Vision sensitone snare?

[weps]

The ad blurb calls the Vision steel snare a Sensitone. Is this the same snare that you would get if you ordered a basic steel sensitone snare?

weps

[weldrum]

No. The Snare that comes with the kits are made specially for the vision packages. But soundwise they are really close.

[sparkie]

they are not the exact same but i cant see them being very different.

[Son of Shub-Niggurath]

I'm not 100% positive, but I think the regular Sensitone is 1.0 mm thick, and the Vision Sensitone is 1.2 mm thick. Also, the Vision Sensitone comes with 1.6 mm hoops and the regular Sensitone comes with die-cast hoops.

[1337Drummer]

Its really good though, I highly recommend it, you don't need to muffle it one bit at all!

[Genius Switch]

The ads don't mention that you can mount the strainer two different ways. That's something only the Vision Sensitone has.

[TWH]

And....

The Sensitone Elites' are a 10 lug snare while the Vision Sensitone is an 8 lug snare.

I'm not 100% positive, but I think the regular Sensitone is 1.0 mm thick, and the Vision Sensitone is 1.2 mm thick. Also, the Vision Sensitone comes with 1.6 mm hoops and the regular Sensitone comes with die-cast hoops.

The Sensitone Elite snares come with Superhoop II's.

Steel.......1.0mm
Stainless Steel..........1.2mm
Brass.........1.5mm
Phosphor Bronze.........1.2mm
Aluminum..........1.2mm

[declol]

yeah i have the basic REAL one and it has superhoops.

[skywalker2]

the main differences are


visions sensitone: 1.6 mm hoops, 1.0 mm thick, 2 way strainer
regular sensitone: 1.0-1.2 mm thick (steel/stainless steel) super hoop II's.


thats pretty much it. a thick drum results in a more focused, less ringy/open sound, but since the difference is .2mm of thickness, its no biggie.

AL has played both side by side and the audible difference in hardly there.



its so close, that if you already had a visions snare, there would be no point in buying a STEEL sensitone. (brass/bronze/aluminum senitones would make sense though, being as they are totally different metals.)

[drumtechdad]

Originally posted by skywalker2:
the main differences are


visions sensitone: 1.6 mm hoops, 1.0 mm thick, 2 way strainer
regular sensitone: 1.0-1.2 mm thick (steel/stainless steel) super hoop II's.


thats pretty much it. a thick drum results in a more focused, less ringy/open sound, but since the difference is .2mm of thickness, its no biggie.

AL has played both side by side and the audible difference in hardly there.

Correct, except you forgot about the 10-lugs vs 8-lugs. There are those who disagree, but I happen to like a 10-lug snare for ease and evenness of tuning.

Pearl could have avoided a lot of confusion by calling it something else.

its so close, that if you already had a visions snare, there would be no point in buying a STEEL sensitone. (brass/bronze/aluminum senitones would make sense though, being as they are totally different metals.)

Quite right. I happen to have the bronze sensitone, and it's a sweet drum.

[Son of Shub-Niggurath]

yeah i have the basic REAL one and it has superhoops.

Ah, yes. That's right.

[skywalker2]

Correct, except you forgot about the 10-lugs vs 8-lugs. There are those who disagree, but I happen to like a 10-lug snare for ease and evenness of tuning.

Pearl could have avoided a lot of confusion by calling it something else.



Quite right. I happen to have the bronze sensitone, and it's a sweet drum.



thanks drumtec dad, i realized i was forgetting something!


the bronze sensitones are nice, and they are not expensive at all.

[MattKeaton]

It's weird because the ads and all made the new Vision SensiTone out to be really cool and novel and whatever... then I see it and realise it's an 8 lug steel drum reminiscent not of a SensiTone, but the standard Pearl steel snare which, to me, looks cheap and nasty (compared to the great SensiTones that are/have been around).

[NYR Fan]

Matt, I just got my Visions kit and this snare. I'm not big on steel snares of any kind BUT this drum is quality. The strainer is excellent the lugs, with the brass nuts, are a competitor's nightmare, throw some 2.3's on this drum and the head of your choice and you've got the real deal!

