The Dynasonic snare was Rogers' high end, flagship snare drum. It was a revolutionary design in that, rather than using a convential wire tensioning system with snare beds, it has a frame on which mounted snare wires are already tensioned and lifted up to the bottom head. Thus, no snare beds are needed, and the drum, in theory, will be allowed to resonate and not be choked. Dynasonics actually do have very slight snare beds, but they are imperceptible to the human eye.

The main differences between the COB dyna and the COB powertone is that the dyna has ten lugs, a snare frame, a bottom rim to accomodate the frame, a slightly modified throw off, and an oval plate with a serial number, whereas the powertone has 8 lugs, regular snare beds, and a convential snare throwoff system.

You will find that players tend to either love or hate the dynasonic snare. I have found it to be almost like a scientific instrument - it took me several hours of experimenting to get a dynasonic "just right," following instructions that are posted on the net. Many things have to be in line - the frame can't be bent, the wires have to be in good shape, and the shell needs to be in round. Once you get there, you will have learned an incredible amount about snare drums, and likely have a better appreciation of the simplicity of a convential throw off. It opened up my ears to all the variations that a snare drum can provide. You will also have a snare drum that has the capacity for a buzz roll or a crack at all volume levels, which was the point of the design.

The complexity of the system and the frailty of the frame have resulted in many dynasonics out there without their frame, having been broken or given up on. These don't sound so great, because they have no snare beds, so you're kind of stuck with either a lot of crack, or a lot of buzz, and choking.

A wood shell dynasonic is a different story...these were available by custom order only, and are rare holy grails for Rogers collectors, fetching thousands of dollars.

I'd say it would be hard to go wrong at $150 for a COB dyna, especially if it still has its frame. Sounds like the snare is maybe a 1972 Fullerton made drum. If it doesn't have the frame, they are available on ebay, but be prepared to spend $100. And make sure it is in round - brass is soft, so if it was ever dropped there will be indentations at the lug points or throwoff point inside the drum. It would be a great learning experience to compare the powertone and dynasonic side by side.

As to the comparison to the Supraphonic...in my opinion, there is none. I am not a huge Supra fan. A 'working' Dyna is hard to beat. I have a 72' Supra I am going to list on ebay and really consider it 'just taking up room'. The Super Sensitive is another matter...there is a definite comparison there with the Dyna. I sold one with a Vistalite kit about 15 years ago. I had owned that SS since 1966 and if I had a kicking machine, I would wear it out on myself.

I agree that there's no comparison between the Supra and Dyna, although I feel the opposite way as far as using them.

I find the Supra to be a great drum...it can (and has been) used in every situation and has a wide tuning spectrum. (I prefer its little brother, the acrolite, and even though I have over 50 snare drums, the acro gets used almost exclusively).

I've never been able to get a good sound, or even heard a dyna sonic that I'd use in most situations. I got mine new in 1972 (5 x 14 COB)...thought it looked cool, but it always sounded "mushy". When I was given a 6 lug WFL, I ended up using that instead for many years.

I recently set up and played my dyna. It sounded ok when I played it...but a friend came over and played it, and when I listened, it sounded "mushy".

Guess that's what makes horse racing!

I'd say, if you have the opportunity to get BOTH at a reasonable price, get 'em and compare for yourself.

Rich...everyone seems to have that 'special' snare. I have both, and I find that during play that the Supra seems a bit more one dimensional to me. I seem to get a wider range of effect out of the Dyna. Granted, the Supra has definite voicing and will cut through anything but it seems to be the aluminum shell that I hear (only played an Acrolite once). My first snare was a COB Super Sensitive and I miss it...the Dyna seems much closer in sensitivity and response to me. This is my first Dyna and I was informed by Ploughman that it is most likely a late Dayton and unlike what I've heard; it tuned easily and sounds great. I would love to have a wood Dyna...the best of both worlds, but, alas...too pricey for me. It is fair to say...it would be great to have them all. Regards

MLVIBES: The information you provided was "priceless", as usual. THANKS so much for taking the time to educate me regarding this particular snare drum. By the way............. the one's that's being for for $150.00 [U]does come with the frame. Sounds like I should grab it.

gwbaker: Certainly appreciate your input! I would have thought that your preference would have been the Ludwig Supraphonic in lieu of the Rogers Dyna-Sonic mainly because I keep hearing how the Supraphonic is "the most recorded drum in music history." I personally haven't played either (although I do have a COB Supra in my collection) and enjoy receiving feedback from those who have. THANKS for your time and your input.

