hey all,
i restored this snare a few years back, some of you gave me some great tips. anyway, i dont think i put the correct snares on it, i think they are too short and dont connect to the strainer correctly. i've done some looking around online and according to pictures of other similar drums, i should have THESE snares. anyone have any thoughts?
attached are some older pics i took of the drum right after i restored it. thanks in advance.
Your on the right path, but the wrong snare wires, those things are useless!!!, just get the extended Puresound snare wires. here. http://store.daddario.com/category/144388/Radio_King_Extended_Length_Snare_-_12_Strand In fact, I don't like extended snare wire drums they way they sound, I just use the Puresound Custom snare wires not the vintage on mine, here is a pic of my 30's Rk with them on it.
ok, awesome.
i was looking at those too. the snares i have on it now just seem too short. the end plates are resting a good inch or so in from the rim. just doesn't sound right, kinda "dead". thanks!
edit: would there be a big difference in sound between the 12 strand and 16 strand?
ok, awesome. i was looking at those too. the snares i have on it now just seem too short. the end plates are resting a good inch or so in from the rim. just doesn't sound right, kinda "dead". thanks!edit: would there be a big difference in sound between the 12 strand and 16 strand?
if your snare beds are wide enough, the 12 wires are equivalent to everybody Else's 16 strand.
Great drum! I use mine in a wide variety of situations and it's an amazing snare. Try to find an old calf head for the top and you won't be disappointed.
oh yeah, dont get me wrong. i absolutely love it. i recently recorded with it tuned really, really low and it sounded great. just doesn't quite sound "right" you know? found a place online that sells the extended snares for pretty cheap. gonna order them soon. ill let you guys know. thanks again.
hey guys,
was just wondering what the proper "period" heads would be for this radio king? i figured calf skin but i dont want to use real calf, so i put on a Remo Fiberskyn3 Ambassador last night and it sounds pretty awesome. i guess my real question is, what kind of head did they use on the snare side back then? was it calf skin also? would a Remo Diplomat coated be pretty similar? i think that's what Bonham used on his snare side right? anyway, thanks in advance.
Calf top and bottom from the factory.......
Plastic heads didn't come out till 1958.........
As someone said,try to find a real calf for the top.......it will sound amazing!
If not calfskin, you may want to try Remo Renaissance heads. I prefer them on my older snare drums - Nice warm tone.
My RK snare came with a Slingy calf head from the 50s on the batter side and an old plastic Slingy orchestra head on the reso. It's turned out to be a great combination. Don't be afraid of calf heads. Yes they take some getting used to in terms of how the temp and humidity effect them, but there's nothing like calf in terms of feel and sound. I take my drums in and out of all kinds of weather. There are plenty of old calf heads that come up on eBay.
