7 Copper Snare Drums Compared - Which is Best For You?

[@Assimilator702]

I own the Tama Starphonic Copper and it does sound FAT, WARM, FULL BODIED, with just the right amount of crispiness from the snare wires and no wild overtones. It’s perfect with Remo Coated Amb and Remo Hazy Ambassador. It also has a nice soft feel under the sticks. Love it!

[@rickeaton3085]

I too have that snare, Joe. I agree. You can tune it up or down but it sounds and feels great in that mid-tuning space. It's very classy looking too. I love the claws for easy head changes. Great bargain of a snare!

[@leopoldbloom4737]

Me too. Love it!

[@davidgsneath]

Me too. Try it with an Emperor X. Awesome.

[@7319Drummer]

I just bought this snare, put a Remo Coated PS4 batter on it, and 42 strand snare wires. Cranked the batter head and wires and it sounds like Alex Van Halen’s brown sound (1984 album) only slightly ‘warmer’. It’s Beautiful!

[@RodizellMusicalOne]

@@7319Drummer you gotta let us hear that!

[@richboshart1201]

Starphonic clearly had the most body. I have one. Best bang for the buck. Quality and value.

[@dave90mckeague]

The ludwig smashes it. Midrange punch for days

[@samuelfirsht3728]

The Tama is just outstanding. It sounds and feels superb. Couldn’t imagine playing anything better.

[@timurhant469]

Schagerl #1, Tama #2 for me. Both had the fat and punchy, well balanced tone.

[@JaydonTobler]

That Starphonic just got put on my list for the future. I looked up some other videos and from what I can tell, it can handle basically every tuning.

[@jevod9445]

I was a Pearl guy forever but Tama is stealing my heart these days. Love the content guys!!

[@pfunnk14]

That DW surprised me! I never think of them when it comes to copper but this changed my mind. A nice satisfying dry crack. I still love the Ludwig, though. Carter McLean has great demo on how versatile it can be. I was kinda surprised to not see the tama star reserved hand hammered copper on here as that's one of the best out there. Great job again guys. Tony's been killing it with these demos lately!

[@drummaman1]

They used drums that were in their stock. I am certain that if they had a Star Reserve Copper snare in stock, they would've included it in the demo.

[@pheachshorbet916]

I used to tour with a DW copper but with the knurled finish, which gives it a darker, mellower sound. It was an incredible drum, probably my favorite of any I've owned! The sound was so rich but its feel was the best part. Pillowy even at high tension, yet good rebound even with almost no tension. I was playing big rock, so I kept the tuning low. Sound guy absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, a volunteer stage hand knocked it off of a drum riser. Copper is soft. It ovaled out really bad. Totally ruined. I should have bought another one with the insurance money.

[@mattddrums1]

Pheach Shorbet I’m thinking about that knurled DW snare over the rolled bell brass or copper. Sounds like you would recommend the knurled?

[@andyham6094]

Derek roddy has been an advocate for copper snare drums and uses a dw collectors one that always sounded great but I played that and the Tama starphonic and chose the Tama starphonic all day.

[@erikondrums]

My dudes! During these last years, when you started doing these comparisons, you guys are one of my favourite channels! You make the right videos about gear!

[@drumcenternh]

Glad you like them!

[@claudiobarazalopes5172]

Love all. My favorite: A&F. I think it's more dirty and less crispy.

[@grueurgrue2108]

Tama starphonic is my favorite. The price is great too!

[@doranwisner497]

Copper phonic has killer overtones and a wide tuning range...arguably one of the best snares Ludwig has ever made IMHO.

[@RReid]

starphonic is by far the best looking as well as sounding in my opinion. pure artwork

[@TheDayisMineTrebeck]

3:30 it's the diecast hoops guys. Switched my vintage slingerland copper to die cast and it punches so much harder. great video!

[@stromghouls]

the copperphonic is my favorite with the tama. the copperphonic is so rich sounding , it explode with tone. i wished that you included the tama star reserve copper. i think it is one of the finest copper snare.

[@adrianbautista2308]

Schagerl, hands down, was the best sounding. All the others, depending on the day and mood, jockey for 2nd best.

[@bandfromtheband9445]

Agreed!

[@rolandtd2048]

The Tama was my favorite of those...... I just recently purchased my first copper snare drum ever...... From a small custom shop in Michigan called Offbeat..... The Tama reminded me of the sound that this one makes....Jordan at Offbeat allows his copper to patina in some very unique patterns.... His copper drum shells are relatively thin...1mm..... It really seems to make for a fat and warm sound..... Whatever the manufacturer, I think copper makes for a great snare drum sound...

[@Mc-zt7hm]

I just bought the Tama Starphonic Copper snare drum from you guys and it sounds faaaaaantastic!

[@drumcenternh]

Great choice and thanks so much for the support!!

[@dfgvegas]

Y'all in the comments need to quit sleeping on that DW snare! I think that would be the overall value without degradation and sound quality in comparison to the more expensive! Thanks for another great review DCP I'm a brand new Drummer and hooked on the craft already and you guys help me understand the products better than anyone

[@drumfanatik316]

Love copper snares! Great video! My favorite by far is the Tama Starphonic Copper, Then The A & F, DW, then Ludwig.

