A New Believer In Brass Shells

TipsusMagnus

Senior Member
This is just an outburst-of-glee post. Sorry mods.

I've usually stuck with wooden snare drums for reasons of personal taste. I've tried stock Pearl steel snares and borrowed a friend's Ahead snare on occasion, but I haven't owned a metal snare until recently. Between my Mapex Saturn snare drum and a custom narra stave snare drum, I knew I had all my bases covered. And then some guy sold me a Pork Pie Big Black for about $180 (converted from local currency), and suddenly, I had a brass drum.

It was in a really good condition. It came with a coated emperor on top with only a few stick marks, a hazy on the bottom, and even a padded drum bag. Like I read on some reviews, it does de-tune, but putting ABS washers on it easily fixed the problem. Now, my initial instinct was to replace the emperor with a coated ambassador, but just before I started turning the lugs, curiosity got the better of me. It's one thing to hear a snare drum at home with the sound bouncing off concrete ceilings, or in a studio where the sound is controlled and tailored. I had to hear it perform as it is, no holds barred, live and in a big venue.

I put it through its paces just a few hours ago, and I have to say, I didn't know brass was the sound I was looking for. I had it on a fairly medium-tight tension, and it sounded like a cannon! I've heard this sound before on a Markley snare drum--a beefy, thud-y kind of crack--and I've always wanted to achieve that sound. But it retained enough sensitivity for softer moments. Rim clicks sounded great, ghost notes were soft but audible, and buzz rolls were never lost in the mix. I'm still set on buying coated ambassadors for it in the future, but for now, I'm thinking of wearing the emperors out first before I do.

Don't get me wrong. My wood snares are still my pride and joy. When I get the funds for them, I even plan on buying a couple of new ones from Andy and Francois. But for now, I'm on a brass high, and I feel like taming that Pork Pie a lot more. It's like a high school crush all over again.

Just thought I'd share. :)
 
I've got a 3x13 Mapex brass snare from the 90s that I absolutely won't let go of. You can throw any mic on it and it records really well. Always has enough sharpness to cut but a nice round warm undertone.

Congrats on finding your in on the shiny side of things. There's a lot of options to explore.
 
Definitely, man. My dad has a Pearl 13x3 brass piccolo that he also loves. When I was starting out, I didn't get why he loved it so much. Looking back, it actually sounded pretty good. Mic it up well and it can sound bigger than it actually is. I wonder if he'd let me borrow it...
 
Yup, I have two Pearl Jupiters (5x14 & 6x14) that are brass and the sound is fantastic. I do prefer wood on a daily basis but you can't go wrong with a brass drum. Sound great mic'd up.
 
As you would expect, a well constructed brass snare has a set of characteristics that only a few wood types can get to. The brightness of metal with (if thin enough) a degree of body (warmth). Conversely, there's a ton of characteristics a wood shell can achieve that no metal shell can approach, so all is good, & that's the beauty of variety. Unless you're lucky enough to have a selection of ultra hard wood snares, then a brass shell drum absolutely has a place in any drummer's arsenal, & even if you are that lucky, it still has a place :)
 
This is why most drummers have both a good wood one and a good metal one. Between the two you can cover everything.

Although I've been covering everything I do with my aluminum Supraphonics. So there must be something wrong with me.
 
Brass,and the warmer bronze shelled drums do have a lot going for them.I own a late 20's 6.5 Ludwig Universal heavy brass snare,a Ludwig 6.5 Black Beauty,A Slingerland 5" 8 lug COB Soundking and a Slingerland Lacquered brass 5" 12 lug Spitfire(although I suspect the shell is actually bronze,because of the redish color.Brass tends to be more,yellow)

They all have their own voice,and the BB I have to say, is legendary for a reason,but the Slingies are the poor mans BB,just as the Pearl Jupiter is(if the drum has 3 lines in the shell,its COB).That "magic" snare Stuart Copeland used on many Police recordings,is in fact a Jupiter.In a youtube vid of his music room in his home,he kind of points it out,without being too obvious.

Steve B
 
I love my BB with cast hoops and my 70 Gretsch COB with cast hoops.
These drums can do anything. I am also a lover of wooden snares and I have many but there are times when only brass will do.
Glad that you are enjoying your new gem :)
 
I have seen some drop dead gorgeous brass drums, but just can't get into it sound wise. Still love wood and aluminum for metal.
 


Got that baby 3 years ago. Antique Brass. Pure smexy sounds. I've always been a fan of wood snares, but it just looked smoking hot, so I bought it, and it sounds great too! Records real well, and when I tune it up, it cracks and projects! A lot of time sound engineers don't even bother miking it, I've done some live recordings with a Zoom and my unmiked snare is louder than other bands' miked snares.
 
Yes, brass snares are GREAT ! I own one.


Hey Jeremy Bender, What kind of snare is this?

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Joyful Noise "Standard" model. Nickel over heavy brass shell. The finest sounding metal shell drum I own.
 
