Quick question Rob - Does it rattle when you play the toms and such, or after you strike the snare itself?

5" seems a bit extreme to me. A 20 strand snare is what... 2.5 to 3" max?

I thought 5" was extreme as well, but it's gradual. Basically what's happening is I'm getting this kind of loose snare rattle after a hit. The best way I can describe it is it's like having the sound of properly tightened snares mixed in with sloppy loose ones. The tension looks good and the wires are fresh so that's not the problem. Somehow, it's like the wires aren't making good contact with the head.

And yeah, it rattles after the tom too. But that I can live with. I know a certain amount of that is normal. It's just this sloppy snare rattle as I'm playing that's bugging me. This is all new to me. I've been lucky enough to own snares that you had to work at to make sound bad. :)

I think I missed a key part of the initial post. "Engaging the stock muffler." Still seems to me to be more of a rattler than I expected, but that helped a bit.

Okay, so really you're just trying to stop the sloppy rattle after a hit. Couple of things...

Even though your snare wires are new, they can still be defective. Not sure what kind/brand they are, but the cheaper ones are made with less attention to detail.

I've been trying some different brands these days and I like the Puresounds as well as the Fat Cat snares (http://www.bigbangdist.com/fatcat.htm).

They make snares with different angles on the end pieces so they work with deep or shallow snare beds. Also have a tension adjustment for the center rows of snares.

Also, are you using plastic strips or snare cord? I find it's much easier to line up the snares when using cord rather than the plastic strips and, when using strips, many times the snares can slip left or right when you release the throw, giving you unbalanced tension when you engage it again.

Lastly, most MIJ snares I've owned seem to buzz a bit more than some US made ones. Maybe try a thicker snare side head to keep vibrations after the fact to a minimum.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

that's a good bunch of tips. I'll be checking those out, thanks!

I agree, the Japanese '60's snares are harder to bring under control in those respects, oftentimes. Good suggestions.

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Yup...the thin luan shells produce some weird resonances...and their stock edges don't help. Worst-case scenario, if you can find a cabinet shop or good woodworker, you can have the res-side edge re-routed to a sharper finish (like using a 45 degree bit on the inside). They are challenging, sometimes.[/COLOR]

Soooooo, did I mention I bought yet another of these things? Long story short, CL purchase and when I saw the strainer was the same as the snare I had, I figured I'd buy it for parts anyway. Best looking chrome I've ever seen on one of these and the previous owner had it rewrapped in a turquoise pearl. Looks like the bearing edge was re cut at some point as the shell is identical but has a 45 degree cut instead of a rollover. No bed at all. Interesting drum.

Oh and I got that kit completely reheaded and tuned and it sounds nice. These stencil kits are sleepers.

[COLOR="Red"]Excellent ![/COLOR]

Cool - I like the sound of vintage import kits and I don't really care if someone else turns their nose up at them - Their loss, not mine.

And you can't beat some of those funky wraps they had.

So have you solved the snare rattle problem yet?