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What's your favorite snare drum TODAY?

A J

A J

Silver Member
I own 7 snare drums. They all take turns being my "favorite". I'll play one non-stop for 6 months. We'll have some sort of "falling out" and it will go back in the case in favor of another. Today, my favorite snare is a 5x14 Pearl Sensitone Aluminum. What's today's favorite?
 
A J said:
I own 7 snare drums. They all take turns being my "favorite". I'll play one non-stop for 6 months. We'll have some sort of "falling out" and it will go back in the case in favor of another. Today, my favorite snare is a 5x14 Pearl Sensitone Aluminum. What's today's favorite?
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I’m the same way! One is my favorite, but after a while I’ll look over at the snare shelf and go “that one there, I haven’t played it in a while, maybe I should sell it.” Then I play it to see if I should keep it, and by damn now that one is my favorite! And around they go.

Today the boss is an Oriollo Giramondo (spun brass) 5x14 with Angel hoops. Crisp, dark, punchy, resonant.
IMG_6510.jpeg
 
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I haven't even gigged my 5.5x13 DW 3mm aluminium yet...my 5.5x13 tuna fish can steel mapex dethroned my 6.5x14 superphonic. I just ordered a 6x13 Mapex maple poplar and out of the box it was fabulous. To be continued out in the field.
 
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I can't say I have a favorite snare. I own seven snare drums, six that I gig regularly with and one piccolo snare that is at most gigs as a backup. I take the snare drum that is most appropriate for the gig and the drum set being used. For instance, I take the Gretsch Brooklyn Micro snare with the matching drum set when space is very limited. I take my T.L. Custom maple snare to smaller venues and often have a towel over it to further reduce the sound level. I take my Ludwig Acrolite to jazz gigs. That said, I own two Ludwig 110th Anniversary Heirloom Black Brass snare drums: 14" X 5.5" & 14" X 7". I use these at very large venues and outdoors when I really need to cut through the band (and yes I do mic them). I get excited every time I have the opportunity to use one of these snares, love the sound of the brass, but unfortunately it happens rarely since most of my gigs are in small bars and Legions.
 
After 12 months of hammering on a KA145, trying its tuning from low & fat to high & tight and generally enjoying myself, I put this up ⬇️ and am thrilled by its sound. After a day of playing it, I installed a die cast hoop on the batter side for a prolonged honeymoon.

Tama Starphonic Aluminum Snare 02 WM.jpeg
 
Up until recent times, I only owned one, and I will put it up against any snare on earth for awesome tone and feel. Currently it's in the middle of a light makeover, but it's almost done, and while the Acro I recently bought is terrific, nothing beats my L&L Standard. But it’s assembled so I guess today it’s my Acro:

IMG_0942.jpeg
 
I have five snares as of this writing. Picking a snare is a little like picking out shoes - there's a bit of thought about the appropriateness, the conditions, the potential for damage - but there's also a fair amount of whim and "how do I feel today" that goes into the choice.

My Guru 13x7 black walnut is usually my go-to choice when I want the very best sounding snare I have, but its value will keep it out of some gigs where I think it might come to some harm.
My Ludwig 14x6.5 Black Magic is my go-to for all the gigs where I want great sound, projection, and cut, especially if I don't want to risk the Guru. It's my go-to loud live gig snare.
My Ludwig 14x5 Standard aluminium snare is a solid choice for recording, or for a gig where I want a high, dry sound evocative of the 80s.
My Ludwig 14x5 Pioneer is extremely versatile and I love taking it on low-volume gigs, but again, as a collector's item I don't take it out very often for gigs.
The Tama 14x6.5 maple snare that came with my Superstar Classics is the snare I will deploy for high-risk situations or if I need a second snare tuned a particular way (it does a deep field drum sound particularly well).

Having said that, I will often stand at the snare drum shelf and muse, "hmm, what mood am I in today?" if I'm going to just play, or play an indoor miked gig where there's not much chance of anything going wrong. All of them sound more than good enough in general applications. Honestly, sometimes I grab a snare just because I know it's tuned the way I want to play that day and none of the others are!
 
A J said:
I own 7 snare drums. They all take turns being my "favorite". I'll play one non-stop for 6 months. We'll have some sort of "falling out" and it will go back in the case in favor of another. Today, my favorite snare is a 5x14 Pearl Sensitone Aluminum. What's today's favorite?
Click to expand...
Here 66Samus tests a few snares from cheap to expensive and to be honest they all sounded pretty close to the same to me. The only reason to get expensive would be for better hardware and looks mostly.

 
doggyd69b said:
Here 66Samus tests a few snares from cheap to expensive and to be honest they all sounded pretty close to the same to me. The only reason to get expensive would be for better hardware and looks mostly.

Click to expand...
To a certain extent I agree, but I could do without the three cheapest ones.
 
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For about the last yr my 6.5 BB gets all the gigs but my late 70s LM 400 has been getting a lot of love at home. I have a 5.5 brass rocker that I use at home a lot also. My 4th snare is a 88 model Yamaha tour custom 6.5 and it sees very little action.
 

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