Question about metal snares

Copper, Bronze, and Brass are more dense than steel but not as stiff a metal. Sound travels through metal also and the velocity is highest in aluminum and steel (5,200-6000m/secc) and much slower through the denser Copper and Brass 4,300-4,700 m/sec. There must be some push/pull between mass/density and stiffness in regard to shell fundamental. The aluminum and steel higher and copper, brass, and bronze much lower. I've often wondered if you sprayed an rough texture or acrylic or lacquer coating on inside of a steel shell would it warm it up a bit? Like hammering produces alterations on shell surface that warms it up.
 
Took delivery of this beauty yesterday, Gretsch USA 5” Polished Bronze. Super super happy 👌
Hey it’s beautiful! :love:, is that a seam? :ROFLMAO:👍
 
I've always been a fan of bronze snares and have been baffled why more drummers aren't drawn to them. If you're only going to have one snare drum and you're struggling to decide between a wood or metal snare, get a bronze. It has attributes of both wood and metal snares.

My "go to" bronze snares are the Joyful Noise 6.5" X 14" Beacon Bronze. Nothing else sound like it. I also have a Legend 4' X 14" Phosphor Bronze. Tuned high it has a nice pop and crack. Tuned medium it is a really versatile drum for its size.
 
Aluminum is stiff (high elastic modulus) but has low density (like about athird of steel, copper, bronze, brass)-so less mass as a resonating shell. It just won't project as much as steel, brass, copper, or bronze that are all more stiff and dense metals. Aluminum is sort of the basswood of metals. I always played an aluminum Sensitone but now have a steel Sensitone-I miss the aluminum tbh. It has a nice mellow tone in contrast to steel but still on brighter side-compared to copper, bronze, brass. The steel seems a bit harsh and too loud. I've never owned a bronze snare to really explore one but it looks to be well balanced with more bass and mid tones like a wood drum.
Right now I'm really exploring my wood snare I've had for years-and feeling a bit foolish. The orchestra conductor of civic orchestra I was in wanted an uber dry note on snare-so I was using Evans Genera HD dry and choking the snares to death-like no buzz-just pop. I hated doing that to a snare and protested-"it doesn't sound like a snare" but I've gotten use to it. I'm no longer in orchestra or gigging but never changed my snare tuning. I found a chart I had made of drum dial tunings for all my drums and noted how much I changed and really cranked up my Sonor snare compared to when I first got it. So now I'm tuning lower and loosening my snares and damn it projects, cracks, more tone and has come to life. I can't believe I haven't done this before-I had both batter and reso cranked up too high and snares too snug and just smothering it.
 
I've seen metal shells described as rolled, cast, beaded, knurled, hammered etc. How do you tell if a shell is seamless or not? How 'bout this one?


Also, if you own a bronze or copper snare might you please give me your take on it?

Cheers,
Todd


I picked up a Gretsch Bronze snare about a year and a half ago and the sound was really fantastic compared to the metal snares I've played before. It was a really big, rich, full sound that was both warm but crisp.

I remember hitting it when I got it on the stand thinking that I really needed a bigger kick drum (I was playing a 16" and an 18" at the time) because the sound was just SO full and rich. It tunes nicely down as you might might expect - full of warm tone - but I was surprised how well it tuned it. It might be because of the Gretsch build - with the 42 strands and diecast hoops - but at higher tuning it was sharp and could cut with backbeats but never sounded choked or anything.

Really happy with it - super versatile. I'd love to hear a piccolo bronze - 3.5x14.
 
IIRC pure aluminium (non-alloy) is about as soft as pure copper (non-alloy). Most aluminium drums might have been made of some types of aluminium alloy (Ludalloy anyone?), and have the strength and sonority similar to copper alloys such as brass.
 
Back when Terry Bissette was with Tama USA, he told me, “If it doesn’t say ’seamless’ in the description, it ain’t seamless, regardless of the brand.”

Regarding metals, copper alloy shells (brass, bronze, copper) sound better than steel to me.

There is a noticeable difference in sound between my 14x5 brass and my 14x5.5 hand-hammered brass. The hammered version has less high-frequency overtones so it sounds darker, warmer, more thud-less twang.
 
I was in correspondence with Canopus so I asked, I can confirm my BB 6.5 is rolled and not spun. Zero regrets not getting a black beauty instead, this has a sound I want along with many other features that I favor. Plus, I can't detect any dead seam and certainly no lack of sustain or headroom (still the best snare I've owned). From what I can see, Dunnett metal line is rolled as well, I saw the seam in the titanium which I have say is a top 10 of all time snare. Interestingly, when Ludwig used the Dunnett titanium for their anniversary, they made it beaded with imperial lugs which some say didn't sound as good as the original Dunnetts as hearsay. Point being that other details like lug design, lug count, bead/no bead, bear edge design, snare wire pairing...these things add up. But whether I could pick out a spun vs. rolled snare in a line up, probably not.

Edit: It is actually a 'spun' shell from Canopus, they just gave me a follow up email to clarify since their initial response was mistaken. So I think it is worth asking if not sure whether seamed or seamless or not if important.
 
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I was in correspondence with Canopus so I asked, I can confirm my BB 6.5 is rolled and not spun. Zero regrets not getting a black beauty instead, this has a sound I want along with many other features that I favor. Plus, I can't detect any dead seam and certainly no lack of sustain or headroom (still the best snare I've owned). From what I can see, Dunnett metal line is rolled as well, I saw the seam in the titanium which I have say is a top 10 of all time snare. Interestingly, when Ludwig used the Dunnett titanium for their anniversary, they made it beaded with imperial lugs which some say didn't sound as good as the original Dunnetts as hearsay. Point being that other details like lug design, lug count, bead/no bead, bear edge design, snare wire pairing...these things add up. But whether I could pick out a spun vs. rolled snare in a line up, probably not.

Edit: It is actually a 'spun' shell from Canopus, they just gave me a follow up email to clarify since their initial response was mistaken. So I think it is worth asking if not sure whether seamed or seamless or not if important.
Corrected my initial response above as a 'spun' shell from Canopus. I think the take away would be if not listed or certain, just ask if possible and not to assume it is welded because they don't advertise 'seamless'. But again, I've had 'seamed' shells that sounded great so I think there are a number of factors at play here (perhaps the method of the rolled shell). And again, that welded titanium shell sounds so freakin' good (though not sure if titanium could be done any other way, sounds difficult to work with).
 
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