Small collection of Snare drums

Quai34

Quai34

Junior Member
Hi Guys,
So, as most of you know, I`m the keys player in the band but I found in love with drums when I was 15 (now 57...) and I started 2 years ago to buy Drums, mostly Cymbals, as I was feeling more confrotable to learn that first and also because I don`t think I will ver have another kit than the one that I have, more space reasons and well, not being a drummer too.
But for Snares, I could think about 5/6 Snares Max but I don`t have the knowledge that you guys have, to buy used or new so, I need your advices. I prefer to buy very few but super products than a lot of just ''so so'' kind of snares.
So, for wood, I have:
1) Maple, Tama Star Reserve 5.0. Will stay with me for sure.
2) Mahogany, I have Tama Star Reverse Sendan (Mahogany Family), same, so nice.
3) For Bubinga, I will have the Tama Star reserve 15X8 because it will be used as a second Floor Tom (I have only a 16. but I think a 14¨will be too close to my 13¨. It's my next Purchase.

So, Question 1:
What kind of other tone I should get to have a decent collection of different Wood Snares? Rosewood? Cherry? Oak? Even a pure Bubinga like the Tama Star Bubinga? Or am I good with Wood and should focus on Metal? For your info, I like warm tone and I think I`m more a wood guy than metal one but I have no Metal snare so, cannot compare that much.

Then, for Metal, I have:
1) Steel, wrapped, but I like it like that because it`s the same as the kit and it tame a bit what I think it`s too loud for me. And too Ringy for what I heard in the video online.
2) Copper, I wthink I`m sold on the Tama Star Reserve Hammered Copper but it`s not cheap, but well, it`s a super nice one. I thought about Ludwig but I`m not a big fan of their throw off/butt plate.
3) Aluminium, Same, Tama Star reserve hammered aluminium, I`m not a big fan of the ping high ring of any aluminium sound, I think the hammering tames it, am I right?

So, Question 2:
1) For Brass, I was thinking that the Yamaha 13X6.5 might be the best option, price/value ratio, right? for 650 CAN$. Ok, there is the new Tama Star Reserve again but if I have the copper, the brass, being hammered as well, migjht be a bit redundant right?
2) And Bronze, around same, 500-700 CAN$, I`m still hesitating, Greatch, Pearl, Inde Drums? What about used? Tama again? Even Mapex? Their Sledgehammer seemed to be very nice and the store network I buy a lot from is also an importer in Canada of Mapex so, they have a huge choice of them.

That;s it, let me know
 
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honestly just having that many high quality shares is going to set you for life, most people make do with 2 snares. i do everything on my supraphonic and i have 0 need for any other drum and i do not feel like my snare isn’t “woody” enough. and trust me nobody else does, especially the audience. but if you have money to spend then why not. i would spend more time playing the kit.

to answer your questions, try a MODERN ludwig metal drum if you don’t like the throw off. it’s better now. i suggest BB or supra as good starting points but if you want more particular drums then the copperphonic, acro brass/copper or heirloom are also there.

also are you really concerned about price/quality ratio when you already have star reserve snares...?
 
Fritz Frigursson said:
honestly just having that many high quality shares is going to set you for life, most people make do with 2 snares. i do everything on my supraphonic and i have 0 need for any other drum and i do not feel like my snare isn’t “woody” enough. and trust me nobody else does, especially the audience. but if you have money to spend then why not. i would spend more time playing the kit.

to answer your questions, try a MODERN ludwig metal drum if you don’t like the throw off. it’s better now. i suggest BB or supra as good starting points but if you want more particular drums then the copperphonic, acro brass/copper or heirloom are also there.

also are you really concerned about price/quality ratio when you already have star reserve snares...?
Click to expand...
Well, yes for the price ratio because I might not be able to always buy the Tama Star Reserve for all of my snares!!! It took me 6 months to pay for each Star Reserve that I have and used always extra cash from tax return or vacation days paid instead of vacation taken...
And I don't specially need them because in most gigs, I will play keys, it's just that I would like to have also a little choice in the practice/recording room if I offer it as a "small recording place" to rent, if I offer my services. I was not planning to do this but seeing the gear that I have (guitar and basses as well) a lot of people told me I should do it to replace the lack of shows that we have these days...
Also, after my spinal cord accident, no more sports for me, travel is way less an option so, music is what 's left to me as a hobbies so, yes, I finally might have my little room with instruments that I was dreaming of when I was 15!!!
And in Manitoba, we are now the lowest province for Covid so, I don't think we could play outside soon!!!

