I love that you are honest!! A supraphonic will!! I have a 1970 5 by 14 supra. Does everything I want. Fantastic drum. Still doesn't take away my desire to own one of Johnny's drums!!!
I've saw several Craviotto snares at once at Maxwell's Drum Shop in Chicago about 10 years ago. I got to play a couple of them and I fell instantly in love. If I had a Craviotto, I would never sell it, unless it was to get another Craviotto I liked more.
I had mine made in 2005: A Collector's 14x5.5 DW/Craviotto (fire branded craviotto logo inside) with Emerald Fade and black hardware. It was my first high end snare drum and I still have it in the studio. A very special drum.
Welcome to the world of drumming! Thanks for the kind words. Be sure to put some time in practicing tuning in addition to your paradiddles 😉Cheers! -Ben
I have a spalted heritage maple 14x4 made by Greg Gaylord right before he started working for Craviotto. Single piece of wood. Signed on the inside. I got it at Steve Maxwell drums in Manhattan. Such an amazing drum I was very lucky to find it. Best snare I’ve ever played. I didn’t know you guys were based in Brooklyn that is awesome
These are some really special instruments and it was a pleasure to talk shop about them with you. We'll be releasing some more performance/demo type footage in a separate video on our Facebook page: facebook.com/SoundsLikeADrum/videos/286844628530781/
Thanks for watching! Craviotto has done great things. There are a handful of other companies out there that have taken such care and attention to detail but it’s not likely to ever be reached by and mass manufacturer. Cheers!
Great vid. I own a 2002 DW Craviotto...14x5.5 Maple...signed by the man himself. Mystical drum....going with me to the end. Used it so much gotta replace the lugs and maybe refinish it.
I learn so much from every single video! Thanks so much for your expertise, knowledge and pure love for drums. I am now officially on the search for a Craviotto 13" birds-eye maple . That snare is stunning and sounds amazing!
Sounds Like A Drum I have run across that 14 x 6.5" stacked Craviotto snare.... Signed by the master himself in 2014. Is there any glue between the stacks and how does that affect the sound?
I've never disassembled one of the stacked drums before but I would certainly assume that both sections are glued. This may inhibit some of the transfer of energy from the batter to the reso side of the drum, though that's a bit of a given considering there would be two different types of would being used which likely transfer energy different. That's just speculation on our part though.
This video is very special to me.First I was lucky enough to meet Johnny craviotto at one of Steve Maxwell's open house and talk drums with him.Very passionate man,drums were his life.second,I bought my first craviotto in 2013.6_1/2 _14 maple with the inlay.For a solid shell snare I would say I'm very pleased.That drum does everything I could ask for in a wood drum. When I bought that drum they sold for $1325.00. Mine is signed by johnny as well. I got a music stores website the other day and there selling the new ones for $1000.00 I kinda thought maybe they would go up in value.!!! If anybody knows why please respond.
Is it new ones selling for $1000? If so, like many collector items, the older models, especially the ones made by say, the founder, will be worth more. Since yours is built by and signed by him and he is no longer with us, if you should need to sell yours ( I stress need!) it would probably fetch a lot. New ones being less expensive is probably indicative of them making their process less expensive and competition with other high end drum makers.
I have a Pearl 50th Anniversary solid shell snare. I hate golden hardware but apart from that it is awesome. It can indeed be tuned fairly low and super freaking high. Love that snare to pieces!!
Holy wow did not know that you did this video after looking at your other snare drum reviews! I’m going to pull out my Timeless Timber and massage it now! Thanks guys cheers… Keith
Lucky bastard lol 😂 jk , the best snare I’ve got is a ddrum aluminum/nickel it’s called a vintone and it is a beast I generally wouldn’t touch most of any ddrum stuff but this snare crushed everything I put against it a pork pie , DW , sjc, and a black beauty no joke , was gunning for a collectors and a crack head had just hocked it and all the workers at the store were talking about how diesel it was so I played all the snares on kit with my eyes closed my buddies switched it out for me and what a dramatic difference with that snare , a lot of people don’t know about this snare but the creator of this video does and he agrees that it’s a beast , lmk if you ever tried a vintone ?
I haven't been lucky enough to find a Crav on CL, but I do have a late 40's RK I rescued and basically rebuilt. Your description of single ply shells is spot on. Mine has engraved stick choppers on it, so rim clicks are just amazing. I found mine on reverb in horrific shape. I pulled the hardware and all the glue let go (hide glue). I glued the scarf joint back together, and couldn't be happier. I only owned a couple wood snares up until then. I was all aluminum and brass. It is hands down my favorite sounding snare now. Granted, bringing it back from the dead does give it more meaning, but removing that, single ply snares are truly the best.
