I already bought 8 regular snare lugs for this drum but thanks for the idea. I did consider the mini lugs on both ends at one time but I was able to get the lugs I have real cheep.
It's not the number of lugs that matters, it's the ratio (7"x14") that seems to make for great sounding drums. Wether you use 8 or 16 lugs is a style decision. The 'size' of the drum matters more in terms of sound. I'll try to track down the paper I read on how depth affects the sound of a drum. It's been awhile, but I'll look for it. In terms of sound, just think Radio King! The guys who have studied how vibrations travel through drum shells say that for snares, the 7"x14" size is like a golden ratio to use for building it. If I can track it down, I'll post it up for you to read. Lots of technical mumbo-jumbo, but readable and understandable by a layman. Good info!
John