Sessions 8" Snare

[jlanephoto]

A couple of weekends ago I picked up a Sessions Studio Classic kit from a local GC in Sequoia Red finish. The kit was 13-14-16-24, and was all but brand new. Apparently a customer bought 3 kits, passed his return window, and ended up selling two of them back to GC for a huge loss. I picked up this kit for $749. The beauty was that the kit was all but brand new. The stock heads had been switched out, and barely a stick mark on them. I almost didn't have to tune them before taking them to practice! I was quickly able to locate 10" and 12" toms on eBay, and am waiting on those to arrive before posting pictures.

So the reason for the post is that like a lot of us, I am picky about snare drums. Since I am a part time musician (I have a real job that pays the bills, and at age 50 doing this because I really enjoy it), I don't have or need a room full of snares. On my Masters MMX kit I ended up custom ordering a 6.5" snare to match the kit, and I get lots of compliments the kit as a whole the few times a year I am able to take it out. I want to find a Sequoia Red snare, preferably deeper than 5.5", for this kit. Obviously the Studio Sessions Classic line has been discontinued for the Sessions Studio Select line, so I am aware that I will have a challenge finding an SSC snare new. With that, I am staring to look at the SSS snares since they are current. There is an Antique Crimson finish that appears to be really close to the Sequoia Red in terms of color. Maybe I am crazy, but on my MMX kit no matter what snare I use with the kit, the custom made MMX snare just seems to match better sonically with the rest of the kit. I'm curious if anyone else has experienced something like that, or is it all in my head? Feel free to tell me if you think it is all in my head. I'm ok with it. And being a child of the hair band metal 80's, I love a good deep sound. Does anyone have experience playing an 8" deep snare vs a 6.5", and given proper tuning would there be much of a difference?

[skeld-the-wicked]

Deeper snare drums

First , welcome to the pdf jlanephoto. I would suggest a snare that I found last year on Reverb and there is another one right now for $300 + shipping. Although it’s a MHX 14x6.5 African Mahogany and the finish is not a match but sonically it is incredible and likes mid to lower tuning.



I have never owned a deeper snare than 6.5 but the MHX 6.5 is one of my favorite snare drums.

[Cheez_Whiz]

What are the specs of the MMX that you like?

With snares, you've got so many variables to consider - shell material (birch, maple, mahogany, metal), shell thickness and plies, edges, snare beds, snare count, heads, hoops, etc. I've got 3 8" deep snares currently, and they all have their pros and cons.

The first is an 8" Pearl free floater with a maple insert. Nice warm sound, and decent tuning range. Only specific downside is that the bottom lugs tend to come loose too easily. I've been using a conservative amount of blue loc-tite and that seems to solve the issue.

Second up is a Pearl Vinnie Paul signature snare (yeah the one with the gaudy snakeskin wrap). Despite its looks it is a very nice drum. Only issue with it is that can be a bit overpowering. It is quite loud and a bit "ringy" so I would generally use a bit of moon gel or a Zero ring to tame it. It is 6-ply maple with Super Hoops.

Final offering is a Remo Quadura 14" x 8" snare. Remo manufactured the shells out of their Acousticon material (some call it pressboard, or even cardboard but its really not that bad). It came with a used kit that I bought and I have no real praise or criticisms of it. It may be a little flat, but it can be made to sound good, especially for rock ballads at lower tunings.

My 2 main issues with all 8" deep snares are getting them positioned comfortably with the kit. And, the snare throw off will sit a little lower than you might be used to. If you flip your snares on and off quite a bit, you'll have to adjust to reaching down a bit lower. I'll generally position the strainer lever a the 6 o'clock position for a 5" or 6.5" deep snare. With the 8", I'll usually put it at the 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock position, just to access it easier.

Let us know what you decide to do.

[jlanephoto]

I am actually looking at that one. I am debating about birch vs mahogany/maple mix. My band is planning on recording later this year, so I am trying to get ready. I have recorded once, but only had an Alesis DM-10 at the time. This will be my first time with real drums. Thus the SSC purchase.

I have also read that the deeper the snare, the more difficult it is to tame in a studio. I obviously don't have any experience with that, but it seems to make sense. For reasons I can't explain other than "I just don't like them", I have never been a fan of 5" snare drums. I like the slightly more punch of the 6.5" size. Just me.

I have been watching Reverb, MerryGoRound, and GC for used snares. I am all for getting used equipment in good shape for a bargain , and would not mind a wrap or strip down and refinish project as I tend to enjoy those for some strange reason. I have also started contacting companies like Keller that make bare shells and having them make a birch shell for my Pear Free Floating snare frame ( I have a Crystal Beats shell in that currently, but it feels like it sonically overpowers the SSC kit). So many options, so little experience to guide me.

[jlanephoto]

I like the resonance of the MMX live. I would probably drive myself, my band, and the studio crazy trying to tame the resonance of the MMX in the studio. Thanks for the input on the 8". I don't throw the snares off when I play, so that isn't a factor for me. I'd adjust the stand if it sat to high (which is admittedly something I didn't think about initially). Still the question of whether the 8" would be too much to record with compared to the 6.5". The 6.5" MMX I have is just killer with the MMX kit, and if I could get that with the SSC kit, I'd probably never need to buy another drum again

[therocker]

Look at Memphis Drum Shop for a new SSC snare. It's possible!

[MusicMan]

My 2 main issues with all 8" deep snares are getting them positioned comfortably with the kit. And, the snare throw off will sit a little lower than you might be used to. If you flip your snares on and off quite a bit, you'll have to adjust to reaching down a bit lower. I'll generally position the strainer lever a the 6 o'clock position for a 5" or 6.5" deep snare. With the 8", I'll usually put it at the 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock position, just to access it easier.

Good points.

I recently built a couple of 8" deep snare drums and centered the throw off on the shell to make it easier to reach.

[jlanephoto]

I once read a quote from Neil Peart: when given a choice between two things, take both! So since my initial post, I ran across a 5.5" matching snare to the kit on eBay, so I have that on the way. I also wanted a birch shell for my Pearl Free Floating snare frame, only to find out Pearl doesn't make a birch shell in that size. So off to the world of drumshells and building your own snare. KellerDrum referred me to one of their dealers that sells their birch shell. That dealer was able to make a 5" shell for my 6.5" frame, and since the shell itself was 12", I had them send me the remaining 7" shell with the bearing edges on them (they wouldn't do the snare bed). So I have ordered hardware, a wrap, and in a couple of weeks will start with a bare shell and end up with a 7" birch snare.

And yes, I will post photos

[jlanephoto]

Here are the photos. Drivers side, front side of the kit, and the 7" birch shell snare.