Do you prefer wood or steel snares?

I've never liked steel snares. They usually sound harsh, overly bright and obnoxious. I do love my aluminum Acrolite and brass Yamaha piccolo, both of which have a warmer, nicer overall sound.

I recorded a comparison between the 14" x 5" Acro, the 14" x 4" brass Yammie and a 14" x 5,5" birch Kumu, using several identical tunings. I'll post some audio once I get some free time...
 
If you put a gun to my head, I'd have to go with a maple snare
2nd would be brass not steel
 
it depends on the situation, I guess.

but I can get my wood snare drum to sound kinda like a steel drum if I crank the batter head high and take off the muffling ring I usually use :)
 
I'll take almost any wood over steel. Don't like steel with rare exceptions.

Other metals make it a close race; brass is my favorite. Titanium and aluminum also sound great.

Though I think at the end of the day I'd ever so slightly have to prefer a maple drum, 5.5x14. I've got a Gretsch maple drum that really does it all.
 
Seems like everything else you can think of on the planet- personal preference. There's more than one type of wood, too, and metal... and heads, and hardware, and sticks. I've played more metal snares than I have wood. The few wood snares I have played have also usually been stock from entry-level kits. I love my acrolite and I play a supra at school in jazz band, which never fails to impress. As far as I'm concerned you could play anything with that snare drum. If you're picky enough you could always pick up a DW edge : )
 
I agree with Harry Conway, think of snares as tools for the job you want to get done, that's why some pros have multiple snares in their setups. I heard a drummer make a laughable comment once that you're only a real drummer if you own at least ten snares. Now that i think of it, my first drum teacher had a whole closet full of them on a rack, like 30 snares! Anyway, to get back to your original question, i'm not sure if i'm being scientific in my statement, but steel snares in general to me just seem to project a lot louder when you hit them with equal force. For you, i'd say pick up a steel snare and a brass snare to start your collection, your black panther is actually a nifty sounding woody and a great all-around snare.
 
You know, you can always go with a Bronze snare drum. To me, you have the best of both worlds because the bronze has some woody characteristics to it. I love my Ludwig Bronze Supraphonic for these reasons.
 

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i've only used a Birdseye Black Panther, 14x5.5 and am curious about steel snares (ie. Chad Smith).

why do you prefer either wood or steel snares? i know that basically wood ones can be warmer, but what else? steel is brighter?
Uh...I love the sound of Bonham's snare. Also Nicko Mcbrain's on the AMOLAD album is just...Droolworthy. They're both metal. I play electronic drums unfortunately so I guess...Plastic and mesh snare .
 
I like all types.

Here is my list of snares. I hope to post pic's soon.

Ludwig 14x5 Black Beauty.
Brady 14x8 jarrah.
Pearl 14x5 Reference birch maple 20 ply.
Pearl 14x6 1/6 Reference cast steel.
Pearl 13x6 maple custom.
Pearl Omar Hakim sig.
Pearl limited addition 13x9 African mahogany.
Pearl 14x6 1/2 steel sensitone elite.
Pearl 12x5 steel sensitone.
Sonor 14x6 1/2 Designer maple.
Sonor 14x5 Artist brass.
Sonor artist cottonwood.
Sonor Delite 14x4.4 maple.
Sonor 14x5 Delite maple.
Sonor artist beech.
Yamaha 14x5 maple custom.
Le Soprano 14x6 1/2 pro birch.
Dixon 14x5 marble snare.
Pearl Virgil Donati sig.
Tama JB sig.
Brady 12x7 jarrah.
Tama Athenian.
Sonor amboina artist.

There are more but I can't remember them at the moment. 30 in all.
 
I like all types.

Here is my list of snares. I hope to post pic's soon.

Ludwig 14x5 Black Beauty.
Brady 14x8 jarrah.
Pearl 14x5 Reference birch maple 20 ply.
Pearl 14x6 1/6 Reference cast steel.
Pearl 13x6 maple custom.
Pearl Omar Hakim sig.
Pearl limited addition 13x9 African mahogany.
Pearl 14x6 1/2 steel sensitone elite.
Pearl 12x5 steel sensitone.
Sonor 14x6 1/2 Designer maple.
Sonor 14x5 Artist brass.
Sonor artist cottonwood.
Sonor Delite 14x4.4 maple.
Sonor 14x5 Delite maple.
Sonor artist beech.
Yamaha 14x5 maple custom.
Le Soprano 14x6 1/2 pro birch.
Dixon 14x5 marble snare.
Pearl Virgil Donati sig.
Tama JB sig.
Brady 12x7 jarrah.
Tama Athenian.
Sonor amboina artist.

There are more but I can't remember them at the moment. 30 in all.

That's more snares than the small local drumshop carries! Very nice collection...........I can only dream of owning that many snares. Is the list is any order? Your favorite?
 
This is my "go to" snare.... to be honest I've been exclusively playing it since I got it. Nicest drum I've ever played, and has worked for performances in small carpeted rooms to pubs to loud halls with timber floors, and playing reggae, funk, blues, rock, punk, soul....

n573451661_459211_1670.jpg


Metro 14x6.5 Jarrah stave snare, trick strainer, gloss finish, 2.3mm hoops. Paul from Metro is making me some matching Jarrah segment hoops.... oh yeah.

So I guess my answer is "wood".
 
This is my "go to" snare.... to be honest I've been exclusively playing it since I got it. Nicest drum I've ever played, and has worked for performances in small carpeted rooms to pubs to loud halls with timber floors, and playing reggae, funk, blues, rock, punk, soul....

n573451661_459211_1670.jpg


Metro 14x6.5 Jarrah stave snare, trick strainer, gloss finish, 2.3mm hoops. Paul from Metro is making me some matching Jarrah segment hoops.... oh yeah.

So I guess my answer is "wood".

Nice drum, I've not heard of metro, but love Jarrah. May I ask what the price tag on that is?
 
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