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agreed 100% ! i never owned nickel plated brass until 2 years ago. game changer. studio changer. w/ s-hoops UNREAL rim clicks 7 backbeats. very wood & warm drum, records great. can make the ultimate 70s fat-back easy. now getting into the expensive brass lugs on wood drums.

my 13 x 7:

IMG_20120824_135134.jpg
 
As you would expect, a well constructed brass snare has a set of characteristics that only a few wood types can get to. The brightness of metal with (if thin enough) a degree of body (warmth). Conversely, there's a ton of characteristics a wood shell can achieve that no metal shell can approach, so all is good, & that's the beauty of variety. Unless you're lucky enough to have a selection of ultra hard wood snares, then a brass shell drum absolutely has a place in any drummer's arsenal, & even if you are that lucky, it still has a place :)

Andy, I did follow up on the narra stave snare I talked about with you before. The builder used Brady drums as a sort of peg, so the shell ended up being almost a half-inch thick at 14"x5.25". It has a hell of a crack with a distinctly wooden flavor, but it's also very sensitive. You were right; maple and birch don't even come close to narra. This is currently my main snare along with the Pork Pie, and between both of them, I believe I've got my bases covered. Thanks a lot for suggesting a stave build. :)

This is why most drummers have both a good wood one and a good metal one. Between the two you can cover everything.

Although I've been covering everything I do with my aluminum Supraphonics. So there must be something wrong with me.

Call me crazy but aluminum doesn't do it for me. That's probably because I don't like the ones that I've heard so far, like the Tico Torres drum (sorry Tico Torres fans). But there's a good chance that I'll be pleasantly surprised in the future, like with this brass drum. I think I tend to prefer thinner metal drums. How thick are the aluminum supras?

I love my BB with cast hoops and my 70 Gretsch COB with cast hoops.
These drums can do anything. I am also a lover of wooden snares and I have many but there are times when only brass will do.
Glad that you are enjoying your new gem :)

Couldn't have said it better, Bob. I might use the Pork Pie for everything I do in the next few weeks before I return to wood, just so I can see where it seems to be a better fit. Your BBs though...man, I wish I had one of them. Those things are legendary for a reason.

And guys, please, you're killing me with the photos here! :D
 
Call me crazy but aluminum doesn't do it for me. That's probably because I don't like the ones that I've heard so far, like the Tico Torres drum (sorry Tico Torres fans). But there's a good chance that I'll be pleasantly surprised in the future, like with this brass drum. I think I tend to prefer thinner metal drums. How thick are the aluminum supras?

Not sure of the exact thickness, but they are much lighter than brass snares, and probably a little more "pingy" than a steel shell. However, you've probably been listening to Supraphonics all your life anyway considering all the movie soundtracks, commercial jingles, hit pop songs, and other things they've been recorded onto. Hell, you've probably been listening to Hal Blaine, Earl Palmer, Steve Gadd, and Gary Chester as much as the rest of us ;)


And they all used the Supraphonic.
 
Not sure of the exact thickness, but they are much lighter than brass snares, and probably a little more "pingy" than a steel shell. However, you've probably been listening to Supraphonics all your life anyway considering all the movie soundtracks, commercial jingles, hit pop songs, and other things they've been recorded onto. Hell, you've probably been listening to Hal Blaine, Earl Palmer, Steve Gadd, and Gary Chester as much as the rest of us ;)


And they all used the Supraphonic.

There's that too! But I tend to attach Supras with John Bonham for some reason. So supras are aluminum, right? I thought they were also brass like the BBs, or maybe bronze. Man, I've got to get my drumming lore together.
 
There's that too! But I tend to attach Supras with John Bonham for some reason. So supras are aluminum, right? I thought they were also brass like the BBs, or maybe bronze. Man, I've got to get my drumming lore together.

Yep. Totally aluminum. I've been playing Supras since I was a kid, and it was sort of a shock when I got my first brass snare (a Ludwig Black Beauty years ago) and discovered how heavy it was because of the brass. Then fast forward to a couple of years ago, I treated myself to a Tama Stewart Copeland snare and that was even heavier because it was a COB shell with a die cast hoop on the batter side in which I retrofitted a matching die cast hoop to the bottom! That drum could not be carried in a bag, it demanded a hard case!

Ludwig also made chrome over brass Supras too, but then I figured, you might as well go the next step and make it Black Beauty!
 
Yeah, I had the COB Supras in mind. I didn't realize there were aluminum Supras haha! I might just save up for those next. How much do they go for, used?
 
Yeah, I had the COB Supras in mind. I didn't realize there were aluminum Supras haha! I might just save up for those next. How much do they go for, used?

You'll have to cruise eBay to see what people sell them for used. It all depends on condition. I will tell you one of my current Supras is a 6.5x14 B/O badge with the original strainer built in 1978. I paid $450 for it in pristine condition to go with my new Ludwigs. To me, it was worth every penny, because 1978 was when I really started to get serious (but mom and dad made sure I had something to beat on ever since I was 5).

I've seen aluminum Supras in that $250-350 range too.
 
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