The snare drum is one of the most important parts of a drum kit. It provides the backbeat, and it’s the drum that you play the most, along with the bass drum. Drummers tend to use multiple snare drums at different times, thanks to the variety they can bring.
Many shell packs don’t even come with snare drums, leading drummers to buy them separately from the kits they purchase. If you need a new snare drum or you’re planning to start a snare collection, you may be wondering what the costs are.
This guide will give you everything you need to know about snare drums and what makes some more expensive than others.
Most snare drums cost between $100 and $2000. Beginner snares cost between $100 and $250, intermediate snares cost between $250 and $600, and professional snares cost $600 and upward.
It’s good to understand the differences between those categories, as it allows you to know exactly what sounds and hardware quality you’re getting.
The best way to categorize snare drums in price ranges is to separate them into beginner, intermediate, and professional categories. The beginner snare drums are the most affordable, the intermediate ones cost slightly more, and the professional ones have the highest prices.
Checking the price tag of a snare is the best way to tell if it’s a beginner, intermediate, or professional snare. However, there are a few other aspects to look out for.
The type of wood or material used to make the snare is a big determining factor. Hardwood and poplar are mostly used for beginner snares, with some being made from steel as well.
If a snare drum is made from maple, birch, mahogany, or any other wood commonly found in great drums, it’s most likely an intermediate or professional snare. When it comes to metal snares, steel can also be used in higher-quality ones.
It’s a bit harder to differentiate between intermediate and professional snare drums. The best way is to check the price tags. Pro snare drums typically have better design features, but that’s not always the case.
Beginner snare drums typically cost between $100 and $250. Even though these snare drums are labeled as “beginner options,” they’re fantastic choices for many drummers to get. If you put a high-quality drumhead on them and tune them well, they can sound amazing.
Some snare drums from popular intermediate kits fall under this price range. Even though they’re from intermediate kits, we’d still call them beginner snares. When buying snare drums individually, the quality margin is a bit higher, so those snare drums aren’t as good as many other intermediate and pro snares.
The Pearl Utility is one of the best beginner snare drums on the drum gear market. While we said that most beginner snare drums are made from poplar or hardwood, this one breaks the rule. It’s the maple shell that gives the snare drum lots of warmth.
It costs around $200, giving it major value for money. On top of the maple shell, it also has triple-flanged hoops, which are very durable and provide a strong rim shot sound.
The snare tends to sound better when tuned medium or high. The snare isn’t the most responsive, making low tunings sound a bit flat.
The other part of this snare that makes it a beginner option is the simplistic snare throw off design. It works well, but it doesn’t offer anything amazing.
Intermediate snare drums cost anywhere from $250 to around $600. You’ll find a lot more wood and metal types being used for these, and many of them have very attractive hardware features.
Intermediate snares are the most commonly bought ones since their prices are still somewhat affordable, and they sound amazing.
Also, drum kit shell packs in the intermediate and pro range often don’t come with snare drums, so drummers tend to look for snare drums in this price range to complete their kits.
Many drum companies have elaborate lines of intermediate snare drums. To list some examples, Mapex has the Armory line, and Tama has the S.L.P. line.
Other brands just have large snare drum options that form part of a drum kit line, such as Pearl’s Masters Maple snares and DW’s Performance Series snares.
The Yamaha Recording Custom Snare Drum is a classic example of a drum that falls within the intermediate price range. It’s a proper working drummer’s snare, but it’s a lot more affordable than many luxury snare drums available.
It has a 1.2mm brass shell that gives it plenty of volume. Metal snare drums are also very responsive, so your ghost notes come out quite clearly when playing this snare. It’s called the Recording Custom for a good reason, considering the fact that it works so well in studio settings.
The sound is enhanced by the 2.3mm Yamaha Dyna Hoops. These are triple-flanged hoops that open the tone up a bit.
The throw off on this snare is noticeably better than the one from the Pearl Utility. It feels smoother, and it’s a lot quieter when you switch it on and off.
Professional snare drums have the widest price range. Some cost $600, while others cost $2500. These are the best snare drums that different drum brands make, and many of the highest-priced snare drums are from custom drum companies that have put an incredible amount of work into them.
You’ll find all the best hardware features, best shell combinations, and best tones from snare drums in this category.
DW is known to be one of the best drum brands out there, and their Collector’s Series drums are the top line to pick from. Any snare drum in the Collector’s Series range is going to be a professional one with a high price tag.
For this review, we’re looking at the Collector’s Series Titanium snare drum. You won’t find too many snare drums being made from titanium, giving this one a unique edge over many pro snare drums.
The titanium shell gives the snare a very dry and husky tone. It’s a bit less aggressive than other metal snares, but it’s still punchy enough to be distinctly heard.
The hardware used for this snare is what gives it the “pro” feeling. The 3mm triple-flanged hoops feel incredible to play, and they boost the quality of the snare significantly. The snare has DW’s MAG throw off along with a 3P butt plate, giving you plenty of room for customization.
Overall, it’s a top-quality snare drum that many drummers dream of owning.
If you’re a beginner drummer, you should start with the most affordable gear possible that still has high design quality. So, a beginner snare drum is your best option. You’ll be spending between $100 and $250 to get one of those.
Just make sure that the snare comes from a reputable drum brand. The quality won’t be assured if it’s from a smaller brand. The snare will probably sound quite weak if it costs less than $100 unless you get it secondhand.
To ensure that you’re getting the best beginner snare drum possible, you should get a snare from one of the following drum brands:
Mapex
Pearl
Tama
PDP
Yamaha
Gretsch
Ludwig
Sonor
Those are all the major drum brands, with DW being excluded from that list as they don’t make beginner snare drums.
Beginner snare drums will have the lowest-quality tones. They’re not as responsive, so you won’t get as much dynamic variation from them. However, they’re great options for new drummers.
Intermediate snare drums have better tones and more responsiveness, but they don’t have hardware features that are as good as what you get with professional snare drums.
Professional snare drums give you the best of what’s on offer from every brand. You get the best throw offs, counter hoops, and shell materials.
One of the great things about snare drums is that all of them offer something different. Many professional drummers have large collections of them, and they end up using beginner or intermediate snares on certain occasions because they like how they sound.
The type of snare drum you get shouldn’t depend on your level of playing. It should depend on the budget you have. Most intermediate snare drums are more than capable of being used professionally, so don’t feel the need to spend all your money on a top-tier snare.
With that being said, professional snare drums will sound, feel, and look amazing. If you’re happy to spend the money, you can’t go wrong with a pro snare.
Drum Teacher
Brett Clur has a Drum Performance Diploma from Trinity College London has been playing drums for over 20 years. He is passionate about advanced concepts and uses his years of experience to teach his students about them. While he is a full-time drum teacher, he is also working on growing a YouTube channel where shares his insights. You can see him playing there, or on Instagram where he posts daily videos.
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