Cheap (inexpensive) vs high dollar snaredrums....

Bozozoid

Platinum Member
Cheap snaredrums that caused you to rethink your view on equiptment..vs high dollar drums that made you lose some faith in overly engineered exotic woods and metals.
 
Can't say I've ever lost faith in an expensive snare but I've bought some less expensive drums that exceeded expectations. The 6.5"x14" Yamaha Stage Custom steel snare comes to mind.

Generally, you only get what you pay for. Robotics and machinery have levelled the playing field a great deal but that only goes so far.
 
I think cheap has been around for awhile.
Look at the old catalogs. 50s thru the sixties. Sometimes then- the only difference was number of lugs- same shell. Different strainer. So those today would can and do hold their own.
established brand- Gretsch Sonor Lud WFL etc Leedy, Slingerland etc Rogers
Majority of those are classics- Pioneers, Dixielands..
 
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Cheap snaredrums that caused you to rethink your view on equiptment..vs high dollar drums that made you lose some faith in overly engineered exotic woods and metals.
Am I a crank for thinking that 10 lug snares have less tension per rod - so will be more prone to detuning than 8 luggers?
Ditto bass drums - which already have barely any tension on them.
 
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Pearl Sensitones spring to mind for a cheap snare that punches way above its weight and until recently the humble acrolite......moh yeah and worldmax

A&F spring to mind of overpriced and not all that.

Usually you get what you pay for. A lot depends on the player and how they set the drum up. I will say I've seen some amazing snares set up like crap.
 
For s specific sound a cheapo snare can deliver something special on a studio recording . On stage at your local hot spot the same drum gets old pretty quick expecially as the night gets louder and wilder .
 
I've owned any number of "cheap" snares that sounded great when given some TLC, decent heads and snares, and tuned to their strengths. I've heard any number of snares from any price range that sound like a biscuit tin with a bunch of pebbles in the bottom.

Three snares that come to mind for me are -
- the first one I owned, a Ludwig Pioneer that sounded utterly amazing despite having a cracked shell
- an old steel-shell import snare that tried to look like a Supra
- a $75 12-lug (!) steel-shell piccolo

I recorded and played live with all three of these snares, and given careful work, they all sounded completely convincing.
 
I think that there can be some real sleepers out there when it comes to cheap snares, and there can be some real duds that cost a small fortune. However, what I have found with the more expensive snares that I own is that they have a lot of range and sound great in just about every room. They also sound great whether you are sitting behind them, out in front listening to them, or from the sound booth EQ'ing them.

I also think it takes a while to figure out what you want as a player. I know what I thought sounded good 25 years ago has definitely changed. Unfortunately, I'm not exactly in love with any cheap equipment, but all of my gear is paid for and insured, and I get to enjoy it pretty frequently. I'm a very blessed man.

Here are my snares I play the most:

Black Beauty - 14 x 8
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Black Beauty 14 x 6.5

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Pork Pie 14 x 6.5 (Walnut and Cherry)

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I think that there can be some real sleepers out there when it comes to cheap snares, and there can be some real duds that cost a small fortune. However, what I have found with the more expensive snares that I own is that they have a lot of range and sound great in just about every room. They also sound great whether you are sitting behind them, out in front listening to them, or from the sound booth EQ'ing them.

I also think it takes a while to figure out what you want as a player. I know what I thought sounded good 25 years ago has definitely changed. Unfortunately, I'm not exactly in love with any cheap equipment, but all of my gear is paid for and insured, and I get to enjoy it pretty frequently. I'm a very blessed man.

Here are my snares I play the most:

Black Beauty - 14 x 8
View attachment 127088

Black Beauty 14 x 6.5

View attachment 127089

Pork Pie 14 x 6.5 (Walnut and Cherry)

View attachment 127090

It’s hard to go wrong with a BB. They’re worth the money.
 
Some pro legends regularly play ordinary drums. Steve Gadd for example.

My thing is dynamic response. Does the drum respond to my hands in a way that represents what i want to hear ?
 
I have had inexpensive snare drums that sounded good when tinkered with. And plenty of inexpensive ones that didn’t sound so good. As a player there are a few things I like in a snare, sound being the primary focus. With that said as a collector I also look for certain things. My latest acquisition is a TAMA Praetorian Warlord Bell Brass. In addition to it being a beautiful piece ot sounds incredibly good tuned in various ranges. I have some Black Beauty snares that sound great. I also have some others (TAMA, Supraphonic, Gretsch) that sound really good. All various depths, materials, and ages. To each their own. Fun discussion.
 
Some pro legends regularly play ordinary drums. Steve Gadd for example.

My thing is dynamic response. Does the drum respond to my hands in a way that represents what i want to hear ?
I remember Gadd talking about doing Aja, he had just gotten a BB, and he ended up hating it and used a Supra. I thought he was crazy at first, but now I get it. The Supra is way more his speed imho.
 
I have a 5 by 14 brass ludwig rocker I think it's a pretty inexpensive drum. I changed out the heads and snare wires and sounds pretty darn good to me.
 
There are certainly diminishing returns when it comes to high-end snares.

Most really expensive snare drums feature exotic finishes and gold hardware, that has little to do with making the drum sound better.
Even some of the exotic woods aren't really meant to sound "better" as much as they mean to sound "different".

For those that buy $1000 snare drums, it's not that it sounds 2x as good as a $500 snare, it's just appreciation for the work that goes into making such an instrument.

One such drum that did stand out to me, was Nick/Living Dead Drummer had a mid-line Yamaha tour series snare. From the audience's perspective, it sounded amazing live. It cut through amps yet sounded very full-bodied at the time same. It wasn't anything special in person, but live, wow, it sounded like a drum twice its price. I think he sold it or gave it back to Yamaha, and I won't let him forget it. lol
 
Generally, you only get what you pay for. Robotics and machinery have levelled the playing field a great deal but that only goes so far.
Agreed.
My Gretsch Catalina Club mahogany 14x6 is a cracker for being wood. I played a DW of similar dimensions recently & other than many hardware upgrades, it felt & played like my Gretsch.
Yet the price difference is night & day.

The only time I really do snare comparisons is wood vs. metal shell.

On a size note: I've recently started liking deeper snares & want to look into getting an 8" deep maple model. The tuning range is pretty good and the versatility is spot on.
 
For those that buy $1000 snare drums, it's not that it sounds 2x as good as a $500 snare, it's just appreciation for the work that goes into making such an instrument.
No, it's because it might be 10-20% better and that small percentage advantage is worth it to some people. What I find with the best 'expensive' drums is that they deliver in multiple situations, often difficult situations, whereas a cheap drum might need a perfect situation.
One of the best cheaper snares I've played is a Pearl Sensitone. One of the worst expensive drums was a Canopus Zelkova. Not that it was a bad drum, it just didn't do anything for me.
 
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