[sparkie]

it was never going to be a 'real' sensitone, but im sure it is close and it will sound good.

[Mr.BoJangles]

I usually don't like metal snares either, but this is a nice little snare drum, great for gigging. Real sensitive to ghost notes as well.

[Mr.BoJangles]

I usually don't like metal snares either, but this is a nice little snare drum, great for gigging. Real sensitive to ghost notes as well.

[MattKeaton]

Matt, I just got my Visions kit and this snare. I'm not big on steel snares of any kind BUT this drum is quality. The strainer is excellent the lugs, with the brass nuts, are a competitor's nightmare, throw some 2.3's on this drum and the head of your choice and you've got the real deal!

Yeah, don't get me wrong... I'm sure it's great and I'm glad you're happy with it! :) But it's just not what I was expecting after the hype surrounding the release. The SensiTone Elite models have precision fit (stainless steel) tension rods - does the Vision snare have them?

[NYR Fan]

Hey Matt, I'm pretty new to Pearl so I'm no expert. The tension rods look standard to me. As you know, the swivel nuts are brass, which is a really nice feature. I, believe it or not, am not familiar with the upper-end Sensi-tones. As I said, not a big fan of any type of steel snare usually. I will be using this drum strictly as a spare but I will put some Supe-Hoops on it for sure. The hoops on this kit are terrible IMHO.

[skywalker2]

it was never going to be a 'real' sensitone, but im sure it is close and it will sound good.



i'm replying to your post sparkie, but this is something directed towards everyone who is kinda stand-offish with regards to the sensitione on the visions.


what makes a sensitone a sensitione? is it not a particular alloy? who are any of us to say that because it lacks a certain feature (stainless stell tension rods, superhoops.) its not a 'real' sensitone?

I don't see any other sensitones offering dual strainers for one. Or being offered at this price.

in fact, the visions sensitone is just as nice as the bottom level 'standard' sensitione, which shares the 1.0mm thickness and instead of being 'stainless steel' is just 'steel' according to pearl.

Perhaps the visions snare is just this drum minus the thicker hoops but dressed up prettier? at any rate guys, its still one of the nicest if not the nicest drum offered for kits in this price range.

if being called a sensitone means being made out of this alloy, then the snare drum offered with the visions meets (and in many ways exceeds) these requirements.


and when it comes down to it, its the sound that matters. your hoops could be 1.0mm thick and if it sounds good, it sounds good. Even al has commented on the striking similarity between this drum and the stainless steel visions drum. Thats good enough for me.

[MattKeaton]

i'm replying to your post sparkie, but this is something directed towards everyone who is kinda stand-offish with regards to the sensitione on the visions.


what makes a sensitone a sensitione? is it not a particular alloy? who are any of us to say that because it lacks a certain feature (stainless stell tension rods, superhoops.) its not a 'real' sensitone?

I don't see any other sensitones offering dual strainers for one. Or being offered at this price.

in fact, the visions sensitone is just as nice as the bottom level 'standard' sensitione, which shares the 1.0mm thickness and instead of being 'stainless steel' is just 'steel' according to pearl.

Perhaps the visions snare is just this drum minus the thicker hoops but dressed up prettier? at any rate guys, its still one of the nicest if not the nicest drum offered for kits in this price range.

if being called a sensitone means being made out of this alloy, then the snare drum offered with the visions meets (and in many ways exceeds) these requirements.


and when it comes down to it, its the sound that matters. your hoops could be 1.0mm thick and if it sounds good, it sounds good. Even al has commented on the striking similarity between this drum and the stainless steel visions drum. Thats good enough for me.

What makes a SensiTone a SensiTone is the badge Pearl puts on it. I didn't say it wasn't real... I said I was disappointed that I got the impression that it was special in a good way... then found out it was special in a bad way.

