Snares for the Studio: Reccomendations?

blunderfonics · Post by **blunderfonics** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:19 am

OK, I admit, I basically know nothing when it comes to drum gear but now I find myself in the situation where it would be nice to have a couple of snare drums around the studio so that I can swap 'em in the event that the drummers snare is not fitting the song or just not up to par. I can remember the few drums that have come through my studio sounding awesome (like the brass Leedy from the 1930's and the Tama with the 1" thick multi-ply shell) and at least a couple of the awful ones (a Pearl piccolo, a 7 in deep Gretsch) but there's a lot of drums out there.

So tell my about some of your favorite snare drums to record with and what you like about them.

??????? · Post by **???????** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 9:25 am

any slingerland radio king from the 60s or before, esp. the solid shell ones. Awesome.

It's always good to have a vintage wood drum or two, from any of the following makes: Gretsch, Rogers, Ludwig, Slingerland, Camco (George Way). Look for 8-lug wood models and you will be a-ok. 5.5x14 is the most universal depth, 6.5x14 can be nice too esp. for rock stuff.

An old metal Rogers Dynasonic is a great drum also. Good luck.

doc · Post by **doc** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:18 am

For a well rounded studio collection I'd recommend:

One vintage (60's, 70's) maple shell from Ludwig or Slingerland.

One modern maple shell from DW, Fibes, (higher end) Sonor, or Ludwig

One brass shell from Roger's.

One stainless steel Ludwig Supraphonic.

5.5" x 14" is definitely the most versatile in the studio. Once you get those bases covered then it's time for fun ones like a vistalite or other acrylic shell, a piccolo, or a marching drum.

-Doc

??????? · Post by **???????** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:38 am

for cheap and useful don't overlook the old Ludwig Acrolite metal snare. Many a good record was made with one of those. 100, maybe 150 bux.

PeterSawatzky · Post by **PeterSawatzky** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 4:01 pm

The Ludwig Acrolite is definitely the best bang for your buck in the world. It has the same aluminum (not steel) shell as the Supraphonic and sounds great tuned up. Get a 5x14 (snappy) and 6.5x14 (fat) more maximum versatility.

Ludwig snares in general are great. Vintage Jazz Fests (3-ply wood) are tops if you can afford one. Slingerland wood snares from the same era (late 50s-early 70s) are quite good too.

There are good modern snares out there, too, but a good vintage metal snare and a good vintage wood snare will definitely cover the bases.

blunderfonics · Post by **blunderfonics** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 4:32 pm

Thanks for all the recommendations. I appreciate the info.

It's funny that the Ludwig Acrolites are coming up...I swung by a local shop on my way home from work today and they have two. One (Keystone badge) shows a bit of rust on the rims around the lugs. The other is a blue/olive parallelogram badge and in similar shape but is $40 cheaper. They are both 14X5.5, They also have completely trashed heads and beat snares so I don't think I could properly judge how they sound in the store.

Would the keystone badge be significantly better than the other? Anything else I should be looking out for? Should I just buy both, cherry pick the best parts to Frankenstein one good drum together and then sell off the other one?

??????? · Post by **???????** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:26 pm

blunderfonics wrote:Thanks for all the recommendations. I appreciate the info.

It's funny that the Ludwig Acrolites are coming up...I swung by a local shop on my way home from work today and they have two.

Great!

One (Keystone badge) shows a bit of rust on the rims around the lugs.

Get a lil steel wool and have some fun, you'd be amazed at how well they will shine up. #0000 steel wool on the RIMS AND LUGS ONLY (will scuff the finish on the shell if it's a painted acrolite).

The other is a blue/olive parallelogram badge and in similar shape but is $40 cheaper. They are both 14X5.5, They also have completely trashed heads and beat snares so I don't think I could properly judge how they sound in the store.

You're probably right about that. The good thing is, Acrolites aren't known for a ton of variation from one to the next.

Would the keystone badge be significantly better than the other?

Not in terms of sound in my experience. In terms of collectability and holding its value, then the keystone badge one would quite probably be a safer bet. But I suspect you're buying it for the sound...

Anything else I should be looking out for? Should I just buy both, cherry pick the best parts to Frankenstein one good drum together and then sell off the other one?

