I have the same one I up graded to 16 wire & used Remo coated control or Remo clear w/ black dot. I also replaced the top hoop it was bend. Got a 2.3mm Tom hoop put it on. Sounds fabulous with both Remo heads. With the coated I can get 3 different sounds and clear dot it really sings tuned high the crack is awesome. This is my main snare. I have a black Questlove snare 14” I don’t even use any more. Just for back up only. I also use this 10” with my Yamaha drums. I get a lot of great response from people about my 10 inch.
For a cheap snare drum you can,t beat the price" And it sound pretty nice and with new Remo or Evan heads it will even sound better ! Thanks for posting gonna get me one !
At the end of the day, a drum is a membrane stretched over an encased cylinder of air. Beyond that the sound comes down to size of drum, then head choice, shell construction, hoops, bearing edges. I can imagine getting some great sounds out of this drum. Thankyou for posting.
I love small snares. Im grabbing one. I have the old Pacific drums 10" and 12" and the steel 10" Pearl Firecracker. Ive been lookin at the Griffen for a while
Almost bought one of these today until I seen this review & you made some really great points. By the time you buy the strainer & butt plate, new snare wires, & heads, a consumer should just go a better made yet more expensive snare that already has a well made shell & hardware because the things you have to buy to get this drum sounding great, you’re basically just stripping the drum down almost completely & you’re only left with a cheap mediocre (at best) drum shell. It’s the epitome of “I went to Vegas & all I got was this ugly shirt” of snare drums lol Great review & thanks for the info 🤙
It’s only really worthwhile if you’re willing to just play it as-is or if you’ve got parts just laying around your drum room. Which some people might fall into either of those categories… you never know.
You are spot on Chad. Even an average drummer wouldn't be satisfied with it straight out of the box. Just kick in some more money and get a decent drum. Just my thoughts. Best wishes to everyone!
I just got mine and i love it. The head that came on it isn't horrible. Reminds me of maybe a thin Remo Suede. Not many snares. Its $38 competitor has more snares but not quite as well built. Still all Chinese parts. The one thing i like is the rim on the top lip is narrow and shorter so it sits lower than normal to the edge of the head and its nice for rimshots. Oh mine has way less snares that i see yours. Dang. 10 im pretty sure on mine.
@@RyanAlexanderBloomi put the 20 strand snares on it and an Emperor clear. Thing is sweeet. So so sensitive even with the thick head. I got the $34 Glarry version too. Just as good. Evans E2 or whatever coated on it. Nice warm tone and a throaty pop.
Yeah that would be cool, but no I haven’t ever gotten around to it. I don’t have a tiny snare side head just laying about and so I never got up the motivation to actually order one… someday.
I just literally did the same video. Unbelievable!!!! My unboxing video was terrible, but watch my review. I’ve had amazing luck with this drum and used it on a few gigs. I love your review as well. Change the heads and give it a chance!
Matteo Corgatelli I don’t get any kickback so I don’t have a link ready or anything. Just search griffin snare on eBay. If they’re still available it’ll pop up.
Popcorn Snare Drum by Griffin | Firecracker 10" x 6" Poplar Shell with Zebra Wood PVC|Soprano Concert Percussion Musical Instrument with Drummers Key and Deluxe Snare Strainer|Beginner & Professional www.amazon.com/dp/B00A7K7DL2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_F6fbCbG4NY6A4
The rim bends very easily, so don't crank it past medium/high tension. It's really not worth the savings.. I have to find a new rim with the same lug pattern after only 2 months.
I bought a 13 picaloe snare it was out of round and delaminated.. they'll replace , you pay shipping which is half the price of the drum. Or they give you 25% money back. To me that's a rip off ended up making it into a mesh head electronic drum. Buyer beware if you get a lemon like me your screwed
Black Beauties are made in the USA, low end in China. DWs are made in the USA or Mexico. Mapex are made in Taiwan. Tama high end is made in Japan... low end in China. So it really depends on the brand and line.
@@RyanAlexanderBloom my point still stands, the majority of items made in china are NOT made in poor quality. just like the majority of items in the u.s are not made in poor quality.
@@RyanAlexanderBloom also Mapex is owned by KHS Musical Instruments. The company's manufacturing headquaters is located in Taiwan. The product is manufactured in China.
@@houseofaction depends on the line, Saturn and formerly Orion were made in Taiwan. Lower stuff is made in China. But I see what you mean. I have a lower Mapex and it’s really high quality. Higher quality than a low end Tama or Pearl. I also buy Chinese bike components quite often, and they seem to work as well as American designed (probably still Chinese made) brand name parts. Chinese manufacturing is getting better, at least in some sectors. Like, I’ve heard that their casting techniques have improved greatly in the last 20 years to where cast parts are just as good there as here… which wasn’t always true.
Right. That’s sort of the reason they call it popcorn. It’s deeper but not as wide as a piccolo. Still higher pitched than a normal snare, but not the same sound, of course. More pop, less ping.
I have the same one I up graded to 16 wire & used Remo coated control or Remo clear w/ black dot. I also replaced the top hoop it was bend. Got a 2.3mm Tom hoop put it on. Sounds fabulous with both Remo heads. With the coated I can get 3 different sounds and clear dot it really sings tuned high the crack is awesome. This is my main snare. I have a black Questlove snare 14” I don’t even use any more. Just for back up only. I also use this 10” with my Yamaha drums. I get a lot of great response from people about my 10 inch.
For a cheap snare drum you can,t beat the price" And it sound pretty nice and with new Remo or Evan heads it will even sound better ! Thanks for posting gonna get me one !
Nice vid. Ryan. Thanks ! And for this price it seems to be a more than decent pop snare.