[skywalker2]

how is it special in a bad way?


if you re-read my post, you 'll see that i too understand that what gets a sensitone badge on a pearl snare can be anything from a special alloy or just the fact that pearl wants to; this was not my point to argue.

[xwestcoast]

some people seem to lose sight of the "get what you pay for" and with the vision series you seem to quite a bit of bang for your buck! why nit pick the small stuff, although it does matter,but any upgrades would obviously add to the cost. it appears to be an excellent kit for the money charged!
and stop calling me shirley!

[Diofter]

The point is that this snare is probably-haven't played it-quite good even if it's steel. If you don't like then change it as many have with their intermediate kit's snare. If it's a sensitone or not doesn't matter or if it has 8 or 10 lugs and thick hoops.

[44Ronin]

Believe it or not. Steel is a good material for well made snare drum.

8 Lugs versus 10 lugs really doesn't matter considering the drum is not of a great depth

[MattKeaton]

how is it special in a bad way?


if you re-read my post, you 'll see that i too understand that what gets a sensitone badge on a pearl snare can be anything from a special alloy or just the fact that pearl wants to; this was not my point to argue.

It is inferior to the other SensiTone models. I'm not saying the snare is bad... I'm saying it's not the same as the other SensiTone snares... Because it isn't. It's not meant to be. I think it was a good decision to make it as such if it keeps the price down for us all.

[skywalker2]

considering that the other sensitone models that are made out of the same material SOUND virtually the same, its a moot point.


if you are talking about the brass or aluminum sensitone, thats different, and even then its not entirely 'better' just a different sound.

[skywalker2]

Believe it or not. Steel is a good material for well made snare drum.




...don't think anyone disputed this.... :confused:

[trickg]

Wow! :eek: Lots of dispute over something fairly trivial.

I don't see much of a difference and the Pearl website doesn't differentiate between the two - they merely say that it is a Sensitone, although to be fair, they don't call it a Sensitone Elite and they also say that it is 5.5" depth - a size not currently offered with the new Sensitone Elite line of snares. Does this mean that it is an old stock Sensitone snare shell outfitted with new lugs? Possibly. The website makes no mention of hoops or whether it has two snare throws.

http://www.pearldrum.com/vision-vlx.asp

Can anyone confirm what the hoops are or what the snare throws are like?

As for Sensitones in general, hasn't there been quite a few changes to that line of snares over the last several years? When I first got into drumming 4 years ago, there were 3 Sensitone shells - Chrome Steel, brass and bronze. Then there were only two - Brass and Steel, and somewhere in there was the Sesitone Classic II - black nickely plated brass with die cast hoops and tube lugs, not to mention a shorter depth of 5" even. Now, we have the full range - black nickel brass, stainless steel, chrome steel, bronze and aluminum, and in just two depths - 5" and 6.5". Do they currently offer a 13" diameter Sensitone?

But getting back to the subject, I don't think that there would be much of a difference at all in either quality or tone between a 5" chrome steel Sensitone Elite and a 5.5" Vision Sensitone. As for the general quality of the Sensitone series of snares, I recently got the 5" Phosphor Bronze and I couldn't be happier - I believe I have found "my" snare sound and I didn't have to spend a small fortune to get it.

[drumtechdad]

I think the issue is that Pearl called it by the name of one of their well-known lines of snare drums, yet the drum isn't one of them and in certain respects (whether you think them important or trivial) it is inferior to them.

By calling the snare included with the Visions a "Sensitone" they have us associate this drum with others that most of us know and many of us like.

The uncharitable among us might call this misleading. For me I'd call it confusing marketing. If you're including a "Sensitone" drum with the Vision set it ought to have been one of the Sensitones we already know; otherwise call it something else.

[trickg]

I think the issue is that Pearl called it by the name of one of their well-known lines of snare drums, yet the drum isn't one of them and in certain respects (whether you think them important or trivial) it is inferior to them.

By calling the snare included with the Visions a "Sensitone" they have us associate this drum with others that most of us know and many of us like.

