RD24's Snare Collection

[RushDrums24]

Been posting about them on my instagram lately, so thought i'd make a little thread here to show a few snares off.

First up is the absolute jewel in my collection, the ultimate tribute to the Professor, and a truly awesome drum. A 14x6.5" Drum Workshop Inc. (DW Drums) R40 ICON snare drum. The shell is made of a pair of 1500 year old oak logs, dredged from the Olt River in Romania, back in 2014, and then topped off with an outer ply of Dyed Black Pearwood, and all of the graphics which are inlaid woods, not painted. 24k Gold hardware completes the look. This drum was ordered brand new from Musikhaus Thomann back in early 2015 (as soon as i'd seen them announced at NAMM), and arrived in June of that year. Its numbered 20 of the 250 made and I believe is the only one in the UK now. The making of NP's R40 kits and these snares was documented in the Masters of Resonance documentary which is a worthwhile watch. Sound wise, the wood in the shell is very dense, because of the 500 or so years spent underwater, and this makes it very warm and resonant, with a lovely crack and a nice thick cross stick from the True hoops. The albums referenced in the shell designs are; 2112, Grace Under Pressure, Presto, Roll the Bones, Counterparts, Test for Echo, Snakes & Arrows, and Clockwork Angels. There is no DW Badge on the drum, only the stickers inside. This was also the drum of choice to demo the ToneAlly Design 5 Deluxe when I took delivery of it, a perfect combination.
RIP Neil.
Video with NP explaining the history of the drum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o78bcxVXyVM

[RushDrums24]

[RushDrums24]

This is a Yamaha BSD14ASG 14x5" Birch shelled Steve Gadd signature snare, with Black Vintage hoops. It was introduced in 2005 though I bought this particular drum used last year (but in incredibly good condition for its age). The drum came with its well worn original heads, and i've fitted a set of the correct Steve Gadd 10 stand wires, and when combined with a Remo Controlled Sound/Powerstroke batter head and Ambassador snare side, get that perfect Gadd sound. The drum looks great, the combination of gloss black lacquer and the matte black hoops, with the classy chrome lugs is stunning, and i've used it both in live situations and in the studio. Sound wise it has a very wide tuning range though I find the Gadd sweet spot is the bottom tuned medium tight, and the top medium, which gives a nice crack and throaty snare sound, with the unmistakable fatness that Gadd is known for. The drum is very sensitive and articulate at quiet dynamics, and with rudimentary snare parts (things like 50 ways) every tap can be heard clearly. The cross stick sound from the maple hoops is something else, woody and defined sound that you only get from the wood hoops. It remains my favourite studio snare, right up there with the Ludwig 400. The crowning glory for this drum was having it signed on the inside by Steve Gadd following his show with Blicher/Hemmer/Gadd in Southampton last November. I was one happy drummer that night.

(This from an article at the time of this drums release in 2005)
Three new Yamaha snare drums bearing the sound and signature of Steve Gadd made their debut at Winter NAMM 2005 as part of a complete overhaul of the signature series snare drum line. Targeted to the professional musician, the Steel SD-255SG (MSRP $1,259), Birch BSD-14ASG (MSRP $999) and Maple MSD-14ASG (MSRP $1,039) are scheduled for March 2005 delivery. Each features a 35-degree bearing edge for the hallmark "fat" sound, while a 3.5 mm snare bed results in decreased sympathetic vibration from the snares and the rest of the kit. All models feature black vintage hoops, with the bottom hoop cut in a decagonal shape in order to accommodate any snare stand. "All of my signature snare drums are unique in design," says Gadd. "This particular series has a simple, straightforward design and tunes up quickly. They all respond well to both loose and tight settings, and that's everything I want in a snare drum. They sound great."

