Reference Snare (Considering Switching To Wood)

[danovotny]

I've had my 14x6.5 Steel Reference snare for a little under a year now, and it has been great. I love the projection and punch it delivers. As of late, however, I have been noticing more of its over tones and higher pitched resonance. I am not sure if I should attribute this to the steel or tuning in general. I have tried to fiddle with the tuning several times, but keep coming back into the area where it has a fading "ping" noise at the end. I'm trying to avoid the "St. Anger" sound like the plague, so I'm just wondering selling my steel Ref snare for a wood would might help solve this. I know tuning can do ALOT to sound, but at some point you're also just dealing with the composition of the insturment. Any comments?

[Capadaqua]

Makes sense to me.

Tell you what, you give me the steel one, I'll look after it in case you don't like the wood.

[smoothgroove]

I would keep the snare..and save up for a new wooden snare. I have a dw copper, and I love it! BUT I'd also like a wooden snare. Its nice to have options..and its even better having two great snares of different materials.

[Drummin_Dan]

Steel is a fairly brittle metal. I have a Steve Ferrone signature brass snare which is a softer metal. I found the resonance of metal is very unique compared to wood. You can't tune a metal snare up like a wood snare or you choke the drum and get that ring. I found the lower tuning allows the metal to resonate so you get that unique metal sound. The only other option is using muffling to dampen the ring.

[danovotny]

I put on a internal muffling ring which producted a very similar sound to a marching snare. Ah, the days of drum lines and marching while playing! Not exactly the sound I'm after on a kit, though.

I usually play very tight, so you're explanation mades sense Drummin_Dan. I started to play tuned down but even just a bit under where I was started to sound very hollow and boomy. Definately unique, but still not what I'm looking for... which would a very dry, but warm sound, with lots of impact and no high over tones.

[fstbk272]

if you want to stay metal, get a sensitone bronze snare. I have on its 6.5x14. Very nice deep tone to it. and its loud, it'll stay with those 20 ply reference snares......
And the 20 ply is going to have a higher pitch than your steel snare will, so with the same tuning your currently doing it'll prolly still get that ping sound...... another solution i found, IF, IF your not a heavy hitter like me, get a evans genera 2 dry head, it works wonders, and i love them...... except i break( severely dent) one in about 30 minutes. Only head i can play on is a hi-energy.

[danovotny]

I'm somewhat surprised that a 20ply wood would be brighter and have more tendancy to "ping" than a 3mm steel.

[KickassDrummer]

Just curious - what heads have you tried on it?

[danovotny]

I stick within the Remo line. I've only had a Emp X on the batter and either an emp or amb on the reso side.

[TCB]

I'm somewhat surprised that a 20ply wood would be brighter and have more tendancy to "ping" than a 3mm steel.

I would be shocked if that were the case, although I don't own the steel reference snare. The sound I get from my wood RF is nothing like what I get from other steel snares. Perhaps jpcdrummer could comment. I believe he has both drums.

[Drummin_Dan]

I usually play very tight, so you're explanation mades sense Drummin_Dan. I started to play tuned down but even just a bit under where I was started to sound very hollow and boomy. Definately unique, but still not what I'm looking for... which would a very dry, but warm sound, with lots of impact and no high over tones.

Steel is a very bright sound. Hollow and boomy is kind of an interesting observation. Generally, I find that a room can be very deceptive in terms of the tone of a drum. I've found there will be something about the tone of a specific drum ( a tom or something) that sounds strange. I'll take the set out to play somewhere and the drum giving the issue sounds great.

[jpcdrummer]

Steel is a very bright sound. Hollow and boomy is kind of an interesting observation. Generally, I find that a room can be very deceptive in terms of the tone of a drum. I've found there will be something about the tone of a specific drum ( a tom or something) that sounds strange. I'll take the set out to play somewhere and the drum giving the issue sounds great.

This "situation phenomenon" has been widely discussed on this forum and I agree. The room changes everything. Also, what YOU hear at 2 feet away can be COMPLETELY different from what somebody else hears 20 feet away. Moving a couple of inches one way or the other can even drastically change the sound that reaches your ear. Then of course there is your ear. What you hear and like is more than likely much different than what I hear and like.

Having said that, I find the steel 14x5 to be dry and sharp (as in little ringing and quick decay) but guess what, SO IS THE WOODEN 14X5! Why is that? Because that's the way I tune them and that's the way I like it. I would say the wood version is slightly warmer and more organic sounding. It sounds like a wood snare to me but just not as woody as say my 6 ply maple 14x5.5.

Here's the kicker. I use two dabs of moose snot on all my snares. This cuts out the overtones. I simply like it this way (sorry veg). I like dry snares without a lot of other crap going on. Think 311 sound but not quite that nuts.

It's all in the tuning (which includes head choice and damping) my friend. I use the stock heads, moose snot, and Puresound Custom 20 wires. No overtones, no pinging, no flair. Just pure unadulterated snare sound the way it should be (to me of course).

You don't need to sell the drum, just work with it. The steel Ref is my daily driver right now. There is something about it that I find really cool and you can get what you want out of it. Try different heads, wires, damping, tuning, and if all that fails, put it on eBay.

[danovotny]

I'm wondering if I cut out some of the internal muffer I have, and stick it back in, it might not make it so "dead" sounding, and will cut the over tones. Think something like the alternating bricks on the top of a castle wall instead of a solid foarm ring.

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Yay for ASCII art!

[veggyboy]

If you're not dead-set on Remo, Evans' Dry or EC1/EC2 model snare heads might be exactly what you're looking for.

I'm actually looking forward to trying the coated EC1 on my 14x6.5 Supra, which seems to have a lot of ring, even though many drummers feel aluminum is dry.

[veggyboy]

...Here's the kicker. I use two dabs of moose snot on all my snares. This cuts out the overtones. I simply like it this way (sorry veg). I like dry snares without a lot of other crap going on. Think 311 sound but not quite that nuts...

Believe it or not, I actually broke down and put a bit of duct tape on two of my snares: my 14x6.5 wood Ref and 14x6.5 Supra!

...but nothing on my toms! Heavens no!