House of Drumming.com

I finally got this drum a week ago and have finally had some time to get used to it. I highly recommend it to anyone who is either unhappy with their current snare, or is looking for something new. Seriously, I can't say enough great things about it. Extremely sensitive and articulate, and it can go from a whisper to a scream. I swapped out the snares it came with (40 strand) to Puresound 16s.

I'm selling my Ludwig chrome over brass with tube lugs now, since I don't think I'll ever play it again.

http://www.interstatemusic.com/14541-Gr ... 164SS.aspx

Thanks! I'd always wondered about these as I could probably afford one. Is it a dryer sound or more on the overtone side of things?

Tons of overtones/harmonics. But beautiful at the same time. I have the 6.5 deep version. The shallower drum has 8 lugs, FYI.

These drums look very nice - I'm a big fan of heavy gauge steel snares. I have a Keplinger and it's the only snare that I play anymore - I've sold off my old Black Beauties, etc...
The Gretsch looks great because the price is right - heavy shells are usually in the $1K and up range. I think it's a trait of these types of drums to have a good blend of overtones/harmonics - it really leads to a more complex, 3-dimensional sound. The Gretsch seems to have similar specs to the Steve Smith snare - 3mm+5mm edges. The Smith snare sounds great, but costs a lot more...

The drum in the video is stock, with the Remo coated white dot on top. That head gives the drum a bit more low-end, even at higher tensions. I put a regular coated ambassador on my drum, and it sounds super yummy, albeit wtih a bit less bottom and more overtones. The stock snare wires are 40 strand too (the snare bed is very wide). I put 16 strand wires on mine.

That is a great sounding snare for sure. I wonder if it really opens up the drum to have 8 lugs. It does make sense. Paul, is the drum harder to tune because of the 'missing' 2 lugs?

Matthijs Ament wrote:That is a great sounding snare for sure. I wonder if it really opens up the drum to have 8 lugs. It does make sense. Paul, is the drum harder to tune because of the 'missing' 2 lugs?

Paul, are both drums 8 lugs, or just the 5x14?
I spec'd my Keplinger with 8 lugs - I've found the heavy shell with 8 lugs is a great combo. IMO 8 lug drums are easier to tension - 10 lugs seems too fiddly for me, and getting the lugs even, pitch-wise is much easier with 2 less lugs... I also find 8 lugs easier to place on a stand, and easier to hit rim shots between lugs...

The 6.5" deep drum (which I have) has 10 lugs, and the shallower drum has 8. I don't think it makes much of a difference really, although the 8 lug drum's tension rods will be under more tension at the same "pitch". I tune my snare side head very, very tightly, so I prefer 10 lugs for that, but I'm sure 8 would work just as well.

Cool, I wouldn't consider that video to have tons of overtones but there is some ring to it....I wonder if it's a round over edge which, imo would have more to do with overtones than anything...