Ok, thanks for the Infos on Ludwig, modern ones.
 
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1. whatever tone/sound/character you like.
Do you want a very dry and short and high pitched sound with lots of attack, or do you want a more ringy and fuller sound?
All these considerations will need to come before the shell material, which by the way doesn't make a big difference on the final sound - much smaller than the head choice, tuning choice, bearing edges, thickness, hoop type...
If you're looking for versatility then you might want to go for a sound that's wildly different from the sounds you already have in your arsenal, like a bronze piccolo and a very deep 3-ply snare, but if you're not yet sure what you're looking for and are simply looking to add more gear to buy then play the snares you own some more, get familiar with them and with how they sound, and then make up your mind to avoid, as you put it, buying more snares that you don't completely like instead of buying just a few that you really like.

2. well... scratch that, the questions you're asking stem from misconceptions.

First off, you seem to be under the impression that your collection needs one snare per type of wood, and that two snares made with the same wood will be redundant.
This is not the case - as I've typed out before the shell material doesn't make a big difference on the sound of a snare, and you have much, much cheaper options to get different sounds out of the same snare.
And, two snares made out of the same wood can sound wildly different, check the video demos of a Pearl modern utility maple snare and of a Pearl reference maple snare to get an idea of just how different two maple snares can sound.
There's really no way to predict how a snare shell will sound unless you know all of its specs, including but not limited to number of plies, thickness, bearing edges angles and distance from the edges, weight, yada yada, and even then it's pretty much a wild guess, so the best way to orient yourself if listening to lots and lots of snares.

Then, the "value" of a snare certainly depends its build quality, weight and a number of other things, but since a snare will have its own characteristic sound you want to look for a snare that has a sound you like rather than just a "valuable" snare, which might be very high quality but sound like the opposite of what you want your snare to sound like.
I've never seen any jazz player use a cast bronze snare for example, despite the tama bell brass(bronze) being a hell of a prized and high quality snare, so if you buy snares "blindly" you run the risk of ending up like the jazz player who has to comp over a solo in a small, quiet trio, with a 15kg snare that sounds like a cannon every time you so much as blow on it.

A metal shell is the same thing - a brass shell won't sound very different from an aluminium shell or a copper shell.
Granted, they'll sound a bit different, but again, they'll be minute differences compared to changing heads/tuning/..., and a metal snare won't sound much more high pitched and thin than a wooden snare (or no more at all), so rather than stressing about the type of shell, specs, looks, numbers and so on and so forth, you'd get much more out of your money if you went to a drum shop, explain your situation, kindly ask them to let you try a lot of snare drums, and then go home with the one(s) you like best after you've judged them with your ears.

A good steel snare won't ring much more than a good bronze snare, Ludwig has stopped putting low quality hardware on their professional snare drums a few years ago when they introduced the P86 and P88 which are totally fine throw-offs, and the hammering on a metal drum shell will make it sound a pinch drier and more high pitched, and aluminium is pretty dry to start off.

So in short, rely on your ears more and you'll get to a useful collection of snares much sooner and much cheaper!
 
Whoo, thanks a lot for the long answers both of you, lots of good advices.

Yes, thanks for helping me remember that I need to trust my ears, I did that for the last two years for cymbals and the 30 ish cymbals that I have in my signature are the ones that I loved but two years ago, I was at the same level with cymbals too.
For different sound on tunings or heads, I agree, I have read and heard that a lot but now, with the help of the tunebot, I'm able to get a very nice tuning that a lot of my drummer friends are telling me that the tuning is great...BUT IT TAKES ME HOURS (well 1 to 2 hours to tune a snare because I go 1/8 or even 1/16 or a turn each time...) To change tunings with heads that I know so, my idea was to have more snares and to dial each one in their sweet spot tuning wise and to swap them when needed instead of always tweaking them.

