Big Fat Snare

getuhgrip

getuhgrip

Bring Back Transfat!
I'm going in search of a new snare. I've grown tired of the same old, high pitched snappers. I've tried a few metal drums, along with maple and burch shells. I've swapped between clear, coated, double ply, and even a hydraulic head.

I think I'm gonna bypass the 6 1/4" pieces and go straight to an 8"er, and work down...if necessary.

Damn! None of the rental and used places are open till Monday. :(
 
Greg_L said:
Just get a Supraphonic and be done with it.
Click to expand...

You may be onto something, without even knowing it! ;) Size matters (or so my wife tells me), and the more lugs the merrier. The Supraphonic has 10 lugs, which helps you zero in on the tunign better. Go deeper (what would Freud say about all this?), and go big. (Sometiems a cigar is just a cigar?)
I used to take 16" crashes and use them as hi-hats, with a medium on the bottom and a thin on the top. I have been meaning to take a 16" floor tom, cut it in half, and use it as a snare. Of course I'd have to figure out the bottom rim, but the idea is still in my head. This guy has an idea he actually pulled off; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_86b2kiKND8.
Or, try these;
http://cgi.ebay.com/Ludwig-15-x5-Jazz-Festival-Snare-Drum-Blue-Sparkle-70s_W0QQitemZ150399531146QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item230482b88a

http://www.drumpower.com.au/store/yamaha-15-x-5-birch-snare-drum-john-jr-robinson-signature-model.html

Now get into tuning, head selection, even snare wires. The snare wire selection will drive you to drink. But what a trip!:p
 
I have a '64 Supra and you can pretty much get any sound you'd need in a song with that.
I also have a 50's 5 1/2" Gretsch and that has a "chuck!" sound. I never felt the need for any deeper snare than that.
 
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The deeper the snare, the less sensitive it is. You have to beat the crap out of it just to move the bottom head. If your snares are too high pitched, tune them down.

The low 'thunk' that you hear on most classic albums is probably a 5X14 ludwig supraphonic. Possibly a 6.5X14

I had a Premier Heavy Rock Nine for a few years. It's a 9 inch deep brass and maple shelled snare that is the holy grail of deep snares. It sounded great, but it was a bitch to mic up. It rarely sounded good on tape and only sounded good live in small rooms where the actual sound of the snare was overpowering the PA.

Listen to a marching snare, those things are 12X15 and they are normally high pitched and crappy sounding...
 
Its more than just the depth that makes a snare go low. I'm surprised you didnt stick with the hydraulic on top. Supraphonic or a Supersensitive in standard depth with the proper heads and tuning can get you every snare you've ever heard on records. A great and fairly expensive wood shell can help also. I like the DW's for this as well as the Allegras out of Portland Oregon. Those guys know know how to properly setup a snare. I have heard(unconfirmed) that a couple of their snares were used on Bruce Springsteen's The Rising sessions. Max can pretty much use any snare he wants.
 
The deepest, fattest, smackiest snare is an all-mahogany snare that is something like 14x7. You need to detune the bottom heads on mahogany snares just a bit in order to get them to really sound good. Problem solved. Oh yeah, use big sticks.
 
I've heard what is known as a cocktail drum set you play it standing the kick and snare are one it must be at least 3+ feet deep and it sure sounded good see if you can try one somewhere.
 
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