buying a good snare

  • Thread starter Thread starter _brian_
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I would get a porkpie if I didn't just blow 500 bucks at Guitar Center on recording stuff. They sound nice.
 
ermghoti said:
There was this band, called Led Zeppelin...

I keed. Aluminum is brighter than most wood, with a ping to it, IMO. The 5x14 Supraphonic (the Acrolite's big brother) is the most widely recorded snare ever, so these drums are pretty much what you think of when you recall a recorded snare sound.

I'd second the Acro/Supra option, used. I got my mid-seventies Supra for like $150 at a Guitar Center.
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Got a 64 Suprophonic... love it. Get one used... they are a great work horse. I also have a Starclassic Maple snare that is use for heavy back beat live stuff, but the Supraphoic is a great all arounder.
 
The ludwig supraphonics and acrolites will do the low, dark thing if you tune them that way. that's why they are the most recorded snare ever.
 
looks like i'll be getting a used supraphonic snare then!!

thanks for all the help again!! :D

is there ever a point in which you can sit back & say, "I really don't need anything"? :eek:
 
_brian_ said:
is there ever a point in which you can sit back & say, "I really don't need anything"? :eek:
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Nope. At least not until you have a warehouse full of stuff, but even then, something else will pop up.
 
Sorry for not letting this thread die lads, but is there any era I should stay away from regarding the supraphonic? I've seen 60s & 70s models as well as the brand new ones & just wondered if there was much difference between them. I'm pretty sure I saw one on ebay that looked to have internal dampening which I'd like to stay away from but I can't be 100% sure that's what it was. Also with regard to my previous posts should I stick to the 6.5" depth or would there be no notable gain over a 5" one?
 
All the supraphonics have internal dampening. You can just turn it off if you don't want it. I've had a 60's, 70's, and 90's. I don't think there is much of difference.

The 5 inch deep one is the standard one that got used the most. The 6.5 inch one is what Bonham used. They will both work well, but the 6.5 tends to be a lot more expensive because Bonham used it.
 
[B]Farview[/B]

"All the supraphonics have internal dampening. You can just turn it off if you don't want it. I've had a 60's, 70's, and 90's. I don't think there is much of difference.

The 5 inch deep one is the standard one that got used the most. The 6.5 inch one is what Bonham used. They will both work well, but the 6.5 tends to be a lot more expensive because Bonham used it."

Well that makes life an awful lot easier & respectfully I have no interest in sounding like anyone else so I'll stick to the 5". Can't wait now!! I've got something to aim towards, I'll be selling my access virus indigo synth & mabye, mabye, grudgingly my trace elliott bass amp to help fund the snare, just depends how well things go!! :)
 
_brian_ said:
Well that makes life an awful lot easier & respectfully I have no interest in sounding like anyone else so I'll stick to the 5".
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While that is a good choice, the 5 inch is the most recorded snare drum in history. It's not a matter of sounding like anyone else, it's more like sounding like everyone else. :D Of course, these drums can be tuned high, low and everywhere in the middle, so this isn't really a problem.

Sometimes, you can get a killer deal on the 70's ones because the chrome used to flake off pretty badly. It doesn't effect the sound of the drum, it just looks bad.
 
Farview said:
While that is a good choice, the 5 inch is the most recorded snare drum in history. It's not a matter of sounding like anyone else, it's more like sounding like everyone else. :D Of course, these drums can be tuned high, low and everywhere in the middle, so this isn't really a problem.

Sometimes, you can get a killer deal on the 70's ones because the chrome used to flake off pretty badly. It doesn't effect the sound of the drum, it just looks bad.
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Yep, there's acually the very thing on ebay at the moment, but it's a 60's model. It has no bids starting at £180 or buy it now for £225 (P&P 20) and has the same chrome flaking. There is also quite a lot of movement in the US with supraphonics, they're a lot cheaper than the UK - that's a given but the p&p & customs (30%) added on to the cost makes it a less lucrative venture. What would you pay for them? Is the price I've stated pretty common? Or is that a little too much for one that's badly flaking? I don't care how it looks at all. :p
 
I haven't priced them in a few years. When I was looking, the 5 inch ones were about $150 and the 6.5 inch ones were $250. I think everything has gone up quite a bit now.

You can also get an acrolite. It's the same shell without the chrome plating and with 8 lugs instead of 10. Those tend to be $100 and below.

The reason there are so many of them for sale is because they have been making them since the early 60's and there is a gazillion of them. If you had a drummer in your family, you probably have 3 of them in your attic...
 
Farview said:
I haven't priced them in a few years. When I was looking, the 5 inch ones were about $150 and the 6.5 inch ones were $250. I think everything has gone up quite a bit now.

You can also get an acrolite. It's the same shell without the chrome plating and with 8 lugs instead of 10. Those tend to be $100 and below.

The reason there are so many of them for sale is because they have been making them since the early 60's and there is a gazillion of them. If you had a drummer in your family, you probably have 3 of them in your attic...
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If it's the same shell why the price hike? A 10 lug snare would be nice but an 8 lug snare that sounds pretty much the same if time is taken to tune it correctly would be better for me due to the cash savings :cool: :confused:
 
_brian_ said:
If it's the same shell why the price hike? A 10 lug snare would be nice but an 8 lug snare that sounds pretty much the same if time is taken to tune it correctly would be better for me due to the cash savings :cool: :confused:
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Two extra lugs and some chrome makes it seem better/niftier. The acrolite was the beginner snare, so everyone assumed that it was junk and the supraphonic was so much better. They were wrong, the shell is the same "ludaloy" without the chrome, the same throwoff, same muffling, etc...
 
I personally think the greatest snare is the Ludwig Supersensitive chrome snare, 6.5 deep. It's so responsive and you've heard it in countless records. Don Henley from the Eagles still uses it to this day. I'm not a big fan of wood snares personally. I own one and I've always found it to be troublesome to get rid of overtones on it, even with dampening rings. Plus, most wood snares don't have the felt ring inside you can turn up against the underside of the top head for dampening. Again, this is all just my personal preference but since everyone is throwing in their two cents...there's mine :)

Josh
 
acrolite

I've been watching ebay for acrolites & supraphonics & cheekily "black beauties" just staring in aw folks, that's all :p I think the acrolite is the snare for me. I quite frankly don't deserve a set of world class drums as I'm technically not profficiant enough to warrent such spending. So I'll opt for a very good snare, that is very usable. A supraphonic would be nice but I don't see it as a huge step up from an acrolite & to be honest I don't like the idea of a drum disintigrating before my very eyes. So many supraphonics on ebay seem to be flaking & pitting, I'd like something that will give me nothing but playing time. I don't want the added headache of wondering whether to sell a supraphonic down the line when it's starting to pit or flake before it gets really bad and it's value takes a nose dive.

So thanks for all your help!! ;)
 
Success

Bought a 1970's acrlolite in "immaculate" condition from the US £100. I payed a little more for it because I just thought - why not get something that I'll hang on to & be proud of owning & also it's my first descent drum so why not - it's relatively not that much money. The other acrolites (when shipping & possible customs charges were taken into consideration) which were in a more modest con. & good/poor con. weren't really that much cheaper.

So I'll let you all know how I get on once it arrives;), can't wait!! :p
 
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