CHEAP vs EXPENSIVE SNARE DRUMS - Does It Matter?!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 7 лис 2017
- Love the content? You can support this channel on PATREON! / robbrownondrums
Is it worth saving up a big chunk of dough to drop on a high end snare drum? Hit that play button to find out! SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL for more cool lessons like this one!
WEBSITE
robbrownondrums.com
TWITTER: / robbrowndrums
FACEBOOK FAN PAGE: / robbrownondrums
MERCH STORE: teespring.com/stores/robbrown...
ROB BROWN ENDORSES
yamahadrums.com
paiste.com
vicfirth.com
evansdrumheads.com
![[柴犬ASMR]曼玉Manyu&小白Bai 毛发护理Spa asmr](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0TsXQ7z2Dh4/mqdefault.jpg)
I feel that the Cymbals are the most important instrument on a Drummers kit. You can make a cheap drum sound ok. But your Cymbals will not change. They are what they are.
DJT716 Totally agree.
Indeed Richard... I would spend well more for great, not good but GREAT cymbals over a snare or a drum kit in general. You can not ever go back and re-melt the medal for cymbals and make them better. But you can deal with a cheap snare or kit. Although I will say good wood is the best way to go... To me,if the snare is the Soul of the kit, than Great Cymbals are the Holy Spirit of the whole kit. They speak to you...
Agree with you 100%
The cymbals are for embelishment. I'm not even a drummer. The two most important drums on a kit are the snare and the kick (downbeat, upbeat). The next most important is of course the hihat (subdivisions). If you were to start removing parts, Those are the three that you can not remove.
I agree! In any musical style the screeching of lousy cymbals is unbearable. Great ones also last...my '67 Zildjians sound as good as when I was a kid. That assumes you don't get a running start and smack a crash with butt end of a 5B stick. Lucky I guess.. never cracked one in a lifetime gigging.
This entire video I was waiting for a side by side comparison... it would be nice if you got the two different snares with the same heads and tuned the same using a tune bot. Then did the exact same groove and switch back and forth between the two so we can see if paying extra is worth it.
Ultimate Event Lighting I agree with OP and will ad that while Rob sometimes has good info, he just takes.......toooooooooo.........lonnnnnnnnnnng.......toooooooooo......getttttttttttttttt......tooooooooo........thhhhhhhhhhheeeeeed.........fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucking...........POINT!!,
Paying extra is definitely worth it, sometimes, u can get lucky with a cheap snare, gaff it up, put good heads on it etc. But a high quality snare, makes a HUGE difference, in my opinion, I could tell, as soon as he started playing, something is off with that snare, lol But to each their own, it is subjective, after all. Peace.
It makes no difference. Learn to tune. Its physics. You don't play the shell you play the head. God Bless!
There’s already plenty of those kind of videos to check on the internet if you just want to know the difference between the two.
@@robertbates1910 agreed i thought the same emmiedietly it didnt sound the best
Agreed 110%. I️m a huge believer in upgrading your snare and Cymbals if possible before upgrading your drum set. A well made and tuned snare makes a $600 drum set sound like $2000 set..!!
@Max M Having a high quality snare is important. It can satisfy you enough to not keep dumping money into new gear. But there's no reason to not buy high end cymbals. Shop smart and buy used.
Well tuned*** screw an expensive one
My brother took an old first act snare drum and turned it into a popcorn snare, sounds amazing
Guitar center used section. Got a Tama Birch snare for 115 bucks and I love it.
Joey Jordinson snare,
Pork Pie lil squealer
Tama SLP
Ludwig acrolite
All these cost less than $299.
Pawn shops have quality snare drums for cheaper prices.pawn shops are musicians best friends.especially in emergency cases
I had a CB700 5pc kit for $40. The snare was amazing! That cheap snare would make a great back up snare that if stolen or damaged wouldn't matter much.
I love your video, thank you for being so truthful, as a kid, I was 13 years old, my friends had all the greatest Ludwig and others, at the time, luckily my dad found a snare drum I don't even remember what brand, I don't even know if there was a brand name, and I remember to this day I felt so ashamed, after my teacher told me it was not a professional drum, but proud, at this point in my life I was lucky I had the little plastic snare, I still came on stage, with the plastic and played just as well or even better!
Your teacher was wrong to do that.
shoutout to dad doing the best he could.
