wooden snare drums

[Alexi]

what are your favourite snare drums...that are made out of wood?


cheers

[Lek]

no friggin idea, but that's a cool avatar thumbsup

[knightsy]

Brady. Made right in here in West Oz from jarrah, the local indigenous timber.

http://www.bradydrums.com.au/

[by-tor]

steambent and stave snares. Very little glue and more resonance.

[artbeat77]

Another cool drum maker along the lines of by-tor's suggestion.

http://www.drumsolo.cc/index.html

[macr0w]

To me wood rules for a snare drum. I don't have any of those exotic snares but I do have a maple 13x5 dw and a maple 13x3 ludwig and also a maple 13x7 fibes and a maple 12x4 pearl. I also have a couple of metal snares but I don't pull them out much.

[Wing Commander]

The best wooden snare drum I've ever heard by a long chalk is a Gretsch 70's hexagonal badge especially when tuned high.

A very dry, characterful, controlled and resonant sound. Just as usable today as it was on Motown et al in the 70's. Pick one up if you can! thumbsup Wonderful!

[Blind]

I normally use maple snares (''maple fits em' all'' :D ) and my favourite brands are DW , Brady and Spaun...

Blind

[kats]

I had a drummer in a couple of weeks ago with a Pearl Maple "floating" snare (no hardware mounted to the shell). I had never seen one before, but it recorded fantastic - real organic sounding, you hear the wood

[by-tor]

To expand on my earlier post.

Steambent snares are a SOLID piece of wood steamed and bent into a circle and turned on a lathe. The only glue is at the seam and holding the re-rings in. I beleive they have 90 percent less glue than a standard ply drum. They record VERY well.

Famous maker of steambent drums: Mr. Johny Craviotto. If you are into the DIY thing you can score steambent shells from vaughncraft.

http://www.craviottodrums.com/
http://www.vaughncraft.com/index.php?id=2

Stave shells are built like a barrel. Vertical peices of wood cut and glued into a circle and then turned on a lathe. You can get them in all sorts of wood combos and again much less glue than a standard ply shell. This guy makes some of the nicest stave drums.

http://www.joshuatreepercussion.com/

Here is one of my steambent snares. The Christmas snare.

[r0ck1r0ck2]

Ho HO HO!! i Love Christmas snare!!
that's unbelievable cool...

sleighbells with that?

here's my favourite...but mine's tangerine...sounds dope..

[drmmrboy]

Originally Posted by Wing Commander

The best wooden snare drum I've ever heard by a long chalk is a Gretsch 70's hexagonal badge especially when tuned high.

A very dry, characterful, controlled and resonant sound. Just as usable today as it was on Motown et al in the 70's. Pick one up if you can! thumbsup Wonderful!

Yup. Love them Gretch's. I have a 60's wooden piccolo that has to be played nicely. A friend has a 5" wooden 60's Gretsch, and you can beat it up or play it nice. Sounds great. Gotta love those die cast hoops! thumbsup

Originally Posted by kats

I had a drummer in a couple of weeks ago with a Pearl Maple "floating" snare (no hardware mounted to the shell). I had never seen one before, but it recorded fantastic - real organic sounding, you hear the wood

I have one of these from the mid 80's. I've used it hard for 15 years. I have a love/hate thing with it the past few years. It can sound great, but when I get on it, the snare starts to go away. Gets a real doink, or thunk to it. Too much drum, not enough snare. But yeah, you can hear the wood. When I'm not cracking the rim, it sounds great. Full bodied snare sound.

I've been into metal snares lately. I have 3 Ludwigs I've been rotating through. But that's a story for another thread..
"Favorite metal snares!"

[drmmrboy]

Originally Posted by r0ck1r0ck2

That's what I'm talkin bout! We posted at the same time.

[r0ck1r0ck2]

rules...

hey now here's a cold as ice snare..


but only if you hit it like an animal... duh
weak wristed drumers bite donkey ass..

[lucey]

Who made the Christmas snare ... and is that strainer throw adjustable?

I have an Ayotte 18ply maple 14x8" that has an adjustble strainer throw ... but no on/off.

[Bishbashbosh]

Love my Noble and Cooley classic SS snares. I have the 3 7/8", the 5" and the 7"....... they are all truly amazing drums. Especially with Puresound snares on them (the N&C snare wires suck ass in my opinion). They hold their tuning like no other, and even the 7" is unbelievably sensitilve with brushes.
One of them is usually first out of the trunk on sessions where it's a hifi drum sound that's required (films 'n stuff)
However, though the N&C are beautiful drums, and sound fab in almost any room, and at almost any tuning, they are not the dirtiest of drums.
They are the GML pre's of the snare world if you like - truly perfect.

For a bit of dirt (think API cranked hard...!) I have:
1938 14x7 Slingerland Radio King
1958 14x5 Slingerland Radio King
Yamaha Anton Fig tuned pretty low

Which are all drums with a bit of vibe (the 1938 being a truly special drum).
I used to own a Brady, and personally I absolutely hated it..... I also had a Montineri which I equally despised.... But each to their own...

