Looking to get a new snare.. help!

#1 (**permalink**) 07-26-2005, 12:30 AM

I'm getting a new snare for a gig i play.. Its in a pretty small room and currently Im playing a CB kit (no mean comments please).. and the snare is still the stock aluminum that came with it.. what are some good snares that I can upgrade to? Like I said, its a pretty small room and although the other instruments are mic'ed and stuff everything is pretty low key.. looking to get maybe a wood snare but not sure what to get.. im sure anything would be better than the one i have now.. any suggestions please?

full metal · #2 (**permalink**) 07-26-2005, 08:47 AM

I know this is going to sound a little strange but are you planning on playing in that small room forever?

unless you are get at least a decent quality snare I would say like a 14" x 5 1/2" snare that is birch or maple.

you dont want to get somthing that just sounds good in that room. your drums will sound diffrent everywhere you go. so you have to be prepared for that.
but a drum that size shoudnt be to loud in a small room but will still sound good on stage.

DRUMMER111 · #3 (**permalink**) 07-26-2005, 03:59 PM

dude im going to have to disagree with full metal here for a litle bit until you can answer some questions that way we can capable of answering your question.

1. what type of music do you play
2. how much money do you have
3. do have a specific comapny you would like to go with ?

full metal · #4 (**permalink**) 07-27-2005, 08:28 AM

yea I guess I should asked those same questions as well sorry.
wasnt feeling real good yesterday and not thinking strait.

#5 (**permalink**) 07-27-2005, 08:45 AM

hey thanks guys..
i play light rock.. nothing too heavy
i have about 200 or so to spend on the snare
looking to buy from one of the big names like pearl tama mapex, etc..

full metal · #6 (**permalink**) 07-27-2005, 10:28 AM

just from my own exsperince I would go with the pearl or the mapex, Im not a real big fan of tama.

check with musicans freind online and see what they have. I useally find the best deals through them on almost everything and for 200 you should be able to get a really nice snare.

#7 (**permalink**) 07-27-2005, 01:03 PM

thanks, any suggestions on specific models? I think im going to go on a pearl but there are so many different ones and i dont know the difference really

#8 (**permalink**) 07-27-2005, 01:06 PM

i suggest you go somewhere and read up on the reviews of different snares.. and then go actually try them out at guitar center or a local drum shop... you cant really put the sound of the drums into words.. after doing these two things, youll be more clear on what you like and what you need. good luck

#9 (**permalink**) 07-30-2005, 04:00 PM

also keep in mind that you can tune a snare to a sound you want - to a certain extent. There's a range of sound that a snare can achieve however, so be careful on which one you buy, so you can get the sound that you really want

malletjazz · #10 (**permalink**) 08-31-2005, 09:35 PM

A fairly sure bet for a relatively inexpensive upgrade is a Ludwig Acrolite. They're available for $150 or less (often under $100, depending upon the vintage), and while they're not my absolute favorite snare drum, they sound really, really good, they're really versatile, and can handle a variety of tunings.

A brass Pearl Sensitone might be worth looking into as well. Very nice drums for the money, IMHO.

Your best bet, tho, is to do what has already been mentioned here - make a trip to a drum shop or two (or more), and try some snare drums. Even if you don't buy one of those drums, you'll get some ideas as to what kind of drums you like - what depth, diameter, shell material, etc.