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I got (one of) the cheapest new aluminium snare drum(s) available: a DrumCraft Vanguard 14x5,5 for € 199 at Thomann:
www.thomann.nl
I have to say, it is great value for money: it sounds great, looks nice (not cheap at all), is easy to tune and comes with decent Remo UT heads.
It works without issues as well, although the tension rods and strainer could use a bit of grease.
The strainer is the swivel type which I quite like and is nice to find on an entry level snare.
BTW: they should fire the idiot who put the cheapish drumkey loose inside the bag the snare came in!
Luckily, it hadn't scratched the nice brushed finish of the drum (during shipping) but it easily could have.
All in all, a nice snare to add to your collection as well as a great starter snare.
And cheap at € 199 for an aluminium snare, the next step up seems to be the Tama LAL1455 Sound Lab Snare at € 349.
You could upgrade to better heads and still have enough cash to spare.
For reference, I already own 4 alu snares: 2 Acrolites (a 14x5 gunmetal and a 14x6,5 Black Galaxy), a 14x6 Tama Starphonic and 14x8 Sonor Kompressor.
Each sounds a bit different and the Vanguard performs quite well compared to them.
DrumCraft 14"x5,5" Vanguard Snare Alu.
Snare Drum Size: 14" x 5.5", Vanguard Series, 1.2 mm thick aluminium shell, 45° Bearing edge, Chrome hardware, 1.5 mm steel hoops, Remo UT drum heads, Dry and focussed sound with fast decay
www.thomann.nl
I have to say, it is great value for money: it sounds great, looks nice (not cheap at all), is easy to tune and comes with decent Remo UT heads.
It works without issues as well, although the tension rods and strainer could use a bit of grease.
The strainer is the swivel type which I quite like and is nice to find on an entry level snare.
BTW: they should fire the idiot who put the cheapish drumkey loose inside the bag the snare came in!
Luckily, it hadn't scratched the nice brushed finish of the drum (during shipping) but it easily could have.
All in all, a nice snare to add to your collection as well as a great starter snare.
And cheap at € 199 for an aluminium snare, the next step up seems to be the Tama LAL1455 Sound Lab Snare at € 349.
You could upgrade to better heads and still have enough cash to spare.
For reference, I already own 4 alu snares: 2 Acrolites (a 14x5 gunmetal and a 14x6,5 Black Galaxy), a 14x6 Tama Starphonic and 14x8 Sonor Kompressor.
Each sounds a bit different and the Vanguard performs quite well compared to them.
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- it is a step up from the Vanguard which is fairly simple.
