I'd put them next to each other and see which one sounds better. In 1980 I traded in my '65 Round Badge Gretsch snare for a new Ludwig 400. The sound was more in line with what I was hearing in recorded music at that time. I was 19 and made money via summer jobs and a few gigs. I didn't have a lot of cash so a trade made sense. It took me about 15 years to regret the decision to trade that drum. I was never again going to have a complete orignal '65 Gretsch set. I've replaced the drum since but it wasn't cheap, certainly a lot more than the trade in value the retailer gave me.

If you can, don't trade, buy it outright. I now have a pretty decent array of drums to choose from for different moods. Having more snares gives you perspective and makes playing a little more interesting. Different drums give you different sounds and you might find yourself playing differently with those sounds. I got into doing second line stuff and that relies on a different feel on the snare than say hard rock or funk.

Just food for thought.

Regards,

Gary

Dix Hills, NY

D' Drummer