Sounds Like A Drum I own close to a 100 snares and along the way I always meant to buy one but always seem to purchase something else. I see these are available though not top tier they are being built right at Craviotto. I feel they would not be putting John’s name on it if they themselves weren’t satisfied with the snare. For the price and to finally own a Craviotto it will feel good to add to my collection. You are the best. You respond to questions and your professional attitude towards drums are appreciated by many.
I got a good deal on a Maple 14x6.5 on FB Marketplace (Johnny C Series? Diamond Series?) and it's interesting: I've had the opposite experience. The drum sounds totally unique, but I found I had to be super meticulous to get it sounding good. On top of that, I haven't discovered its low tuning range at all, but I'm also going from using a mahogany 6 ply 14x8 Gretsch with 8 tube lugs and 42 snare strands which has spoiled me in terms of fat/low sounds. I've found that its the opposite of a workhorse for me so far: it really seems to work best in a medium-medium high range. Maybe the plastic spacers on the lugs are throwing me off; rather than it being a smooth tuning process on the batter head, the lugs click into place as you turn. I'll have to do some more work; it sounds beautiful especially with rim shots and has a loudness that's warm rather than biting, but it's wound up so far being the most specific and finicky drum I've owned.
Nice! I've been waiting for this video 🙂... Proud owner of a 2014 super swing 14x7 here... With wood hoops and also with a Kentville head as it happens... Do you guys have any experience with the super swing series? Wondering how they compare to the drums in this video...
Hello, I am looking for a craviotto , id like to have the vintage sound ( example like old jazz festival by Ludwig ) which wood and size you will recommended it ? id like a body sounding snare. Thank you
Hey there! Honestly a solid shell drum like a Craviotto isn’t going to nail the sound of something like a Jazz Fest, but if you’re really feeling a Crav I’d tell you to look for one with 30 degree or baseball-bat bearing edges. That will influence the sound much more dramatically than the wood choice. -Cody
Great video, but I have to ask, what makes these Craviotto Steam Bent Snare Drums better and worth more than any Noble & Cooley Steam Bent Solid Shell Snare Drum..? Especially in light of the fact that N&C is the innovator of both "nodal point mounting" and low mass hardware.!
Honestly I think people are paying a premium for the name and popularity. There are many differences, edges and snare beds especially. A/B with my N&C that I’ve had for 20 years they’re completely different animals. It really just comes down to preference in the end. I’ve been through a lot of drums and never sold the Noble so that’s gotta tell you something :) -Cody
Just wondering...On the Noble & Cooley video you said you had the N&C 20yrs ago and in this video you say you did not really own a very nice snare drum until the Craviotto. Does that mean you prefer the Crav? I have a N&C just like yours except everything is Black (special edition 1995). The only other snare I have is my early 80's arcolite. I use the N&C for almost everything. I'm looking at the Craviotto 5x14 birdseye Private reserve and a black beauty with brass hardware diecast. I might be able to get both but that will be about all the snares I will ever purchase. I play all style and just looking to add some really nice snares. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Hey there! Yeah that was somewhat of a mis-speak on my part, the crav was the first time I spent a lot of money on a new drum (the noble came used and pretty cheap), and I personally find the crav to be more versatile. The overtones on my noble send me reaching for muffling more often and it’s a much drier drum somehow at the same time. The tuning on the noble can be a bit more finicky because of the nodal lugs - the head tensions interact and when you change one the other shifts slightly. Honestly I play my acrolite more than anything these days :) -Cody
Thanks for the recommendation! We don't own any drums with parallel strainers at this time and don't have much experience with them. This might be something we get into in the future but we'll likely start off with a comparison of other strainer types.
I don't know if anyone makes them anymore. Ludwig stopped about three years ago. Premier had a nice one about 30 years ago (www.notsomoderndrummer.com/not-so-modern-drummer/columns/english-classics-nick-hopkin/premier-2000-snare-drum) and Rogers had the Dynasonic which has recently been re-released (www.rogersdrumsusa.com/snare-drums/). The easiest one for you to find is probably the Ludwig. Just ask your friends. I'm sure someone you know has one. I had one years ago and to date, it's the best snare drum I've ever played. I only sold it because it was too expensive for me to replace the snare wires back then.