Rich K: Your honest appraisals are ALWAYS welcome and I appreciate your help! In regard to the Ludwig products, I currently have in my collection a WFL Buddy Rich Be-Bop from the 1940s, a 1960s Acrolite, a 1960s Red Sparkle Pioneer, a 1960s 3 x 13 BOP Piccolo, a Pre-Serial Number Sky Blue Pearl Jazz Festival, and a Pre-Serial Number COB Supraphonic. I guess you can tell that I was a "Ludwig guy" back in my playing days (long, long ago!). I. like you, always thought that the Acrolites sounded just as good as some of the "high-end" Ludwig snares. THANKS AGAIN for your feedback!

I'm a little late on this reply, but...

I owned a Big R Rogers COB Dynasonic that was part of an "Ultra Power Seven" kit I ordered in 1974. I NEVER got the Dyna to sound right. Believe me, I WANTED it to sound right -mostly because the Dyna was such a cool-looking and complex "deluxe" snare drum when compared to the much more ubiquitous Supraphonic (and I was 14 years old at the time!)Mister T

....BUT, for me, there were two things that made the Supra more desirable:

First of all, the Supra seemed to sound good in ALL tuning ranges -high or low.

Secondly, the Supra always felt good to play. There was a certain "cooosh" that the Supra had to how the sticks responded. The Dyna was unforgiving. I searched and searched for that "perfect" range....I tried ALL kinds of different heads...finally setting back to the original coated single-ply head...but, even then, it just never sounded or felt as good as the Supra.

I sold that Dyna a long time ago and have not missed it since. I also have TWO Supras that replaced it and they are killer snare drums that melt under the sticks.

Now, all that aside, I think it's a no-brainer that Dynasonics, Super Tens Power Tones et al., are more collectible than most Supras. One aspect of Rogers drums that is appreciated by all is their aesthetic beauty. They are works of art -especially when compared to many contemporaries of that era.

Functionally speaking and especially in terms of practicality, though, I feel that the Supraphonic is the superior snare drum. Somehow, the "formula" just turned out right for the Supra. It sounds great. It's easy-to-use/easy-to-fix... All the essential snare drum elements coalesce with the Supra.

I guess I never wanted to follow instructions to the letter when I set up a snare drum. DOH I want it to be easy to work with -self explanatory, if you will. That's what I love about the Supra...they sound good even if you don't know what your doing or if you don't follow the instructions to the letter. And after a few tunes, even if you play them hard and they lose their initial tuning, they still sound good. I could never say that about the Dynasonic I owned. It might sound okay for a few tunes, but then after that, it would be back to fudging around with the tuning or the snare response again. But, it did always look good!

I played both my Dyna and my Supra today; in a A vs B kinda' of format. The Supra is still for sale and the Dyna is not. To be fair...each has their strengths and it was an enjoyable exercise. I added into the mix my circa early 80's 8X14 birds-eye maple Gretsch. I am retired and this is pretty much all I do all day. It did cross my mind that it might not be a bad idea to keep the Supra. And O-Lugs, I do tend to tweak batter head tension on just about any drum (old habits die hard) but I haven't once adjusted the snares on the Dyna since initial set-up...they are in the zone. I will play with the Supra a bit over the next several days. I still miss my Super Sensitive.

THANKS TO ALL for the great feedback!

I've got one additional question: Was there a time period when the Dyna-Sonics DID NOT come with a Rogers Label on the interior of the shell?

The one I'm considering buying has a 28121 Serial Number, but no Rogers label on it. Is this normal?

Appreciate all the help provided!!!!!