[@DrummerGrrrl]

Yay! Copper is so underrated. Great video and a load of drool-worthy snare drums.

[@billyhughes9776]

First off I think they all sound good and would be very usable in many situations. For my taste I like the Ludwig best. The others that stood out to me -- Tama, Schagerl and the A&F.

[@zacharysmithingell5460]

Alright I've been on a snare binge recently and I keep coming back to Tama snares, and I think this starphonic copper is my favorite. Just huge.

[@dalekay9ine]

All The mod to higher range TAMA stuff is incredible, and it LASTS! I've had an Iron Cobra pedal for 22 years, no issues- using my road pro cymbal stand I've had since '99 right now, they really are incredible quality!

[@mgdrummer77]

The Ludwig and the A&F were my favorites. The N&C is very consistent with their other alloy classic snares, not a ton of what I'd call "character" but they are surgically precise.

[@joshuatappan2407]

A&F are knocking it out of the park with their snares, every time I hear them I am more and more impressed by their sound. The Ludwig sounded awesome as well.

[@perosa99]

DW and TAMA were the highlights for me. All of them had their charm

[@jeffballou2940]

Liking the DW and the Ludwig the best.. That Gretsch is good as well, a little brighter than the others to my ears

[@victorm.8122]

For sure : TAMA !! I have this one and I love it !!!

[@jermss_]

I've read online some people were saying that it doesn't cut live. do you find that to be the case? I think it has the best tone

[@ramenthenoodle_]

jermss if you want cut, just go with a higher tuning. I personally swapped the hoops with diecast for more beef on rimshots.

[@jermss_]

@@ramenthenoodle_ right on I had no idea you could swap hoops on the starphonic snares. I've always heard they are proprietary. I'm thinking i need to pull the trigger on it, sounds great

[@ramenthenoodle_]

jermss I didn’t think you could either tbh. But I felt like the one thing lacking with their groove hoops was BEEF so I took a gamble lol. All you have to do is back the tension rods out all the way and pull the hooks off. :)

[@jermss_]

@@ramenthenoodle_ that is good to know thanks!

[@davidsuprenant893]

If money was no problem I'd take schageral #1 hands down.Thats a fine fine drum.Best bang for the buck:: I don't think any one does it better than Tama Starphonic line.These are fantastic drums with some of the best hardware on the planet.

[@robinhoodwasasocialist.1401]

David Suprenant wow I actually thought that one was the worst!

[@noostrings]

Great hardware but the hoops are overkill IMO. I have a aluminium Starphonic and changing the hoops for 1.6m triple flanged was the best thing I ever did

[@Eldaino999]

The crack and sensitivity of the Ludwig was my fave

[@horaciobonansinga9070]

1- Ludwig (clean, sensitive and versatile) 2- Tama (crisp and controlled by the die cast hoops) 3- Grestch (rich, medium tone. sound compress by the diecast) Cheers from Argentina🙋🏻‍♂️

[@andyham6094]

Tama doesn’t have die cast hoops, it’s their own special grooved hoop specially for the starphonic range. Not as robust as die cast but allows the freedom lugs to be what they are and still an absolute amazing hoop but not as aggressive as diecast.

[@thomaslejon]

Cant wait with aluminum shells (y)

[@rhythmcaster2018]

I hope Yamaha makes into the list. Curious how they think about it.

[@bandfromtheband9445]

It mostly comes down to how controlled the sound is by either the triple-flanged, or the wood, or the diecast hoops. The Schagerl really did WOW me with it's overall fatness. It may lack just a very little on the attack, but the full tone of it really convinced me. That is my favorite out of this bunch. I just wish I had the dough to run out and get one....

[@drumcenternh]

The Schagerl really stands out to us, too. Very fat and dry, but was by FAR the most sensitive. Very symphonic-like.

[@Drewidx-yz7cv]

Standalone, Schagerl, all day. I bet the A&f would sound best in a mix, though.

[@Manassasjunction]

I've built one myself in the 80s with Tama lugs and strainer. 2.5 mm copper sheet perfectly rounded, cast hoops polished with 000 steel wool and clear laquer-coating. Amb. Top and thin remo snare. This drum was great no matter what kind of tuning. Imho copper absorbs just the right amount of head-vibration to make SDs sounding great. Unfortunately we had no tool to roll copper sheets for Toms and a BD. As far as I remember capelle/France once built a complete set of copper drums. The one I found was too expensive at that time.

[@johncollins5552]

The Shag girl 🥁 has the sound of champions to my ears. It has presence, body, bite, crisp and clear all at the same time. Killer. I don't hear too much separates the rest, I like them all so would go for the cheapest, Lars drum has grown on me, nevermind the haters haha! Great work guys as always.

[@johncollins5552]

To add the N and C is my surprise second, struggling to pick third. That's like maybe 1per cent of a tone difference or something tiny between the rest imho.

[@gt3065]

Schagerl? Never heard of them but OMG!

