My Top 5: Snare Drums

Just some of my snares, but did they make the list?

Snare Drums are marvellous and diverse instruments it must be said, so much so I did my undergraduate research paper on snare shell material and construction methods (Should you want to give that 40 page paper a read, drop me an email).

It’s also about time I did another top 5, this one concerns snare drums, something I must admit I have a bit of a collection of (I do know people on far worse levels!), so out of all of my drums here is my top 5 picks at the moment (though that probably changes every week). If I have recordings or video of them as we go through, i’ll try and include them.

Should be worth noting here, i’ve picked this list in terms of the drums I gravitate to use most, so some of the more unique, rare or specialised snares I have haven’t made the cut. For more info on all of my gear, head over to the Equipment page of the website (once you’ve finished here of course!)

5. Natal 14x4” Chrome over Brass

The Chrome on Brass on a rehearsal session

This drum was a jazz favourite from day 1. It came to me second hand, and if memory serves me, I took it out of the box, and straight to a big band gig that evening. Minimal tweaking of tuning or anything, it was just the ideal sound for that genre. Brass snares tend to be lively with a lot of resonance, but with this drum, it has a wonderful warmth and snap, which is likely to do with the shallower, almost piccolo depth to it. Shallow 14” brass snares were a bit of an 80’s craze, with the likes of Dave Weckl being fans of the Yamaha SD493 ‘Power Piccolo‘, and when you hear the crispness and sensitivity that this Natal gives, you can really see why funk and fusion players went mad for them.

I’ve experimented with a couple of batter head choices over time, including the Evans Calftone (as pictured above) and the Evans UV1 head (my go-to for all snares as a starting point), but for the past 6 months, its had one of the new Evans UV2 heads on it, which definitely takes off some of the ring and really sharpens it up in a high tension. For a little more in the cross-stick department, i’ve added a Yamaha Groove Wedge to this drum too, and as again tends to happen with most of my snares, a Snareweight M1b dampener is never usually far away.

The video here really lets the snare shine, as mentioned it fits wonderfully in a jazz/funk/big band setting, so it was an obvious choice to get the sound I wanted here.

4. Natal 14x5.5” Pure Stave Walnut

The magnificent vertical grain walnut stave shell

From the moment I saw these reviewed by Rhythm Magazine some years ago, I knew they were something a bit special. The Pure Stave shells were all made in Italy, and assembled by hand in the Marshall Amps cabinet shop in Milton Keynes. I happened upon this one second hand from Wills Drum Shop, Sunderland about 2 years ago, and what a drum it is. Particularly when tuned up, it’s got 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 (though that is likely to change as the gigs start again, now there’s a solid shell in town!).

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 with the Brass, it pretty much permanently has a Yamaha Groove wedge on there for good measure!

3. Yamaha 14x5” Steve Gadd Signature (Birch shell)

The Gadd…

This is a 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 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. I took a leaf out of Gadd’s book and put a coated Remo Powerstroke on the batter for nice tight, articulate tones. The reso head is the usual Ambassador Snare (though again I may swap that for Steve’s favourite Diplomat) and a set of original 10 strand Steve Gadd wires.

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 following his show with Michael Blicher / Dan Hemmer / Steve Gadd in Southampton, November 2019. I was one happy drummer that night.

Steve and Me with the snare, What an honour to have it signed on the inside by the man himself!

2. Ludwig 14x5” Acrolite (Aluminium)

1963 Ludwig Acrolite

What can you say about an Acrolite, that hasn’t already been said? These drums are simply legendary, and for all the vastly more expensive drums out there, these old Luddy’s can still compete. This one in particular dates from 1963, and is definitely had a working life. The 60’s shells differ slightly from later ones, as they have this lovely brushed finish, rather than the battleship grey powder coated shells of the 70’s onwards. I find the sound of the earlier ones a bit more open and not as dry, and it has a huge tuning range, which makes it so easy to dial in for any sound. It’s a real chameleon of a drum for me, I can take it to any gig or session and know that I can get a great sound out of it with minimal fuss.

I came by the drum online in 2020, and quickly snapped it up (at a very reasonable price), having lusted after a 60’s drum for a while. This came pretty much stock, with the original red felt baseball bat dampener, P83 throw off and the classy bowtie lugs. It was missing its original hoops, but I sourced a set of period correct Ludwig hoops, which suit it perfectly, and really open the drum up and let it resonate. My only modification was to retro-fit a modern Inde SB1 throw off, more for convenience and consistency, as the old P83 can be a bit temperamental. But the SB1 slotted straight into the original holes so that modification is easily reversible should I ever want to put it back to the original. Head wise it’s the standard setup for me, Evans UV1 batter and Hazy 300, with Puresound Custom 20 strand wires. A Snareweight M1 again is usually kept on this drum too, as well as a couple of the very nifty Tunerfish Lug Locks, just to prevent those old lugs detuning over constant use. It doesn’t take a lot to make them sound incredible. This one has its share of battle scars from the past 57 years but it’s still looking and sounding wonderful.

You can hear it being put through its paces below, with the snares off in a rather nice rendition of St Thomas.

1. DW Craviotto 14x5.5” Maple

DW Craviotto Maple

The most recent addition to the fleet, and a mainstay of the home studio ever since, it’s safe to say this drum records beautifully. Many snare drum connoisseurs (by which I mean, Dave Bateman) will tell you that a solid shell, and specifically a Craviotto made solid shell is the pinnacle of all wood snares, and I must say i’ve got to agree with that statement. Sound wise the drum has a wonderful tuning range, and sings beautifully in all areas, though i’m currently favouring the mid-high range. Solid shell drums are known for having a wonderful amount of body and depth, and this one is really no exception. Quite possibly the perfect wooden drum to my ears.

This drum was one i’d wanted for a long time, and with some gentle coaxing from some drummer pals, a couple of months back, it joined the family! For more in-depth chat on this drum, see this previous blog entry! Since i’ve had it i’ve modernised it somewhat, with some nice shiny True Hoops, a 3P Butt plate, some fresh heads and wires. Speaking of heads and wires, the current favourites are the usual Evans UV1 over Hazy 300, with 20 strand Puresound Custom Pro Brass wires, and not forgetting the obligatory Snareweight of course.

It was absolutely the first drum of choice when it came to recording this collaboration with top bassist Ashley Walker last month.