Maybe it was the truth. Acrolite isn't supposed to be pro gear, but it's my drummer"s favorite and he rocks that thing
A new Yamaha 10 lug steel shell stage custom is $99 bucks new at Guitar Center when on sale.
It will do most everything a high end snare can do.
A steel steal.
PS I own some of the best snares out there (Fibes Craviotto)and this snare will do most everything you need it to do.
Mine sounds amazing even with the clear dampened tom Head.
Well anything from Yamaha isn't garbage. They have the means to offer a higher quality drum for a very low price. There's junk out there far worse than the CB 700. At a certain point you get to the level of toy drums.
This is so true, I call mine the Genericphonic
My personal favorite is pretty cheap, the Tama slp 13"x7" g-maple. I prefer it even over my Ludwig 14"x8" black beauty wich was my reward to myself some years back when i felt i deserved a top of the line snare. I completely agree with you and i would assume most drummers do about the snare being the center of your setup and the most personal drum you use.
I know people that have recorded with a CB700 14x6.5 steel. The right tuning, heads ,wires could be worth it.
i never spent time on snares. I was always the guy I pick whatever snare and just play,
but now, I spend some weeks to learn a lot of snares and how important they are.
i learned a lot in this channel. thank you :)
Hey Rob! Love the video, wanna hear something cool? I tuned that very snare! I work at Long and McQuade in Pickering and there was an internal dampener in that snare that was broken, so I took it out and put the whole thing back together the day before you bought it!! Glad you think the snare was decent lol! Hope to see you in the store soon XD
A 1980 Ludwig Acrolite snare drum, the best couple of hundred pounds I have ever sent. I'm in the UK and bought it off Ebay. Don't use anything else, don't need too...
It IS true though - its the player not the drum...
Well, brand new Yamaha Steel snare is about 150 euros here in Serbia, and it's a very good snare...
1:18 it may not be the flashiest groove or fill but it still just felt really good.
Meinl Pure Alloy China gotta say I think the openness from not over filling on the bass or snare while also filling the offbeats with the hats really adds the flavor
Dominic Borrelli agreed. I really need to get my limb independence in order so I can use the hi hats on upbeats.
I agree with you man, I recently bought a new snare, actually my wife bought I just picked it out. But it's the best snare I've had, it's a Tama SPL bubinga I just love it man I mean straight outta the box it's been rocking
I have a cheapo acoustic kit i bought back in 06, i only upgraded heads and cymbals. You're definitely right about the durability, but still somehow manage to get a good sound out of it. The snare is pretty beat up, and some of the wires are bent, but still sounds good to me (i used your guide on how to tune a snare the other day and it's the first time in 14 years that it sounds like an actual snare drum 🤣)
Wow, the snare sounded great. Just goes to show, it's the player; and the high quality heads will also make a BIG difference. Thanks for posting!
Expensive don’t mean shit. I’ve been playing for 44 years, and my fave snare drum is a Ludwig student model, the Acrolite. It takes a beating, gets in tune easily, sounds great when it’s slightly detuned from getting beat up with rimshots, I love it. I’ve played many hundred snare drums (I used to work at a drum shop), and have owned many many vintage snares, Leedy Broadway, Radio Kings, Noble and Cooley, but I love the Acrolite!
acrolite snare aren't exactly cheap
@@jannatinkarlen8702 they used to be
Ludwig Acrolite costs over $400.
That’s not a cheap snare.
gretsch in the studio
So did everything else.
@@powbobs I mean when they were sold as student models like the guys talking about. You can still find the black galaxy ones used for less than $100.
Just ran across your video and couldn’t agree more. You really hit on the important facts. Experience matters. Thank you.
I wanted to hear that Dave Weckl snare drum ! I agree with you 100%, Rob. My snare drum is my mouthpiece when I play; it defines my sound.
That and my Paiste cymbals 😜
Great video! The snare is the heart of the drummset. If you want to update your set, go for the snare and the Hi-Hat cymbals first, because the matter the most. And very important: Change the heads more often. Depends on how much you play, but a old head sounds dead.
Now you need to do a video on how to properly hit a snare. Thanks for this video Rob. Your playing is killer!!!
I love those old CB snares every time I see one at a pawn shop I get them if they're under 20 bucks. The problem is how quick they rust over here by the beach. I've had three of them so far I use one as a timbale. Because of had to use the parts to fix the other ones. High quality snare differently matters though but there's nothing wrong with the cheap one if you can play it right. I sprayed the timbale with clear coat so it doesn't rust.
