3rd & 4th Drum Co. 6x14 Walnut/Ash/Walnut Snare Drum

I wanted to start off by thanking Sounds Like A Drum for the kind words they gave our zebra/maple snare drum. You can check it out here.

The zebra snare mentioned here & the 1920s Slingerland “Artist Model” snare drum, were my main inspirations leading me to craft the two snares featured in this post.

Let’s get down to the details.

Sound & Specs

These two snares are made out of the same constructed 6-ply shell - walnut (1) / ash (4) / walnut (1). Walnut is known for its classic and attractive characteristics for tone and visual aesthetic. Sonically, walnut’s tonal colors can be characterized as having a big and dark low end to it. On the other side of the coin, ash is known for its warmer highs and mids compared to maple. Having ash as the core and walnut as your outer plies allow you to obtain a lot of low end in the higher tuning range while not sounding “choked”. These drums will also have a deep and darker low end than maple. Both snares have a slight round over on the outer edge with a 45-degree inner cut. This allows the snare to give you both body and lively overtones.

These snares come outfitted with aged brass tube lugs, classic snare throw-off and single flanged hoops.

Unique Differences

Now it’s time to talk about what makes them different. First let’s talk about lug counts. One snare has 8 while the other has 10. The 10 lug snare (my favorite) will give you an overall articulate sound while the 8 lugs gives you more of a lively “retro vibe”. The 10 lug drum comes with 10-ply maple re-rings which will keep your sound focused but—since it is a thin shell—will not dry it up. You still have sustain and tone to your snare. For the 8 lug snare we took some of the leftover shell and installed them as re-rings. The 6-ply walnut/ash/walnut re-rings enhances the tonal colors and sustain of the thin shell.

3rd & 4th Drum Co. + Revival Drum Shop

I’m honored and excited to say that both of these drums have been welcomed at Revival Drum Shop in Portland, OR. I can’t thank José and everyone at Revival for allowing this little drum company to share the same space as so many great drum companies. The 10 lug snare drum sold in the first week. The 8 lug drum is still available for purchase. You can check it out in person or on Revival’s website.

If you would like a snare like this feel free to email me.

Olivia Baker at Americanafest

What happens when you combine a little bit of Joss Stone, Norah Jones and sprinkle some folk into the mix? You get Olivia Baker. She is an artist who you can feel in every song she writes. It makes her rather special and unique.

This was my second time playing live with Olivia. And just like the first, I enjoyed every minute of it. Her songs are catchy and, as a drummer, you just feel comfortable playing back in the pocket. I look forward to sharing the stage with her again.

Please check her out on her website and Spotify.

Olivia, keep writing from the heart. We need more music like it nowadays.

Band mates are - Nathan Harbor - bass and Brian Emmons - guitar/acoustic/bgvs.

Slaying the Groove with The George Twins

March 2nd was a good night for me. I had the honor of sharing the stage with The George Twins and Co. The set was full of ghost notes, a broken stick and so much groove. I did my best to bring out the Steve Jordan side of my drumming. I also debuted my 6x14 oyster snare. It was accompanied with a Big Fat Snare Drum Steve's Donut on a few songs. I think it's time for me to purchase one now. 

What made this night more memorable is that it marked a special point for The George Twins. This was their first time playing with a full band. It was one for the books for sure.

Here are a few clips from our show at Rocketown in Nashville, TN.

I believe this was the first time my son watched me play outside of a worship set.

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little e watching his dad play drums

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He even "sound checked" the kit for Daniel and I

Jordan and Tyler, thank you for allowing me to be part of your musical history. You guys keep doing what you are doing!

Everyone check out their music and their covers.

The George Twins on Spotify, YouTube and iTunes.

Band mates are - Nick Mayer - guitar. Steven Arthur - keys. Dustin Rex Brewer - bass.

Tinkering: The Search for That Snare Sound

What I am about to talk about isn't backed by science. There is no wrong or right way to do this. This isn't a blog post on how to achieve that sound either. You can google and find lots of methods on this subject. I'm just speaking from personal experience/tinkering.

This post stemmed from being on the road the past 2 summers playing the camp circuit. Every new session I would get asked the same question.

"Dude. I love your snare sound. How do you get it to sound like that?"

One kid even followed up with this.

"Do you use samples?"

I chuckled a little bit.

 This is where some of you will (and might) disagree with me. So...keep reading.  You are half way through this thing.

Here were some ways to tinker:

• Be inspired by a sound.
• Tune top and bottom head.
• Put some tape here and there.
• Find a quarter and tape it to the head.
• Take off some tape.
• Tighten the top head a little more.
• Loosen all lugs and start again.
• Make weird shapes with the tape.
• Cut an old thin pillow case into strips and put it across the snare before you put the head on.
• Check the snare tension. Toy with that a little bit. Lose. Tight. Off?
• Put your wallet on it. iPhone. Moon gel. DrumTacs. Snare Weight. Big Fat Snare Drum. All the snare stuff out there!

You kind of get the hint? This is about how much do you want to experiment with your snare. You don't have to have the "vintage snare" or the best brass snare on the market. Play around with everything. And if you have the vintage snare or the best brass snare...play around with it too. Try and imitate a sound from an electric kit you played at Guitar Center. It's OK to tinker. Do it! 

Here is how I accidentally stumbled on a snare sound that I love. A song called for me to use my ProMark BroomSticks. I knew I needed to loosen up the wires...but...because I wasn't using sticks...I needed to toy around with the top head. My go to snare has 10 lugs so I knew I had some wiggle room to toy with. I liked where the sound was already so I just decided to completely loosen 2 lugs. I chose the ones where my sticks fall right in-between them. Instant gush. After Church I had drummers/guitar players/sound guys...asking me that question that is as old as time...

"How did you get that snare sound?"

I tinkered.