So does Noble & Cooley. And if you want something really special, Spirit Drums Australia makes drum sets out of hollowed out (not bent) pieces of ironwood. Even the bass drum is made of a single piece of wood (Craviotto bass drums are 2 pieces glued together - the center inlay hides the seam).
If Pearl hit's us up! Feel free to send them a message and let them know you'd like to see some Pearl Free Floater snares featured on our Snare Spotlight series. We've got some more classic drums that we'll be diving into in the meantime.
I've owned about three or four Craviotto drums and they certainly are very nice. I'm very fortunate to live in New York and in 2011, I visited Steve Maxwell's drum shop on 7th avenue in Manhattan, which isn't far from me. I've owned a 5x14 cherry snare drum with 45 edges, A 6.5x14, curly maple w/inlay, with 45 edges, a 6.5x14 Private Reserve curly maple with 45 edges and a walnut, 6.5x14 with 30 edges. They were all nice. My favorites were the cherry and walnut. They had a lot of character. My ears seem to not prefer maple but these other two woods. With that being said, these drums are not without their shortcomings. First, I sold all of them because I found something to be lacking in every one of them. They are very appealing and sound really good but are not applicable in every situation. I've owned approximately 20 snare drums in my time. I've had copper, steel, brass, wood, 5's, 6's, 8's, in 13 and 14 diameters. The tube lugs require maintenance and often enough, the tension rods cross-thread and don't back in and out they way they should. I never experienced that with other drums I've owned. Those lugs are made by an outside source(The way most drum companies do it) and look really nice but for the prices you pay for Craviottos, this is a huge disappointment. Then, the drums don't always sound so good in the lower tunings. they excel in the mid to upper mid and sometimes, choke in the higher tunings. This was also a disappointment and thus, why I say they're limited to a vintage to a semi-modern sound. This also depends on what type of wood you choose or is offered and don't forget, every piece of wood, although a similar species, possesses different tonal and performance characteristics. What I'm saying is that some drums will sound exceptional and some will sound very average, with nothing special about them separating them from the rest! That goes for every instrument but since Craviotto drums are held in such high esteem, I think it's worth mentioning this. The Craviotto drums are very nicely finished but there are other drums that are very close. Again, for the money, they should be. Are Craviotto's worth the monies that are charged for them? Are they the Stradivarius of modern snare drums? I bring you to Noble and Cooley. Pretty much around the same time, if not slightly earlier than Johnny Craviotto started reintroducing the solid-shell snare drum to the music industry, Noble and Cooley created their solid-shell interpretation of snare drums to the modern music world in the early 80's. I didn't have any of these fine drums to try, except an occasional used one at a random dealer(If you're lucky to find one). I took the chance, after missing my walnut Craviotto and ordered a N&C, SS, walnut with matching walnut re-rings in a 6x14 size and 45 edges. I was blown away! The quality, fit-and-finish of the N&C was beautiful. The drum was beautifully finished inside and out. Noble and Cooley make, in-house, their own lugs, throw-off, shells and have their snare wires and hoops made, exactly to their specs. Everything works great and no problems. The lacquered shells are awesome and showcase the grain of every shell, magnificently! I love the satin finished Craviotto drums but these N&C lacquered/polyestered drums are beautiful! N&C finishes their drums, in-house, as well and if you want a lacquered Craviotto, they send them somewhere to be done! The sound goes from a vintage, to a modern, to it's own unique sound. The thing I love about N&C is, they hold their lower tunings very well and their higher tunings don't coke the drum's resonance out of the drum. Some drums do this because of certain factors I cannot explain. The Craviottos do choke out in the higher tunings. Customarily, N&C's were originally offered with die-cast hoops. I heard that N&C was considering raising their prices because quality materials and craftsmanship are expensive, let's face it and the Craviottos and N&C's are both, very high quality instruments and I'm not trashing Craviotto here. I still admire them. N&C asked their dealers what they thought about offering their drums with triple-flanged hoops. They explained that it was either that option or just raise their prices and keep going with the die-cast hoops. The dealers suggested that other solid-shell manufacturers use triple-flange and that it may allow their shells to resonate more freely, so they tried it. If you ask me, that was one of the best decisions that N&C ever made! I feel it made their drums more open, versatile and competitive with the many, many, solid-shell snare drum offerings that are available today. You have Longo, which