Good point for going to my usual store, the issue is:
They have been seeing me coming it the store for the last 14 years buying keys and recoding stuff and even becoming well more versed in these than some of their staff. Even in guitar and basses, and Amps too, with the knowledge I gained about wood sound, pickups etc, lots of my friends have followed some of my advices on guitars but on drums, my journey has just started so, I got several times the attitude kind of "what the hell do you do in our drums corner?". Only one young guy understood my willinness to learn and helped me a lot with cymbals first, tuning now but his supevisor is just taking me seriously now that he saw me coming more and more into the drums section....
But it took time, a lot, to the point that, after being pushed back too many times with the classic "you need a Black Beauty and a Supraphonic, that's it", when it was not even a question about Ludwig, that I was close to write a review to the owner of the stores network.
AND they never let me try the snares, only letting me check them and never proposed to listen to them with them playing on them...Ok, I'm the keys player anyway so, why bother letting him play the snares...

Also, they have 20/30 snares maybe, max, so, not a crazy inventory and they have a lot of entry/medium price. They don't even have the Black Beauty or the Supraphonic they were telling me to buy!!!
When I asked why the Copper phonic at 1000$ was still here after two years, even discounted at 750$, they told me they don't have a lot of customers who are willing to buy high end snares....while they have a wall of 200/300 guitars maybe? Of course Gibson and Fender!!!
So, hence my usually long posts in this forum.

Ok for the Ludwig new accessories but anytime I listen to any BB or Supra, there is no whoo factor so, not sure the sound is for me even if everyone is crazy about it.

So, to my ears, I really like copper. You are right that aluminium is dry, I was more thinking about steel, sorry. The only 2 aluminium snares that I really like are the Dunnet 2N aluminium and the Tama Star Reserve. The Dunnet is a bit out of my range though and I'm not sure I could find some used.

Thanks a lot also for your advices about having two Snares with the same material, I like map!e but I always told myself, why looking for another one or insisting on this one, even if I like the tone of it, you already have one and a very good one I think. Hence my questions like, do I need another type of shell...

So, I will update this post once au will have made some progress in my quest. And in my p!aging too, I wanted to take lessons but with Covid, no way!!!
 
The good: you don't NEED another snare. I'd really experiment with the stuff you already have, maybe try a new head with some muffling on the steel snare you already have (or some less wires).
The bad: you want another snare
The ugly: I hope it's ok to post a link to DFO but their sale section is really huge and there are some serious equipment nerds on there that buy and sell really fine snares. I'd have a look there before blindly buying something new. https://www.drumforum.org/forums/drums-for-sale.35/

Quai34 said:
I wanted to take lessons but with Covid, no way!!!
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Take a look here and try some online lessons - it's REALLY helpful to have a teacher. Save a few hundreds on snares by buying used (or no) snares. https://drummerworld.com/forums/index.php?threads/find-a-drum-teacher-here.54188/
 
Try and score some cool 1960's vintage thin ply snares with re-rings. Slingerland. A Ludwig Pioneer isn't that expensive and they sound great. Of course a Ludwig Acro from 60's as a great metal addition to collection. An Acro in excellent condition will cost you less than half the price of a new modern aluminum snare.
 
