I've never really loved the sound of my Pearl Master Series birch snare...until today. I never knew that snare wires (pictured) could make such a profound difference in the drum's sound.These are Pearl Ultra-sound replacement snares. I bought the "D" type (tighter wires in the middle) which is designed for wood shell drums where the player wants sensitivity. The "C" type are for rock drumming (looser wires in the middle) & "I" type are typical equally tensioned wires. They were a little hard to find--finally got them at Interstate Music, $17.78 plus shipping.
My birch Pearl now has the sensitivity I'm use to from a metal shell drum. I like to really run the gamut of dynamics and I play lots of ghost notes, and these wires really brought the sensitivity they promise. Before I changed the top head the drum sounded drastically different. And then I changed the batter head...
Tried the new Remo Vintage A and it's sounds primo! It's Remo's original formula that came out when they first went to plastic heads: a 2-ply head of 7.5 & 3 mil film.
When you hit the drum in the middle of the head it has a nice crisp solid sound and feel--gutsy. Hit it outside the center and it's got crisp ringiness. That's the combo I like in a snare--to be able to lay into the center and have punch, and to play between the center & the edge to have a brighter voice--like having two snare drums.
The combo of the new wires & new head is A+. Can't wait to put it on the kit & play with the band.
