1987

SNARE DRUMS

Sonor has a long tradition of manufacturing snare drums, which began in the 1890s.
A catalogue from 1899 contains more than 20 different models of snare drums, some of them with brass shells and nickel plated fittings.
The turbulent musical developments of the twenties and thirties lead to improvements and innovations in the making of drums. The "Favorit" model of 1930 already had most of the technical features of a modern snare drum: "Throw-off" snare strainer, fine adjustment of the snares as well as "floating heads".
An especially creative phase began in the early fifties. Sonor technicians designed drums for the future, such as the first snare drum with a central tuning system and a parallel internal muffler, unique at the time.
To this day, the demands on the sound and quality of a snare drum have constantly increased. All of the snare drums shown in this catalogue are manufactured by experienced craftsmen with the help of modern technology.

Snare Drums for all sounds

There are 27 different Sonor snare drum models, with shells from beech, birch or ferro-manganese steel. Everybody will find a snare drum to suit his or her personal idea of

sound, from the clear, transparent sound of the super-flat D420 to the forceful volume of an HLD588.

Which snare drum for which sound?

The metal shell produces a sharp, responsive sound, while the wooden shell generates a fuller, more mellow sound. The deeper the shell, the more volume it projects. The thickness of the shell also influences the sound. Drums with thick shells produce a soft sound with few overtones, while thin shells have distinct overtones and therefore a more brilliant sound.

The "Favorit" snare drum of 1930

Sonor snare drum shells:
seamless feroo-manganese steel shell, 12-ply Signature Heavy shell, 12 ply Signature Light shell, 12 ply Sonorlite birch shell, 9 ply Phonic and Phonic Plus beech wood shell.

The Snare Strainers

The snare strainer must allow the quick and noiseless lifting and release of the snares, while at the same time regulating their resting and tension. There are four different types of Sonor snare strainers:

The Parallel Snare Action

for Signature and Sonorlite Snare Drums was made to satisfy the highest demands. Due to the parallel movement, the snares remain under tension. Every single strand is resting exactly on the snare head and guarantees a precise response of the snare drum at any dynamic level.

Signature snare drum HLD 580 with parallel snare action:
1. turnable lever 2. two adjustments for infinitely variable snare tensioning 3. triple axle guide 4. axle for parallel action 5. height adjustable housing

The "Throw-off"

for Phonic Snare drums is the most popular model. The strainer and butt end allow the snares to be adjusted from either side. Nylon strings have the advantage of a 4-point suspension which allows the perfect balancing of the tension.

The "Throw-off II"

for D508x, D518x and LD547x is an advanced model of the "Throw-off" release. The snares surpass the edge of the head, so that the whole length of the strands is resting even better on the snare head. Furthermore, muffling is avoided since the metal plates of the snare mechanism do not touch the snare head.

The Standard Snare Strainer

for the D420 is a time-tested, easily controllable system. The tension of the snares is adjusted with a knurled screw at the snare butt.