The uncharitable among us might call this misleading. For me I'd call it confusing marketing. If you're including a "Sensitone" drum with the Vision set it ought to have been one of the Sensitones we already know; otherwise call it something else.
I think that in terms of where the rubber really hits the road - the shell - that pearl is being absolutely truthful by saying that it's a Sensitone shell. Let's keep in mind that Sensitone shells really aren't anything super-fantastic - they are basic rolled, beaded and seamed metal shells, but they are good shells for what they are, even if they don't cost a lot to produce. Even the Ian Pace Signature snare drum uses a Sensitone shell. Looking at the picture, I see no reason to believe that the Sensitone sold with the Visions is anything other than a real Sensitone snare drum, even if it isn't a Sensitone Elite.

[MattKeaton]

Patrick... You're right... It's trivial. The fact that they are different is rather a moot point. What I was referring to was how I was given the impression (by Pearl) that the Vision SensiTone was different but as good or better than the balance of the SensiTone models.
Anyway... If they don't have stainless steel rods then that certainly confirms the fact they they are different in a bad way. I'm not talking about sound, just the cost (relpacement value). No big deal... Just something I thought of. I'm sure they sound great, if you like steel shells.

[44Ronin]

The piston style strainer is definantely a step in the right direction in terms of shell hardware.

[Hilbert]

You can change the strainer in 2 different ways. You can pull the strainer sideways or backwards. Why is that?? For double pedal players??? Can't imagine that.. Please explain. I think this snare is from a good value and they sound pretty good, ok, not like an ultracast but good enough for midrange tones.



Kind regards,

Hilbert

[44Ronin]

You can change the strainer in 2 different ways. You can pull the strainer sideways or backwards. Why is that?? For double pedal players??? Can't imagine that..


Kind regards,

Hilbert

For left handed players.

[johnny tempo]

Here's my two cents,I just set my kit up to get used to the feel of them,I put aquarian studio x's on the toms,super kick 2,and the protone snare I left on.Had them tuned by a tech @ GC.For my money,I say wow!!This will be my last kit.Pearl is #1 for me!!

[skywalker2]

I think that in terms of where the rubber really hits the road - the shell - that pearl is being absolutely truthful by saying that it's a Sensitone shell. Let's keep in mind that Sensitone shells really aren't anything super-fantastic - they are basic rolled, beaded and seamed metal shells, but they are good shells for what they are, even if they don't cost a lot to produce. Even the Ian Pace Signature snare drum uses a Sensitone shell. Looking at the picture, I see no reason to believe that the Sensitone sold with the Visions is anything other than a real Sensitone snare drum, even if it isn't a Sensitone Elite.



exactly my point! in order for pearl to slap sensitone on it, all it has to be a is sensitone shell. it may not be the 'elite' version, which obviously includes thicker rims and a plethora of othe metal choices, but is still a sensitone.


its like saying a honda civic lx is not a civc, just because it doesn't have all the goodies the ex does.

[trickg]

Hey - I thought I would throw in an update.

I went to Guitar Center tonight to pick up a 12" reso head - I have never been able to get my 12" reso in tune - let's hope it's the head and not the edge.

Anyway, they had a Vision kit stacked on the shelf and I pulled the Vision Sensitone down to really look at it. The one thing I forgot to do was count lugs, but here is what I did notice.

It's a standard Sensitone shell - no doubt about that.
It has the same gauge hoops as the rest of the toms - If that's 1.7 mm, then that's what it is - I couldn't find "Superhoops" stamped into them anywhere.
Lugs were a different bridge style than the lugs on my bronze Sensitone
The snare butt is the same as on my Sensitone, which is also the same as the one that was one my Ferrone Signature and the same that was on the Joey Jordison signature snare on the shelf.
The tension rods and swivel nuts appear to be the same as the rest of the toms - standard T-rods and swivel nuts. Mine on the other hand appear to be stainless steel and my swivel nuts are brass.
Heads - big difference here. This has Pearl Protones whereas mine came stock with Remo - Coated Ambassador batter and hazy Ambassador reso.
Snare wires - it has basic Pearl chrome steel snare wires - mine has the SN-1420I UltraSound even tension snares - the kind that come on the FreeFloaters. (Oddly enough, the Pearl Snares page mentions the SN-1420I wires for the FF, but they don't mention it at all for the Sensitone)

