Hi All,
I have just bought a Gretsch Red Camphor 14 x 4 snare drum.
I have put some new Puresound 20 strand wires on it which I evenly spaced and tightened to a medium tension.
The problem is that when I drop the throw off the wires don’t drop down far enough and I get this awful snare rattle when I play the drum.
It’s quite an unusual Gretsch throw off on these as well.
I’m stumped, can anybody help me?
Regards, Kevin
Hi Kevin!
At first sight, I thought the mounting bracket for the throw was not original. After some Googling, I did find this drum and the bracket is original! Your pictures don't show the snare-side head, but I'm guessing that it may be really stretched out, causing the wires not to be able to drop.
Interestingly, the picture I found appears to be your drum! If this is the one, then, yes, the snare-side head is really stretched out and you'll need a new one.
-Mark
The Ludwig Super Sensitive snare can have this problem also. I realize the throw-off mechanism on your Gretsch is completely different from the Ludwig SS, but I've found that a Ludwig C1114 snare side head - which is very thin - solves the rattle problem on the Ludwig SS.
I don't know what type snare head you plan to put on your Gretsch, but if the problem persists, I'd suggest trying a Ludwig C1114.
Regards, mb
Marty!
In the not-too-distant past, I also would have recommended the Ludwig C1114 head. However, since at least prior to December, this head has an even more shallow collar than before! This caused an issue with my new Jazz Fest snare drum, where I couldn't even get a decent snare sound. The reason? The newer shallow collar wouldn't let the plastic strips attached to the wires to properly go over the bearing edge and got hung up on the snare gates. I thought that switching to string would cure the problem, but it did not! I had to scrap the C1114 and use a Remo Diplomat, and snare string, to eliminate the problem!
Attached is a picture showing an older NEW C1114 and the one that came on my Jazz Fest...the one on the right. You can see the difference in the collar! When I contacted the store I purchased the drum from, they sent another new C1114, but it was identical to the one that came on my drum and I couldn't use it!
However, even with this newer, and more shallow collar, I think it would still work with the Super Sensitive mechanism, provided that you are using the proper snare-side hoop.
-Mark
Try a plastic strap instead of cord.
Could be a design flaw or bad build.
Had that issue with a Carl Palmer Venus.
Ludwig admitted to a bad design.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj_r6UoKOjQ&t=1s&ab_channel=cpu554"]Ludwig Carl Palmer Venus snare drum - YouTube[/ame]
Yes I had a Ludwig 14 x 4 once before with the same problem.
I have attached some pics.
These drum originally come with die cast hoops.
The annoying part is that it’s a great sounding drum.
Triple flanged hoops in post #6
Die Cast Hoops in post #1
what's going on
..Joe
Post #1 is not my drum it was before I took the pics and I used it to show the drum and the throw off.
Apologies for the confusion
page 24 of the 2003-5 Gretsch has that drum under "10 ply Exotic Maple Snares"
PDF 32 page catalog from 2004 here:
..Joe
Snare drums that keep the throw off assembly simple do not have this problem. Hence, my preference for simple and uncomplicated snare drums.
