Funky snare - Supralite vs Acrolite

Hi everyone,

Back again after a prolonged period of lurking. I'm looking at getting a new snare for some of the more funky music I'm playing. I'm after the Garibaldi type snare sound, so really modern funk instead of the old-school dirty snare sound: tight, focused crack with some body behind it.

I'm considering the 4x14 Supralite but I'm worried it will sound too thin without much body and solidity. The 5x15 is also an option - I hear a lot of people are going for this size out of the supralites. Aesthetically the 15" snare might look a bit big on the smaller Gretsch kit but I don't really know. There's also the option of going used Acrolite but because I live in Australia the prices on the two end up about the same, and sometimes the Acrolite is even more.

I am tempted by the 5x14 Black Beauty but I already have a 6.5x14 so I am resisting that temptation for now.

Bit of background on what I have: I have two kits, a Mapex Saturn 22/12/16 for general playing and a Gretsch Catalina Club 20/12/14 for funky/jazzy stuff.
Snares I currently have:
Ludwig Black Beauty 14x6.5 - pretty much permanently on the Mapex and is my main snare.
Mapex Black Panther 14x5.5 (Thomann edition, mystery maple, die cast hoops) - currently on the Gretsch, wet, dirty sound even when tuned up
Saturn stock snare - tends to sound quite dead - useful for that low snare sound even though normally I'll use the BB for that
Catalina stock snare - not really used.

Because of this I'm thinking of going the Supralite in 4x14 just so I can get the sounds I want but also to have the opportunity of using it as a secondary snare.

Other ideas are welcome too, I'm happy to stretch the budget if a solid recommendation comes along.

Cheers,
Cel

Steve Jordan uses a vintage 5x14 Acrolite fairly often.His signature snare is 13x 6.5.

It's all in head selection,tuning....and the drummer him or herself..While I wouldn't use a marcher,anything is the 13-14" diameter x 3.5-6.5 should get the job done.

Steve B

It's no so much the drum as the set up, which goes for most styles of music.

Honestly, I would say your Black Beauty should do it all already. Tuned higher maybe, for more punch or pop.

But of course if you must have another snare, can't go wrong with an Acrolite.

Hey Cel, if you're looking for the Garibaldi-type of sound: I believe Garibaldi's signature snare is a brass piccolo (14x3.5 I think).

I also have a brass piccolo (Not Yamaha, mine is Pearl FFS 14x3.5) and I use an Emperor batter on it. It has a surprisingly large amount of body. It's my most versatile snare. And yes, very funky when tuned that way.

The brass does add a lot of warmth. So if you have a BB, then I would try tuning that up a little for the sound you want! You can do such a lot with heads and tuning that it's worth a try.

I've read good reviews about the new Supralite snares, but personally, I'd rather have an acro.....................IMO, it is the best bang for your buck in the drumming world

Not sure where your located, but around here I see them listed pretty frequently for around 100 bucks.

Good Luck

Check out the Carl Palmer signature snare (Venus) from Ludwig. It's specs are similar to the Garibaldi at a much lower price.

opentune said:

Honestly, I would say your Black Beauty should do it all already. Tuned higher maybe, for more punch or pop.

But of course if you must have another snare, can't go wrong with an Acrolite.

Click to expand...

++1

opentune beat me to it. The BB really should do the job. Crank it up and maybe then a little bit more (especially the reso).

I'd take a used acro over the supralite (personal pref), but the economics seem quite different down under.

Go experiment with higher tunings on the BB first! (EDIT: oops ... .didn't see that Bonzo_CR already recommended this!)

best,
radman

Thanks for all the replies.

The reason why I'm not really using the BB is because most of the time it's out and about at a gig or packed up in a case. Logistically that makes it difficult and hence I'm shopping for another snare. I'm sure it would cover the sounds I want, in fact I'll be using it for just this sort of music in a couple of months, but for every day use at home I'm feeling like buying another snare.

That Carl Palmer Venus snare is really tempting...the only thing holding me back is that I already have a brass snare and I'm thinking maybe I should look at getting something different to be able to cover more sounds.

At this point most of the Acrolites I see are around the $240 mark ($160 for the snare, $80 for shipping to Australia on eBay). It's about the same for a new Supralite. I'm just concerned buying a used acrolite that there may be hardware issues from wear and extended use -- I've had plenty of bad experiences with lugs that don't do up tight, or hoops that are just slightly out of round, etc.

The Venus snare is about $450 shipped to me at the moment, which is stretching my budget a little but I could still justify it.

Snap up an Acro! You can get them here in Aus too depending on where you are - and $240 should just about see you one on the bay.

Here's Steve Jordan using one that's fairly cranked:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ahbb9rzMDg

I have the black beauty and the saturn snare also... I think they would both do the trick but if you wanted something with a really short sharp and high pitched note you could go something with a thicker shell.

Check out this video of a pearl ultracast, he tunes it high at the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFj-3VlsSMM

I haven't tried the new Supralites, but guys are diggin' them... My first thought was late 60s early 70s Supra or Acrolite - . I like the Supras, but I guess it'll depend on what kind of deal you can find because shipping will be expensive for you...

An affordable option could be building up a World Max type brass snare. I had a 5x14 with tube lugs and die-cast rims that had that modern Garibaldi vibe...

cornelius said:

I haven't tried the new Supralites, but guys are diggin' them... My first thought was late 60s early 70s Supra or Acrolite - . I like the Supras, but I guess it'll depend on what kind of deal you can find because shipping will be expensive for you...

An affordable option could be building up a World Max type brass snare. I had a 5x14 with tube lugs and die-cast rims that had that modern Garibaldi vibe...

Click to expand...

Thanks everyone.

I think if I was going to go brass I would go for that Carl Palmer snare over the World Max (it just looks so good) but either way I feel that since I already have a brass snare I might as well expand a little sonically and get something a bit different.

I'm keeping an eye out for an Acrolite at the moment that I can grab for around $200 shipped in decent condition (probably a raw shell one not the blackrolite or the powder coated). My only concern is that the aluminium shell will be a bit too dry and controlled (a more studio sound) compared to say the steel shell of the supralites.

Either one would be good. For $200 you can get a cherry condition used Acrolite. You may be able to find a slightly beat down Supra for that. Like a lot of people have said here it really comes down to the tuning key. It can be the most musical part of your kit. Good heads, snares and a little time with the key can do wonders. Aluminum shells don't sound all that dry to me. They are a little more controlled but a deft touch with the drummer's best friend will get you the sound that you're looking for. Good luck with it!

Garibaldi Sound and affordable?

Yamaha SD-493.



Can be bought super cheap 2nd hand and is the snare on which DG's snare is based on.

He and others like Weckl used this snare intensively.


And the Acrolite comes very very close, tuned high.

Funnily enough I am looking to build a funk kit in the near future so here is my 2 cents.

I would go for a 5x14 supraphonic or acrolite. Piccolo snares suffer from a lack of body IMO, and can be a bit one-dimensional sounding across musical tunes. Personally I am not a fan of brass snare drums because of the 'ringiness'. I prefer the sound of aluminium - and virtually all of the classic drummers played an aluminium beast so you will get the sound that is in your head.

I trialled an acrolite the other day, having never tried one before - and I was completely blown away. The supraphonic is nice as well but surprisingly ringy but the acro is drier and funky as hell. It would match your gretsch 20/12/14 setup perfectly (this is the bass/tom setup I will be using as well).

Ludwig snare, Gretsch bass and toms: perfect!