SNARE DRUM - SNARE WIRE COMPARISON PAGE

"Comparison Page FAQ"

James Walker

In the time that this comparison page has been available online, I've fielded many questions from drummers, both in e-mails and in online message boards, regarding the purpose(s) behind this page. Many individuals seem to jump to the conclusion that I'm intending this to be something more than it really is, and with that in mind, I've prepared this FAQ about the page.

Over the past year or two, I've amassed a number of different makes and models of snare wires. At one point, I realized that I didn't really know how the wires compared to one another - one set sounded great on an Acrolite, and another set sounded great on a Premier maple snare drum, but there are so many differences between two snare drums, it's difficult, if not impossible, to draw any conclusions about the wires themselves. I was curious to hear what differences, if any, I could ascertain when trying different wires on the same snare drum. I decided to take the time and effort to record them, so I could go back after the fact and compare two sets of wires without having to take the time and effort to swap them in and out on a given drum.

By itself, any individual file on the comparison page proves nothing. The only way to gain any useful information from this page, IMHO, is to compare one snare wire's mp3 file(s) to that of another model of wires.

I learned a lot about how much of an effect snare wire choice can have on the sound of a snare drum, by creating these files, and I recorded the original set of files long before I ever thought of posting them to the Internet. I thought that other drummers (and drum builders) might have an interest in checking out these comparisons, and I hoped that they'd benefit as I did. I'm also aware of the fact that most music stores and drum shops don't have a huge variety of snare wires from which to choose, and even if they did, it's unlikely that they'd allow a drummer to bring his snare drum in and try out a bunch of wires. As imperfect as this comparison is, I thought it might at least give someone a starting place, a reference point, if they were considering a change in snare wires.

I'm not aiming for drummers to come away with any specific conclusions about these wires. One of the fascinating things about this whole endeavor has been hearing the reactions of different drummers to the same samples: almost every single set of wires on the page has been singled out by at least one drummer as his or her "favorite," and in turn almost every single set of wires has been singled out by at least one drummer as "the worst on the page." This is why I've presented the wires in alphabetical order by manufacturer, rather than ranking them, or even offering my comments.

I don't know that the page proves anything, but if anything, it shows how much of a difference a change in wires can make (although recently, I read comments online from someone who couldn't hear any difference between the different wires on the page, other than the loose/tight tension differences). Hopefully, it also shows how wires compare, all other elements being as equal as possible. Ideally, the mp3 files will show that one make or model is brighter (or darker), or offers more buzz (or less), or sustains more (or less), than another particular make or model. I'd hope that someone might find a set of wires similar to the ones they have, and then they could use those as a reference in comparing other sets shown on the page.

It all depends upon the drum, and the sound that the drummer is going for. As you can see from the main comparison page, I've recorded the samples in stages over many months. What I've found interesting is that, when I finished a given "round" of tests, I usually ended up keeping the last wires to be recorded, on the Tempus snare drum that was used in these comparisons. Right now, I've got a set of DynamicX Phosphor Bronze 20-strand wires on that drum, and they were the most recent set of wires to be recorded; they sounded great, so I left 'em there, as was the case previously with the 42s, the Fat Cats, the Grover "Jazz" wires, the Yamahas...

I haven't found any particular correlation between snare wires and styles.

I'd have to be there to try the drum out before making any recommendations (and please, please, PLEASE: DO NOT send me a snare drum, asking for my recommendations!!! I'm not about to get into that sort of business...). There are so many factors involved - head choice, tuning, shell material, the drummer him/herself - that it's not possible to make a blanket statement. Some drums sound better (to my tastes) with a particular brand of wires, while other drums sound fabulous with any number of different wires.

There are three or four models I'm hoping to add in the future, but I don't have any timetable set for them. It all depends upon my budget, the availability of the wires (many always seem to be backordered), and the time I have available to record. One recent "discovery" (something new to me, at least) is how good 12-strand wires can sound. If I do add any more files to the page, a set of 12s will definitely be "in the mix." (UPDATE: 12-strand wires have been added to the Comparison Page, and are listed on the page's main index.)

I think so, and I believe the page bears this out. It's the usage of these wires that makes a snare drum a snare drum, no? The greater the difference in design and materials between wires, the greater the audible differences. Two sets of 20-strand, chrome-plated steel wires are going to sound pretty darned similar, regardless of the brand name. A change to cable, or a change in the number of strands, or in the spacing of the strands, can make a greater difference. Also, I've found that if one as a rule really cranks the tension on the heads or wires of a given snare drum, the difference between different sets of wires often won't be as noticeable as it would be at looser settings. Is that difference worth the purchase price of a new set of wires? I can't answer that for anyone but myself.

Absolutely not! If you're not satisfied with the sound of your snare drum, there are areas I'd recommend exploring first, prior to spending money on new wires: tuning (batter AND resonant side), head choices (batter AND resonant side), the use of snare cord vs. grosgrain ribbon vs. mylar straps vs. cable to attach the wires to the throwoff/buttplate, the tension adjustment on the wires, making sure the wires are centered on the head, just to name a few.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no - but sometimes, those "cheap" generic wires will be the best choice for a drum. You DO NOT have to spend $30-50 on snare wires to get a great snare drum sound, not by a longshot. I've tried some expensive wires that I actually found to be kind of disappointing. (Which ones? I'll never tell...)

It's the best I've got to offer, as flawed as the medium is. Certainly, a drum can be made to sound quite different depending upon the engineering techniques used, but I've tried to keep things as consistent as possible from one sound file to the next, in terms of mic' positions, no EQ-ing, no use of effects processing, etc.

Most of the wires here are ones which I've purchased as a separate item, or which were already installed on a given snare drum that I've bought. Some drummers have lent me one or more sets of wires to use, and one manufacturer (Black Swamp) sent me one set of wires to include on the page (no strings attached). Outside of that one company's donation, I haven't received any compensation from any manufacturer - and while "free money and free stuff" can be tempting, I like the fact that I'm not indebted to the companies in any way, even for something as modest as this page. I don't mean for the comparison page to serve as advertising for any particular brands (another reason why I haven't offered any recommendations or rankings on the page), just a resource that drummers can check out. I'm already paying for the server space and bandwidth for the rest of malletjazz.com, so it doesn't cost me any additional money to have these files online.