Snare drum >> 8 or 10 lugs?

[bfulton]

So, eight lugs puts less hardware on the shell. Ten lugs, I think, would improve tuning accuracy in some way.

What’s the thinking on this choice?

 

[EvEnStEvEn]

8 is enough
in my experience

 

[tradrad]

i can't say id swear by the 'science' of it all, but with every snare i've ever had...20's - present circa...8's tended to sound more open and played 'loose' (for lack of a better terminology!) while 10 lug drums, while more precise in the 'note tuning', for some reason sound/feel tighter...¿choked?...but not in that boxy sorta way...maybe the word i'd use is 'clinical'. every orchestral snare i've ever loved was a 10 or 12 lug drum i just had a long chat with gregg keplinger about this very conundrum...

 

[Fifty9Dunes]

I prefer 8 on wood but 10 on metal.

 

[lossforgain]

I prefer 8 all around. I find them easiest to tune and get a great sound quickly.

 

[multijd]

10 or 12. Although 8 is ok. Never 6.

 

[JazzDrumGuy]

Vintage wood, prefer 8. Rarely 6. Metal 8 is ok but most of my metal are 10. 10 on metal takes away warmth IMO and 8 on metal isn't crisp enough......

 

[K.O.]

I went through this dilemma when spec-ing out my Duluth Bronze shell a bit over a year ago. I prefer 8 lugs but don't mind ten. I was going to go with 8 but figured since this was to be a "high end" snare drum I should probably put 10 on it . Part of this was because more is usually interpreted as "better" and if I ever went to sell the drum I figured 10 would have a better market. Of course I never plan to sell the drum (it's awesome) but that notion was a factor in my final decision.

On wood shells, I generally feel ...

 

[shuffle]

Metal 10
Wood 8

 

[Rock Salad]

I have two near identical steel snare drums one with eight and one with ten lugs. The eight lug one holds medium and low tensions much better, maybe because of more tension per lug (on the batter side.) Doesn't seem to matter much on the snare side. So the ten lug gets a Diplomat and higher tension on the batter than the snare side, and the eight gets an Ambassador and lower tension on batter than snare side. The fundamental pitch is same/similar but they sound and play quite differently.

 

[Jordan Blue]

never more than 8 but 6 is also good.

 

[bassanddrum84]

I don’t care that much about stuff like that. Give me a drum and a tuning key.

 

[pgm554]

I play mostly rudimental chops on my snares ,so 10 works best for me.

I own one 8 that is 14 inches and two that are 13 inches.

As the saying goes ,better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

 

[Toast Tee]

I only have 1 8 lug snare. It's nothing special. It's a Pearl Session Maple. Although it's not worth much, and it pretty no frills, it sounds incredible tuned high, with an Ambassador.
So, in my only experience with an 8 lug, I love it.
That being said, it seems all the top snares $ wise are 10 lug. I hear they stay in tune longer....idk, the Pearl stays in tune fine

 

[ian.thomas]

Behind the set - 8. Orchestral performance, especially recorded/studio 10. 10 allows for higher tuning without getting choked.