Thoughts on replacing snares and heads

  • Thread starter Thread starter Supercreep
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Supercreep

Supercreep

Lizard People
I just replaced my resonant heads and snares on all my drums.


WOW!!

Even without evidence of damage, the snares must have gotten stretched out - because it's like a new drum.

So not only is tuning the drum important, but keeping the hardware in top shape is important too.

Sorry to be master of the obvious, I had just been replacing batter heads - and replacing the snares was a better "magic bullet" than mics/pres etc.

Just wanted to share.

-Casey
 
It's worth experimenting with different snare wires too. For most live playing situations it won't make much difference, but in a studio environment with close mic'ing the wires can audibly alter the sound.

Whether it's a good or bad alteration is up to you, of course.

My good friend James Walker did a rather in-depth comparison a few years ago. Check it out: http://www.malletjazz.com/snares/snarewires/

W.
 
i've been replacing the stock snare wires on my snares with Puresounds and the drums have REALLY come to life.

I put blasters on my 13in DW Collectors Series, and they increased the responsiveness of the drum and its overall volume and brightness. the drum *really* cracks now.

i put customs on my '60's Ludwig keystone gold sparkle and that drum has a presence it's never had. before it was a little tubby sounding.....now it's responsive and sensitive.

i didn't replace the heads when i replaced the snares just to keep the test scientific.....change only one variable. :D


cheers,
wade
 
from those recordings i quite like the generic 42 strand wires actually.. gives a nice crack dont you think?
 
42 strand wires are too insensitive for me. I use the Puresound Blasters on nearly everything I build, but if it's a drum that will be used for more mid and low volume applications I use the DYNAMICX from Black Swamp.

W.
 
Replacing resonant heads is a must. They wear out over time due to frequent vibrations...just not as quickly as batter-side heads.

On my main snare -- which gets between 6-14 hours playing time a week -- I replace the resonant head once every 9 months or so and it makes an audible difference to me.
 
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