My first kit was a CB, and have never been able to get a snare sound quite like it since. It had a character to it that I really liked. But the quality concerns are definitely real. I live in Florida near the beach as well, and run was definitely an issue, particularly with the tension rods (I ended up making it into a timbale too :)).
The flip side of things though, is that these cheap snares and kits can be great for beginners or those on a serious budget. They probably won't last 10 years, but not having the money for the expensive stuff shouldn't prevent anyone from playing and enjoying it.
that opening jam was AMAZING
Best bang for your buck is an 80's Tama Swingstar. They're made with a seamless steel shell and can be scooped up for $40-100 depending on condition. Same shell as the imperialstars, etc.
I just got one, a 1982 model. Cleaned it all up, new snare wires and bottom skin and wow, it sounds great. Way better than the steel one that came with my Rockstar kit in 2003.
@@dangermartin69 After 25 years, my throwoff bit it, so I put one of the current high-end Tama throws on it for $50. I'd put it against any $400+ steel snare.
I still have my CB snare from my first set, wanted to keep something for sentimental value but may have to throw it on the set when I'm home for Christmas break
Thats my favorite drum roll to do on the snare at 1.04. love it.
Good Vid. Thanks Rob!
Well done. My grandfather always told me it's a poor carpenter who blames his hammer... Like you say it doesn't matter what type of drum you have the sound comes from you the player not necessarily so much by the equipment that you play. I've played some of the cheapest nastiest duck taped up drum sets ever and I still find a way to make them sound like me. Keep in mind that's without sitting there with my tuning key and my drum dial trying to make them sound good. Remember you are the sound not the drums!
OK I have to report on another snare drum I added to my collection recently: DW/Pacific 'Concept Limited Edition Series' 7 1/2 x 14" snare drum in dark walnut stain finish with wood hoops. Tried it out in church praise band setting today and very pleased with it. Nice full/fat tone and the wood hoops make for excellent cross-stick sound. I guess it would be considered a 'mid-price' snare (at least by my standards) but so far I am very pleased with it. (and it has the very same snare throw-off mechanism as the more expensive DW snare drums) True, I did swap out the OEM batter head with an Evans '56 Calftone', and the OEM snare wires with 'Puresound' wires and now it is exactly where I want it. And a plus: the price has come down by $70.00 from some vendors.
My school has a really old and broken black beauty snare, it has been beaten beyond death, we tried changing out heads, but it was mossing 8 tension rods. So we pulled out a different snare that was old but still needed new heads.
I think I have a westbury branded 5” snare like that, and honestly I can’t really complain about it, it’s great.
It suspiciously has the exact same heads and snare on it
The CB700 snare is an underrated studio gem. Also good as a back-up or gig snare. I played one for years, even though I had other high priced snares, I still played the CB.
Hey from Ireland Rob!! I just wanted to say that I hugely appreciate every video you put out.
I'm 15 and have been playing for 7 years and I'm hoping to get my honours degree in drumming in college and each video you put out truly helps me!
Keep up the good work man!
+Daniel Brazil Wuddup, Ireland 🇮🇪 Glad the vids are helping man. Greets from Canada 🇨🇦👊🏽Good luck with that honours degree 🙂
Rob Brown thanks man!
Awesome video ! I don't know why but I watch your full video,you are cool and simple :)
I use a Dixon snare at one of my church ministries and it's a metal shell! So I put a floor tom head on it, cause it's a really small room and tape tape and a lil' more tape and tune it medium low to low tuning it's got a cool dry, almost triggered sound to it BUT I definitely agree with this video!
I have made a point of taking inexpensive snares (not cheap, like you said, some drums are simply irredeemable) and with some TLC getting them sound like drums costing twice as much. I find this is possible from most of the good drum companies, but with Yamaha in particular. If you can start with something decent then you can get a great sound with some knowledge and experience, believe me. However, I recently saw a video of Benny Greb playing the poop out a SpongeBob Squarepants toy drum set. Although I was shocked and amazed, it serves to reinforce you idea that it’s the player you makes the instrument, not the other way around. Do I think Benny is going to chuck his Sonor SQ2 for that toy kit, no of course not, but he could show up to the gig with any kit and play it down like a boss. Practice you skills and let the drums you play highlight or enhance them. Great video Rob, an important idea for consideration.
