Red Menace's giant red snare

Red Menace

Platinum Member
Hey everyone, I haven't contributed anything in a while so I present to you all my shiny new custom snare!! It's a custom job courtesy of Kevin from Crazy 8's Drums.

It's a 70's era Ludwig marcher shell that I scored off ebay. When it came to me it had a ratty chrome wrap on there. Fortunately it had a nice maple layer under the wrap. Just got it today and I'm super stoked!

It's a 14x10 with Kevin's fancy Karma balanced tuning deal on the shell. The only holes in the shell are for the mounting posts and the vents. The strainer and butt plate are mounted on wood plates and hang off the posts.

I haven't really given it a really good beating but from what I've heard so far this sucker is LOUD when I need it to be. Kevin really put a lot of work into this baby and I think it may be my new favorite snare drum. I'm hoping to take her out on a gig soon.

Here are some pics and one of her with my kit. It looks like it could eat my rack tom...
 

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If you really want to tap into the snare's potential, spend $15 on a new snare head(s)

But cool unit anyhow.

Thanks... I think.

I was too cheap to get a new head for this but now that it's done I want to hear it with a new single ply batter. Time for a trip to the ol' GC...
 
Doh! Yeah, that head had about 750 hours of play on it. It is a good head though, and I think it has another 500 or so more hours left in it.

Red Menace, if you ain't gunna use that head, be sure to bring it back to me. Even though I thoroughly washed it before I put it on the drum it still has my stink all over it. LOL! 750+ hours of deep down dirty stank, and some booze, and some rock and roll, and this and that and rat a tat tat.

Knowadimsayin? :)
 
So it has seen some stage hours. Does it need to be mic'd from bottom and top? it has been my experience with even 8 inch deep snares, sound guys have a tough time getting the snare sound out using the traditional top mic only. Even when the snare kicks ass acoustically, I have heard playback that sounded like there was no strainer attached.

That was the main reason I shortened my hybrid from 7 3/4 to 7 even.
 
So it has seen some stage hours. Does it need to be mic'd from bottom and top? it has been my experience with even 8 inch deep snares, sound guys have a tough time getting the snare sound out using the traditional top mic only. Even when the snare kicks ass acoustically, I have heard playback that sounded like there was no strainer attached.

That was the main reason I shortened my hybrid from 7 3/4 to 7 even.

The head has lots of hours on it while it was on another drum I sold to Red Menace also. The big red drum here, as pictured, only has a few hours into it since it's rebirth.

Any experienced sound engineer should beable to get a phenomenal sound from this drum, considering it is built upon a shell design that was incredibly popular and heavily recorded, that Ludwig maple-poplar-maple sound.... Just moreso, cus it is bigger and better! and REDDER!!! :)
 
Wow! I like them both...the red snare & swimming pool! Your red snare must deliver a profound sound.
 
sweet you going 15x12 next like meeeeee? eh? Looks awesome. is this a 10lug or 12? apparently I can't count on the pics.
 
sweet you going 15x12 next like meeeeee? eh? Looks awesome. is this a 10lug or 12? apparently I can't count on the pics.

It is 10 lugs as this drum originally was. It would work equally well for 12 lugs, but there are fewer options in 14" 12 lug hoops.

Because Ludwig drilled a lot of holes to bolt on lots of metal bits to it, I had to plug them and sand everything down to get it proper for a modern drum.

Evilbaqua, I'd like to know how you are setting up that 15x12 to play on. My snare stand would barely go low enough to get it just right. Are you using a special snare stand?
 
sweet you going 15x12 next like meeeeee? eh? Looks awesome. is this a 10lug or 12? apparently I can't count on the pics.

I think next I'm gonna get a piccolo snare just to cover all my bases. It'd look cute with this monster next to a 14x4 snare. I do want to get a 15" snare eventually. The great thing is that some vintage numbers pop up on e-bay all the time and they're not really collectable so they go for pretty cheap.
 
I think next I'm gonna get a piccolo snare just to cover all my bases. It'd look cute with this monster next to a 14x4 snare. I do want to get a 15" snare eventually. The great thing is that some vintage numbers pop up on e-bay all the time and they're not really collectable so they go for pretty cheap.


You know, bro, I've got ya covered....but think 13x4 for a true spectrum opposition.

It could look like this...
 

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I think next I'm gonna get a piccolo snare just to cover all my bases. It'd look cute with this monster next to a 14x4 snare. I do want to get a 15" snare eventually. The great thing is that some vintage numbers pop up on e-bay all the time and they're not really collectable so they go for pretty cheap.

Yeah I've scored 15x12's from the 1960's for 50$. Currently getting that bad boy back into shape. The guy even gave me 2 brand new free hoops so it was like the drum was free at that price!
 
I had a dw9300 stand lowered all the way down and took the memory locks off but it was still about an inch too high (Since it has the weird boom basket) from where I normally play any size snare 14x5 or 14x8 etc. I am now using a 50$ whatever the lowest level double brace series PDP stand is with the base lowered all the way and the memory lock removed and I get it just perfect. I'm guess I'm tall, 6'1 so I guess that helps, but I can see like 95% of people not being able to get it low enough in a standard stand. If the drum was any deeper, I couldn't get it comfortable on this stand.



It is 10 lugs as this drum originally was. It would work equally well for 12 lugs, but there are fewer options in 14" 12 lug hoops.

Because Ludwig drilled a lot of holes to bolt on lots of metal bits to it, I had to plug them and sand everything down to get it proper for a modern drum.

Evilbaqua, I'd like to know how you are setting up that 15x12 to play on. My snare stand would barely go low enough to get it just right. Are you using a special snare stand?
 
Recording a new demo with my new band!! "Richard" as I have dubbed my wonderful new snare has held up swimmingly and thank him for his service thus far. Back in tomorrow to test his salts as a snare drum. Snapped a couple of pictures of Richard driving up with me and all miked up. Enjoy!
 

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AAAHHHHHH!!! A Drum Dial!!!

I'm MELTING! I'm MELTING!!!!! No!!!!!!!
 
So, those posts where the cords come around are mounted in the former lug post holes, right? This puts the current "floating" lugs and corresponding holes in the hoops offset by 50% from where they were before... So, aren't the strainer & butt plate no longer aligned with the snare beds on the bottom bearing edge? Or, Kevin, did you re-cut the bottom edge?
 
So, those posts where the cords come around are mounted in the former lug post holes, right? This puts the current "floating" lugs and corresponding holes in the hoops offset by 50% from where they were before... So, aren't the strainer & butt plate no longer aligned with the snare beds on the bottom bearing edge? Or, Kevin, did you re-cut the bottom edge?

Tim, I didn't even think about that until you pointed it out. It seems the hoops would have to be turned slightly to accommodate the tuning system. The shell originally had those high tension lugs on it. Kevin doweled the outer rows and used the inner holes for the posts. I do know that he re-cut both bearing edges with his trademark superclean edges so I assume that he put a new snare bed on there also.

He actually started with a shallow snare bed. I have had the drum for a few weeks now and been able to record and gig a little with it so now it's back in his hands for a few tweaks. I know he's going to cut the snare bed a little deeper for better snare response.

So funny little story. With my main snare away for a few mods this Sunday I used my Acrolite for practice. I have one other snare that's a Crazy 8s custom but it is a loud little sucker so I opted for the neglected acro instead. I'd just tuned it up so it sounded good but this little guy just didn't have the sweet honk of my red snare. That's a tall order from a drum half the depth but I think I just may be a deep snare guy. I think my next purchase will have to be a 14x6.5 Supraphonic. I'm hoping I can find a nice beat up "players drum" to restore.
 
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