Just a word to those reading this, and being interested in snare shell design: The design of the shell, whether staved, solid steam-bent, or ply has a huge effect on the nature of the sound of the drum.... HOWEVER, not all stave drums sound similar, likewise solid shells.
My N&C's sound about as different as it's possible to get from my Radio Kings, even though the shell design is almose identical.... and I've heard staved drums that I love, and those that i genuinely hate. Shell design is absolutely no guarantee of the sound of a drum.

Of the drums that I regularly use which are current production models, my favourites are:
*Gretsch American Classic 14x6 1/2 (good alrounder)
*DW Ply shell with triple-flanged hoops (nice vibe..... easy to tune, but doesn't retain tuning particularly well)
*Yamaha Anton Fig (Cool vibe for backbeats- dreadful for brushes and delicate stuff though)

[cajonezzz]

4x14 Brady. Jarrah wood.

Bleifuss 6.5x14 maple.

[by-tor]

Originally Posted by lucey

Who made the Christmas snare ... and is that strainer throw adjustable?

I "made" the xmas snare. The shell was from vaughncraft. I did the finish drilled all the holes and did snare bed etc.... I had the lugs custom made by All Star Lugs. The throw off is a Trick brand throw and is the most adjustable throw I have ever used.

For tons of info on diy drum stuff check out the fourums at ghostnote.net

[digibird]

Best snare drum made of wood:

Ludwig Classic Maple, any size and finish.

My preference is 8"x14" in natural maple with mini-lugs.

[tgrokz]

i have a pearl snare, which actually sounds pretty damn good, but i KNOW my next snare will be a wodne one. love that thick sound

[r0ck1r0ck2]

there's something about the warm crack of a good wood snare..

it's got breath and just feels woody..

gives me one too

and if you made that christmas snare you're a man after my own heart..
sick bastard...

[dubrichie]

had a pearl floating shell jobbie with maple shell, 5" deep i think, never really got the kind of sound i dig out of it. could really sing and cut through, especially live, but did not dig it at all when recording. we didnt get on very well when tuning, sort of like bathing a grumpy child i suppose.

i am currently caressing a 6.5" deep pearl masters mahogany classic (which matches my kit) and when tuned right its lovely; dry, fat, warm, etc.

dig the mahogany. real mahogany that is.

next on my list is that joey jordison signature one, made of steel, coated black with snakes etched on the sides. yeah feckin right. give my head peace!

regards,

richie.

[Elof]

http://www.beatheaddrums.com/

[mrhooks]

I also own a Noble & Cooley Classic SS (the 3 7/8" x 14" piccolo), with Puresound snare wires (which I recommend for just about any snare). It's my favorite snare, although I must admit I've also been lusting after the Yamaha David Garibaldi Signature brass piccolo.

A rather inexpensive but very nice-sounding wood snare is the Pearl Omar Hakim Signature snare (5" x 13" mahogany).

Spaun, Ayotte (esp. Ray Ayotte-era), (vintage) Gretsch, (vintage) Slingerland, Brady, Dunnett...all really good wood snares. DW snares sound great, but the metal parts are kinda cheap (I have a 6" x 10" DW 10-ply maple snare).

[Jax]

Originally Posted by Alexi

what are your favourite snare drums...that are made out of wood?


cheers

I'm quite fond of my 13x6.5 Craviotto maple with antique brass lugs and natural maple finish. It makes my whole kit seem to sound better and it has a deceptively large pop when tuned low. Tuned high it cuts, and midway it blends.

Dunno how to decsribe the sound really. Lots of personality.

Maybe I can make a clip.

[AdamJay]

can anyone comment on the sound of the Tama Artwood Maple Snare? specifically the 7"x13" Artwood.

i've been eyeing one of these for a little while now. i'm looking for a slow but crisp alternative to my 60's brass slingerland and 70's acrolite, for recording only.

[by-tor]

Originally Posted by r0ck1r0ck2

and if you made that christmas snare you're a man after my own heart..
sick bastard...

I am in a band called the Jingle Punx. We play christmas punk songs. Available on itunes......

http://www.jinglepunx.com


A christmas band needs a christmas snare!

[RUSCO]

Brady. Made right in here in West Oz from jarrah, the local indigenous timber.

http://www.bradydrums.com.au/

BRADY drums rooool !
They are the snappiest drums I have ever recorded.

[RoundBadge]

I pretty much make my own wood snares now ..and i've got a couple Pawn shop beaters that sound great..
But i couldn't resist.. just grabbed another Craviotto..
i have his solid cherry 7x14 already and just got one of steambent maple jobs..
pure class.. It's greatthumbsup

:

[toolskid]

It may not be my classiest snare but I keep on using this 12x8 tamburo. Super sensitive, thick and snappy up high, or thuddy and clear low. As with all their drums they don't really have a sweet spot they are killer all the way up and down!! Its a remarkably playable drum!