Well, thanks to everyone but I have taken a next step toward my "little collection": One of you, or even several of you thought and or mentioned another Benny Greb, I have his signature hihat, his 10" slash and might get one day his ride but love his playing as well so, after much consideration and finding the same good promo at the same store where I bought the Sendan (Musique Gagné in Québec city), I posted a deposit to get their demo Benny Greg signature 2.0 Brass snare drums, I just have to pay for the rest now. So, as I was told, good thing, I didn't really need another snare but if I decide my quest will be finish with another metal snare, that might be the copper hammered Tama Star reserve but that will be another story. Just to let you know, no picture yet, the store should send to me the one that was on the website.
also I have taken the time to contact a drummer, one of the last who advertised on the link you provided, I had a bad tooth issue this week so, I was not able to do a first meeting in zoom but it should be ok for next week!!! Let start to really learn drums!!
Finally, some pictures from the store:
SSD-13x5.75BG-SDB.jpg
SSD-13x5.75BG-SDB-2.jpg
SSD-13x5.75BG-SDB-5.jpg
 
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Snare collecting does become addictive.............. I bought two this week :love:
 
Quai34 said:
So, Question 1:
What kind of other tone I should get to have a decent collection of different Wood Snares? Rosewood? Cherry? Oak? Even a pure Bubinga like the Tama Star Bubinga? Or am I good with Wood and should focus on Metal? For your info, I like warm tone and I think I`m more a wood guy than metal one but I have no Metal snare so, cannot compare that much.

Then, for Metal, I have:
1) Steel, wrapped, but I like it like that because it`s the same as the kit and it tame a bit what I think it`s too loud for me. And too Ringy for what I heard in the video online.
2) Copper, I wthink I`m sold on the Tama Star Reserve Hammered Copper but it`s not cheap, but well, it`s a super nice one. I thought about Ludwig but I`m not a big fan of their throw off/butt plate.
3) Aluminium, Same, Tama Star reserve hammered aluminium, I`m not a big fan of the ping high ring of any aluminium sound, I think the hammering tames it, am I right?
Click to expand...
I think you’re going at it a bit skewed. You indicate how all these types of drums sound (probably based on videos) and have categorized them based on someone else’s playing and recording. I think it’s best to try out a drum for a few months before deciding on its fate. There’s no way to truly know until you put it through your own “testing phase”.

Therefore, I recommend you first buy a snare drum rack. It limits your stash to 6 drums. 😭 Think of it as your “desert island” stash. 😀 Then, once that stash of six has been thoroughly used and studied you will know what materials and sizes you want in your next snare drum.

881DBAA5-5972-40E2-8BA9-74F8A203E498.jpeg

See how good they look, nestled in their rack?

Second thing to do: get a Reverb.com account because you’re gonna buy a drum or two that you won’t want to keep. For example, in my photo above, the two drums on the top right were too similar. The top right, with a dark wood, is a Starphonic Bubinga. It sounded as identical as I could tell to the snare next to it, the Starphonic Spotted Gum (which came first, before the bubinga drum). I wanted to know what the difference was, and for me ( a bit slow on the uptake) I had to play them for about six months to get the gist and make a decision. When the judgement was made, the bubinga went on sale (and quickly sold).

See that 15x8 Star drum? I used it for about a year as an aux snare, but eventually I fell out of love with it. For live gigs it was nice, but for recording I never got a sound from it I loved. And when compared to the 15x4 Aronoff snare, it sounded too airy, not tight enough. It was a completely subjective evaluation that no video or tryout in a shop could help me with. The guy I sold it to loves it. That’s a great sale!

Regarding your take on metal snares, aluminum is not as ring-y as steel or brass (or bronze). Aluminum is the driest of those three metals (I’ve not heard a titanium shell). The dryness of aluminum sits nicely between brass shells and wood shells. The aluminum drum I’ve tried with the most ping was the Tama Super Aluminum (14x5 chrome plated aluminum), the driest was the Tama SLP Classic Dry aluminum.

Hand-hammered vs. smooth brass? Buy and try. My hand hammered Star brass is darker and not as cutting as my Tama KA145. I would never have known without trying.

I put all this out there because I used a Starclassic brass snare for about ten years and thought it was the only snare I’d ever need. Then I played a Starphonic aluminum and was blown away by the difference in sound. I don’t think I would have noticed such a difference without playing the one drum for so long. That began my quest to have a small quiver of various and noticeably different sounding snare drums.

And only you can decide what goes into your quiver. All the advise from all the forums won’t educate you like playing two drums in your own space. Good luck!
 
