black panther snare advice

ben11 · Tadpole Joined: 05 Oct 2006 Posts: 17

I have been looking at buying a new snare drum recently and since i had a mapex m kit i've been looking at the black panther snare drums. 1st off i think they look fantastic! but one thing i dont really know about is the different materials and sizes.
ive been looking at the steel one in 14 by 6.5.
i was wondering if anyone could give me a quick overview and sizes and materials and what sounds to expect.
i play in a thrash metal band aswell.

Cheers
_________________
mapex m in black

14, 10, 12, 14, 16, 24 setup - looking to buy a 13" tom!

meinl raker cymbals, looking to buy a china

DamoSyzygy · Alley Cat Joined: 04 Jan 2004 Posts: 199

Ben,

The snare you are considering is a good choice. It has a good depth which will supply you ample 'guts' to the sound, and the metal snares will have a little more snap to them, particularly if tuned very high and possessing diecast rims.

You would want the extra 'snap' because it will help you be heard in a thrash band without having to play overly hard.
_________________
- Sabian endorsee since 1997 -

ben11 · Tadpole Joined: 05 Oct 2006 Posts: 17

Cheers man. what kind of head would you recommend? Ben
_________________
mapex m in black

14, 10, 12, 14, 16, 24 setup - looking to buy a 13" tom!

meinl raker cymbals, looking to buy a china

DamoSyzygy · Alley Cat Joined: 04 Jan 2004 Posts: 199

I tend to be in the minority here, but in the bands I play with (mostly hard rock and metal) I still prefer a single ply head. I see no point in going two ply just for durability, because I dont WANT a bad sounding snare skin to last longer!

Single ply heads allow for more flexibility with tuning, more resonance and much more sensitivity. Ive even been contemplating looking at thinner single ply heads.

I currently use the Aquarian Satin Finish snare heads to great effect - no dampening rings or holes, just a good quality single ply head, tuned medium tight.

There may be a need to dampen with some moongel/gaffa if the venue is not behaving itself acoustically, but remember that youll need a lot of that extra tone and resonance to even be heard onstage. Even then, Id rather have too much resonance and cut back on it rather than not having enough.

Thats my opinion, anyway!
_________________
- Sabian endorsee since 1997 -

metal head · Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:41 pm Post subject:

i play with an aquarian hi-energy snare batter head and an aquarian classic clear bottom head on a 14x4.5 inch snare drum. it has an awsome crack. i do use a dampening ring tho simply because i had REDICULOUS amount of ring.
i dont know if the batter head is 1-ply or 2-ply.
but i have played the just the snare outside before. i could hear the attack carry out for a long way, but i didn't hear any real tone, mainly because my snare drum doesn't have as much depth as the one you mentioned.
try out both batter heads with the aquarian classic clear bottom head on that snare drum.

btw, i have mine tuned between medium tight and very tight.
_________________
my myspace. CLICK IT!

bytor · Admin Joined: 12 Aug 2003 Posts: 5260 Location: Kansas

I'm with Damo. I stick with single ply. I don't like to use anything thicker than an Ambassador on my snares. In fact, I'm currently using a coated Remo Diplomat on my Ludwig acrolite aluminum snare, and it sounds great and has a very nice feel. My other snares have either Ambassadors or the Aquarian satin finish Damo mentioned. Both are good quality heads.