I had a cb 700 drum set back in the late 70s 80s and I played mine well too and used it at gigs for 10 years with no complaints and I found out cub procusion was made by Pearl drums
Cheap drums/snares are perfect for when you have to travel with them and there's a risk of getting them stolen. Cheap is the way to go lol.
Ludwig Acrolites are affordable and sound good-dry and responsive if set up properly. They’re not as bulletproof as high end snares but can take a beating!
13:36 This is good advice for upgrading on any instrument from a playable quality to a smooth-like-butter quality.
Tama SLP line of snares. Very affordable and killer sounding. High quality snares, kinder prices.
Yes ;-) I have one, and it is a nice drum (alu 5x14). I also have more expensive Ludwig snares, and no doubt, I'll prefer those, if I had to choose one from the other. But, some times the Tama is my choice, so check them out.
I'm a pearl guy but I really love the SLP.
SLP line is phenomenal I own one as well. Power maple
The SLP line is the best value for the money. Yes, made in China which keeps the cost down but built to meet Tama’s demanding quality expectations in a Tama-owned factory.
@@richboshart1201 It's a Tama factory...just in China. It's not only built to Tamas high quality standards.....it's built BY Tama. SLP line of snares are excellent. Every bit as good as a Japan, US or German made drum.
Just bought a ludwig supraphonic LM402 for $300 on ebay.. excellent condition. . Thanks
I agree with you about the snare being essential.. I did some national gigs with Nelson Rangel. There was always a rental back line kit usually good but not always. I always flew with my snare, cymbals and kick pedal. If I had to choose between one choice, I'd bring my snare. I appreciate you. Keep up the good work.
I dig the dual snare set up on the Yamaha. Looks tricky to tune right, but once you get it set, it’s gold!!
This same debate happens again and again on guitar forums. "Is my Squier Strat OK, or do I need a 'real' guitar to sound good?" The answer of course is (as you suggest) the _player_ makes the instrument sound good. That fact taken on its own suggests that it doesn't make sense to buy expensive gear from the perspective of the audience member. Buying more expensive gear simply makes the experience better for the player -- which is important, but only to the player.
mw13068
Hate the skinny necks on Squiers.
One of my all time favorite snares for the money are 70s era acrolites. My main gigging snare. Find em easy for 100 to 150 in good shape.
slim jim Where?
Timbales1979 I've gotten mine all off Craigslist. Last one I got came with case, new heads and snare wires. For 100 bucks. In good shape. Paid 120 for another. See them in my area often.
I have a ton of snare drums, my favorite is my Ludwig black magic, it's pretty cool! (Can't afford a BB) The "cheap" snare you're playing is almost identical to the snare that came with my son's entry level Sonor kit. It's ...crunchy. And Rob, I, too am a snare junkie...lol. I'm going to get a hit later today in fact.
The first kit I ever bought had that CB snare. Higher quality snare drums are easier to get a good sound out of, and they feel better. The Yamaha Absolute Maple Hybrid snare is one of, if not the best sounding, feeling snare I’ve ever heard or played.
The Tama Stewart Copeland signature snare. The only one I really ever use anymore. The best!
I bought 2 14 by 4.5 gp piccolo, tama imperialstar and mapex voyager snare for $60 each, changed the heads on all of them sound great. the expensive snares I have are mapex mpx (100 plus tax) and yamaha stage custom ($120 plus tax). I agree with what ur saying but the price range I believe should be between 90-150
You could pay easily 10 or even 20 times more for a snare that will for intents and purposes do the same thing. An 8 lug steel snare with triple flanged hoops is basically an 8 lug steel snare with triple flanged hoops no matter what label you put on it. Then there are other factors. Take two identical drums same brand same everything.. one sounds better, feels better to play. Why? It's not what you pay it's so many other factors. Some of the best sounding drums I've owned have cost me nothing and would be regarded as cheap shit.. been around for over 50 years some of them. Still going. Stuff other people didn't want. And some of the most expensive drums I've owned have just never quite worked as well. That said, there is cheap and like he said then there is "cheap to the point of ridiculous" There are drums out there that are really toys.
