Unlike O-Lugs, I prefer my snare drums to be simple and uncomplicated (is that a redundant statement?) In my opinion, I could be very pleased with the sound of a Rogers Powertone snare drum--even a Luxor--without the hassles of adjusting a dozen extra doodads found on a Dynasonic snare drum. I felt this way when I was a manufacturer's rep for Fender/Rogers/Rhodes. I never let my personal bias against the Dynasonic get in the way of selling hundreds of them.

I don't know a lot about orchestral snares, but I once bought an old Hinger from a friend and it was virtually impossible to get it to sound usable for any application other than classical. I eventually sold it to a classical percussionist and he was thrilled with it.

This exemplifies the diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks concept. When I was banging away for many years as a drummer for mostly rock n roll cover bands, I did not solo. I wanted a good solid thwack or crack from a rim shot from my snare drum. So, I developed a fondness for simple snare adjustment hardware, good highly-tensioned drum heads, and a couple of drum keys always in my pocket. Life was simple and enjoyable.

Well, in all honesty, I like simple snare drums, too. Practically speaking, there's really no reason to want all the "stuff" that a Gladstone snare drum is capable of in any other context outside of a symphony orchestra. But, like I say, I like fancy drums for what they are, too. I wasn't suggesting that my admiring a complicated drum means that I don't like simple drums, too. As many people here know, I am a big advocate for the Acrolite and that's just about the simplest snare drum in the universe! I like all kinds of drums and I don't segregate myself to a specific style or brand.

I just avoid the more complicated drums to keep my drumming gear as uncomplicated as I want virtually everything about myself to be.I think that my cell phone and my cars have many features and functions that go unused for that very reason.

We may differ on that. Maybe it comes from my technical background as a software developer as well as a musician. I don't like complication for its own sake but when features add value then I embrace them. I know and regularly use most of the features on my smart phone. I know and use every feature in my Canon pro level DSLR to allow me to capture images exactly how I want them. I know every feature that my new car has to offer

By comparison all drums are simple, but they can differ significantly with regard to dynamics, projection, tonality, and responsiveness. Some throw offs are easier and faster to use. Shell composition can alter the overall sound. The choice of heads also makes a significant difference. Diecast hoops may require different tuning than standard triple flange hoops and the choice of hoops may alter the feel and responsiveness of a drum.

I once thought all snare drums sounded and played mostly the same until I bought a Ludwig Supraphonic around 1965. The tonality, dynamics, and responsiveness was completely different than any other snare I had owned or played up to that time. Your experience may differ.

I'm happy for you and happy for myself with our differing takes on things.

When a single drum is isolated from everything else and looked at under a microscope (so to speak) then there will be differences. But by its very design and nature, the snare drum is a staccato sounding drum. It makes a very short sound and whatever resonance and tonality the shell or rims impart is radically shortened by the snare wires. The nuances of any snare drum start to disappear the further back you get. At 20 feet away, you wouldn't even be able to differentiate a wood shell from a metal shell -much less what kind of wood or what kind of metal it is. There have been blindfold comparisons done before and no one ever gets it right.

That being said, I can understand how the player's perception of a particular snare drum's sound nuances, in the near field, can make that drum seem more musical or less musical.

The drums that Billy Gladstone made are now historical pieces of mechanical/musical artwork and that's why they are valued so highly. When set up properly, they, like many snare drums, will sound great..like snare drums. If you hit it and it goes "Wooooompaaaaaahhhdeeeeeeeediiinnnng!" then it's not a snare drum. And there's only so much that anyone can do to make that sound appreciably different from the next snare drum, without turning it into something else....in my opinion.