Thanks a lot for all your great advices and for the example of the bubinga and spotted gum. I wanted a bubinga, maybe as you said, just because I thought it was a darker one and finally ended up with the solid Sendan because it was in the same family of Mahogany and I know get well how it sounds for guitar.
I didn't know how it was going to sound, usually I like dryer sounds but I've started to like some ping, nice ping versus bad ping as someone spotted earlier in the post.
For aluminium, yes, I made a mistake in typing, I mas thinking steel...sorry. or it was not that clear in my head when I asked all these questions.
For a rack, you are right, I knew I had seen a rack like this on the forum somewhere but couldn't remember who it was, I should have remembered because you had the 15X8 that I might want to buy, to use it as an Aux snare but between the 13 rack Tom and the 16 floor tom. But I really don't know where I would put it in the practice room (in the laundry? It's not humid, in Winnipeg it's super dry in winter, but I will have to convince my wife, the basement is full of the instruments and the den full of recording and mixing) and it will be my "max" rack snares, not my island snares, I think 6 would be a Max for me, I have a lot of other toys in keys and recording stuff that I could have a good use of it ( while I'm pretty close to be done though, hey, I started to buy synths/Keys when I was 15, 57 now!! 3 years only for drums, I bought the Tama kit in November 2017, then the rest).
At least, I know one guy enjoys it and that you use it live and liked it too.
But you are right about trying, as said about the ping, I like it now, especially with the Sendan and now I like lower tuned snares, the Sendan is in F# while the Maple is in A# while I was thinking at that time when I got it that G# was already very low!?!?🙄
And because of an opportunity and just because someone had just reminded me with the Benny Greg, I bought one, the Brass...but in 13 inches, so, different size and depth at least.
Anyway, thanks again.
 
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Sorry for offtopic, but @cbphoto I normally don't like dark hardware and I also normally don't like sunburst or anything with a flow - but your kit, whenever I spot a photo of it, always jumps right at me. It's a killer combination color-wise :love:
 
Quai34 said:
Thanks a lot for all your great advices and for the example of the bubinga and spotted gum. I wanted a bubinga, maybe as you said, just because I thought it was a darker one and finally ended up with the solid Sendan because it was in the same family of Mahogany and I know get well how it sounds for guitar.
I didn't know how it was going to sound, usually I like dryer sounds but I've started to like some ping, nice ping versus bad ping as someone spotted earlier in the post.
For aluminium, yes, I made a mistake in typing, I mas thinking steel...sorry. or it was not that clear in my head when I asked all these questions.
For a rack, you are right, I knew I had seen a rack like this on the forum somewhere but couldn't remember who it was, I should have remembered because you had the 15X8 that I might want to buy, to use it as an Aux snare but between the 13 rack Tom and the 16 floor tom. But I really don't know where I would put it in the practice room (in the laundry? It's not humid, in Winnipeg it's super dry in winter, but I will have to convince my wife, the basement is full of the instruments and the den full of recording and mixing) and it will be my "max" rack snares, not my island snares, I think 6 would be a Max for me, I have a lot of other toys in keys and recording stuff that I could have a good use of it ( while I'm pretty close to be done though, hey, I started to buy synths/Keys when I was 15, 57 now!! 3 years only for drums, I bought the Tama kit in November 2017, then the rest).
At least, I know one guy enjoys it and that you use it live and liked it too.
But you are right about trying, as said about the ping, I like it now, especially with the Sendan and now I like lower tuned snares, the Sendan is in F# while the Maple is in A# while I was thinking at that time when I got it that G# was already very low!?!?🙄
And because of an opportunity and just because someone had just reminded me with the Benny Greg, I bought one, the Brass...but in 13 inches, so, different size and depth at least.
Anyway, thanks again.
Click to expand...
Start here:


Let the quiver grow!
 
