Your favorite snare drum

[KenSanders]

What your favorite snare drum?  The one with the sound, the feel, the resonse that inspires you to lay down the jam?

I don't care if it's "in vouge" now or not......I just want to know which snare (whether you still own it or not) absolutely rocks your world as THE snare drum for you.

Now, I do own several snare drums and select from them for the work I get booked to do here in the Nashville area. 

However, my personal favorite.....the one that always makes me feel at home.....the one that always inspires me to go for it?   It is an old Yamaha Model 493.... 3 1/2 " x 14" brass shell, with snares that extend past the bottom head diameter. 
It has die cast hoops and also has the combination of tone, dynamics, sensitivity, and full response that makes me  feel like I'm playing a snare drum with power steering.  But that's my story and my opinion.

I know that most of you have your favorite baby too.  Let's hear from everyone about their favorite "go to" snare drum.

This should be a fun thread for everyone to participate in.

[Goat-man]

My snare drum was actully a gift from my uncle. We were having thanksgiving diner at their house and he asked me if I wanted it because it was just stting in his garage. He had it since he was in college so I assume its at least 15 years old. Its a 14x5.5 aluminium ludwig. The heads on it when I got it were broken, so I changed them with the heads on the drum I was useing. It sounded great with a coated head, but I started using a Remo pinstrip on it, well... have you ever heard the sound of a drum and said to yourself "This is me, this is my sound." Its great drum and I love using it.

[KenSanders]

The drum you seem to be describing is a Ludwig Acrolite.  Very cool and thanks for sharing.

[Goat-man]

Thanks for the tip. I looked it up and found a picture of it on vintagedrum.com. Your dead on.

Also I put new heads on it the other day (Coated Ambassador top and a clear ambassador on the bottom) so now it sounds very St. Anger-ish. If that makes any sense.

[cosmodrum]

It's hard to pick, but I go between my Pre-WWII Radio King 14x7, and my 69 Rogers Dynasonic 14x6.5
The wood sounds great most of the time especially recording, but the Rogers cuts through and has that pop.
Depends on the situation and my mood.

[yamaharec]

My favorite snare when I had it!! Was a Tama 6 1/2 x 14" ImperialStar KingBeat it was very heavy & sounded wicked!!!I was certainally a snare sound I can't get tried from!!I'd like find another one some day when $$ comes my way!!

[oneolddrummer]

I like my 50's Gretsch round badge 5.5x14 from my dad.  Of course, that may change as I am looking at a 4x14 Max Roach Gretsch round badge snare, so....

[KenSanders]

That Max Roach Model is an expensive collector's item these days.