Looking to buy a snare drum; need some suggestions

[Matthew Warwick]

Well after owning my Tama Rockstar Custom for a little over 10 years now, I'm LONG overdue to upgrade my snare, particularly since the hoops on the snare that came with the kit are warped from my bad tuning habits of the past (i.e. cranking it up too high).

My tastes in snare sounds have greatly changed over time. At first, I loved that super low, fat sound, almost like a military drum. Then, I went to the other end of the spectrum and I loved the sound of a super tight, high pitched, cracky sound devoid of any sort of low or mid tones. Now I've kinda come back towards the middle and I love a good mid range sound leaning a bit towards the high end. I also like a slight amount of body to the sound. Not like a super loose or overly open sound, but I like a good high mid pop with good snare response and no unnecessary over ring.

The snare I've had my eyes on for a LONG time is the Pearl Free Floating Maple Snare in the 14x6.5 size. I love how it looks, I like the concept of letting the shell be without hardware, and most of all, I've heard sound clips and read reviews of it and it seems to be one of the more sought after snares on the market today.

I went to a Guitar Center close to where I'm living now (at college) a few weeks ago, and although they didn't have a Free Floater, they did have Pearl's Masters MCX Maple in the same size (14x6.5). I asked them to take it down and they gave me a drum key and a pair of sticks to try it out. Since I'm a slow and picky tuner, it took me about a half hour or so to get it to the sound I wanted. It only had a regular coated ambassador on it with no dampening, so there was a little bit of extra ringing that was present even when the heads were in tune with each other. This went away when playing a rhythm on the drum though, and another guy came in and played on it. I stood a few feet back and the sound of the drum just opened up even a short distance away. I LOVED how it sounded, and I really want one.

However, I'd like to try out a Free Floater in person in the same size before I make my final decision. The problem is, I've already called several music stores a reasonable distance from me and only one of them has a free floater. It's only a 14x3.5 though, so that won't do. The people who I talked to told me that the only major differences between this snare and the Masters are the following: One, you can change out the standard shell for any shell in 14x6.5, thus giving you more possibilities for sounds. Two, the shell has no hardware drilled to it, so there is nothing to impede the tone of the shell. Thus, you'll get a bit more body from the sound.

I'm gonna call a few more places, but what if I can't find one nearby? Again, I really love the sound of the MCX. It's just about what I'm looking for in a snare. But is it true that the Free Floater is just a more versatile and slightly more open sounding snare than the MCX of the same size? I don't want to get the MCX if the Free Floater is a step above it, so could I feel safe in ordering a Free Floater if I love the sound of the MCX?

Also, one of the stores I called supposedly has a massive selection of snares, so I might go in there when I get the chance and just spend a couple hours trying out different snares to see if there are any others I might like. Are there any other wooden snares in the 14x6.5 size worth trying out? Wooden snares sound better to my ears than metal ones, mostly because the latter seem to be a little too bright and open for my tastes. I just want to know so I can look for those or something similar when I go to the music store. Thanks!

[donelk]

I think you answered your own question!  Go play all those snares. It'll be a good education at the very least... and you might fall in love with the perfect snare for you!   :)

[Matthew Warwick]

Lol, funny thing is I might have found a place that stocks this snare. There's a place in California called San Jose Pro Drum. I couldn't reach them by phone today, so I e-mailed them about it and hopefully they'll get back to me soon.

I'm hoping they have both of the snares I like as well as a couple others that I could choose from. That way I can compare them side by side.