1989 Pearl Steel Shell Snare Drum

Drumdame said:
Below are some pictures of the batter head and the reason why I got the drum for $10.49. It was because I mentioned the strainer wire was bent. So the drum was $29.99 and I got it all the way down to $10.49 because of that. Now the question is can that one bent wire on the strainer be fixed or do I need to replace it?

I tried three times sending a picture of the batter head and its will not upload so I can tell you that it's a Remo Weather King Coated Ambassador that looks pretty new.
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Smoke said:
Wow, Donna! It's almost a dead ringer for my Yamaha 14 x 6.5 inch steel snare. FWIW, it had an Evans HD Dry batter head and I was either too naive to tune or couldn't find the sound I liked in its tuning range. I even used a Remo Tone Control ring and still couldn't find it. My first attempt at replacement heads was a coated Ambassador over a hazy Diplomat - it didn't take much work and I found my sound - without the Remo ring. Give the current heads a go and see if you can find your sound.

I'd bet you can straighten that snare wire in about two minutes with a little careful work with a butter-knife - as long as you don't kink it, you're good to go! If worst comes to worst, the original purchase price of the snare gives you some wiggle room on replacement parts! ;)

The thrift stores in my neck of the woods (not exagerating - woods!) never have musical stuff. But if you're in need of gently used crock pots, let me know! :ROFLMAO:
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Smoke's advice is right on the money, D.

Just take your time using a gentle touch to straighten it out, and be careful not to kink the wire while doing so. :)
 
that is a GREAT cleaning job!! It looks pretty naturally clean....


Blk Diamond said:
It's a sweet find for $10.49 Donna, and will produce quite a "crack" when fully unleashed. So, taming it down a bit by head selection as already suggested, and/or other means, will probably be necessary to achieve maximum sonic enjoyment. Especially, when playing it indoors (AKA - the basement). :)
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ooo...don't tame that baby down!!! Let ir ROAR!!!!! :cool:


Drumdame said:
This is the case that came with the Pearl Steel Shell Snare Drum along with the sticks and 2 drum keys. I still can't get over it... all for $10.49 + tax. I feel like I'm in drum heaven! Lol

Believe me when I tell you, this case was so grimy with embedded thick filth I can't believe that I even brought it home, it was that bad... it was dump material!

Yesterday happened to be a beautiful hot day here in Worcester so I took it outside and hosed it down and scrubbed it with Mr Clean inside and out. At this point, I had nothing to lose. Then the hot sun dried it beautiful... now I have a nice drum bag for extra snares that I have.
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wait....if you put a Pearl drum into a Yamaha snare cse, isn't the world supposed to end or something?
 
Blk Diamond said:
Smoke's advice is right on the money, D.

Just take your time using a gentle touch to straighten it out, and be careful not to kink the wire while doing so. :)
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I've tried to straighten the snare wire but I can't seem to do it and I'm afraid I'm going to ruin the rest of them but it might not make too much of a difference if I leave it just the way it is.

I'll ask the drummer at church he's pretty knowledgeable in a lot of things and he's helped me before... maybe he knows how to straighten it.
 
Great find at rock bottom price, and excellent job at cleaning and restoring the snare and the carry bag.
Also, welcome to the unofficial Pearl steel snare owners club on DW. I bought two of them.
These Pearl steel snares are the bread and butter for the Goodwill stores web site. On any day, you can see at least two offered for sale but at higher prices.
 
Drumdame said:
've tried to straighten the snare wire but I can't seem to do it and I'm afraid I'm going to ruin the rest of them but it might not make too much of a difference if I leave it just the way it is.

I'll ask the drummer at church he's pretty knowledgeable in a lot of things and he's helped me before... maybe he knows how to straighten it,
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Just clip the wire off with a pair of wire cutters. You will never miss one wire. Take the wires off the snare before clipping.
 
