Really Sensitive Super Sensitive - Page 3

Here is one thing that can mess up even the best set up super sensitive.

All references to "up" or "down" are with the drum with batter head up.

Watch and see if you are "bending" the wires when releasing all the way by not having enough clearance in the hoop.

By that, I mean that the super sensitive mechanism can possibly release "down" far enough that it will actually pull the wires at an angle against the hole in the hoop since it doesn't seem to have a stop to limit it in that direction.

You can tell if this is happening by turning over the snare and watching it's action as you move the lever to full release.

It will become immediately apparent if you see a sharp angle in the wires where they contact the hole in the hoop.

This could possibly bend or kink even brand new wires if they have been cranked tight to deal with a buzz issue.

You can either find a hoop with more clearance, grind the hoop and possibly compromise it, or simply release it only enough to get the wires off the head and make sure you tell anybody else playing your snare to do the same.

This is common when using a remo snare side drum head.

Apparently, the ludwig snare side drum heads are "shallower" meaning your hoop doesn't move toward the drum as far and you won't have clearance issues.

From thornbeck

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When the strainer is engaged, there is about a 1/16" gap on one side of the drum. If I lift up on the strainer, the wires do sit better, but when I let go the gap and buzz comes back. - Tim

Nobody on this thread has addressed this issue yet..........at least not all of the causes and remedies.

Your linkage is not moving one end to it's full engaged position and nothing said previously will be of help until you are getting full engagement.

When you are "lifting" it, you are moving it to it's proper position.

There are many reasons this can happen and adjustment is one.

In the picture below, you can see a larger diameter screw that is flat and a round head screw above it.

The flat screw is an eccentric that will allow adjustment after you have loosened the round head lock screw above it (don't unscrew the lock screw all the way unless you are taking it apart).

Turn the eccentric screw back and forth when you have the lever in the "engaged" position and see if you can get the mechanism to move further toward it's fully engaged position than it was previously.

I will assume many older snares have enough wear elsewhere to require you to have the screws fully to one end of thier adjustment range.

Some only have the adjustment on one side.

[img]http://www.volusiagig.com/music/modern22.jpg[/img]

You should have enough adjustment authority on the lever side but you might find the opposite side to still not fully engage.....which is an indication of play within the mechanism turned by the lever.

This is assuming that the plastic in the mechanisms on each side are not worn out.......but try this first because it cost only labor.

Put the lever into a middle position and hold smaller lever on the opposite end and see how much you can turn it without the other side turning.

This is the play.

The play can come from where rod meets each socket.

Play can also come from the lever on each end where it is "punched" to the "rod socket" but that is much rarer.

The rod has a "stamp" that creates two "ears" that stick out to engage the slot in the "socket" on each end of the rod.

[img]http://i23.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/b4/d4/7cce_1.JPG[/img]

I simply put the rod against the "anvil" part of a vise with one ear sticking straight up and tapped it with a hammer to make it "thicken up" each ear slightly.

I carefully tapped on them until they were thick enough to have a tight fit in the "sockets"........that fixes the play there.

I wasn't really comfortable with hammering the two sockets to make the slots smaller and possibly break them so any banging was done on the easily replacable or repairable rod.

I also found play where the hand lever was "swaged" or "crimped" or "punched" to keep it on the socket.........it's right there where you wished there was a screw to tighten it down.

Mine had stamping such that it had inadequate overlap and was threatening to come off so I used a snap punch on about 6 places not quite on the periphery of it to convince the metal to overlap the hole of the lever.

That's all I've got on super sensitive snare strainers from my 2 hours of experience with one but I did stay at a holiday inn express last night.