Snare Drum Comparison, Observations

Stroman

Diamond Member
I just had the chance to do a side by side comparison of all 4 snare drums in my modest collection. I rarely have them all in one place at one time, but they all happened to be here and I was cleaning my closet. It wasn't an in-depth test - I just sat them on their sides on the carpet, side by side, and played a tiny bit on each one. I'm not really supposed to play here in my neighborhood, so it was quick!

The snares are a Pork Pie Big Black (6.5x14 brass), a 70's Ludwig Acrolite (5x14 aluminum), a Yamaha Musashi (6.5x13 oak), and a Tama Silverstar (5x14 birch).

The very first thing I noticed was that the snares were all tuned to almost exactly the same pitches, despite being different sizes and having 3 different kinds of heads. There were small differences in the reso heads, but the batter heads were practically identical, which tickled me because they were tuned separately, without a drum dial or any attempt to find a certain pitch. My ear must just have its own sweet spot after all these years, lol.

As far as comparisons, the Big Black was the most "ringy", which wasn't a surprise. The birch Silverstar and aluminum Acrolite sounded more alike than I would have suspected, with the Acro being a little more solid and meaty, and the Silverstar being a little airier and brighter. In a bad room, I don't think you could tell the difference.

The big surprise to me was that I liked the Musashi better than any of the others. It maintained a good balance of body and snare response when played lightly, and had the most solid, full-sounding crack when played harder. The shallower drums had a lot of sensitivity at low volume, but they were almost all crack at higher volume. The Pork Pie sounded good, but with a bright, ringy honk that makes it the most unique sounding drum in my collection, but also one that may not be ideal for all situations.

Anyway, I know it wasn't a profound, controlled test, but it was interesting to me, being the first time I've played all four in the same room at the same time. I was reminded what a great, versatile little drum that Musashi is!
 
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Neat!

One thing that I've recently noticed about my snares (LB417, LM404, LS401) is that:

Overtone is to drummers, as reverb is to guitarists. I find that all the same generalizations seem to apply.

*As the need for articulation increases, the need for overtone decreases.
*As the players ability to articulate decreases (new player), the reliance on overtone increases.
*As the player's ability to articulate increases (experienced player), overtone becomes a stylistic choice, and less of a crutch.

Have you noticed the same, or come to a different conclusion?
 
Neat!

One thing that I've recently noticed about my snares (LB417, LM404, LS401) is that:

Overtone is to drummers, as reverb is to guitarists. I find that all the same generalizations seem to apply.

*As the need for articulation increases, the need for overtone decreases.
*As the players ability to articulate decreases (new player), the reliance on overtone increases.
*As the player's ability to articulate increases (experienced player), overtone becomes a stylistic choice, and less of a crutch.

Have you noticed the same, or come to a different conclusion?

I understand what you are saying in theory, but my experience with new drummers is that they cannot STAND overtones. Most have only heard recorded, processed drums and the sound of a real drum is unpalatable to them. Any amount of ring, sustain, or overtone makes them want to kill it with moongel or tape.

As for the part about overtones being a stylistic choice in more mature drummers, yes, I definitely agree with that.
 
I think noob drummers love dead drums like hack guitarists love too much gain. Or that they hate overtones like noob guitarists hate mids. I definitely agree with your first and last points, KamaK.
 
I've done the same comparisons with my snares, it's scary when they're all tuned pretty much the same and you don't realise it! I'm not one for dials but I think everyone has that note in their heads that sounds right.

I'm stuck in the eternal conundrum which is better the 400 or the 402.

As you mentioned with the Acro, mine sounds quite dry and woody and nothing like my supras but I need to do a little work to it, it's a 60s prototype that needed lots of TLC. The previous owner didn't know what it was, still had the aluminium hoops on it but not in a good condition sadly.
 
I'm stuck in the eternal conundrum which is better the 400 or the 402.

In my mind Neither is 'better'. Horses for courses.
I can't imagine Paice or Bonham style stuff with a 400, in the same way I can't imagine any of Hal Blaine's drumming with a 402.
 
I'm glad to hear that you like the Yamaha Musashi. I've been pondering getting one of those. For some reason I think I'd like it, even though I've never heard one before. I think I'd like the 13" size too. I'm short and play Dbl. kick. I'm thinking it might be more comfortable between my pedals.
 
Funny, I just did a similar test of my snares recently and came to the same realization. Despite the differences in my most often used snares, they are all tuned about the same.

My rotation includes an LM 400 Supra, a 14x5 Classic Maple, and a 14x6.5 Steve Ferrone Pearl signature snare (brass shell). After listening to the recordings, I liked the Classic Maple snare the most. The Ferrone snare was a close second. I was surprised how close a 5" maple shell sounded to a 6.5" brass shell. Weird... To me, the Supra sounded dead and boxy compared to the other two snares. I can see why it's the go-to studio snare.

The Classic Maple was definitely more sensitive at lower volumes than the Ferrone, but it was the Ferrone that had the most "body" to it at louder dynamics. Playing mostly traditional blues, I rotate between these two depending upon my mood. The Classic Maple goes on all the jazz gigs. The Supra goes on a few but mostly stays on the home practice kit.
 
Funny, I just did a similar test of my snares recently and came to the same realization. Despite the differences in my most often used snares, they are all tuned about the same.

My rotation includes an LM 400 Supra, a 14x5 Classic Maple, and a 14x6.5 Steve Ferrone Pearl signature snare (brass shell). After listening to the recordings, I liked the Classic Maple snare the most. The Ferrone snare was a close second. I was surprised how close a 5" maple shell sounded to a 6.5" brass shell. Weird... To me, the Supra sounded dead and boxy compared to the other two snares. I can see why it's the go-to studio snare.

The Classic Maple was definitely more sensitive at lower volumes than the Ferrone, but it was the Ferrone that had the most "body" to it at louder dynamics. Playing mostly traditional blues, I rotate between these two depending upon my mood. The Classic Maple goes on all the jazz gigs. The Supra goes on a few but mostly stays on the home practice kit.

Interesting that your snares ended up tuned about the same, too. I was amazed at how alike they all were in some ways, yet the slight differences really shone through when they were played side by side.

I've got a classic maple kit, but have never tried a classic maple snare. I think a 6.5x14 would suit me...
 
I think noob drummers love dead drums like hack guitarists love too much gain. Or that they hate overtones like noob guitarists hate mids. I definitely agree with your first and last points, KamaK.

Indeed. When I was being mentored on guitar, my instructor had the philosophy that, "If you cannot play a part clean, you cannot play the part". I guess this is the percussion equivalent of "If you cannot properly play it below-tempo/slowly, you can not play it at-tempo/quickly".

Any attempt to cover/mask a lack of articulation is a loser in the long run.
 
Any attempt to cover/mask a lack of articulation is a loser in the long run.

Totally agree.

One thing about overtones and and sustain in a snare drum, though. Sometimes it takes experience to make them work in your favor. A drum that rings out tends to have a wider range of available voices, in my experience, while a tight, staccato sounding drum has fewer nuances available, at least the way I play.

I've had drummers play my Big Black at open jams and comment that they found it hard to control, while from the audience it sounded EXACTLY as I'd want it to. I have no trouble getting the sound I want from it, depending on where and how I strike the head.

Food for thought.
 
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