Firecracker Snare Drum by Griffin

Love love love this lil drum, firecracker is an apt name because it sounds like one, Fantastic value! I can'ty believe the quality of this snare drum for the low price. Sturdy and solid, all the hardware is solid and the sound is great. Highly recommend and will be purchasing more stuff soon!

Out of the box, this snare is "boingy". Lots of overtones and buzzing. It can be tuned to a great sound, however, and you can't beat the price. Start by buying a new batter head for the top. A Remo Ambassador coated snare head sounds great on this little snare. (The instructions that come with the snare recommend replacing the head.) Now, disengage the snare wires using the throw off, turn the drum over, and loosen the bottom head until the lugs are just barely starting to grab. You are now going to tighten the bottom head until it is very tight. I tightened mine two full turns (each 180 degree twist of the drum key is a half turn) on each lug. That gives a great snare response. Tap near each lug to make sure the tone is the same all around, then re-engage the snare wires and adjust them. The next tuning trick is an adaptation of the snare tuning by Udo Masshoff. You can watch his video on YouTube, but it is for a large snare with 10 lugs. This snare only has 6. I adapted Udo's technique with trial and error to remove the "boinginess" and get a good snare crack. Loosen the top ring, put on the new head, then tighten down the ring until the lugs just barely grab. Pick the lug at the top, at 12 o'clock, and tighten it about 1.5-2 turns. The lugs to the right and left of this, tighten about 1-1.5 turns. Leave the bottom lug, at 6 o'clock, barely tight. The lugs to the left and right of the bottom, tighten about 0.5 turns. This will result in a rough tuning. Tap the head and tinker with the sound, keeping the 12 o'clock lug very tight, the 6 o'clock lug much looser, and the lugs between at some intermediate tightness. (Watch Udo's video if you need a demonstration.) The less tension on the 6 o'clock lug, the less "boingy" the snare will be. The four side lugs will fine adjust the tone of the snare. I tuned mine to A 220 and it really pops. Tuned patiently, this snare had no ringing or buzzing in it and did not need any moongel. Happy playing!

Great for $40

With a little bit of tuning and deadening, this little snare can sound better than my mini LP snare. Worth it if you need another snare or want to use for an abbreviated set. In my case, I have it mounted on a cajon that has a peddle. A few extra pieces of percussion and you have a superb travel set.

I know this is inexpensive. I get that. But I was a little shocked at the low quality of the snare throw off attachment. It does work, but it is all thin stamped sheet metal. I thought it would have a 7/8" hole for a tom arm mount. It does not. Not a big deal, I can do that myself, but it was a little disappointing. Drum heads are fine. I'm satisfied with the drum, certainly not sending it back, but don't expect name brand quality. But, you have saved at least $100.

Finally received it after fedex delivered it and placed it in the wrong box, never provided a code to access. With a little tweaking it sounds good.

Okay, this baby needs work, for sure. But I mean, if you're expecting a quality snare at that price, you've got to be kidding yourself. This is an effect snare, or a back-up snare. Out of the box it's not going to be great, and they even hint at that in the item description. You're going to want to replace the drum heads, and possibly even the snares (which I did). On the stock heads, the snare rang a lot. The solution is to use moon-gel, duct tape, or in my case, I bought an internal mute from Ludwig. The internal mute really kills the ring and gives the instrument a lot of versatility. I also went ahead and installed a L-rod bracket onto the side of the snare drum, with a tom mounting arm, with the purpose of mounting the snare to my hi-hat stand, removing the need for a snare-stand. Now it's one of my favorite pieces of my drum set and one I will be taking gigging on those smaller gigs or parking garage rehearsals! Mounting arm: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004NHKOJI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Internal mute: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LPUSJM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 L-rod bracket: https://smile.amazon.com/Gibraltar-SC-STL3-Super-Mount-Screw/dp/B0002F7EQQ/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1479418187&sr=8-9&keywords=gibraltar+tom+mount Snares: https://smile.amazon.com/PureSound-Super-Snare-Wire-Strand/dp/B001APXNE4/ref=pd_rhf_cr_s_cp_5?ie=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B001APXNE4&pd_rd_r=4QQJ9J1EVT2GQHTVAEVS&pd_rd_w=I6rHG&pd_rd_wg=om5zr&psc=1&refRID=4QQJ9J1EVT2GQHTVAEVS

Right out of the box, a great little drum for the price! So much fun to play! Worked great in my bop set and suitcase set. Loved it! Bargain price with a solid sound for a 10" snare!

The drum is well made and sound quality excellent .