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[RushDrums24]

14x5.5" Natal Drums Pure Stave Walnut snare. This is a snare I first purchased from Sunderland Music about a year ago, knowing Paul Smith (Session drummer and my grandfather) had had one for a while too. Both of us had agreed what great drums they are, particularly when tuned up, a nice crack and throaty backbeat. The shells are beautiful, finished in a natural beeswax and the exquisite zinc Sun Lugs finish the look off nicely, a motif that repeats on the badge and throw off. I've used this drum in many scenarios and it always performs and is possibly my most gigged wooden snare. It has a particularly lovely brush sound, especially with the usual head combination of an Evans UV1 over Hazy 300. The throw off is a 3 position, and is wonderfully smooth, though I must say the 3rd position is very rarely used, and the tru-tune tension rods are lovely, and never detune. As I have with a couple of other drums, this snare almost permanently has a Yamaha Drums Groove Wedge mounted to it, for the enhanced cross stick sound that I like.
"These beautiful Natal snare drums are available in 3 shell types; Ash, Walnut and Maple. This Natal Walnut snare drum features a hand made ash stave drum shell which is finished with British Beeswax. The Beeswax finishes allows the stave to breathe which enhances resonance as well as giving the drum a lovely soft, natural appearance. Stave snare drums are often referred to as top-end, expensive drums but Natal have produced the Pure-Stave snares as top-end drums without the massive price tag!"
Features: Hand Made in England Walnut Shell, Hand Polished Double ‘Sun’ Lugs, 2.3mm Triple Flange Chrome Hoops, Die-cast Natal Logo Badge, Tri-Throw Snare Throw Off, Tru-Tune Tension Rods, Natural Bees Wax Finish.

[RushDrums24]

[RushDrums24]

One of the more recent additions to my arsenal, this Natal Drums 14x4" Chrome over Brass snare. This drum quickly became a favourite, after buying it second hand back in January. It came with a coated G1 on top, and stock resolution, which sounded nice, and gave a piccolo-esque tightness and pop (In fact the day it arrived, it came with me to a Big Band rehearsal, with only minimal tuning tweaks), but the drum really came into its own once I changed the heads. I tried something different on this drum, wanting that vintage 50's/60's vibe I put an Evans Calftone batter on it, paired with the ever lovely Hazy 300 resonant head, and the stock Natal Wires. The calftone I find to have more 'give' than a standard G1, with a fatness, even when tuned (as it usually is) in the mid-high register as far as pitch. The brass shell has the lovely warmth and the shallower depth gives great response. It has that bit of honk you'd expect from a brass shell but sits really nicely, both acoustically and under microphones. The addition of a Snareweight just takes the edge off the ring and gives it a nice, dry thwap (technical term!). Playing it reminds me of some of the recordings featuring Hal Blaine, Brian Bennett and the like, very articulate, sensitive and controlled. Same as last weeks snare, the throw off is a 3 position, and is wonderfully smooth, though once again, the 3rd position is very rarely used, and the tru-tune tension rods are lovely, and never detune. As I have with the Walnut snare, this one almost permanently has a Yamaha Drums Groove Wedge mounted to it, for the enhanced cross stick sound that I like. Its a shame this model of snare was discontinued to make way for the current Meta lineup, but I think it definitely deserves its place. If I could've bought it new, I would've done in a heartbeat.

[RushDrums24]

Natal 14x5.5" Phosphor Bronze snare. This drum came new from PMT House of Rock just over a year ago, and it didn't half deliver. Originally was looking over the Copper Meta snare, but had always fancied a phosphor bronze drum after seeing the Mapex Black Panther phosphors in a catalog years ago. This (when I bought it) was a discontinued drum and therefore priced really well, and made complete sense to me. Looking for a metal snare with a warm tone (not as harsh as steel or dry as aluminium) and the bronze delivered. I went with a Remo Controlled Sound head and Ambassador snare side and tuned it really medium tight, for a warm, throaty rim shot, perfect for heavier gigs, with a very controlled ring and unexpected warmth. The usual Natal suspects as far as lugs, 2.3mm hoops, 3 position throw and Natal wires. This drum is really versatile, and works in most tunings. Most often with a Snareweight just to take the edge off of it. I've also used it with my Yamaha Groove wedges on which suit it perfectly, but works equally well without. This drum became a first choice for rock or function gigs, and saw plenty of use over the last year.

