Time to talk some snare drum. I’m pretty happy with my hardware, actually. I have had a big brass Clevelander for years and it’s great for loud stuff.

I needed something for soft stuff, though. A few months ago I went on eBay and poked around and found a totally beat up Pearl Master Series Symphonic. I wish I had a ‘before’ picture because it looked like it was left out in the rain. The finish was in perfect condition, but lugs were rusty and a half dozen were missing. It also needed new snares, cables and heads but that was easily remedied, so I bought it.

When I got it, I saw right away that there was a problem with the strainer. This model has 3 throwoffs like a Septimbre drum. Very cool. One of the throwoffs had a broken rivet so it was inoperable. I figured it could be fixed but not by me, since it would take a little metal work. I found a guy with a shop that said he would look at it it. Thirty bucks and weld or two later and it was as good as new. Whew. My investment was working out. How does it sound? Really nice, I think. I put some ‘guitar string’ snares on it to go with heavier blue cables and ‘snappy’ wire snares. It’s very sensitive, which is what I was after.

Here’s a pic. Note the ‘nerve’ pad on the far rim. That’s so you can silently tap a few notes before you play. It reminds me of taking a few practice swings in golf.

Posted on: September 28, 2007, by : Ted