What's the best maple snare you've owned / used ?

It's a hard tie between a Ludwig Legacy and a RB Gretsch 4157.
Neither are 100% maple, but both has its own savour and it's difficult to pick which is the best. (The Ludwig is louder and easier to tune so that's better haha)

Unfortunately I need to sell both to fund living in this era of inflation.
Fortunately, I'd be able to easily replace the Gretsch with a Renown and the Ludwig with a Pioneer down the line. I'd also look into more interesting options, maybe even build my own, out of a single-ply shell!
 
I've had great results with my 1993 Pearl MLX, 6.5x14 maple 6-ply 7.5mm shell unit. It has the 10 one piece bridge lugs, power hoops, & the snare strainer which extends the wires outside the rims.
It has served me well. I like the sound, & other drummers like it. It has good sensitivity for a 6.5 inch depth. And great power.
 
Question for ME is what's the best maple snare I'm GOING to own. Like Ted Nugent on a wild 🐗 boar I've got my cross bow dead center on a Spaun 6x13 maple cedar face snaredrum. Possibly the biggest warmest roundest fullest sounding 13 in the wilderness today. I spotted one on YouTube and that's when the restless nights started. It soon comes to an end. Here little Spauny Spauny......BOOM!.
 
Much like @Claude Abraham and his Pearl MLX snare, my favorite maple snare is a direct descendent of his.

I've really enjoyed my 14"x6.5" Pearl Masters Custom Extra MRX Maple Snare. With its 6-ply, 7.5mm 100% aged Maple shell, 10 CL-65 lugs, and Master Cast die cast hoops, it handles all of my rock n' roll needs with ease!

To this day it's my main snare. I bought it brand new back in 2006, along with my Pearl MRX kit in matching Midnight Fade with chrome hardware. I've definitely had no complaints with it so far. (y):cool:
 
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Though I don't have it, I bet the maple by Canopus is fantastic (never had a Canopus that wasn't tremendous).

But I do have the Craviotto 6.5x14 solid shell Maple and gotta say, it's kinda the perfect wood snare - attack, body, projection, warmth, crisp, versatile = low, medium, high tunings, looks great, and very well-built.
 

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Blk Diamond said:
Much like @Claude Abraham and his Pearl MLX snare, my favorite maple snare is a direct descendent of his.

I've really enjoyed my 14"x6.5" Pearl Masters Custom Extra MRX Maple Snare. With its 6-ply, 7.5mm 100% aged Maple shell, 10 CL-65 lugs, and Master Cast die cast hoops, it handles all of my rock n' roll needs with ease!

To this day it's my main snare. I bought it brand new back in 2006, along with my Pearl MRX kit in matching Midnight Fade with chrome hardware. I've definitely had no complaints with it so far. (y):cool:
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I have the Pearl MCX 6.5x14 Maple in Birdseye finish. It's 6-ply, 7.5 mm shell is a great Rock and general use drum in mid to high tensions with a reverse Ambassador CS or Ambassador-X. I don't experience great sensitivity at low tension for some reason. Quite the workhorse, with awesome build quality! Do you find it favors mostly higher tuning?
 
Troy McClure said:
I have a 14x5.5 8-lug with die-cast hoops. It was the 1st snare drum I ever bought that didn't come with the kit. Got it at such a good price too. Good snare.
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I have one of the older MIJ clear maple finished ones that I bought used, and I've replaced the die-cas rims with 1.6mm triple flanged rims. Give them a try! Really opened up the drum even more.
 
Supraman5x14 said:
I have the Pearl MCX 6.5x14 Maple in Birdseye finish. It's 6-ply, 7.5 mm shell is a great Rock and general use drum in mid to high tensions with a reverse Ambassador CS or Ambassador-X. I don't experience great sensitivity at low tension for some reason. Quite the workhorse, with awesome build quality! Do you find it favors mostly higher tuning?
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What a beautiful snare you have in a Birdseye Maple MCX Supraman5x14!

I'm currently running an Evans HD Dry/Hazy 300 head combination on mine. I have it set at what I believe to be mid tension, for a nice solid crack and sensitivity. I don't think that I've really tried a low tension setting with it before. Normally I tune my snares by ear, looking for both a certain feel while a chasing a sound in my head. When I believe that I've got that "sweet spot" dialed in, I tend to not mess around much with other tunings.

However, I just got a Tune-Bot.
So, that might give me some extra courage to experiment with some different tunings, without the fear of "losing" what I have already dialed in. :unsure:
 
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1963 Slingerland Artist. It's a single ply maple drum with rings. Incredible!

A close secong would be my Slingerland Deluxe student model for a very different sound. I forget... mid-60s. But then again it's not all maple is it?
 
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