MY 10" JOURNEY

I’ve had a couple of 10” snares. The first was a Pearl Short Fuse , which was replaced by a Pearl Firecracker. While the metallic, ringy, rambunctious Firecracker was a blast to play, I missed the Short Fuse's happy wooden pop. 

A few days ago a mint condition Pearl M1060 “Popcorn” 10" x 6" snare showed up on the Facebook Marketplace going for half the price of a new one. This is the most expensive 10” model in Pearl’s current lineup. The 6-ply maple shell, 2.3mm Superhoops, and Masters lugs scream quality. I messaged the seller asking to trade with my Firecracker. No go. I asked for a discount. No go again. When he said he had another inquiry on the line, I jumped. Down payment that night, then balance the next day upon pickup? Deal! The seller tempted me with an extra soft case and I bit. Full payment and courier pick up followed the next morning. 

When it arrived and without tuning, it sounded like a timbale. All drum and no snare. After fiddling around, I found the snare wires only respond within a narrow range of tightness. This is unlike any other snare I’ve ever had. But once it’s dialed in, the characteristic happy pop of a wood snare is joined by a slight throatiness due to the added depth, and is focused due to the maple shell and heavier 2.3mm hoops. I put on a new Ambassador coated batter and Puresound Blaster 10" 16-strands. Perfect!

The Firecracker is on sale now that this Popcorn has taken its place.  I usually say “never say never”, but this may just be the last stop on my 10” journey. 

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UPDATE 1

The Firecracker got sold to a musician wanting a snare for his 5-year old nephew. Cute :-)

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UPDATE 2

I changed the Aquarian snare side to an Evans Snare Side 200. The drum now has a ring, something I look for in a snare sound. 

MY FIRST LUDWIG

This is another "one that got away" story that fortunately had a happy ending. Just when I thought my snare collection was complete, not just one, but two circa-1980s Tama Artwood Maple 14-ply (!) 14x8 surfaced in the FaceBook Marketplace. One was cheap but in rough shape, the other in better shape and 5k pesos more. The only thing that made me hesitate was the thickness. 14 plies means the shell will be very stiff and better for high tuning. I have enough smaller snares for that, and therefore wanted it for lower tuning. By the time I decided to pull the trigger, both had already been sold. Lurking in the background of Facebook was a circa-2000s Ludwig 14x8 Classic Hybrid Oak/Maple in mint condition. More expensive than the Tama's, but negotiable. I justified this as an advanced prize for surviving another school year, contacted the seller, got the price down to Reverb USA levels, and paid GCash on delivery. 

It came tuned high and already sounded nice, like a darker version of my Pearl Masters Brass. It arrived with 2.3mm triple-flanged hoops, Remo Ambassador batters, and Remo Diplomat snare side heads. Since I wanted to use it as a fat snare/tom, I swapped them for a heavier Evans Hydraulic batter and Remo Ambassador Snare Side, and it was not quite what I wanted. So I put the Ambassador batter back, threw on a BigFatSnareDrum, and tuned it low. Much better, and this made it easier to switch between a "normal" snare and a "fat" one. After changing heads, I was able to dial it in to snom territory in no time. Of all my 14" snares, this is the easiest to tune. 

On the hardware side, the throw is supposed to be a P-85 but looks more like a cheap replacement. The P85 is notorious for sticking when you're in a hurry, so the previous owner must have swapped it out. But the locking bar was apparently left out, and the cord was merely tied to the strainer. Thankfully, I keep all my old parts and screws that have been replaced. I dug up an bar from an old Pearl SR017 and a couple of unused lug screws. Problem solved. It's not pretty, but it works. The moral lesson is: keep you old parts, even if they're broken. You never know when you'll need them.  The butt plate is an original P-32 though. They both use flat-head screws to secure the snare strings, which I find sadly archaic. The original snares had a couple of misaligned wires, so I got new Gibraltar 20-strands for it. The shell is immaculately finished in and out, and there is absolutely no rust on any of the hardware. 

This may seem like the odd-man-out in a sea of Pearl drums. I'm not close-minded about brands though. It just turned out that way. I prefer the hardware of contemporary Pearls. But Ludwig shell finishing is second to none. I can't wait to hear what this will sound like in a recording. 

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UPDATE

I got an INDe throw off and butt plate a month later. They were a breeze to install, and work flawlessly. Then I discovered a strange after-buzz. Tightening all the lug screws solved the problem. I don't know if this is the norm, but it seems Ludwig makes fantastic shells, but their hardware and hardware-related QC is wanting.