I've been looking to get a new snare, and just wondered if anyone had any recommendations. Looking for something that is versatile and that can blend in with a maple kit, but cut through when needed.

Been looking at the Ludwig Black Magics, especially since there is one near me on craigslist for $150. Only thing is I'm not sure on going from wood to metal snare. This one in particular is only 5" deep as well. Not too sure about that depth either.

ew, piccolo. Fuuuucccck that.


13x9 is where it's at.

Is that a marching snare size? Reminds me, I came across an old ludwig marching snare at GC about a year ago. It was about a 15x12. Maybe I'll swing by and see if they by chance still have it.

Not really, it's more of a tight and deep CRACK. Depending on the material, super dark. Ever heard something so loud that it didn't hurt your years? 13x9 gets you that.

If you can get a Black Beauty for $150 buy it-end of story. If you don't like it you can sell it for $400 and buy two other snares that you do like. The BB should be pretty kick ass though. If it's not your thing, I'd recommend a Pearl free floating snare. They're versatile because you can buy different shells for them and they're fairly reasonable used. 14 x 6.5 will be best. If you're worried about going to a metal snare, try and find a brass shell first, it's a little mellower than the steel shell.

He said 'Black Magic' not 'Black Beauty'. A $150 Black Beauty would be awesome!

However, I do own a Black Magic and have no real desire to buy a Black Beauty now. If you can really discern the difference then I guess it's worth the extra coin but as as owner of a 14x6.5 BM, I can honestly say it's one of the best sounding snares I've ever played and recorded. That thing cuts!

For $150 bucks, grab one!

I went crusing the guitar centers in the area trying out what they had. Didn't really like the sound or tone of the Black Beauties they had, or really any of the metal snares. There were two I liked. One was the DW performance series snare, and the other was a Tama bubinga/birch snare. To me, they had a fuller/deeper tone. Didn't get either, just didn't have the cash for either of those.

I'm playing on a Sonor Sonic Plus right now. 6.5 x 14 with a birch shell. I think I need to switch to maple to get the sound I'm looking for. I like my Sonor, but it is just too bright sounding compared to the rest of my kit.

It has always been my experience that Maple is brighter than birch, but it might have just been the drums I was exposed to. To me, tuning and heads makes such a huge difference on any drum so you can only really tell once you've owned it and tried different things with it. If what you have is feeling too bright, put a pinstripe or emperor on it, tune it low, and see what happens. If you've already done that, then I guess you're in the market for a new drum! Also, shell thickness is going to play a part. Have you tried different strainers? That could also mellow out your drum if you think it's too bright. Brass is a little mellower for the snares themselves.

I find that brass can be a little shrill. I've also found that I hate a lot of arbitrary noise. I love a thick, loud, precise crack... low tuned snares keep me sad :*(

Birch has always sounded brighter and poppier to me, although it does project well. I haven't tried different strainers, but I'm not sure that is the part of the tone problem I'm having.

Think I'll try some different heads on it and see if that helps. Currently has a Powerstroke 3 on it. I can't tune it low without it ringing like a church bell. I don't like it cranked because I turn off the strainer in some of my stuff, and the difference from snare to tom is too drastic for my liking.

Yeah, an Emperor and a moon gel could be what the doctor ordered. Try a hazy snare side head too if you aren't already doing that. The moon gel or a half moon gel will take that ring right away.

This is the first I've heard of the hazy snare head. I'll have to check that out. Moon gel is always the thing I forget when I'm at the store, so it usually ends up being stategically placed duct tape bits. Sad, I know.

I've played a lot of great sounding steel snares lately. Real explosive. I've been thinking of picking up a Pearl Free Floating marching snare, and looking for a 14x12 steel shell to replace the maple one the snare comes with. I may even drill a few giant holes in it for proper aspiration. My 14x14 maple snare is just a pinch too tall to be comfortable to play. Maybe I'll just sit higher. I dunno.