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Re: Percussion instrument: The Snare Drum
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2022 8:38 am
by dontfeartheringo
twelvepoint wrote: Wed Dec 14, 2022 9:31 am
Garth wrote: Wed Dec 14, 2022 9:19 am
twelvepoint wrote: Wed Dec 14, 2022 9:13 am
Oh for fuck's sake, now you've got me looking at drum shells and I have a question for the experts (read: FM DFTR):
My main drum these days is a 70s Supraphonic 5x14 with the pointy b/o badge. I'd assumed it was a steel shell but - I just discovered - a little rare earth magnet doesn't really stick to it. Is that brass, or did Ludwig use some alloy that was chrome plated? I didn't think CoB extended into the b/o era so I'm a little confused.
It's chrome-over-alloy usually referred to as COA
Thanks. Basically a shinier acrolite with two extra lugs to have to screw around with!
Garth is correct, of course. Ludalloy is what they called the aluminum alloy they made Supras out of. The reason so many of them get flaky is because it's hard to make chrome stick to aluminum. Keep it clean!
Re: Percussion instrument: The Snare Drum
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2022 8:50 am
by twelvepoint
dontfeartheringo wrote:
twelvepoint wrote: Wed Dec 14, 2022 9:31 am
Garth wrote: Wed Dec 14, 2022 9:19 am
It's chrome-over-alloy usually referred to as COA
Thanks. Basically a shinier acrolite with two extra lugs to have to screw around with!
Garth is correct, of course. Ludalloy is what they called the aluminum alloy they made Supras out of. The reason so many of them get flaky is because it's hard to make chrome stick to aluminum. Keep it clean!
It's got a little rash but I keep it in dry area.
My other chrome snare is an old Gretsch round badge, which I think is CoB. That one sounds great but the lighting throwoff needs to be rebuilt or replaced
Re: Percussion instrument: The Snare Drum
Posted: Thu Dec 15, 2022 4:19 pm
by dontfeartheringo
twelvepoint wrote: Thu Dec 15, 2022 8:50 am
dontfeartheringo wrote:
twelvepoint wrote: Wed Dec 14, 2022 9:31 am
Thanks. Basically a shinier acrolite with two extra lugs to have to screw around with!
Garth is correct, of course. Ludalloy is what they called the aluminum alloy they made Supras out of. The reason so many of them get flaky is because it's hard to make chrome stick to aluminum. Keep it clean!
It's got a little rash but I keep it in dry area.
My other chrome snare is an old Gretsch round badge, which I think is CoB. That one sounds great but the lighting throwoff needs to be rebuilt or replaced
I am not a fan of the Lightning throw-off. See if there's away to put one of the Inde strainers on it. Maybe someone's made an adaptor.
ADDED: Look, here's a $6 repair kit.
https://www.drumcenternh.com/gretsch-li ... repair-kit
Re: Percussion instrument: The Snare Drum
Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2022 8:43 am
by twelvepoint
That's clever. The string/strap clamp is kind of shitty on mine, but the bigger issue is the pins on the whole cantilever fell off, and the holes in the cast parts have worn to an oval shape and even if I replace the pin it'll be sloppy like it was before. The best thing to do would be drill out the ovals and put bushings in but I never bothered sourcing parts to do this myself. I'm happy to buy my way out if this; if you know anyone who can make this right, let me know!
Re: Percussion instrument: The Snare Drum
Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2022 9:14 am
by Garth
twelvepoint wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 8:43 am
That's clever. The string/strap clamp is kind of shitty on mine, but the bigger issue is the pins on the whole cantilever fell off, and the holes in the cast parts have worn to an oval shape and even if I replace the pin it'll be sloppy like it was before. The best thing to do would be drill out the ovals and put bushings in but I never bothered sourcing parts to do this myself. I'm happy to buy my way out if this; if you know anyone who can make this right, let me know!
There are refurbed Lightning throws on reverb. Not sure if it fully addresses the issues they are known for so if you plan to really use this drum a lot, might be better to consider moving to a complete replacement with a newer model from Inde or trick or something.
Re: Percussion instrument: The Snare Drum
Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2022 10:49 am
by twelvepoint
Garth wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 9:14 am
twelvepoint wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 8:43 am
That's clever. The string/strap clamp is kind of shitty on mine, but the bigger issue is the pins on the whole cantilever fell off, and the holes in the cast parts have worn to an oval shape and even if I replace the pin it'll be sloppy like it was before. The best thing to do would be drill out the ovals and put bushings in but I never bothered sourcing parts to do this myself. I'm happy to buy my way out if this; if you know anyone who can make this right, let me know!
There are refurbed Lightning throws on reverb. Not sure if it fully addresses the issues they are known for so if you plan to really use this drum a lot, might be better to consider moving to a complete replacement with a newer model from Inde or trick or something.
I don't personally mind the stock throwoff when it works. That said, I'm not averse to trying something else if it doesn't require more holes in the shell. INDe might work with an adapter. My holes for the lightning are in a (non inverted) triangular shape, and the INDe is two vertical holes. I imagine I could make a little, discreet adapter out of aluminum, and I emailed INDe to see if there's any examples of that.
Re: Percussion instrument: The Snare Drum
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2023 6:01 pm
by losthighway
Anyone experienced with old school, internal dampers? My buddy dropped an accrolite and a supraphonic for me to borrow. They both have those things and I can't tell if they're a handy ring killer or if they suck the life out of the snares sound.
Re: Percussion instrument: The Snare Drum
Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2023 9:54 pm
by MoreSpaceEcho
Not a fan, never liked them at all.
Re: Percussion instrument: The Snare Drum
Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2023 7:09 am
by penningtron
Can be cool if they're just barely touching the head. I would probably find more use out of them now than when I was young, loud, and snotty.
The Gretsch Pratt Muffler (built in kick drum felt strip) was an interesting idea but I could never quite get mine angled correctly.
(oh wait this is the snare thread, not about all internal mufflers)
Re: Percussion instrument: The Snare Drum
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2023 9:05 am
by dontfeartheringo
penningtron wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 7:09 am
Can be cool if they're just
barely touching the head. I would probably find more use out of them now than when I was young, loud, and snotty.
The Gretsch Pratt Muffler (built in kick drum felt strip) was an interesting idea but I could never quite get mine angled correctly.
(oh wait this is the snare thread, not about all internal mufflers)
All of this ^^^
Any more than barely touching the head and you're playing a cardboard box.
The Pratt muffler was created when the only choice for a kickdrum head was made out of something that once moo'ed. It retained some mild relevance when your choices were Ambassador or Emperor, but once the Powerstroke 3 landed, all other kick drum heads and muffling systems became semi-obsolete, unless you were going for something retro (which I often am).