I've also owned, in a 5x14 cherry. That drum was okay. I sold that drum, as well. Same issue with the tube lugs and that particular cut of cherry was very midrange sounding and not much else. That is just mother nature, mostly but Neil Longo makes drums in much smaller batches than many other drum makers and they're not finished or offered quite like the Craviotto's and the N&C's are. In my opinion, I think the N&C's and the Craviotto's are the best solid shell snare drums on the market or dare I say, in the world! I'm saying all of this to just pinpoint to try them all out and make your decision for yourself. I've tried dozens of snares, owned almost a couple of dozen of them and as far as wooden snares go, I wouldn't personally play anything but my N&C SS snare drums. I'm actually considering a third one. Oh, I also bought an N&C, cherry, 5x14 snare drum, recently. beautiful figuring and it rivals the Craviotto with it's fit and finish. The selling point is not the price but to me, the N&C, sounds better! Nice lows and sizzling highs! A fellow musician once told me that it is good to have an open instrument with a lot of tone that you can always tone down. You cannot bring it up or tone it up but you can always contain or lower it. For me, that's what separates the N&C from the Craviotto! I had a sales manager tell me he felt that N&C snare drums were very, 'harsh' sounding. That was before I bought one! I disagree! The N&C's are great and are still made by family members, who are direct descendants of James Cooley. The N&C company was founded by Silas Noble and James Cooley in 1854 and made snare drums that were used, in battle in The Civil War of The United States. They're made here, in the U.S., like the Craviottos but for me, N&C, hands down. The last thing worth mentioning here is that I paid less than $1000.00 for each drum. I bought a Craviotto, a few years ago, for almost what I bought both of my Noble and Cooley, SS snare drums for. That's the kicker! No, I don't work for N&C. I just love them! :)
Man thanks for taking the time! I got my Cravs a long time ago too and couldn’t justify the prices they run for now. And believe it or not my first wood snare was an N&C and I love it to this day. Incredible instrument :) -Cody
I think there is also one aspect worth of consideration: plywood consists of at least few numbers of wood layers. Each layer is quite thin and quality control of each wood sheet could be done more throughout. Wood is not as consistent and homogeneous as metal that's why one solid piece of wood board can contain more imperfections in structure than thinner one piece of plywood (for example: 0,6cm wood board thickness vs. 0,06cm sheet of plywood thickness). I think steam bent snare drum cut from one piece of wood board is more primitive (so to speak) than plywood. The rest is matter of personal taste in sound - not this is better than that etc.
It's definitely subjective. Primitive or not, solid shell steam bent drums will almost always offer a greater range of tuning and dynamic sensitivity due to the single piece of material. Given that these drums weren't exactly mass produced, with each one receiving the touch and expertise of Johnny C. I wouldn't be very concerned with the existence of imperfections in the shell. If it wasn't a good drum, they weren't putting it out on the market. Again, it's nice to have options, be it ply shells, solid shell, stave/segment, or any other variation. Cheers!
![Tom Reso[lution] Tuning | A Pattern of Change](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dHCCCFE3xPU/mqdefault.jpg)
We have to be clear, here : this channel is the best drum-related channel on TH-cam ; period.
Thanks guys.
*_Ok guy we get it, you love it right?_* 😜
I love that you are honest!! A supraphonic will!! I have a 1970 5 by 14 supra. Does everything I want. Fantastic drum. Still doesn't take away my desire to own one of Johnny's drums!!!
I've saw several Craviotto snares at once at Maxwell's Drum Shop in Chicago about 10 years ago. I got to play a couple of them and I fell instantly in love. If I had a Craviotto, I would never sell it, unless it was to get another Craviotto I liked more.
I had mine made in 2005: A Collector's 14x5.5 DW/Craviotto (fire branded craviotto logo inside) with Emerald Fade and black hardware.
It was my first high end snare drum and I still have it in the studio. A very special drum.
I really enjoyed your considered and intelligent analysis. Top job, thank you.
That 6.5x14 walnut sounds like a dream. What I wouldn’t give to have one of those…
Great video and very educational. Thank you 🙏🏽
I discovered your channel three weeks ago, and I took my first lesson two week ago.
love your channel that's contagious !
Welcome to the world of drumming! Thanks for the kind words. Be sure to put some time in practicing tuning in addition to your paradiddles 😉Cheers! -Ben
Great post! God Bless JC
Thank you for for this and all your videos. Great info and I love my 14 x 6.5 Craviotto snare.
A budy of mine has a craviotto snare. One of the nicest drums I've ever played.
Solid shell snares are awesome. I have an oak N&C. It’s my favorite snare.
