense down, I dont recommend 30 degree edges. The bits are outrageously expensive. A 45 degree bit is 1/4 the price and it doesnt make much, if any, difference on the sound.

Im in a similar boat as you as I need to rework the edges on my snare and Im thinking about using a 3/16" roundover on the batter side with a 1/16" roundover on the reso side. This should help control some errant overtones and give good shell involvement in the sound. Since I already own a 60 degree bit (for 30 degree edges) Im using that one on the snare. I have 45 and 30 degree (60 degree edges) bits as well, but its on a Gretsch drum, so its kind of sacrilidge to not use a 30 degree edge.
 
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