That is the snare bed. Without it, the wire set will not lay properly across the snare side head, and the drum will sound like butt.

Yes, they are meant to be that way - snarebeds, they are called.

Without these recesses, the snare wires would stand free of the head on the middle and buzz horrendously.

Snare beds should generally - there are exceptions - be between 2 and 4 mm deep.

Jon

Refer to photo 3 & 4.

Looks like a little ring separation on the right side by the snare bed. Use a toothpick, or a fine artists brush to get some yellow carpenters glue in there. Clamp it up for 24 hours with a few spring clamps and it'll be good as new.

John

Thank you!

Not all snare drums have the snare beds. Just some recent projects:

I've got a 60s MIJ SD I just finished (pics later if I get time) that didn't have them.

I've got a 70s Slingerland (5-ply) COW that I've had to do some repair work on (not done yet) that didn't have them.

I've got a late 70s Ludwig marching drum (10x14) to be cut down & rewrapped for a customer that don't have them.

I've got many others (mostly newer) that don't have them either. But I've got plenty that have them, too (mostly older)!

So... I know all the arguments on the necessity of snare beds, but also know that at different times the manufacturers didn't cut them. Don't know what their thinking was (is) on the issue...

Some drums have very gradual, wide beds that aren't detectable with the naked eye (at least not my eyes). You need to set the snare side edge down on a known flat surface to see them. Snare drums without beds sound like junk.

Some snares - typically with some sort of parallel strainers or outriggers (Pearl, Slingerland) - manage without, because their systems lifts the wires up to head in one action, separate from the tightening action.

Normal strainers, that holds the wires up to the head by tightening them, needs a shell with a snarebed.

Jon

Ron_M,

Hey, I love a good "debate." In good faith, I checked each of the three drums I mentioned (above) by setting them down on a "known flat surface." There's no snare beds on any of those three. As for the MIJ, it's really hard tellin' what they might have produced in the 60s. As for the Slingerland, it did have the "extended" butt, so since the original snare wires extended past the edge, maybe that was their thinking (as Jon Peterson suggested) -- I don't know. (I in fact have a Slingerland TDR snare system that I'm seriously considering installing on this one!) As for the Ludwig, I have no idea why it didn't have them -- although it is possible it was converted from a tom to a snare at some point in its history; but "standard" school tenor drums of this era were 12x15 and not 10x14.

I did find a B/W badge Ludwig 10x14 marching drum in my inventory that did have a very gradual, very wide bed as you suggested. But the fact is, the three I mentioned do NOT have snare beds.

As for sounding like "junk" without them, that is a matter of opinion that I can't agree with. I am a firm believer that a good drum tech can get just about any sound out of any drum that he wants. It may take some time and effort, but it can be done!

Bill

I have to agree with Bill. I have a 70's COB Slingy Sound King snare. Drum has no snare beds and sounds great. I recently added a set of PureSound snares that really enhanced it. Low-med-high tuning all sound good with great sounding rim shots. Killer tone. I like this one tuned med to high.

On the other hand snares with beds can really sound like crap if not setup properly. Example my 50's Radio King snare (solid maple shell) came with a set of 13" PS wires. I added a set of PureSound extended snares and it's like night and day. Great sounding drum. With the 13" wires on there the snare beds were not letting the drum sing as designed. I like this one tuned in the medium range.

Last is a MIJ Ludwig Accent. This wood snare (6x14) came with my daughters Luddy kit. No beds and I was on a mission to make this drum sound good. Stock heads were junk. Added a Evans 3 mil reso and a used Remo CS batter. This one likes medium to high tuning and sounds great for a MIJ drum.

I'm very fussy when it comes to tuning. I'll spend days-weeks-months playing with them till I get the drums sounding good. It's also interesting to play with different heads and tensions to find the sweet spot in each one. I beleive any drum can sound great when setup properly.