Great video. Love all the different snares you guys go over . A lot of options . This helps . As always thx
I have a spalted heritage maple 14x4 made by Greg Gaylord right before he started working for Craviotto. Single piece of wood. Signed on the inside. I got it at Steve Maxwell drums in Manhattan. Such an amazing drum I was very lucky to find it. Best snare I’ve ever played. I didn’t know you guys were based in Brooklyn that is awesome
These are some really special instruments and it was a pleasure to talk shop about them with you. We'll be releasing some more performance/demo type footage in a separate video on our Facebook page: facebook.com/SoundsLikeADrum/videos/286844628530781/
Mind blown.
Wonderful post. Thank you and God Bless JC!
They sound really nice.
These drums are very tasteful 👀😍🥰
Great vid.. Thanks for the history too!
Great video yet again. Thanks guys.
Thanks for the support!
Fantastic Info! Thank you!!!
just convinced me to bring my Radio King 14x6,5 to the studio this week.. its been sitting silent for too long :-)
A fitting tribute to John who passed 2years ago. Imho the
Craviotto drum company is the
Gold standard that all others fail
to reach.
Thanks for watching! Craviotto has done great things. There are a handful of other companies out there that have taken such care and attention to detail but it’s not likely to ever be reached by and mass manufacturer. Cheers!
Great video guys! I love my Johnny C maple, hugely versatile and tonal. Great snares for sure.
Roger Anglin yes and no. I liked his videos but I'm a librarian who plays fps games.
Great vid. I own a 2002 DW Craviotto...14x5.5 Maple...signed by the man himself. Mystical drum....going with me to the end. Used it so much gotta replace the lugs and maybe refinish it.
I learn so much from every single video! Thanks so much for your expertise, knowledge and pure love for drums. I am now officially on the search for a Craviotto 13" birds-eye maple . That snare is stunning and sounds amazing!
Best of luck! They're hard to find, especially the deeper drums. Thanks for watching!
Sounds Like A Drum I have run across that 14 x 6.5" stacked Craviotto snare.... Signed by the master himself in 2014. Is there any glue between the stacks and how does that affect the sound?
I've never disassembled one of the stacked drums before but I would certainly assume that both sections are glued. This may inhibit some of the transfer of energy from the batter to the reso side of the drum, though that's a bit of a given considering there would be two different types of would being used which likely transfer energy different. That's just speculation on our part though.
This video is very special to me.First I was lucky enough to meet Johnny craviotto at one of Steve Maxwell's open house and talk drums with him.Very passionate man,drums were his life.second,I bought my first craviotto in 2013.6_1/2 _14 maple with the inlay.For a solid shell snare I would say I'm very pleased.That drum does everything I could ask for in a wood drum. When I bought that drum they sold for $1325.00. Mine is signed by johnny as well. I got a music stores website the other day and there selling the new ones for $1000.00 I kinda thought maybe they would go up in value.!!! If anybody knows why please respond.
Is it new ones selling for $1000? If so, like many collector items, the older models, especially the ones made by say, the founder, will be worth more.
Since yours is built by and signed by him and he is no longer with us, if you should need to sell yours ( I stress need!) it would probably fetch a lot.
New ones being less expensive is probably indicative of them making their process less expensive and competition with other high end drum makers.
I have a Pearl 50th Anniversary solid shell snare. I hate golden hardware but apart from that it is awesome. It can indeed be tuned fairly low and super freaking high. Love that snare to pieces!!
Holy wow did not know that you did this video after looking at your other snare drum reviews! I’m going to pull out my Timeless Timber and massage it now! Thanks guys cheers… Keith
Lucky bastard lol 😂 jk , the best snare I’ve got is a ddrum aluminum/nickel it’s called a vintone and it is a beast I generally wouldn’t touch most of any ddrum stuff but this snare crushed everything I put against it a pork pie , DW , sjc, and a black beauty no joke , was gunning for a collectors and a crack head had just hocked it and all the workers at the store were talking about how diesel it was so I played all the snares on kit with my eyes closed my buddies switched it out for me and what a dramatic difference with that snare , a lot of people don’t know about this snare but the creator of this video does and he agrees that it’s a beast , lmk if you ever tried a vintone ?
I haven't been lucky enough to find a Crav on CL, but I do have a late 40's RK I rescued and basically rebuilt. Your description of single ply shells is spot on. Mine has engraved stick choppers on it, so rim clicks are just amazing. I found mine on reverb in horrific shape. I pulled the hardware and all the glue let go (hide glue). I glued the scarf joint back together, and couldn't be happier. I only owned a couple wood snares up until then. I was all aluminum and brass. It is hands down my favorite sounding snare now. Granted, bringing it back from the dead does give it more meaning, but removing that, single ply snares are truly the best.