The biggest difference is the snare throw. Mine, the SR-017 snare throw is the same as the Jordison, which is the same as the Ferrone and most of the other mid to upper range Pearl snares. This one looks like a lot like a Nickel strainer (shown below) but it says Pearl.

http://www.nickeldrumworks.com/images/strainer2-op.jpg

but honestly, I can tell if it's a better throw or worse throw than mine. It works smoothly enough but Pearl puts the SR-017 throw on some pretty high priced snare drums, so given the rest of the parts, I kind of doubt that the throw on the Vision Sensitone is a throw of a higher quality than what I have.

Overall, I have to say that the Vision Sensitone probably plays and sounds pretty good for a steel shelled snare, but it's definitely not on the same level as the standard Sensitone line, but I guess that's what so cool about the Sensitone - for no more than they cost, IMO they can hold their own right alongside of a plethora of other snare drums that cost considerably more.

[MattKeaton]

Hey - I thought I would throw in an update.

I went to Guitar Center tonight to pick up a 12" reso head - I have never been able to get my 12" reso in tune - let's hope it's the head and not the edge.

Anyway, they had a Vision kit stacked on the shelf and I pulled the Vision Sensitone down to really look at it. The one thing I forgot to do was count lugs, but here is what I did notice.

It's a standard Sensitone shell - no doubt about that.
It has the same gauge hoops as the rest of the toms - If that's 1.7 mm, then that's what it is - I couldn't find "Superhoops" stamped into them anywhere.
Lugs were a different bridge style than the lugs on my bronze Sensitone
The snare butt is the same as on my Sensitone, which is also the same as the one that was one my Ferrone Signature and the same that was on the Joey Jordison signature snare on the shelf.
The tension rods and swivel nuts appear to be the same as the rest of the toms - standard T-rods and swivel nuts. Mine on the other hand appear to be stainless steel and my swivel nuts are brass.
Heads - big difference here. This has Pearl Protones whereas mine came stock with Remo - Coated Ambassador batter and hazy Ambassador reso.
Snare wires - it has basic Pearl chrome steel snare wires - mine has the SN-1420I UltraSound even tension snares - the kind that come on the FreeFloaters. (Oddly enough, the Pearl Snares page mentions the SN-1420I wires for the FF, but they don't mention it at all for the Sensitone)

The biggest difference is the snare throw. Mine, the SR-017 snare throw is the same as the Jordison, which is the same as the Ferrone and most of the other mid to upper range Pearl snares. This one looks like a lot like a Nickel strainer (shown below) but it says Pearl.

http://www.nickeldrumworks.com/images/strainer2-op.jpg

but honestly, I can tell if it's a better throw or worse throw than mine. It works smoothly enough but Pearl puts the SR-017 throw on some pretty high priced snare drums, so given the rest of the parts, I kind of doubt that the throw on the Vision Sensitone is a throw of a higher quality than what I have.

Overall, I have to say that the Vision Sensitone probably plays and sounds pretty good for a steel shelled snare, but it's definitely not on the same level as the standard Sensitone line, but I guess that's what so cool about the Sensitone - for no more than they cost, IMO they can hold their own right alongside of a plethora of other snare drums that cost considerably more.

?!
Hope this ends the discussion now :o Excellent update! Thanks for posting. Is that Nickel throw off you speak of the one on the Ocheltree snare? Anyways... FYI I saw something that looked a lot like that (and a lot like the one pictured) on a snare in the shop last time I was there, so I had a go. Daaamn it was smooth! And at no expense to the actual tension whatsoever, it seemed. I really liked it a lot! Dunnett also mentions some fancy throw off of sorts, but I don't think that's the one you're talking about ( I couldn't find the reference on the Dunnett page looking just now).