Hey Pollux,

I would really advise against that 30-strand. I use 20-strand Puresound customs on all of my snares, except for a 16-strand on a 3x13, and whatever the only option was for my Dynasonic. Adding more wires to your drum will increase the presence of the snare in the overall sound. To get a good sound from your drum, you want a good balance of the shell/head sound and the snare sound. Too few wires and it will sound like an awkwardly-tuned tom. Too many, and you'll just get crunch. Most people tighten the snare strainer too much (why won't people let the snare breathe?), and combining that with a 30 strands will result in that terrible "stack of cardboard" sound. I have no idea what would have shipped on the Acrolite, but I would recommend the standard Puresound Custom 20-strand. I think it's a really good reference point for most people. And don't crank them up -- make sure you let them buzz a little.

I have a Puresound 20 strand custom but have'nt tried it yet, so I can't say.

I would suggest a 20 strand for your Acrolite though.

I have a small collection of snares of varing sizes all ...except for the piccolo have 20 strand wires--just my 2 cents

BTW i agree with the poster

who said........let them snares breathe! ENJOY!

Spot on with that post!!!

yes and again, yes.... 20 strands puresounds or other good quality snares, and with the right adjustment your acrolite will be sweet as can be....

I will throw a spanner in the works.

I have tried puresound snare wires and didn't like them at all. I found them too dark. I like my snare drums to be bright and to cut through.

I use standard Ludwig snare wires and I find them bright and sensitive.

cheers

Yes, that's also an excellent point. TBH, I actually do NOT use Pure Sound wires -never even tried them. I was responding to the number of strands and the mechanics behind that idea as opposed to the brand. I ONLY use real, vintage wires, myself. I would probably drive myself crazy if I started to get into which new wire set is which. The same thing goes for drumheads. I am just one who prefers to stick with playing drums that are set up as close to what they would have been originally, as possible.

My two cents... I like a big 30 strander on the right snare. Yes, it muffles the bottom head a bit but it also increases low end and focuses the sound in a certain way. I love it on my Rogers 5" wood PowerTone. One man's opinion.

Isaac

Obviously, there's no "right" answer to drum tuning or snare settings. I find that, in general, it takes me quite a while of owning and playing a snare drum before I find my ideal settings for it. The drums I've had the longest (and, thus, have used and adjusted the most) are the ones that sound the best to me. With my more recent acquisitions, I still haven't refined my set-up. Like I said, I use 20-strands most of my 14" snares, and 16-strand on my 3x13". That's what sounds best to me at this point. I did once play a gigantic (but beautiful) 7x15" maple DW snare that was fitted with a Puresound 30-strand, and I loved it. But that's a pretty different situation from any of the drums in my collection. The only 15" snare I own is a 1935 Leedy parade drum. I keep calfskin on that (Earthtone batter, and a vintage Radio King snare-side), and the snares are the original wire-wrapped silk. Anyway, I digress. When you're still refining your ears, I think it's best to start with "reference" settings. I haven't used a coated ambassador in years, but that's what I would recommend for someone who's starting out. It's just a good starting-point. Similarly, I think a 20-strand snare is nice middle-of-the-road snare. If you later decide you want to hear more drum or more crunch, then move accordingly.