That sounds like quite an amazing drum! Thanks for sharing the story. Cheers!
Really enjoyed this one. Had a Craviotto limited cherry that I parted with some years ago. Mistake.
Thanks for watching!
Indeed! Where’d it go?!
Do you think a 14x5.5 Birdseye Maple like yours with 45/45 degree bearing edges is a useful addition to my 14x7 Cherry 30/30?
i have a unix 14x8 african mahogany solid steam bent in transparent burgundy gloss. it is thunderous.
Have you tried the Craviotto Heritage Series? If so, what do you think? Thanks.
Not personally but I’m curious for sure - I like the specs, seem like a modern Radio-King kind of thing. Hope to see one! - Cody
Sounds Like A Drum I own close to a 100 snares and along the way I always meant to buy one but always seem to purchase something else. I see these are available though not top tier they are being built right at Craviotto. I feel they would not be putting John’s name on it if they themselves weren’t satisfied with the snare.
For the price and to finally own a Craviotto it will feel good to add to my collection.
You are the best. You respond to questions and your professional attitude towards drums are appreciated by many.
I got a good deal on a Maple 14x6.5 on FB Marketplace (Johnny C Series? Diamond Series?) and it's interesting: I've had the opposite experience. The drum sounds totally unique, but I found I had to be super meticulous to get it sounding good. On top of that, I haven't discovered its low tuning range at all, but I'm also going from using a mahogany 6 ply 14x8 Gretsch with 8 tube lugs and 42 snare strands which has spoiled me in terms of fat/low sounds. I've found that its the opposite of a workhorse for me so far: it really seems to work best in a medium-medium high range. Maybe the plastic spacers on the lugs are throwing me off; rather than it being a smooth tuning process on the batter head, the lugs click into place as you turn. I'll have to do some more work; it sounds beautiful especially with rim shots and has a loudness that's warm rather than biting, but it's wound up so far being the most specific and finicky drum I've owned.
Nice! I've been waiting for this video 🙂... Proud owner of a 2014 super swing 14x7 here... With wood hoops and also with a Kentville head as it happens... Do you guys have any experience with the super swing series? Wondering how they compare to the drums in this video...
Nice video, what bearing edge do you pref?
Hello, I am looking for a craviotto , id like to have the vintage sound ( example like old jazz festival by Ludwig ) which wood and size you will recommended it ? id like a body sounding snare. Thank you
Hey there! Honestly a solid shell drum like a Craviotto isn’t going to nail the sound of something like a Jazz Fest, but if you’re really feeling a Crav I’d tell you to look for one with 30 degree or baseball-bat bearing edges. That will influence the sound much more dramatically than the wood choice. -Cody
@@SoundsLikeADrum which shell, walnut , maple or poplar ? 6.5x14?
I am lucky to own a Craviotto Lake Superior snare.
Congrats! Those are some fine instruments. -Ben
Steambent shells sound fuller in the mix. Isn't it?
Any chance on making a Brady episode??
If we get out hands on one we will for sure :) -Cody
Great video, but I have to ask, what makes these Craviotto Steam Bent Snare Drums better and worth more than any Noble & Cooley Steam Bent Solid Shell Snare Drum..? Especially in light of the fact that N&C is the innovator of both "nodal point mounting" and low mass hardware.!
Honestly I think people are paying a premium for the name and popularity. There are many differences, edges and snare beds especially. A/B with my N&C that I’ve had for 20 years they’re completely different animals. It really just comes down to preference in the end. I’ve been through a lot of drums and never sold the Noble so that’s gotta tell you something :) -Cody
@@SoundsLikeADrum Amen.! :)
*_Maple wins every time._* 👀
Just wondering...On the Noble & Cooley video you said you had the N&C 20yrs ago and in this video you say you did not really own a very nice snare drum until the Craviotto. Does that mean you prefer the Crav? I have a N&C just like yours except everything is Black (special edition 1995). The only other snare I have is my early 80's arcolite. I use the N&C for almost everything. I'm looking at the Craviotto 5x14 birdseye Private reserve and a black beauty with brass hardware diecast. I might be able to get both but that will be about all the snares I will ever purchase. I play all style and just looking to add some really nice snares. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Hey there! Yeah that was somewhat of a mis-speak on my part, the crav was the first time I spent a lot of money on a new drum (the noble came used and pretty cheap), and I personally find the crav to be more versatile. The overtones on my noble send me reaching for muffling more often and it’s a much drier drum somehow at the same time. The tuning on the noble can be a bit more finicky because of the nodal lugs - the head tensions interact and when you change one the other shifts slightly. Honestly I play my acrolite more than anything these days :) -Cody
Consider an episode covering snares with parallel strainers, a la Ludwig Super Sensitive.