You could do that, but it might be more trouble than it's worth. What are they asking for the snares? If it's reasonable it might be worth it to buy both, shine 'em up, and put one on Ebay. You might be able to talk 'em down a little if you're willing to take both. Then you could potentially end up with a net cost very near zero if you do it right. Almost free usable drum = way cool. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

jjbohn · Post by **jjbohn** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:51 pm

If you can go custom. Search for companies and find snares you like. Talk to the company and see what they can do for you. I wouldn't go to some of the really well known ones as they have to many projects and unless you put down insane sums of money, you don't get worth-while quality.

cgarges · Post by **cgarges** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 11:06 pm

The most versatile snares that I own that get used more than any others are my 7x14 Noble & Cooley SS sold maple and my 5x14 Rogers script logo chrome-over-brass Powertone. My 6x13 maple custom Pork Pie drum seems a lot of use as well, although it has a little less stand-out character than the other two mentioned, which can be cool, too. Lately, I've been using my 6x14 Pork Pie Pig Lite clear acrylic drum on a lot of session, just for something different and engineers seem to dig it. (They're usually shocked to walk out and see that it's a clear acrylic drum after hearing it, which serves them right for not paying attention before listening from the control room!)

My 5x14 Yamaha Recording Custom birch snare is also a very versatile drum and has an amazing side stick sound. It can go from Stewart Copeland to Abbey Road with a little drum key and muffling manipulation. I also dearly love my late seventies Acrolyte, although honestly, it doesn't really get all that much session use. I'm usually perfectly happy to see a drummer bring in one in good shape, though.

I've recorded so many great snare drums over the years. I think if you have a few good-sounding drums that are all different, you should be covered for just about any situation.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

digitaldrummer · Post by **digitaldrummer** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 11:18 pm

I'll also cast a vote for the Acrolite. mine currently has the Attack Terry Bozzio snare heads (top and bottom set) and it has such a great tone (wide open no muffling). But, if you insist of muffling, it still sounds great. You should be able to easily get one for $50-75 so you can't go wrong. make sure it's the aluminum shell and not the newer black sparkle shell (not the same).

the Ludwig supraphonic 5x14 has probably been used on so many recordings it's not funny. If you can find a Black Beauty, that's a good one to have too. a friend just got a Ludwig 6.5x14 hammered bronze and that drum is SO nice (I have to get one...).

Really, any quality snares, with proper tuning, are good to have around as alternatives in case whatever the drummer brings (or doesn't) is not working. If you don't know how to tune a drum, get some help!

Mike

jeddypoo · Post by **jeddypoo** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 8:15 am

I have a Slingerland maple snare from 1966 that's pretty great, but in disrepair currently, but I inherited that, so if you're looking to not blow a lot of money, I think the best all-around snares are ones with shallow, metal shells. Certainly a different sound than wood, but not necessarily bad, especially if they're shallow, since you'll get more of the crack of the snare and less of the body and that ugly 500-800khz shit or thereabouts. After that, go for something deeper and wood. Don't worry about types of wood too much- that's not as important as a lot of drummers claim. But if you're going to have a deep snare, make sure it's not metal.

Also, maintain the thing. Never forget to loosen the snare when it's not in use and tune it very methodically- don't rush. It'll also help the sound dramatically to keep the tuning of the bottom and top heads fairly different. This will also reduce resonant buzzing from other sound sources.

drumsound · Post by **drumsound** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 1:40 pm

I'm a bit of a snare drum freak. I believe you should have some wood and some metal drums. You should also vary the depth a bit (that said I'm lacking a 6 1/2" deep metal drum...) My two favorites are my 5x14 Bison and a vintage Leedy&Ludwig 5 1/2x14 eight lug wood with white mother of toiletseat finish.

Jarvis · Post by **Jarvis** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 4:14 pm

I own both the acrolite badge and parallelogram versions. no diff that i can tell. these are my favorite snares, been hitting the badge version for 38 years.

stu · Post by **stu** » Wed Jul 12, 2006 8:19 pm

im no drummer....but i bought a pork pie big black for the studio....wow... sounds huge....we put the 40 somthin strand snares on it....sounds amazing....and its pretty cheap too...i think i paid $300 cad for it.

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Snares for the Studio: Reccomendations?

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