Need opinion - purchasing used snare

chuckduffy

Well-known member
I am looking for a snare and stand to use in conjunction with my electronic kit. Found this in a local ad. Thoughts

Excellent Condition Gretsch Catalina Birch Snare Drum with Snare Drum Stand $100.00.
 
Well, what do you want out of it? Looking for a particular sound? I own a Pacific FS birch snare, and that bad boy is LOUD! Probably due to the very sharp incline on the bearing edge. I'm assuming it's a 14" snare as well, but you said your using in conjunction with your ekit, so I'm not sure if you would be using it as a side snare or the main.
Birch tends to have boosted lows and highs as compared to maple, but most of the lows will not be present in a birch snare drum. I would assume it will be more of a louder, brighter drum. Maple is more often used for a snare due to it's warmth. But that's not to say birch isn't commonly used for a snare either, some people prefer that sound instead of maple.
Loudness also depends on the bearing edges, but I'm not familiar with the Gretsch birch snare so I couldn't tell you how much of an angle they are on. My Pacific birch snare is know for it's sharper angle on the snare apparently, so it could just be me.
Overall it looks like a decent buy, and it comes with a stand so thats a nice plus.
I'm not sure what your situation is, but I might get it if I knew it would work for me, and if I liked the sound of the drum (most importantly).

Let us know what you decide! :D
 
Get a metal snare. They're better. Brass, bronze, steel, copper, aluminum....they all sound better than wood.
 
I agree with greg for the most part.

But I must say there are some wood snares that I like... but they are not cheap.
 
Sure, there are wood snares that I like too. I'm just assuming that this guy is gonna buy one snare, and no wood snare can match the wide tuning range and varied tones of a good metal snare.
 
It was gone anyway. I would have picked it up if someone said it was decent build quality, and if it didn't work out I would just pass it along. I will take the tip about metal into account though, Greg's assumption was right - just looking for a single snare not to start a collection. Thanks
 
Used snares are so cheap you should try and get a wood and a metal. I got rid of all my metal snares and regret it now.
 
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