Back in the 70's I bought what was to be my only snare until 6 years ago.It is a Fullerton COB Powertone.I know there is a sound difference but,HOW different does a wood model sound,assuming same heads and tuning.
I also have a wood Holiday Cleveland snare and am curious as to how different THAT would sound from a wood powertone. Any imput would be helpful.Thanks!
Bobby Cee!...
Seeing as no one had stepped up on your query here, I shall take the liberty:
The basic/thumbnail answer is: BRAND in this case matters little. It's the difference between the types of material the shells are made up of that change these drums sonically. Still, we will use Rogers as that is what you have, and in this case, so do I. The COB Powertone snares are, well... COB. As such they will always have a lot more brightness/reflectivity in their sound... more "crystalline" if you will... bright. The nature of the wood shell, be it Cleveland or Fullerton era, Holiday or Powertone, is that they are a little "darker" in sound. Doesn't mean dull... just softer in their high-end given to the fact that wood absorbs more... COB is very reflective... brighter. Is one better than the other? Personal preference, completely and totally... subjective!
Tommyp
Bobby Cee!... Seeing as no one had stepped up on your query here, I shall take the liberty:The basic/thumbnail answer is: BRAND in this case matters little. It's the difference between the types of material the shells are made up of that change these drums sonically. Still, we will use Rogers as that is what you have, and in this case, so do I. The COB Powertone snares are, well... COB. As such they will always have a lot more brightness/reflectivity in their sound... more "crystalline" if you will... bright. The nature of the wood shell, be it Cleveland or Fullerton era, Holiday or Powertone, is that they are a little "darker" in sound. Doesn't mean dull... just softer in their high-end given to the fact that wood absorbs more... COB is very reflective... brighter. Is one better than the other? Personal preference, completely and totally... subjective!Tommyp
Thanks Tommy, I was actually hoping you or one of the other Rogers experts would reply! I do understand the difference between the materials. My concern was snare beds and bearing edges etc. I guess I was hoping to hear my brass version would sound close.I'm curious how close my Holiday wood snare sounds to the wood Powertone. I do have a Fullerton 10 by 14 wood Powertone I picked up at a reasonable price and am considering having it cut down to a 5 1/2. I would leave the bottom w/beds alone and have them cut the top as close to factory as possible. I just don't want to go through all this (plus "ruining" the parade snare if the Holiday is very similar. I also have a Rogers student model in wmp .I swapped out the rims for triple flange so,it's close to a Luxor?I may add a tone control. I don't know if this drum sounds similar to a wood Powertone though,I can get it tuned up pretty high .Again any input would be a great help.Thanks!
Bobby Cee!...
Okay... now I see where you are going with this! That said...
The COB will never sound like ANY wood drum, regardless of edges... beds... etc. Again this has to do with the completely and totally different make-ups of the shells, and I know you know that too! So...
Regarding the "cutting down" of the Fullerton era Powertone: Rogers was pretty consistent on their shell design/make-up over the years, even after the move out to Fullerton, CA. Most all Rogers snare drums shared the same shell! That said: The "cut down" Fullerton parade drum and your Holiday will sound pretty much the same IF... IF... they have the same shell ply/make-up. I don't know what year your Holiday is, but if it's mid 60's say, it would be a 5 ply w/rings, and so would the Fullerton Powertone. The drums would sound pretty much the same. If your Holiday is an EARLIER model, it would have a 3 ply shell w/rings, and be at a naturally LOWER fundamental pitch than the Fullerton at 5 plies, thus sound a bit "deeper" in pitch regardless of heads/tension. Also...
The Rogers student model in WMP is around a 1964 or so, thus probably has the 5 ply shell w/rings, and will sound darn close if not real close to the slightly "higher end" Luxor. "Higger end" in quotes as the Luxor was still an entry level snare drum, but with slightly higher end hoops/throw. The shells however, were identical. With your upgrading the hoops... yeah ... a nice 6 lug player!
Tommyp
Thanks Tommy! I will check the plies on the Holiday snare. I did read on here somewhere that the snare beds were deeper on the Holiday vs the Powertones and that affects the sound but to my not so technically trained ear,I don't know that I would hear it. Right now,I have an American Vintage by Aquarian on the batter. I think I'll try a coated Ambassador.Maybe I'll even try using the 10 by 14 as a kit snare at my next rehearsal. So it looks funny,who cares lol. Thank you again!