Tamboreter said:
Just clip the wire off with a pair of wire cutters. You will never miss one wire. Take the wires off the snare before clipping.
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I asked the drummer at church and he said it's not really a big deal or make that much of a difference... don't even touch it... if you don't like the sound then go buy a new set of wires. But I don't think it's going to be that noticeable. I'm all set.
 
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Blk Diamond said:
Hi Donna,

That is a beautiful looking Pearl steel snare that you got there. You did a great job cleaning it up, and you can't beat the price at $10.49.

As a Pearl aficionado, I'm going to say that your new snare drum is actually from the late 1980's. So, more likely 1989, instead of 1998. There are a few things that lead me to this conclusion.

First, the Pearl badge on the snare is the style that they used from the mid to late '80s. The serial numbers on the badge itself won't give any clues to the year it was built. Pearl Corp. has said that this is so, except for the modern high-end Masterworks line. So, no help there.

Second, the long-style lugs. That style of long lugs is definitely from the '80s. Pearl had phased out that style of lug before the Masters Series came along in the early '90s.

Third, the snare's throw-off mechanism. That style of throw-off is one that Pearl used in the late '80s.

It's a sweet find for $10.49 Donna, and will produce quite a "crack" when fully unleashed. So, taming it down a bit by head selection as already suggested, and/or other means, will probably be necessary to achieve maximum sonic enjoyment. Especially, when playing it indoors (AKA - the basement). :)
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Drumdame said:
Today I found this awesome 1998 Pearl Steel Shell Snare Drum for only $10.49 plus tax at my local thrift shop. I cannot wait to set this baby up to hear how it sounds.

The information that I found was only from the internet. If someone knows a little bit more about the history of this drum please share it.

No matter what I try it will not upload the picture of the front of the drum. I've even taken another picture and it says that the file is too big I'm using the same tablet to take pictures I don't understand what's going on.

Thanks,
D'
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Hey Drumdame,
I found this thread researching a Pearl Steel Snare. I too have spend a bit of time (a week so far), polishing the 20 years of funk and tarnish off that accumulated on the kit. I say kit because i picked up an entire kit for my wife. The kid who played it grew up moved away and bought a new set and told his parents to “get rid of it”.
They listed it on Freecycle where a friend saw it and called me. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the pics of it stacked on shelves… I picked it up that night and could barely fit it all in my car As she kept bringing out more…

What I got is a 98-99 Pearl Export Series Kit. Including 8”, 10”, 12”, 13” rack toms, 16 floor tom, 22” bass, 14”x 5 1/2 Steel snare, picalo snare, throne, Sabian high hats, 20” ride, 18” and 17” crash’s and a Paiste China cymbal. And all the stands.
For Free!
Luckily, I have a polishing wheel set up that works great and taking off the surface rust/tarnish after I break it all down to bits. The heads were mostly in bad shape, and as I was supprising my wife with an early anniversar present, and had spent $0, I ordered a full set of new Remo Ambassador heads (except for the Picasso, it’s head was almost unused). The snares resonate has a tear in it which is why I was looking them up and found your post.
Here’s a couple of photos of where I’m at now with things. Only the cymbals and stands left to clean up…
 

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Ckyler said:
Hey Drumdame,
I found this thread researching a Pearl Steel Snare. I too have spend a bit of time (a week so far), polishing the 20 years of funk and tarnish off that accumulated on the kit. I say kit because i picked up an entire kit for my wife. The kid who played it grew up moved away and bought a new set and told his parents to “get rid of it”.
They listed it on Freecycle where a friend saw it and called me. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the pics of it stacked on shelves… I picked it up that night and could barely fit it all in my car As she kept bringing out more…

What I got is a 98-99 Pearl Export Series Kit. Including 8”, 10”, 12”, 13” rack toms, 16 floor tom, 22” bass, 14”x 5 1/2 Steel snare, picalo snare, throne, Sabian high hats, 20” ride, 18” and 17” crash’s and a Paiste China cymbal. And all the stands.
For Free!
Luckily, I have a polishing wheel set up that works great and taking off the surface rust/tarnish after I break it all down to bits. The heads were mostly in bad shape, and as I was supprising my wife with an early anniversar present, and had spent $0, I ordered a full set of new Remo Ambassador heads (except for the Picasso, it’s head was almost unused). The snares resonate has a tear in it which is why I was looking them up and found your post.
Here’s a couple of photos of where I’m at now with things. Only the cymbals and stands left to clean up…
Click to expand...