Thanks for the recommendation! We don't own any drums with parallel strainers at this time and don't have much experience with them. This might be something we get into in the future but we'll likely start off with a comparison of other strainer types.
I don't know if anyone makes them anymore. Ludwig stopped about three years ago. Premier had a nice one about 30 years ago (www.notsomoderndrummer.com/not-so-modern-drummer/columns/english-classics-nick-hopkin/premier-2000-snare-drum) and Rogers had the Dynasonic which has recently been re-released (www.rogersdrumsusa.com/snare-drums/). The easiest one for you to find is probably the Ludwig. Just ask your friends. I'm sure someone you know has one. I had one years ago and to date, it's the best snare drum I've ever played. I only sold it because it was too expensive for me to replace the snare wires back then.
Great but no rimshot?!
Keep an eye out for an update in the pinned comment/follow us on Facebook for a full performance demo coming soon.
Question: does anybody make steam bent bass drums and toms?
Yes- Craviotto does among others
So does Noble & Cooley. And if you want something really special, Spirit Drums Australia makes drum sets out of hollowed out (not bent) pieces of ironwood. Even the bass drum is made of a single piece of wood (Craviotto bass drums are 2 pieces glued together - the center inlay hides the seam).
Pearl Free-Floater Snares next???
If Pearl hit's us up! Feel free to send them a message and let them know you'd like to see some Pearl Free Floater snares featured on our Snare Spotlight series. We've got some more classic drums that we'll be diving into in the meantime.
I've owned about three or four Craviotto drums and they certainly are very nice. I'm very fortunate to live in New York and in 2011, I visited Steve Maxwell's drum shop on 7th avenue in Manhattan, which isn't far from me. I've owned a 5x14 cherry snare drum with 45 edges, A 6.5x14, curly maple w/inlay, with 45 edges, a 6.5x14 Private Reserve curly maple with 45 edges and a walnut, 6.5x14 with 30 edges. They were all nice. My favorites were the cherry and walnut. They had a lot of character. My ears seem to not prefer maple but these other two woods. With that being said, these drums are not without their shortcomings. First, I sold all of them because I found something to be lacking in every one of them. They are very appealing and sound really good but are not applicable in every situation. I've owned approximately 20 snare drums in my time. I've had copper, steel, brass, wood, 5's, 6's, 8's, in 13 and 14 diameters. The tube lugs require maintenance and often enough, the tension rods cross-thread and don't back in and out they way they should. I never experienced that with other drums I've owned. Those lugs are made by an outside source(The way most drum companies do it) and look really nice but for the prices you pay for Craviottos, this is a huge disappointment. Then, the drums don't always sound so good in the lower tunings. they excel in the mid to upper mid and sometimes, choke in the higher tunings. This was also a disappointment and thus, why I say they're limited to a vintage to a semi-modern sound. This also depends on what type of wood you choose or is offered and don't forget, every piece of wood, although a similar species, possesses different tonal and performance characteristics. What I'm saying is that some drums will sound exceptional and some will sound very average, with nothing special about them separating them from the rest! That goes for every instrument but since Craviotto drums are held in such high esteem, I think it's worth mentioning this. The Craviotto drums are very nicely finished but there are other drums that are very close. Again, for the money, they should be. Are Craviotto's worth the monies that are charged for them? Are they the Stradivarius of modern snare drums? I bring you to Noble and Cooley. Pretty much around the same time, if not slightly earlier than Johnny Craviotto started reintroducing the solid-shell snare drum to the music industry, Noble and Cooley created their solid-shell interpretation of snare drums to the modern music world in the early 80's. I didn't have any of these fine drums to try, except an occasional used one at a random dealer(If you're lucky to find one). I took the chance, after missing my walnut Craviotto and ordered a N&C, SS, walnut with matching walnut re-rings in a 6x14 size and 45 edges. I was blown away! The quality, fit-and-finish of the N&C was beautiful. The drum was beautifully finished inside and out. Noble and Cooley make, in-house, their own lugs, throw-off, shells and have their snare wires and hoops made, exactly to their specs. Everything works great and no problems. The lacquered shells are awesome and showcase the grain of every shell, magnificently! I love the satin finished Craviotto drums but these N&C lacquered/polyestered drums are beautiful! N&C finishes their drums, in-house, as well and if you want a lacquered Craviotto, they send them somewhere to be done! The sound