Alternative recording snare

[omtayslick]

I am currently recording my son's Gretsch Catalina Club kit. We have been using the snare that came with the kit. On some material it is ok, but often I find myself wishing for a deeper, richer snare sound. What would be some alternative snare drums to look at that would give us another flavor of snare and more depth of sound?

 

[tmix]

If you hit hard, on the cheap side I would suggest a DDrum 13 x 7 either the Maple or the Bubunga / Aspen. I have both and I love the full deep sound. But since they are fairly thick you need to smack them good.
If you are a lighter player, I'd suggest a 14 x 6.5 brass. Gives you the loudness with less effort, but has a slightly edgier sound with the depth.

 

[mrface2112]

what's your budget?


cheers,
wade

 

[omtayslick]

The less expensive the better, but prefer to stay under $200.

 

[ausrock]

Have a look at assembling your own...............shells and hardware can be sourced from http://www.drumfoundry.com .............you may just be surprised at what you can do.

 

[mrface2112]

$200 is right around the area they separate the men from the boys in terms of snares.

anyway, i'd be looking used. you should be able to find a Chad Smith sig or a supraphonic or acrolyte for under $200. I've got a DW Collector's Series 5x13 that i found for $180. it's a pretty versatile snare and i'd recommend it to anyone.

i would also look at some of the old slingerland, ludwig and Rogers snares, which usually go for right around that price.

you're not going to get into any of the really high-end snares for that price......but you can do really well. especially if you're willing to do $250 (things like the Hakim sig snare come into reach).


cheers,
wade

 

[omtayslick]

$200 is right around the area they separate the men from the boys in terms of snares.

anyway, i'd be looking used. you should be able to find a Chad Smith sig or a supraphonic or acrolyte for under $200. I've got a DW Collector's Series 5x13 that i found for $180. it's a pretty versatile snare and i'd recommend it to anyone.

i would also look at some of the old slingerland, ludwig and Rogers snares, which usually go for right around that price.

I'm not a drummer, but I thought that $200 might be what it took to get me out of toyland. My son played someone else's Chad Smith sig and really liked it. Being a child of the 60's & 70's I kind of like the old Ludwig and Slingerlands.

Oh and FWIW, the rest of that Gretsch kit records well. The snare seems to be the only weak link.

 

[mrface2112]

i've got a mid-60's Ludwig gold sparkle (keystone badge) that i've had for more than 20 years now that i wouldn't sell for the world. as someone said in a thread on gearslutz, they didn't make "entry level" drums in the 60s and 70s. sure some were better than others, but there are a LOT of great snare drums out there from that era, many of which can be had for a song these days. compared to vintage guitars, it's a lot of fun checking out vintage snares b/c we can actually afford them! so i'm with you on the love for older snares.

if you're looking for a "deeper" sound, you might want to look at a 6.5in deep drum rather than a 5in. those do tend to run a tad more than their shallower brethren. the 5x13 dw i've got is a great sounding snare, but it's definitely not "deep". more of a pop/crack than boom/crack.

for a modern metal-shell snare sound, i really do like the chad smith. they're decently responsive and can be pretty darn explosive. certainly more of a rock snare than anything else--not exactly an all-arounder. but when only a tele will do, you grab a tele, right?

i've heard lots of good things about those gretsch catalinas and the couple sets i've sat behind have been rather surprising (as have the pdp's i've played). solid fundamental tones. great drums for the money.

have fun in the quest!


cheers,
wade