HI Ckyler,

Wow! It looks like you got your wife a wonderful early anniversary present!

All of this for a fantastic price too! How can you beat free? Just the cost of some "elbow grease", and the price of a full set of Remo heads to re-head the kit is an amazing deal indeed. While I'm not sure exactly where your wife is in her drumming journey (a complete beginner, or seasoned pro), I'm sure that she'll be thrilled with her new Pearl Export kit (along with an extra piccolo snare, and full set of Sabian cymbals) in beautiful #93 Alpine Green!

You did an excellent job cleaning them all up, and I'm sure she's gonna love them. 🥁 :)
 
Blk Diamond said:
HI Ckyler,

Wow! It looks like you got your wife a wonderful early anniversary present!

All of this for a fantastic price too! How can you beat free? Just the cost of some "elbow grease", and the price of a full set of Remo heads to re-head the kit is an amazing deal indeed. While I'm not sure exactly where your wife is in her drumming journey (a complete beginner, or seasoned pro), I'm sure that she'll be thrilled with her new Pearl Export kit (along with an extra piccolo snare, and full set of Sabian cymbals) in beautiful #93 Alpine Green!

You did an excellent job cleaning them all up, and I'm sure she's gonna love them. 🥁 :)
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She’s a bit over 2 yrs in and doing great, still taking lessons and loving it. I forgot that it also came with a double bass kick. she’s over the moon with it, and now she gets to learn to tune them all. I’m just the polisher/oiler. She’s decided to use the 10, 12, 13 toms up as adding the 8” pushes the high hat to far to the left.
As coincidence would have it, I’m headed to a small town in Canada tomorrow and after watching a video on Sabian cymbals, I looked up where they are made… 15 minutes from where I’m staying. They have a “refresh” deal where they refinish them and re-logo them. I’m dropping off two that are in pretty bad shape, the others I can clean up, the china was clearly under the others as it’s still in like new condition.
overall, I think this set will take her a long way.
 
Ckyler said:
Hey Drumdame,
I found this thread researching a Pearl Steel Snare. I too have spend a bit of time (a week so far), polishing the 20 years of funk and tarnish off that accumulated on the kit. I say kit because i picked up an entire kit for my wife. The kid who played it grew up moved away and bought a new set and told his parents to “get rid of it”.
They listed it on Freecycle where a friend saw it and called me. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the pics of it stacked on shelves… I picked it up that night and could barely fit it all in my car As she kept bringing out more…

What I got is a 98-99 Pearl Export Series Kit. Including 8”, 10”, 12”, 13” rack toms, 16 floor tom, 22” bass, 14”x 5 1/2 Steel snare, picalo snare, throne, Sabian high hats, 20” ride, 18” and 17” crash’s and a Paiste China cymbal. And all the stands.
For Free!
Luckily, I have a polishing wheel set up that works great and taking off the surface rust/tarnish after I break it all down to bits. The heads were mostly in bad shape, and as I was supprising my wife with an early anniversar present, and had spent $0, I ordered a full set of new Remo Ambassador heads (except for the Picasso, it’s head was almost unused). The snares resonate has a tear in it which is why I was looking them up and found your post.
Here’s a couple of photos of where I’m at now with things. Only the cymbals and stands left to clean up…
Click to expand...
Aha...the Picasso......is the piccolo......right?
I love the polishing wheel. Got one.
You guys....and your great finds........YAY!
 
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