Making this a jazz snare - DW Maple

joshvibert

Senior Member
I've got a DW 10&6 Collectors 5x14 Maple Snare (see pic below). It is currently my only snare. I think it could use some new wires because the current wires have a spot in the middle where a few of the strands look a little bent. The result is that in order to have no snare sound when I turn off the strainer, the snares must be very loose when turned on. I'm going to buy new snare wires for it and as this is my only snare, I want to get the most bang for the buck. Most of my "gigs" are jazz/light blues ala Ray Charles. On my own, I tend more towards rock/heavier blues. I'd appreciate some recommendations on snare wires and perhaps head choices if the CS dot I currently have is less than ideal.

Thanks!

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I'm a big fan of the Puresound equalizers. They are very responsive and do a good job at dampening the buzz from other drums.

Also, for jazz/light blues, I woud probably go with a thinner head for more articulation. DWs always sound good with a coated Ambassador. I've tried the new Ambassador X, which is slighty thicker but still clean sounding. Another option might be an Evans Power Center. I have a PC on my 14x4.5 DW VLT snare and it sounds really good.
 
There are plenty choices out there. Just replacing the snares with a fresh set will improve your experience.

My two favorites are Puresound Customs and Fat Cat snares.

I've had good luck with Puresound and I have different strand counts for different drums. Puresound has wide selection so there are quite a few choices. You can ask EvansSpecialist questions as he's the rep for D'addario drum products (Evans, Puresound). I find the Customs give a 'sweet sound' to snares similar to the way a brass drum compares to a steel.

I have the Fat Cats on one of my Pork Pie maple snares (6 x 13). These are 24 strand snares with an inner set of wires that can be adjusted. Not the same as a Ludwig Super Sensitive mechanism but still useful for dialing in crisp/loose snare textures.

There are other choices but those are two that I'd recommend.

HTH

Jim
 
Re: Making this a jazz snare - DW Maple forgot about the head

I forgot that you asked about heads.

I do like the Remo CS Underside Dot coated heads quite a bit. However, I've had more luck with them on brighter, brass or bronze drums.

I tried one on the same snare I mentioned below and found it a bit too dampened by the dot. If I wanted a fat center struck sound it was great but not as versatile. The CS Dot works great on my Yamaha Paul Leim brass snare.
IMO, the Evans Power Center and Aquarian Texture Coated with underside dot have slightly thinner dots and don't affect the sound as much.

I'd consider going with a non-dot coated head. Here are my choices.
Aquarian Texture Coated - Single ply, no dot. Coating lasts forever.
Evans Coated G2 - 2-ply but not that thick. works GREAT on my Pork Pie maple 5 x 13 snare for all around use.
Remo Coated Ambassador or Emperor - One of these should work well. The Ambassador would be better I think, especially if you are using brushes but the Emperor would hold up better for the heavier Rock/blues stuff.

Those are my head recommendations.

Jim
 
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