As I like to say, "I hate it when people quote themselves." But I still think this old post is true:

I don't have an overall preference-- I like snare drums for different things. I have a couple wood and a couple metal. I try to get a nice spread from my small collection. I want them to do different things for me so that I'm making a choice based on, well, something. Do I want big and resonant? Dry and crisp? Bright and meaty? Over the years I had a theory that a good collection has at least these four drums:

1. Shallow metal -- something Acrolite-ish. For me, it's a Yamaha Recording Custom 5.5x14 aluminum
2. Deep metal --for me, Ludwig Black Beauty 6.5x14 (brass)
3. Shallow wood -- something modern wood-ish. For me, Canopus "The Maple" Piccolo 4x14
4. Deep wood -- something Radio King-ish. For me, Noble and Cooley 7x14 SS Maple

And, if necessary, 5 (and 6) would be something that isn't covered with the sounds you can get from the four. Maybe a 13 or a cast metal drum or whatever. But really, the four will usually do it for me. I think I have 6 now-- the other two are a 1930s 6 lug Ludwig COB (which is, in my collection, the "One Headlight" snare and tuned as such) and a 60s Slingerland Artist, both of which have been around for a long time and have great sentimental value.

The thing is-- once you have about four snare drums from different places on the sonic spectrum, you really can cover just about anything. So after that it becomes something that's just fun (if you're a collector) or miserable (if you're not) to have a lot of snares around. Like, having a Walnut 5x14 AND a Cherry 5x14 is super fun, but definitely not necessary, strictly speaking. Head changes and tunings will give you a LOT more difference than the shell wood in a case like that.

So, I mean, if this is just fun, follow your bliss. If this is about building a tool kit, think in terms of range and significant difference. If I were trying to expand your range, I might aim for a cast metal drum and maybe slap some wood hoops on it. Or maybe a 13" Noble and Cooley solid something or another.
 
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For wood snares, if you haven't done so, see if you can listen to some Rosewood snares. A solid shell Rosewood snare...Mmmm. You might like them. Or not. But they deserve a listen

Padauk, is a great 2nd choice for Rosewood-like tone.

It's the midrange that sets the "Rosewood tone" apart from the rest.

I always recommend a solid, not ply, snare just because I can hear a difference.

All just my opinion of course (custom build solid shell)
 
larryace said:
For wood snares, if you haven't done so, see if you can listen to some Rosewood snares. A solid shell Rosewood snare...Mmmm. You might like them. Or not. But they deserve a listen

Padauk, is a great 2nd choice for Rosewood-like tone.

It's the midrange that sets the "Rosewood tone" apart from the rest.

I always recommend a solid, not ply, snare just because I can hear a difference.

All just my opinion of course (custom build solid shell)
Click to expand...

I'm with Larry on this regarding the solid shell snares vs ply. To me there's no comparison. SS's have better tone, articulation, and power projection. With respect to the wood choices, I would sort that out on your own. I've never played Padauk but I've heard good things about it.
 
Quai34 said:
Hi Guys,
So, as most of you know, I`m the keys player in the band but I found in love with drums when I was 15 (now 57...) and I started 2 years ago to buy Drums, mostly Cymbals, as I was feeling more confrotable to learn that first and also because I don`t think I will ver have another kit than the one that I have, more space reasons and well, not being a drummer too.
But for Snares, I could think about 5/6 Snares Max but I don`t have the knowledge that you guys have, to buy used or new so, I need your advices. I prefer to buy very few but super products than a lot of just ''so so'' kind of snares.
So, for wood, I have:
1) Maple, Tama Star Reserve 5.0. Will stay with me for sure.
2) Mahogany, I have Tama Star Reverse Sendan (Mahogany Family), same, so nice.
3) For Bubinga, I will have the Tama Star reserve 15X8 because it will be used as a second Floor Tom (I have only a 16. but I think a 14¨will be too close to my 13¨. It's my next Purchase.

So, Question 1:
What kind of other tone I should get to have a decent collection of different Wood Snares? Rosewood? Cherry? Oak? Even a pure Bubinga like the Tama Star Bubinga? Or am I good with Wood and should focus on Metal? For your info, I like warm tone and I think I`m more a wood guy than metal one but I have no Metal snare so, cannot compare that much.

