I got the parts needed to finish the snare from drummaker.com today. 2.3 mm hoops, a small piccolo style throw and some heads. Maybe I'll have a new toy to play with this weekend!!

I'm using some stock Kent lugs, snare tension rods and a stock Kent butt plate I had lying around.

FYI... Heads will be Aquarian heads - Classic Clear snare side and a Modern Vintage batter. I'll use a generic set of snares (from a Pacific piccolo snare) to start with. If it sounds promising, then I may grab some Puresounds!

More pics to come!

Finished!!

Initial sounds tests are leaning towards GOOD!

Pics...

The pile-o-stuff ready for assembly. I went with shallow snare beds to start with.

[IMG]http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/6650/img0356l.jpg[/IMG]

Assembled and ready for tuning.

[IMG]http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/1786/img0359mu.jpg[/IMG]

The Butt side :)

[IMG]http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/938/img0360f.jpg[/IMG]

Dual vents!!! Actually, it's the single Kent vent and the hole where the tom mount used to be. Leaving it "as is" for now.

[IMG]http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/8510/img0363a.jpg[/IMG]

Details: I went with a set of Puresound Blasters (yeah, I know) that I had lying around. I have another generic set of 13" snares I *might* try as well, but the blasters sound okay for now.

New Bits: Purchased 13" 2.3 MM hoops and the throw from drummaker.com for pretty cheap $$$. I also installed new Aquarian heads - clear on the snare side and a Modern Vintage on the batter. I've been wanting to check one out so I bought it for this project. I may opt for a Remo Ambassador eventually, but the head feels pretty good so far.

It's tuned up pretty tight with some tension on the snares. Here's a quick and dirty sound byte of the drum in action. It's my Champ. Sparkle Kent set with the newly assembled snare. Not a final version of the tune by any means, but I thought it was good enough to give you a hint of the sound in context.

Click me for the sound file!!

I tried to edit the original title of the post to show an update, but I guess this forum doesn't allow that. Anyhow, I've had a couple hours to play with the drum and did a quick and dirty track in the studio (I'll learn the drum part better I swear) and was pretty excited at the sound of this little guy.

I've got the heads cranked down pretty tight (not really tight by piccolo standards maybe) and it has a nice crack to it when hit hard or doing a rimshot. The Modern Vintage head is pretty dry sounding, which is fine as these Kent's are pretty ringy/resonant to begin with.

The drum is also very sensitive and responds nicely to playing lightly, while not choking out when laying into it.

So far, the experiment has been a success and it will be fun to take this snare and it's bigger 5" X 14" brother to a gig. I now have 2 matching champ. sparkle Kent's to go with the kit - Sweet.

Please give me you honest feedback on the sound (not the playing). I can also post the same clip with just the drums if anyone is interested.

Hmmm-a weeniee Kent-next up,some weeniee stencils.I certainly got plenty of those.But,a question.Why not round over edges?I'm a little worried about the exact precision needed on a "pointy"edge-no room for error.And,the advantage of that edge?Is it tonal,tuning,attack?Speak to me.....

The sound byte is nice-it sound like the drum is in it's range,not choked or loose.You can tell when the drum is home,tuning wise.

Thanks Tom! I went with 45 degree edges because I've done a couple of snares now and from what I've learned (through my own experiments) is that a snare withe 45 degree edges gives you more attack, less shell. For a piccolo, you really want that initial attack and sensitivity (at least I do). With a rounded edge, you get a warmer, woodier sound with less attack and even less volume. Plus the thin2 ply Kent shells will resonate no matter how sharp the edge is. On a thicker 3 or 6 ply shell, that wouldn't likely be the case with a sharp edge.

For some snares, (my other 5" X 14" Kent) the roundover is great and makes for a really nice recording snare. For live use, you can lay into it a bit more without knocking the audience out of their chairs. They also tend to sound better at medium to low tunings. High tunings seem to make them sound lifeless, IMHO.

I should mention that after cutting the 45's, I do some hand sanding on the inner and outer edge so they are technically not "sharp" 45's. And yes, it's tough to get a perfect edge, but when you're dealing with Kent drums, any edge I can create is almost always better than the factory edges!!

I think a closeup of my edges would show a 45 with a very slight round over, not a knife edge for sure.

I should add that I have another 5" X 14" red sparkle Kent with rounded edges and it sounds pretty dull. I think it's going to be my next victim :)

I love this website!Subjects like this raise a gigantic yawn with most people-including drummers.Carry on,my good man.BTW,did you see the Kents and Reveres on Ebay-!!!One in R.I.is quite nice.

I agree - Where else can a bunch of drum nerds go on and on about things like bearing edges, die-cast vs. triple flange, and the like... without putting people to sleep?

And of course I saw the drums on eBay. Had/have them in my "watch" list. The Revere's however are imports, not the US Kent made Revere's - Bummer. There were 2 other Kent sets up. One ended I believe (it had a $100.00 + shipping quote) but the other still has a few days left.

I'm "on the wagon" until X-Mas is over, so no more Kents for a while :)