Pearl Chad Smith Signature

The Chad Smith snare is a 5"x14" black nickel coated steel snare, outfitted with 2.3mm flanged hoops, 10 bridge-style lugs, and a Gladstone style (vertical) strainer. It was originally outfitted with a Remo coated Ambassador batter, snare side Ambassador, and 20-strand chrome snares.

I found the 2.3mm hoops are fine for most tuning ranges, although people who prefer a drier sound or crank the tuning might want to replace them with die cast hoops. The strainer worked well, much easier to throw on and off than a horizontal one, although under looser tension it would sometimes unhinge itself due to the weight of the strainer.

The snare has a quick, cutting, loud tone. The steel shell gives it a bright attack and plenty of overtones, which some drummers may find overbearing. The medium-shallow shell means it is sensitive and articulate at the expense of some body and depth, which works better for faster styles of rock music. And the steel shell, when tuned up, is one of the loudest snares I've heard.

I initially used muffling heads (Evans Genera, Dry, HD, etc) which provided a shorter tone and cut the overtones. After a couple years, I switched to Evans ST heads which increased the attack and brightness substantially. Finally, I switched over to coated G1's which gave it plenty of ring and sensitivity.

Finally, I used this snare with the factory hoops for most of the time, which gave it plenty of ring, but a kind of "warm" ring. Switching to die cast hoops increased the volume and crack and reduced the ring a bit.

The snare held up very well over 10 years of use and plenty of gigging. I did replace the washers with plastic ones to protect the chrome of the hoops. I believe that the lug screws started to come loose in the later years, which could easily be remedied with a little Loc-Tite. The finish held up relatively well, although it did get scratched with heavy use.

This snare is a great choice for most kind of rock music. It's loud and somewhat aggressive to cut through heavy distortion. It can back off somewhat and is articulate for busier passages. I received compliments at nearly every live and studio gig I used it.

The volume is great for unmiked gigs but may be a bit much in the studio or some smaller venues. People who prefer a dry drum sound will likely want to use some muffling heads or external muffling.

Overall, I owned this drum for about 10 years and played it for thousands of hours. I had to sell it because I wasn't drumming at the time and needed money, but I wouldn't hesitate to pick one up in good used condition. I may opt for a black nickel brass snare next time just because I'm not playing the heavy/aggressive music I used to, but it's a wonderful drum and great value.