goes from a vintage, to a modern, to it's own unique sound. The thing I love about N&C is, they hold their lower tunings very well and their higher tunings don't coke the drum's resonance out of the drum. Some drums do this because of certain factors I cannot explain. The Craviottos do choke out in the higher tunings. Customarily, N&C's were originally offered with die-cast hoops. I heard that N&C was considering raising their prices because quality materials and craftsmanship are expensive, let's face it and the Craviottos and N&C's are both, very high quality instruments and I'm not trashing Craviotto here. I still admire them. N&C asked their dealers what they thought about offering their drums with triple-flanged hoops. They explained that it was either that option or just raise their prices and keep going with the die-cast hoops. The dealers suggested that other solid-shell manufacturers use triple-flange and that it may allow their shells to resonate more freely, so they tried it. If you ask me, that was one of the best decisions that N&C ever made! I feel it made their drums more open, versatile and competitive with the many, many, solid-shell snare drum offerings that are available today. You have Longo, which I've also owned, in a 5x14 cherry. That drum was okay. I sold that drum, as well. Same issue with the tube lugs and that particular cut of cherry was very midrange sounding and not much else. That is just mother nature, mostly but Neil Longo makes drums in much smaller batches than many other drum makers and they're not finished or offered quite like the Craviotto's and the N&C's are. In my opinion, I think the N&C's and the Craviotto's are the best solid shell snare drums on the market or dare I say, in the world! I'm saying all of this to just pinpoint to try them all out and make your decision for yourself. I've tried dozens of snares, owned almost a couple of dozen of them and as far as wooden snares go, I wouldn't personally play anything but my N&C SS snare drums. I'm actually considering a third one. Oh, I also bought an N&C, cherry, 5x14 snare drum, recently. beautiful figuring and it rivals the Craviotto with it's fit and finish. The selling point is not the price but to me, the N&C, sounds better! Nice lows and sizzling highs! A fellow musician once told me that it is good to have an open instrument with a lot of tone that you can always tone down. You cannot bring it up or tone it up but you can always contain or lower it. For me, that's what separates the N&C from the Craviotto! I had a sales manager tell me he felt that N&C snare drums were very, 'harsh' sounding. That was before I bought one! I disagree! The N&C's are great and are still made by family members, who are direct descendants of James Cooley. The N&C company was founded by Silas Noble and James Cooley in 1854 and made snare drums that were used, in battle in The Civil War of The United States. They're made here, in the U.S., like the Craviottos but for me, N&C, hands down. The last thing worth mentioning here is that I paid less than $1000.00 for each drum. I bought a Craviotto, a few years ago, for almost what I bought both of my Noble and Cooley, SS snare drums for. That's the kicker! No, I don't work for N&C. I just love them! :)
Man thanks for taking the time! I got my Cravs a long time ago too and couldn’t justify the prices they run for now. And believe it or not my first wood snare was an N&C and I love it to this day. Incredible instrument :) -Cody
They sound great. Probably less time talking and more time playing suggested.
Thanks, Carl! We’ve got extended performance demo cuts of our videos on our Patreon.
Prefer the maple...but the cost 😳
Yep, it’s not a hobbyist snare.
Need
A worthy investment for most any professional drummer.
I think there is also one aspect worth of consideration: plywood consists of at least few numbers of wood layers. Each layer is quite thin and quality control of each wood sheet could be done more throughout. Wood is not as consistent and homogeneous as metal that's why one solid piece of wood board can contain more imperfections in structure than thinner one piece of plywood (for example: 0,6cm wood board thickness vs. 0,06cm sheet of plywood thickness). I think steam bent snare drum cut from one piece of wood board is more primitive (so to speak) than plywood. The rest is matter of personal taste in sound - not this is better than that etc.
It's definitely subjective. Primitive or not, solid shell steam bent drums will almost always offer a greater range of tuning and dynamic sensitivity due to the single piece of material. Given that these drums weren't exactly mass produced, with each one receiving the touch and expertise of Johnny C. I wouldn't be very concerned with the existence of imperfections in the shell. If it wasn't a good drum, they weren't putting it out on the market. Again, it's nice to have options, be it ply shells, solid shell, stave/segment, or any other variation. Cheers!
That make sense! Anyway, thanks for interesting and informative videos! Cheers!