SPARE SNARE REPAIR

Every once in a while I will buy another snare drum on eBay.  I can't really play one worth a crap but I love to tinker with them.  I love to collect them.  When I used to play in bands and whatnot, I always carried an extra snare in case the one I was using broke.  There's nothing worse than breaking a head on your snare or having the wires bust loose in the middle of a gig, except perhaps being served divorce papers in the middle of your marriage.  I've experienced both and that's why I highly recommend a spare snare.  Marriage: not so much.

Here is an orange-sparkle snare drum I picked up some time ago.  It's a cheap 1960's Japanese import but it looks pretty cool and I got it for a good price.  It will make a good back-up snare.  The only problem is, the "lever" busted off of the strainer, which means now I need a replacement that fits the original holes.

IMPORTANT PERCUSSION RESTORATION TIP:
Remember this when it comes to repairing or restoring drums: Never, never, never, NEVER drill new holes into the wood shell.  Doing so exponentially decreases its value, and encourages everyone on eBay to laugh at you if you try to sell it.  Your $300 vintage Ludwig snare has just become $5.00 salvage for parts.  Nobody wants a drum with extra holes.  That's just how it is.

So shopping around on eBay I find another cheap Japanese import that has a matching strainer  Bingo!  That's exactly what I need (as opposed to the "Dirty Woman" that Pink Floyd needs).  Sometimes it is necessary to cannibalize drums to acquire the parts you need to restore others.  Sorry, but it's a drum-eat-drum world out there.  You gotta do what you gotta do.

But in this case I couldn't do it.  When the snare shell arrived, I realized it was in such good condition that I didn't have the heart to gut it.  I was so focused on the "throw-off" as some call the snare strainer, I hardly noticed the beautiful red pearl finish.  This drum was a keeper!  I decided to restore it instead.

As a result, I ended up borrowing parts from the orange-sparkle to finish the red-pearl.  Isn't it gorgeous?!  It turned out magnificently, and it sounds good as well.

The orange-sparkle snare I will work on later.  A Japanese strainer identical to the one on this drum popped up for sale this past week and I successfully snagged it.  And this one did not have a shell attached to it.  So that's my next project.

In the meantime, if you are a drummer who plays on a regular basis for a band or a church, you should always have a spare snare handy.  If that spare needs some work, contact the misplacedmtndude and he'll fix it up for you so that it's ready to go in an emergency.

I like to keep a few spare snares on hand around my house:

.....for no particular reason.....