Snare Wires / Importance.

Bruce M. Thomson

Bruce M. Thomson

Gold Member
When I purchased my Ludwig snare I also decided to purchase Puresound snare wires ($35 CDN.) as I had used them on other snares and found them to be quite good and I did this without really checking out what the sound was like as was, it was just a purchase I automatically decided would be an improvement. I have been happy with the sound after the change but then I started hearing about the Canopus wires and the ones they make specifically for Ludwig it started me thinking about purchasing them (at $90 CDN.) but before I did that I put on the original wires the drum came with on a hunch and lo and behold I found that I preferred the sound. The Puresound defiantly gave me more option on the loosening and tightening the wires but I was able to find my sweet spot fairly quickly with the Ludwig wires. They are warmer and since I do not bother with gels (unless I REALLY have to) I found that it tightened up and tweaked the resonance just enough. Ludwigs snares tend to have an effect on the rest of your kit as well and this aspect was noticeable.
The Pursounds served me but If it ain't broke don't fix it. Good advice for all things concerning drums. The snare wires have a profound influence on your snare so if you want to change the sound, changing your wires should perhaps be your first step.
 
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I agree. I've tried a lot of aftermarket snare wires, and I feel completely justified in sticking with the standard basic Gibraltar snare wires.

Unless you're looking for something VERY specific I've yet to feel the cost/benefit ratio on most of these aftermarket wires is worth it.
 
I've tried a few of the aftermarket snares - recently Puresound -.and haven't heard enough change/improvement to be worth it. It's cheap Snappy Snares for me!

GeeDeeEmm
 
Anduin said:
I’ve got brass snare wires on an old bronze snare. Sounds awesome! Warm and fat.
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I like PS brass wires on my maple snares and PS Blasters or Customs for my walnut snare. I like the cheap chrome snare wires too.
Snare wires do make a noticeable difference. 90 bones for Canopus? Wow that's a lot.
 
From experience I've had different experiences with different drums, generally I find that brass Puresound wires work better on wood drums. There have been exceptions though, sometimes you just have to suck it and see.

Mark
 
I'd like to recommend Tama's Super Sensitive Hi-Carbon Snappy wires (model # MS20RL14C). These are stock on all their Star and Starphonic models. They are by far the most sensitive wires I've encountered having experimented with Canopus, Fat Cat, Puresound and the German wires from Drum Factory Direct. As my snare collection grew, (17 and counting...intervention please!) I would start swapping wires. Having 2 Starphonics, aluminum and bubinga, I noticed how crisp the Tama wires sounded on everything else, my Black Beauty, Gretsch bronze, Sonor vintage and my Slingerland Hollywood Ace. In some cases, it completely eliminated any sympathetic snare buzz. Sweetwater has a great price on these right now - $19.19, but they're on reserve, to be available soon. I have found great deal elsewhere on the web. Definitely worth checking out!
 
While I was looking for my Fat Cat Dual Adjustable wires from the other thread I came across a couple of $8 Gibraltar wires I had. I removed the Puresound Blasters from an Acrolite and threw on the Gibraltar wires. I have to say that I prefer the Gibraltar. They are more responsive on the Acro and seem to sound less harsh, but I guess that makes sense as the Blasters are geared towards heavier hitters. I am not saying you can't play them soft, because you can, but the Gibraltars were imo better at every level.

I then threw the other set on an LM400 Supra which had a Puresound Super Pro 20 strand. The $8 Gibraltar sounded every bit as good as the almost $30 PS. I keep my wires fairly loose as to not choke the drum.
 
I don't think brand matters much. Number of strands do. As far as Puresound go, they are one of few to offer 12 strand wires. That's reason enough for me to like them.

/Magnus
 
Yes, the snare wires are important, That's why it's called a snare drum!!! LOL
 
larryace said:
I like PS brass wires on my maple snares and PS Blasters or Customs for my walnut snare. I like the cheap chrome snare wires too.
Snare wires do make a noticeable difference. 90 bones for Canopus? Wow that's a lot.
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I should clarify that the $90 are for their wires designed specifically for Ludwig snare drums, they also make a standard wire.

Snare Wires / Importance.

When I purchased my Ludwig snare I also decided to purchase Puresound snare wires ($35 CDN.) as I had used them on other snares and found them to be quite good and I did this without really checking out what the sound was like as was, it was just a purchase I automatically decided would be an...
www.drummerworld.com
 
Bruce M. Thomson said:
I should clarify that the $90 are for their wires designed specifically for Ludwig snare drums, they also make a standard wire.

Snare Wires / Importance.

When I purchased my Ludwig snare I also decided to purchase Puresound snare wires ($35 CDN.) as I had used them on other snares and found them to be quite good and I did this without really checking out what the sound was like as was, it was just a purchase I automatically decided would be an...
www.drummerworld.com
Click to expand...
..Also, that was on Amazon, probably out of whack. With tax in CDN. it still can be 50 to 70. Anyway, it is a moot point for me since I am happy with what the drum came with in the first place. Cheers
 
Winston_Wolf said:
I agree. I've tried a lot of aftermarket snare wires, and I feel completely justified in sticking with the standard basic Gibraltar snare wires.
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This is always my answer. They are cheap and sound great!

I have several sets of Puresound wires at home and I've tried them on many different drums but none of them have ever given me the sound or sensitivity I want in any setting. Finally I learned that they just aren't for me. I've always been happy with the Gibraltar 16 or 20 strand snares. They are a great replacement for the stock Ludwig snares, IMO.
 
Those Ludwig-special wires are specifically for Supersensitive snares. I've got regular Canopus and Vic Firth wires on a bunch of my snares, and they all work just fine on regular Supraphonic-type Ludwigs. My BB recently got some Canopus wires to replace the stock Ludwigs, and I've been really happy with the slightly darker sound out of the bottom of the dru. Puresounds feel slow and less responsive now, and I think that's due to the thickness of the clip; it's just dead mass muffling the bottom head.
 
Interesting. I never thought to consider the mass of the snare wires end plate. Maybe I’ll drill some holes to reduce some mass. Good ob. Still, I’m lacking for nothing from my snare wires. Snare drums definitely do benefit from getting the heads and wires that bring the best, as defined by me, out of that particular drum.
 
I tried snappy offerings from Tama, Puresound, Gibraltar. They all sounded very similar with very little change in buzz. The high carbon is more sensitive than cheap steel, but head tuning affects buzz more IMO.

But the Fat Cat adjustable snappies make a huge change. They made a couple of my drums sound fatter without loss of snap.
 

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My research tells me that what I hear on this forum, and on Youtube, is that most drummers are looking for a sensitive reacting snare sound and yet most have the snares tighten to the choking setting. Just as we use JAW, just above wrinkle, on bass drum heads, I use what I call , just above rattle, on my snares. Loosen them up so that they rattle and sound like crap, then tap on the batter, and tighten a little, until the slack is out and they sound just above rattle or loose . Small turns at a time will help, as will someone not sitting close to the drum. Good luck.
 
That's what led me to prefer fewer-than-20-strand snare wires; I like having a fairly short snare response, and fewer wires gets me the sound I like without having to choke them up. Right now I have Gibraltar 16-strand sets on all but one of my snares.
 
Someone needs to conduct a blind test to find out if people can actually tell the difference between stock wires and PureSound wires. I used to think the answer was yes...but then I saw Drumeo's blind tests of various drums and cymbals, and now I'm not so sure. Even experts seem to struggle if they can't SEE what they're playing.

Who knows, maybe the general consensus that expensive wires are better than stock wires is all in our heads?
 
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