At the end of the day, a drum is a membrane stretched over an encased cylinder of air. Beyond that the sound comes down to size of drum, then head choice, shell construction, hoops, bearing edges. I can imagine getting some great sounds out of this drum. Thankyou for posting.
Been using mine with a suitcase kit for 3 yrs. No problems. Just changed the top head and it's good to go. Using an Evans Black Chrome head.
I love small snares. Im grabbing one. I have the old Pacific drums 10" and 12" and the steel 10" Pearl Firecracker. Ive been lookin at the Griffen for a while
Almost bought one of these today until I seen this review & you made some really great points. By the time you buy the strainer & butt plate, new snare wires, & heads, a consumer should just go a better made yet more expensive snare that already has a well made shell & hardware because the things you have to buy to get this drum sounding great, you’re basically just stripping the drum down almost completely & you’re only left with a cheap mediocre (at best) drum shell. It’s the epitome of “I went to Vegas & all I got was this ugly shirt” of snare drums lol Great review & thanks for the info 🤙
It’s only really worthwhile if you’re willing to just play it as-is or if you’ve got parts just laying around your drum room. Which some people might fall into either of those categories… you never know.
You are spot on Chad. Even an average drummer wouldn't be satisfied with it straight out of the box. Just kick in some more money and get a decent drum. Just my thoughts. Best wishes to everyone!
I keep hearing that they're decent drums for the money. I might have to pick one up
They do I bought a snare from them and it was great
Don't. If you use high tension your rim will bend within 2 months.. it's not worth the savings.
Pretty good Slam/Grind snare if you ask me
Yup!.... I put a weight on mine and the ping i get from it is awesome
Nice review
I actually like it...
I just got mine and i love it. The head that came on it isn't horrible. Reminds me of maybe a thin Remo Suede. Not many snares. Its $38 competitor has more snares but not quite as well built. Still all Chinese parts. The one thing i like is the rim on the top lip is narrow and shorter so it sits lower than normal to the edge of the head and its nice for rimshots. Oh mine has way less snares that i see yours. Dang. 10 im pretty sure on mine.
They must have changed which wires they are including.
@@RyanAlexanderBloom yeah. Definitely. Still a nice drum
@@RyanAlexanderBloomi put the 20 strand snares on it and an Emperor clear. Thing is sweeet. So so sensitive even with the thick head. I got the $34 Glarry version too. Just as good. Evans E2 or whatever coated on it. Nice warm tone and a throaty pop.
good snare wires and good heads, both pitched way up, will make this a killer little pop side snare. not bad at all.
Ryan please tell me you changed the heads and it sounds amazing now
Yeah that would be cool, but no I haven’t ever gotten around to it. I don’t have a tiny snare side head just laying about and so I never got up the motivation to actually order one… someday.
I just literally did the same video. Unbelievable!!!! My unboxing video was terrible, but watch my review. I’ve had amazing luck with this drum and used it on a few gigs. I love your review as well. Change the heads and give it a chance!
th-cam.com/video/b9fT7x-g21w/w-d-xo.htmlsi=l9liMMdU8CjDVCCF
I rarely play this, but I do still have it. Someday I'll remember to throw some new heads for it on an order for gear... someday.
i want the link to buy it
Matteo Corgatelli I don’t get any kickback so I don’t have a link ready or anything. Just search griffin snare on eBay. If they’re still available it’ll pop up.
They're all over Amazon as well with FREE SHIPPPING! WOOOO!
Popcorn Snare Drum by Griffin | Firecracker 10" x 6" Poplar Shell with Zebra Wood PVC|Soprano Concert Percussion Musical Instrument with Drummers Key and Deluxe Snare Strainer|Beginner & Professional www.amazon.com/dp/B00A7K7DL2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_F6fbCbG4NY6A4
The rim bends very easily, so don't crank it past medium/high tension. It's really not worth the savings.. I have to find a new rim with the same lug pattern after only 2 months.
Maybe they changed the rim lately? I haven’t had an issue with mine.
Nice.
I thought it sounded better without the EQ and effects. haha
Lol really? Aloha from Hawaii
I bought a 13 picaloe snare it was out of round and delaminated.. they'll replace , you pay shipping which is half the price of the drum. Or they give you 25% money back. To me that's a rip off ended up making it into a mesh head electronic drum. Buyer beware if you get a lemon like me your screwed
tim mattthews ouch yeah I guess it’s a roll of the dice. I happened to get a playable instrument by luck it seems.
almost everything is made in china even high quality ludwigs
Black Beauties are made in the USA, low end in China. DWs are made in the USA or Mexico. Mapex are made in Taiwan. Tama high end is made in Japan... low end in China. So it really depends on the brand and line.
@@RyanAlexanderBloom my point still stands, the majority of items made in china are NOT made in poor quality. just like the majority of items in the u.s are not made in poor quality.
@@RyanAlexanderBloom also Mapex is owned by KHS Musical Instruments. The company's manufacturing headquaters is located in Taiwan. The product is manufactured in China.
@@houseofaction depends on the line, Saturn and formerly Orion were made in Taiwan. Lower stuff is made in China. But I see what you mean. I have a lower Mapex and it’s really high quality. Higher quality than a low end Tama or Pearl. I also buy Chinese bike components quite often, and they seem to work as well as American designed (probably still Chinese made) brand name parts. Chinese manufacturing is getting better, at least in some sectors. Like, I’ve heard that their casting techniques have improved greatly in the last 20 years to where cast parts are just as good there as here… which wasn’t always true.
it sounds like an extremely thumpy piccolo snare lmao
Right. That’s sort of the reason they call it popcorn. It’s deeper but not as wide as a piccolo. Still higher pitched than a normal snare, but not the same sound, of course. More pop, less ping.
bro how the hell you play that snare on the kit with those drum hoops that stick up above the head like 5 inches? haha