I have a varied collection of snare drums everything from an early 70's Rogers 'Dynasonic' COB (which is still considered a 'high end' snare drum), a Ludwig early 70's 'Supersensitive' (another 'high end' snare), to 'cheap' snare drums. One of my favorites is a non-descript (no name) custom-made 5 x 14" wood shell (I think it is mahogany) with wood hoops that I purchased brand new from a local music store for the princely sum of $59.00 + sales tax. That drum just happened to be well made with quality components and it sounds great. I don't know how the person who built that drum made it for that price but it happens to be a good drum. I lucked out on that one. I do agree though that really on 'cheap' drums the hardware and components for the most part (like the snare strainer throwoff mechanism) are usually minimal quality and don't last in the long run. General rule is you get what you pay for, particularly as one writer commented about cymbals. You can modify less expensive drums to sound decent but spending more money on good cymbals is well worth the investment.
Another fantastic wisdom drop! I have a hard time controlling my desire to buy a new snare every week, (I have issues.) I remember reading Weckle saying he used an old snare on his 1st track of his 1st album. It sat in his neighbor's garage for years before it was given to him. It was a bit warped and had some rust but after a little TLC he discovered a unique character and loved playing it.
Rob, looks like your left hand is coming along nicely ... I haven't had as much progress as you have ... still having trouble pulling out doubles with the left. Thanks for another vid!!!!
lew123drums I work on that left hand at a near dangerous nerd level, man. But yea, I’m happy with the progress 🤓
i also play on a cheap 6.5 X 14' Gretsch Walnut w- Maple Inlay Snare but it does its job fine for home use
I also had a Gretsch snare... I like to hypercrank it,so I can get all the rimshots and snare rolls to sound good. Not a fan of the mid range sound. Far too common.
@Rob Brown This video was providentially timed. I was seriously considering selling my PDP 18-ply 14x6.5 bubinga-maple snare. I figured I could do just fine with a cheaper steel Ludwig that I’ve had for a little while. I did make the Ludwig sound pretty darn nice with a few upgrades in the heads and wires. But after considering the points made in this video, I would much rather sell the Ludwig and keep the PDP. Just the visual aspect of that snare alone raises the entire level of my kit, Not to mention the dynamic range of sound I can get out of the instrument. Thanks so much for sharing your honest an informed opinions.
Love the positivity and good vibes man!
I own several DW snares that cost me good money but they are worth it because all the hardware is high quality and
very sturdy and the craftsmanship is top notch. I also own very cheap snares and the biggest differences are that
the top of the line snares stay in tune for a long time, they sound good at all tunings and they are much louder
than the cheap ones.
Great video.
Great vid Rob and I've come to the same conclusions after 50 years of drumming. One rule I have is if it takes an HD dry to make a snare sound decent, you need a new snare. ;)
That hits home. I haven't been able to use anything other than a HD Dry on my current snare.
So I guess it's time for an upgrade.
Ok, I watched your video lol. U mentioned the black beauty and I got a brass on brass black beauty 6 1/2 by 14 13 years ago and I've never used any of my other ones. It's a magical dream!!!
I love the sound of the first snare
My recommendation for a intermediate snare drum is a pearl limited edition birch. Its a really good snare if its tuned correctly
I use a 6.5x14 Ludwig supraphonic. It is my all-time favorite. It is a chrome plated ALUMINUM shell. The aluminum is a dry sounding metal and the chrome brightens it up just right. I also like my 5x14 Ludwig acrylic vistalite. It sounds much bigger than 5" depth. Very controlled but bright. Ludwig also makes a non chromed aluminum shell that sounds awesome in recordings- the acrolite. Very underrated snare IMHO. HOW YOU HIT THE SNARE and how it is tuned with good heads/wires and the type of stick matter A LOT to the sound.
My brother in law gave me one years ago. I didn't realize at the time how great it is. Now I do.
