Its a lemon, Ill send you 20.00 to send it to me.

Ploughman......that's not nice,,,,,,

Mine also has a ring and I play it wide open. You need to listen to it out front..that ring does not carry if tuned correctly. Have you tried dampening the batter head. An "O" ring, moongel, or good old gauze pads taped on will certainly deaden the ring....

Both my bone stock 70's Acro and my Blacrolite have a ring. I wouldn't call it annoying, but that's just me.

I find that even half a moon gel is more than enough to dampen the ring. Sometimes, too much.

I think the ring comes mostly from the shell, not the heads and you can see this for yourself. Remove the top and bottom heads from the Acro,

balance the shell on one finger and knock on it like you're knocking on a door.

You'll hear the shell produce a bell-like tone - The bell-tone is more pronounced on my Blacrolite because of the tube lugs (less shell dampening).

Most well made metal shelled drums I've owned exhibit this same behavior. Just part of the sound.

If you're looking for more of a dead sound, I suggest a wood snare or just try the moongel on your Acro.

As far as "ring" in a metal shell drum, the Acro is very low on the scale. A brass shell is ringier, in my opinion...and a steel shell?...fuggettaboutit!

Anyway...that red felt muffler will remove any unwanted overtone...just nudge it ever so slightly against the head!Burger Kin

Thanks everybody.

Ploughman - a quick-witted and funny response that I definitely set myself up for. Anytime you need a straight man let me know!

JohnG - thanks for stickin' up for a newbie, and for the dampening ideas which I will try. And...no offense intended here (maybe I'm just too punchy on a Friday), but the more I read your last 2 sentences I kept thinking this should get a double-entendre award!

big daddy - you describe the bell-like ring I hear perfectly. Thanks! I'll try the moongel but I am looking for a wood shell to go w/ my BOP's

O - Lugs - not trying to suck up here but I was hoping you'd respond. My perspective is obviously limited in spite of my age. Not that I should mix brands on my vintage kit but I've always coveted the Rogers Dynasonic snares. But it sounds like they would ring even more!?

Well...I, personally, don't like the sound of the Dynasonic. I used to have one. It did not actually ring, come to think of it. In fact, it was kind of dead for a metal shell drum. But, I guess I just never figured out how to set it up. The Supra made it much easier for me to get a pleasing sound, so that's what I love.

But, it sounds like you have a really nice drum...red felt would be a '64, I believe. You got it on Christmas of '65, so that would make total sense.

It's a peculiar thing about sound...I can't seem to get my Acrolite to sound bad and it's not nearly as cool a drum as a '64 would be.

Here's what I do: I use coated Ambassador or Diplomat weight batter heads...the snare side head is either a Diplomat SNARE side head or an Ambassador SNARE side head...In other words, nothing special...just the heads that were available for drums back then.

You could try moving WHERE you strike the drum if the ring is annoying to you. I find that, playing off-center tends to create more overtones "ring". The nearer to the edge you get, the more pronounced these overtones become. However, the reverse is also true....by striking the drum more "dead-center", the overtones will decrease. Check it out!

Also, sometimes the environment can greatly magnify certain aspects of what you hear. If you play the drum over a concrete floor or some kind of hard floor, as opposed to a softer, carpeted surface, you will get a different series of overtones.

But, IN GENERAL, I think that aluminum alloy ("Ludalloy") is a "softer" metal, so it is less "bell-like" and thus, less ringy.

Maybe a wood snare drum would suite your ear better...but, MAN...a '64 Acrolite is COOOOOOL! (if you ask me!)Cool1

mY 67 ACRO,is so nice sounding,im using it more and more all the time.I put a Acquarian Vintage on it,still gives a nice ring but center hits are very Ringoish....I,ll give you 100 bucks for it if you dont want it,and its in decent nickYes Sir

Thanks again- should there be a date stamped inside the drum? I can't see one looking through the clear snare head. I assume the serial # would also help confirm the "birth" date.

Aside from all the other suggestions, if you just want to put a certain head on and be done with it, try the Evans Genera Dry. I picked up this drum head and never liked it on any snare, but when I picked up an Acro, I tried it and it sounded pretty good. Now, this would be for just personal playing, and not in a band situation. Like others have said, out front that ring turns into a nice musical note. I've really learned to embrace ringier snares, as I am now in love with a Black Beauty.Kiss