Then, for Metal, I have:
1) Steel, wrapped, but I like it like that because it`s the same as the kit and it tame a bit what I think it`s too loud for me. And too Ringy for what I heard in the video online.
2) Copper, I wthink I`m sold on the Tama Star Reserve Hammered Copper but it`s not cheap, but well, it`s a super nice one. I thought about Ludwig but I`m not a big fan of their throw off/butt plate.
3) Aluminium, Same, Tama Star reserve hammered aluminium, I`m not a big fan of the ping high ring of any aluminium sound, I think the hammering tames it, am I right?

So, Question 2:
1) For Brass, I was thinking that the Yamaha 13X6.5 might be the best option, price/value ratio, right? for 650 CAN$. Ok, there is the new Tama Star Reserve again but if I have the copper, the brass, being hammered as well, migjht be a bit redundant right?
2) And Bronze, around same, 500-700 CAN$, I`m still hesitating, Greatch, Pearl, Inde Drums? What about used? Tama again? Even Mapex? Their Sledgehammer seemed to be very nice and the store network I buy a lot from is also an importer in Canada of Mapex so, they have a huge choice of them.

That;s it, let me know
Click to expand...
Simply, try lots of different drums and buy the ones you like the sound of best.
 
Neal Pert said:
As I like to say, "I hate it when people quote themselves." But I still think this old post is true:

I don't have an overall preference-- I like snare drums for different things. I have a couple wood and a couple metal. I try to get a nice spread from my small collection. I want them to do different things for me so that I'm making a choice based on, well, something. Do I want big and resonant? Dry and crisp? Bright and meaty? Over the years I had a theory that a good collection has at least these four drums:

1. Shallow metal -- something Acrolite-ish. For me, it's a Yamaha Recording Custom 5.5x14 aluminum
2. Deep metal -- something Black Beauty-ish. Yamaha Recording Custom 6.5x14 brass
3. Shallow wood -- something modern wood-ish. Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Maple 6x14
4. Deep wood -- something Radio King-ish. Noble and Cooley 7x14 SS Maple

And, if necessary, 5 (and 6) would be something that isn't covered with the sounds you can get from the four. Maybe a 13 or a cast metal drum or whatever. But really, the four will usually do it for me. I think I have 6 now-- the other two are a 1930s 6 lug Ludwig COB and a 60s Slingerland Artist, both of which have been around for a long time and have great sentimental value.

The thing is-- once you have about four snare drums from different places on the sonic spectrum, you really can cover just about anything. So after that it becomes something that's just fun (if you're a collector) or miserable (if you're not) to have a lot of snares around. Like, having a Walnut 5x14 AND a Cherry 5x14 is super fun, but definitely not necessary, strictly speaking. Head changes and tunings will give you a LOT more difference than the shell wood in a case like that.

So, I mean, if this is just fun, follow your bliss. If this is about building a tool kit, think in terms of range and significant difference. If I were trying to expand your range, I might aim for a cast metal drum and maybe slap some wood hoops on it. Or maybe a 13" Noble and Cooley solid something or another.
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Ok, yes, thanks, that kind of classification helps.
1) Shallow Metal: I would say I have the Benny Greb, 13X5.75 Brass belongs to that category right?
2) Deep Metal: I don't have it yet but is the Tama Star Reserve Hammered Cooper 14X6.5 will be in this category? Or any of the nice metal that has been proposed to me, Gretsch Bronze or Copper
3) Shallow Wood: Definitely my Tama Star Reserve Solid Maple 14X5.0 is, right?
4) Deep Wood: Is my Tama Star Reserve Solid Sendan 14X6.5 is deep enough or do I really need a 7" depth? I like the new recording custom Yamaha Wood, 14X7" though
 
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Half an inch difference is not a lot. Try to stop now before it's too late! :D (you'll probably still get some later, even if you decide to quit right now)
You could try this: record those drums with different tunings, maybe also different heads and wires. Choose cryptic filenames like t346hr28cxw and take a note which filename is which drum and setup. Put that sheet away for a week and listen to the files. Can you distinguish everything? If not, you probably have enough snares. :)
 
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