I own a number of snare drums. One of them is a CB 700 snare drum just like the one in your video, Rob. Actually, it sounds pretty good. I also own a Percussion Plus 10 lug steel snare drum that sounds really good. I also own a Gretsch Maple 5X14 and a Ludwig maple snare drum from 1968. I personally like metal snare drums better and have always used them. My two favorite snare drums that I use virtually all of the time are a Ludwig Supraphonic aluminum snare drum from 1978 and a Rogers Dyna Sonic brass snare drum from 1977. Both of these are 5X14 drums and both of them sound fabulous. I have a video of the comparison of these two drums on YT under the name Daniel Casher. I have to say that the Dyna Sonic sounds just a bit brighter than the Ludwig Supraphonic, but there isn't a whole lot of difference in the quality of the sounds of both drums. You can still buy a Supraphonic brand new for around $400 and they still sound great. Unfortunately, you can't still buy a Dyna Sonic new. I paid $30 for the one I have (yes, I said $30) I put about another $60-70 in it and cleaned it up and it looks just like new and sounds great. The guy who sold it to me didn't know what he had and it had been sitting under an outdoor shed for several years. The rest of the old Rogers drum set was unable to be saved, but the snare was. And once again, Rob, you are right...much of how drums and cymbals sound has to do with who is playing them. I have heard drums sets sound awful and then good, just by whomever was playing them at the time!
The best snare drum I ever owned was a Tama Artwood (not the expensive, but with the right heads it was amazing). Now I use (believe it or not) a Mapex Steel Piccolo ($39 on sale at Guitar Center, before I started working there). There's no such thing as "cheap steel"; again, with the right heads and the right tuning, it works fine. I'm more of a percussionist than a drummer, but learn how heads work, and learn to tune, and anything can be a treasure.
No, I take that back. The BEST snare I ever owned was a no-named, pitted out steel shell my band director gave me because he didn't know what to do with it. That was a long time ago...that drum was sweet.
I was given a pro session drum kit. the kit was horrible but the snare drum is excellent I still use it as a spare, lovely crisp sound and verry good for recording
Totally perfect video man. Could not agree more
I love my Cb snare. Yes I've put money into it. But everyone loves it. Made it sound like bonzo snare. And I have a DW drum kit.
Me too!
If it's a steel shell, there's not that big of a difference. Especially if you put good hoops on it. Cheap throw-offs suck but don't effect the sound.
If you’re on a limited budget, the best thing you can do is put money on the snare.
If you grab a used, but decent shape Supraphonic - tune it well, your sound will be much better.
Cymbals obviously too, I’d say after the snare, find the right ride cymbal to really craft your sound!
I have to agree 100% with you, I have 4 snares including the one that came with my kit, my favorite being my brass patina pork pie, but o have a nice TAMA piccolo snare that’s great, and a nice little M-80 popcorn snare. I’m a little bit of a snare junky. My step son just got and old no name snare from his grandfather. Gonna spruce it up and check it out.
my experience with "cheap" snare stock drum at my church (and other churches i went to) that it is not very versatile, it cannot cover too many tone ranges which means that it can only be maximized to only a certain tone character (usually only at high tuning), and it took forever to tune. we put evans on both heads and puresound wires, dont help much, so i can only guess it is due to the "cheap" wood plies and bearing edge somehow and probably craftmanship.
so i bought a gretsch pro tier snare drum, and it was night and day right away. the tone is soooo goood on many tone ranges (low, med, and high), the tuning is just taking about 2 mins (when changing new heads) and a matter of seconds if i want to fine tune, and i still have remo stock heads and stock wires on my pro snare. it is sooo versatile too, because our church do a variety of genres from hard rock to reggae to latin.
so IMHO, cheap vs pro (which is usually expensive) does matter. and for me, i always bring my own snare everywhere.
disclaimer:
- i said a "pro" snare, not necessarily in the range of thousands of dollars (this would be overpriced in my opinion)
Thx for the video Rob...
When I was young, my dad bought me a Rogers kit complete with a Dynasonic snare. Because I was a stupid young kid, I had no idea what I was doing with the snare rail. So after a while, the snare started falling apart, I was over choking the snare wire mechanism, and tuning up the beater head until the lugs broke. My friends at the time decided to buy me a $30 Player snare drum for my birthday. Initially, it sounded pretty good, but over a period of a few years, things started falling apart on it. I did everything I could to make sure to get a decent sound out of it, but it was a failing and futile process. Fast forward over two decades. I finally broke down and bought a Ludwig Supraphonic LM402 snare drum. Upon putting new heads and a new snare wire set on, the first hit sounded exactly like what I’ve been trying to do with that crappy $30 snare drum yet never quite achieving it. I cried. I cried because I wasted over two decades toiling over a $30 snare drum to get it to do what I wanted it to do. It would go out of tune quickly. The snare wire mechanism started bending out of shape due to cheap materials. The Ludwig was a breeze in comparison. My advice to any aspiring young drummer is to invest in a decent snare drum early on. Ludwig Acrolite Drums are great and can be found for around $200. They are incredible beginner drums. Do not do what I did and waste 1/4 of my lifetime on a cheap ass drum. It’s not worth it. Had I a better drum to work with early on, I probably would have excelled on the kit faster, and probably would have been getting a hell of a lot more gigs along the way. And my home recordings would probably have not have suffered so much from aggravation over getting the snare drum to sound good.
