If they are the originals, it could well be they are the problem. Before you spend a ton on wires, grab a cheap set and strap them on to see if they make a diff. If so, then you have your answer. If not...then there will be some sandpaper in your future I fear...

I may not be the smartest guy on the forum, but I can tune a MIJ snare to knock your sox off...and many others will confirm that "they ain't supposed to sound like that....whatdja do?"

Thanks for the advice!

The wires aren't original, but they're 48-strand monstrosities. [EDIT: make that 42.] They might be too wide for the beds.

I did have some cheap 12- or 16-strand wires on the drum years ago and wasn't happy then either. Might a good set of Puresounds make a difference? If so, any suggestions as to which series and how many strands? I'm looking for a warm sound with plenty of snare sensitivity for grace notes and such.

puresound snare wires would sound great the 16 strand custom snare wires, or try grover snare wires, I have a pair on my late 50's gretsch these grover snare wires are the stadium brights! and they are the stuff!

How do those Grover wires sound?

Maybe a medium weight snare head and thin wires? If you are choking, you may need to look at the beds, and maybe just kiss them with a little 220. I had that problem and lightly sanded mine and it even stopped the majority of the buzz. I get very little buzz, and I mean almost none, and the sensitivity is through the roof. I only touched them, not really sanded them down. Just a swipe or 4 in each direction.

I'm intrigued. I'm never (and I mean never) selling these drums, and a few swipes with 220 don't sound like a major intervention, so I might be able to screw up the courage to try this fix. I think I'll try a set of Puresounds or Grovers, and if they don't solve the problem, I'll give it a light dusting with the sandpaper.

Anyone want to talk me out of it? :)

Is the batter head tight? That is one thing I forgot about.

And here is one more thing: Original does not do anyone any good if it sounds bad. If the drum is choked and the ONLY solution, after all others are exhausted, is to rework the beds, then it was not done right in the first place, and the drum is nothing more than decoration. Original that sounds bad is not good. So if fixing the beds is the solution, then it was not original in the first place or it would sound good. Got it?

I agree with most everything previously stated here....it probably is the snare beds, but if the current snare wires are tired, this could be the main part of the issue. 42 strands gives the drum a lot of chances for sympathetic buzzing. I had a set of 30-strand Puresound Metrix series on my Gretsch for a bit. It sounded ok, but still not to my liking. I found a NOS set of Gretsch Responso wires on ebay, the 16 stand set, NOT the 42 strand, and it made all the difference. Now the drum isn't out of control with sympathetic buzz, and it doesn't sound choked, and its more sensitive than before. Something to be said about original type snare wires.....