Its a shame this model, like the Chrome on Brass snare from last week, was discontinued to make way for the current Meta lineup, but I think it definitely deserves its place.

[RushDrums24]

[RushDrums24]

Now for the newest addition to the fleet, and an expansion of the Natal collection. Its a Natal Drums 14x5.5" Originals Maple, finished in Black Metallic Lacquer. I've long fancied a maple drum, especially in one of my favourite finishes, a variation on a black sparkle, and I found it by chance thanks to Chris Johnson at Highwood Music. As with my other three, this has all of the characteristic Natal features. These are the cast, hand-polished zinc sun lugs with Tru-Tune tension rods and the Tri-Throw strainer and cast butt plate, together with Natal-branded snare wires. This is a 7ply Maple shell, and tunes up really nicely. I removed the stock Aquarian heads (not to my taste) and fitted my usual Evans choices of a UV1 batter and Hazy 300 snare side, all topped off with a shiny new Snareweight M1b in black. First impressions sound wise, is that it has a wonderfully warm tone, and really wide tuning range, with a definite sweet spot in the higher tunings. It has a great sensitivity, especially at lower dynamics. For obvious reasons i've not been able to road test this one in a gig setting yet, but I think it'll be a great allrounder and work especially well in a jazz setting or something that wants a tight, crisp sound.
These drums are really great, i'd highly recommend them if you're in the market for a versatile, all maple snare, they really can do anything.

[RushDrums24]

[RushDrums24]

14x5" Tama Royalstar from the mid 70's, and was my workhorse snare for a couple of years while at college. Its a seamless beaded Steel shell, with 10 lugs, triple flanged hoops, lever throw off and internal muffler. This is a great snare, and one of the few steel shell drums I really love. I most commonly use this with my Imperialstar kit of a similar vintage, and it has a wonderful sound, warm but with plenty of attack and cut. General head choice is a Remo Controlled Sound over Ambassador snare side, paired with PureSound wires, and its a nice versatile drum. I found it's perfect home was live, especially outdoor gigs and more heavy hitting sets, and it projects really nicely.

[RushDrums24]

[RushDrums24]

This one is a bit of an oddball, and very much a specialty snare. It’s a vintage Premier Super Royal Scot in Burgundy Pearl. This is a 14x12” Birch shell with Beech reinforcing rings, and the aluminium ’stress ring’ hoops. It’s got a fixed snare mechanism on the bottom and an internal snare mechanism on the top head with a throw off lever. This drum came to me late last year fitted with an Evans Hybrid batter, which was nice for the Kevlar tone but for me limited the range and usage, so I swapped the batter head out for a coated G1 which really opened up the drum and gave it more tone and increased versatility. The heavy gauge rims give it a great rimshot that can definitely incur hearing damage, as well as wrist injuries I’d you get a bit over excited! I’ve had a few Premier marching drums, all of which were the later HTS high tension stuff with tabletop tight Kevlar heads and little to no adjustability, and this one eclipsed all of them, both in looks, usage, and range of sounds. It’s not a drum I’d be likely to use live (positioning it comfortably would be the first hurdle!), it’s much more of a practice tool for rudimentary practice, as well as a sound option for studio work or something that could be required on pit gigs, when such a sound is called for.

[RushDrums24]

Pearl Drums 10x5" Steel Firecracker. I was gifted this little guy over 10 years ago, and i've used it ever since. Initially, this was my drum of choice when I was a member of a samba group for a number of years, with its small size making it a breeze for 10 year old me to wear and carry. It has a 1mm steel shell, with 6 lugs, 1.6mm hoops and the very dependable SR018 strainer. Sound wise, this thing is insanely loud, the name says it all! Cranked right up you get a crisp, articulate and very sensitive snare sound, until you rim shot it, and it goes off like a gunshot, it really can be heard miles away. Its a great poppy side snare, and I used it on a run of Rock of Ages back in 2017. Also this drum, with the snares turned off, doubles perfectly as a mini timbale, and I used it as just that for In the Heights last year. Overall a solid, dependable popcorn snare, with a sound that can blow you away....Literally!