Epilogue: I went back last year to pull out the Rogers Dynasonic from storage. It was all in pieces, but I brought it home and cleaned every part. I ordered new lugs and installed them. I even bought a diecast hoop. I put on a fresh new set of snare wires and tuned it up. I wish I would’ve done that 25 years ago. It was so sad to think that this incredible drum sat in shambles in storage for that long without any love. It is now the crown in my collection of snare drums. It sounds amazing.
Mapex Black Panther line of snares. All under five hundred bucks, all spectacular quality, looks and sound. Bought my Black Panther Blaster snare used in new condition for $250. Lots of great high and snares out there for under $500. Just look around
If your kick drum is the heartbeat, your snare drum is your soul. Do not ever show up to a gig with a cheap snare drum or cheap cymbals. You won’t get called again.
Weck recorded most of Master Plan with a Kent snare... It´s cool to indulge yourself with a nice snare, life´s short. But don´t lose sleep over gear. Gear is just gear. Cool vid!
I’m commenting again on a 5 year old video to help someone struggling to find a great snare at an affordable price. If that is you, you need to check out the Tama SLP line of snares, the Pearl Session Studio Select snare (14x6.5 will run you about $250), and the Pearl Sensitone Heritage line (most expensive snare they offer in this line is a 14x6.5 Black Brass for $400).
Rob Brown, you are the best. All your videos, are clear. Positive and full of generous wisdom, God bless you my Bro
I have a relatively inexpensive Mapex V Series snare drum, one of the snare strings snapped halfway thru a show once. The drum itself sounded OK but not the best, so I took off both the Remo heads and replaced them with Aquarian ones, re-snared it, and placed one blob of MoonGel on the batter head, and now it sounds SICK!!!!!!!!!!! P.S I know how to hit a snare drum too.
Thanks Rob I appreciate your vids. When you say you can make a cheap snare sound good by the way you hit it, could you break that down for lesser experienced players by explaining how you do that in technical terms?
" Great Video & Great Point About Putting In The Time Needed To Validate Purchasing Upgraded Equipment " ......! Agreed If You Are A Pro ,You Can Make A Less Expensive (Instrument) Snare Sound Good For The Moment ".....!
Hey mate. New Subscriber here.
Really enjoy your vids and am learning a lot.
I have a Chad Smith Signature Snare. Its sweet.
Also have a Mapex Storm Drum Kit being delivered in the next few days. First brand new kit I've ever had. Can't wait to assemble her and use your tuning techniques.
Thanks man 👍
Yes I agree with you absolutely. I would never get a cheap snare that will break in a year just so I have to buy another one again. I got the folks at artifact percussion to custom make me a 14x4 piccolo snare, three different adjustable snares and diecast hoops and I’m fine that I’m paying 650 dollars for that. I love piccolos and a 14x4 sounds just like a regular snare the way they are making it but still keeping a very nice articulate sound on the soft side like a piccolo.
Awesome grooves and sense of humor man lol!!
Great channel!
Solid video. I just got into drumming and my kit came with the same crappy snare you have in the video. Right now I am terrible but once I am get good enough I'll get a nicer snare. I'm not going to spend money on a good snare until I can play it well.
I swear best snare I have ever played is the 80's-90's Pearl Export Steel Shell Snare. Its 14x6.5. Extremely versatile, I can tune it indie pop low, Bonham medium, or that Gospel high crack, just by the right heads and tuning.
I have that same snare and mine sounds like crap . What heads did you put on it and how do you get it to sound good ? Thanks !
@@thetwogardens6048 First make sure the drum round and not dented anywhere. The drum head combo I use is Remo Powerstroke 3 Coated on the top, and Remo Ambassador Hazy for the bottom. In terms of snare wires I ran the stock one for so long and it sounded nice, I since upgraded to Puresound 30 Strand. So yes, you gotta put a little money into it with the heads and snare wires but it’s worth it. I had a UA-cam video that I was going to upload of me tuning and playing at different ranges but I lost it on my old SD card. I have a video on my page of me playing it medium tuning kind of like John Bonham snare sound.
