Why are snare drums so expensive? Are there any affordable snare drums available in the market? What are the factors that affect the price of a snare drum? How much does a good snare drum cost? What is the most expensive snare drum? There can really be a lot of questions related to snare drums, especially since they are one of the most expensive components of a drum kit. So, if you are curious too, now you will know the reason behind its prices.
So, what is a snare drum? The snare drum is a musical instrument that is known for producing a snappy, cracking, and bright sound because of the coiled wires placed below its resonant drum head. The more coiled wire there is, the snare sound also increases.
The snare drum belongs to the family of membranophones, which are instruments that produce a sound when a player or any person strikes their drumhead or membrane using a stick.
Snare drums have been an integral part of history, as they have been frequently used in wars since their inception in the 13th century. Marching bands used snare drums in battles to keep the soldiers marching with each other. Through the years, physical improvements were made to the snare drum, which also resulted in improvements in its sound.
As of today, there are already many variations of snare drums available in the market, depending on their diameter, depth, and the materials used in making the drum shells.
Parts Of A Snare Drum
Basically, the snare drum only has three parts: the drum shell, the drum heads, and the additional hardware.
The drum shell is the one that provides the structure of a snare drum. Usually, these shells are made of wood like poplar, maple, birch, and many more, but there are snare drum shells that are made of metal, steel, aluminum, brass, and even acrylic. Depending on the material that is used in making the snare drum shell, their prices also vary.
The next part is the drum head. A snare drum has two drum heads; one for its batter side and the other for the snare side. The drum heads are stretched over the top and bottom side of the snare drums, where the metal snare rests on the bottom drum head.
Last would be its supplemental hardware. Aside from the drum shell and the drum heads, a snare drum also comes with lugs and tension rods that allow you to tighten or loosen it when you need to tune the snare drum. A snare drum also comes with a bearing edge called the rim, which connects the drum head to its frame.
Last would be its supplemental hardware. Aside from the drum shell and the drum heads, a snare drum also comes with lugs and tension rods that allow you to tighten or loosen it when you need to tune the snare drum. A snare drum also comes with a bearing edge called the rim, which connects the drum head to its frame. When it comes to its snare wires, a snare strainer is used to connect it to the snare drum itself.
Entry-Level Snare Drums
Entry-level snare drums are the snare drums you usually see that come in an entry-level drum kit. There are some models that are sold separately and can be used as a replacement for your primary snare drum or can be added as a secondary snare drum in your setup.
Entry-level snare drums are the cheapest and the most affordable of all snare drums. Usually, this type of snare drum does not last very long because of the quality of the materials used in making it, which reflects in its price. You can find entry-level snare drums that sound great, but many snare drums really sound average in this category, as the materials also significantly affect the sound they can produce.
Most of the shells of the entry-level snare drums are made of poplar, which is a popular wood that is usually used in making the drum shells of entry-level drum kits. It usually lasts up to five years before some of its components start to disintegrate. Some affordable snare drums really sound good, but it is really difficult to find them, especially if you prefer a snare drum that you can use in live and recording performances.
Mid-Level Snare Drums
Mid-level snare drums are those snare drums that usually go with a mid-level drum kit; however, you can also find some snare drums that are sold separately in the market. Most of the materials used in making these snare drums are really great, so it is expected that they last longer compared to most entry-level snare drums.
The shells of mid-level snare drums are usually made of wood like maple, birch, walnut, mahogany, and many more. Some of the shells are also made of aluminum or steel, which really sounds great. Most of the mid-level snare drums can be used for playing in live and recording performances as they sound great, and with a little bit of tweak in the mixing console, then you are good to go.
Nowadays, you can already see some mid-level snare drums that are advertised as signature snare drums by some famous drummers in the industry. Usually, these snare drums are designed for what the specific renowned drummer prefers in his primary snare drum, so getting one of these is an excellent deal for you, especially if it is priced within the mid-level range.
Usually, mid-level snare drums last up to seven to ten years before some of their hardware would need to be replaced. Luckily, more and more replacement hardware is available nowadays.
Professional-Level Snare Drums
Professional-level snare drums are the most expensive when it comes to snare drums. The materials used in making these snare drums are really high quality, so you can expect that they can last for a very long time. Nowadays, you can still see old top-level snare drums that still sound great and are in great condition, which shows their durability.
The shells of the professional-level snare drums are either made of Maple, Birch, Bubinga, Mahogany, Oak, Beech, or Poplar, but many of these types of snare drums also have their shells made of copper, aluminum, bronze, brass, or steel. These snare drums are really the go-to by top drummers for their live and recording performances.
Many of the signature snare drums are within the category of professional-level snare drums, as the materials used in making them are really excellent and durable, which is why you can still see many of them sold in online music stores even if they are very old already, as they are still in excellent condition and still sound incredible.
Although these snare drums are the most expensive, they are really worth it as they sound great and they are very durable. Most snare drums used nowadays in the music industry, recording or live performances, are under this category of snare drums.
Why are snare drums so expensive? The quality of the materials used in making a snare drum is a really huge factor in why snare drums are expensive. If a high-quality material is used in making a snare drum, then it is expected that it will be really expensive, as rest assured that it will sound great and will also last for a very long time.