Well, I scrounged around the garage and found another Remo coated drum head . Put that on top and put a remo coated one on the botton . Added a little dampening and WoW ! what a difference . Thankyou so much for saving me from a Snare 😁😁😁😁nightmare. Was gonna turf the thing into the bin . I will invest in a remo powerstoke 3 later and maybe change the Wires too . You are a lifesaver !
@@thetwogardens6048 Wow that is so awesome to hear! Trust me I didn’t lifesave anything haha. Just hear to spread information. Personally I like that Powerstroke 3 Coated as it’s a One Ply drumhead with the built in dampening, and a Remo Ambassador Clear on the bottom to give it some resonance. I’m sure the combo you have on it works great too! I am happy to hear to drum is saved!
Thanks Rob, I've always wonder is there that much of a difference, (you've just answered me). I've got a middle range TAMA wood snare and sounds great to me but I also play with mic's using studio one software just because I can so I've done some tweaking on that but without all that digital tweaking she still sounds nice. Like you said it's how you use it and tuning and a good head and reso.. cheers and thanks for your vids matey (from Australia)
Great video, I really enjoyed it. I just have one question : I noticed that it *appears* you may have upgraded the wires on the cheap snare to Puresound - is that the case ? If so wouldn’t that have contributed a bit to the decent sound you were able to extract from it ?
Some people, especially kids who wish to learn drumming may not have the resources to purchase better quality equipment. That cheap snare is a huge step up from a 5 gallon bucket which I have seen some amazing kids beat on out on the street. You’re an accomplished musician in a position to influence others. I’d like to see a video of you and an adolescent guest play your set. The footage would be priceless.
I just get used pdp snare drums and i can honestly say they sound great if you tune them right
If you keep your eye out, you can get a great snare for cheap. I bought a '72 Ludwig Supra for $45.
Seth White Yep.I got a Pearl Custom Classics Solid Maple 6.5x14 snare 2nd hand for a really good deal.$200.
The inline 6 double overhead cam 2jz?
I don't know if I agree with what he says about cheap snares, I have a pulse snare drum that I bought in 2000 that sounds heavenly, in fact, it sounded so good that it actually replaced my Joey jordison signature
I got lucky and found a combo up.for auction unknown hats a 60s keystone badge ludwig lm400 superphonic and a bunch of hardware a speed king kick pedal 2 cymbal stands 60s slingerland hi hat stand amd a snare stand for 225 and by the way the unknown hats were small stamp 1950s zildjians ooohhh how the sweet things find me. Went a got a coated ambassador amd now im just letting it blow my mind its amazing how different snares or cymbals seem to play u instead of the other way around
Watched the vid and noticed that I do agree: a cheap snare sounds less than a more expensive snare. As so happened, I bought me an "Impact" 5 pcs kit with hardware. After playing it for a couple of hours I bought a new high hat, Meinl HCS 14" in my case. Then I decided that I needed new heads and replaced the original brandless(!) ones for Remo heads. Tuned pretty much right it sounded way better already. However, I couldn't get the snare to sound right to my ears, no matter the tuning or muffling. So, as I went 48 years old last week, I got a very nice Pearl Export 14 X 6,5 as a present from my wife and kids and man, just some tuning later it sounded very nice, even without any muffling. So yes, it does matter if you have a crappy snare or a mid-range or a high-end. But always after you, 'cause YOU are playing it. Oh, and I do believe that cymbals are even more important. I bought a very cheap ride and a very cheap 18" crash and both sounded like crap. Meinl HCS is my thing, considering my budget and now my kit sounds nice enough for me playing to some metal, blues or rockmusic ;)
Yamaha Stage Custom 14X5,5 proud owner here. Totally cheap but to its defense it has served me well for over twenty years and with proper muffling and tuning it was a THUNDER. Recently acquired Sonor Signature Series Horst Link 14X8 steel version and I am yet to verify it in a real studio or live environment. That said, Rob is 100% right: Snares don't sound good. WE sound good.
I bought a ludwig from the 60's and i pay $25.00 people sometimes don' t know what they have..✌