[@petermasalsky8844]

Not a bad one in the bunch, but I do like the Tama & Ludwig ones a bit more than the rest. Thanks, guys!

[@brucelilly8459]

I think they were all great .I'd love to have one of each. The Tama was the most distinctly different I thought. But all of them ..great. I'd gig any of them.

[@nickolausdiedrichsen8719]

Man that Shane-penny is righteous! Love it!

[@davidwinthrop7077]

All very nice but my 20 year old Yamaha Roy Haynes Signature hammered copper snare takes some beating!

[@antonroe3464]

The Tama and NC for me...

[@kierenmoore3236]

I liked the Ludwig best (the Gretsch wasn’t bad). For a different/deeper sound, I did like the Tama, yeah (with the A&F not too bad).

[@joshkirkwoodrealty3643]

I really like the Ludwig and A&F. That schagerl was interesting as well

[@Diatonic5th]

Ludwig is #1 for me. It has the sweet overtones that I like in copper snares.

[@dannybatdorf6442]

That Noble & Cooley is a BEAST! I'd take that over the rest.

[@joshuatappan2407]

Absolutely loved the sound of these drums. Copper may be the way to go! Really unique sounding, sort of a combination between steel and brass. They have the warmth of brass but the attack of steel. Excellent choice with mixing up the different manufacturers. Learning more and more about drums all the time, thanks to these demonstrations. Doing NH proud.

[@michaelcavazuti3270]

The Noble sounded and looks the best to me....very clean sounding! I'd like to hear more in the smaller sizes!

[@chrisl2466]

Tony sold me the Tama Starphonic Copper 14x7 Snare Drum. Great snare!

[@fl00d69]

DW the winner I think for me. I like crispy. Tama a close second.

[@Nolansparks1244]

For me and I’m surprised. I liked the ludwig the best. My least fav was easily the A&f Second best N&C. Second worst... sadly the Gretsch. Cool Video. Thanks.

[@drumcenternh]

No problem. Thanks for watching!

[@HughMorristheJoker]

Love copper snare drums. Have used them on recordings. Great tones.

[@ericn471]

Hilarious with Shane on the coin in the credits. Top stuff as always from your team. Bravo! :)

[@drumcenternh]

Glad you enjoyed it Eric!

[@paulbrown410]

Well, I was super impressed with the DW and the Tama snares and actually a little disappointed with the Luddy which I thought would be my fav hands down. Definitely going to check out the Tama and the DW in person when all this Covid crap is done. Great video, thanks guys!

[@supmet2]

The A&F and Shagerl were my faves because they had the least ring and a more defined, controlled tone.

[@daverudd9426]

Hell'o !!! That TAMA Starphonic Copper 14x7 is " The Perfect Rock Sound " at 3:28 - 3:36 !!! I'm a big fan of LUDWIG but that Starphonic wins the match by knockout !!! 🤘😈🤘

[@erdelyiszabolcs2]

1. Ludwig 2. Gretsch 3 Shagerl

[@TrackDrums]

DW for me. Nice and crisp.

[@hfddbm]

Mike Bordin signature

[@rgalindo7021]

Liking the Tama Starphonic! ✊

[@dreamdrummer01]

Ludwig, Tama and DW my favourites, in that order. The A&F not bad!!

[@krandletie1054]

My favorite copper snare was a Trick one that Shane demoed a few years back. It sounded fantastic.

[@robburgess4556]

Loving the overdubs! 🤣 Seven! 🤘

[@adamfrost8417]

Seamless edits

[@Slipstreamaudio]

The Tama (beefy, controlled, great snare response) and Ludwig (open, raw overtones and great snare response) are killer. Having said that, they all sound great and are totally useable….player would be the biggest difference.

[@SunchildRecords]

A&F Raw and Ludwig were impressive. Keep the a Demos flowing.....🌟

[@ramonkey2939]

I own 3 Ludwig copper snares and a INDeDrumLab copper snare the ones you have here are very nice thanks for the video

[@robpittman3132]

Would love to see Brass/CoB/NoB comparisons! One of each from DW, Gretsch and Ludwig in the same sizes

[@andyham6094]

Definitly. Add in the Tama slp black brass as well.

[@escobanhc1307]

oh boy very nice! i played the Tama today. because it has so much beef i´ve tuned it a little higher and omg this is beyond words!. for 550 EUR street price worth every penny.

[@styxmarchuk]

That Tama sounds greatest

[@ToddTheJoker]

A&F is over-rated but Ludwig always has a special sauce they put in the construction of all their snares..love them.

[@thesneakygamer4343]

Todd Roy not a huge fan of A&F either. I just feel like they are more about image. I know they are made well but I haven’t heard one that blows me away. I also am looking at that Ludwig.

[@ToddTheJoker]

@@thesneakygamer4343 I have 3 Ludwig snares and love them.

[@KiphartAZ]

-- I liked the Ludwig snare best. It had a thinner sound and a crisp attack. -- I was pleasantly suprised with the Schagerl drum. That was a close second. -- I was a little displeased with the A&F snare. It seemed dull. And the Noble & Cooley sounded thin, but hollow. Maybe I expected too much from them? To me, they're known for their heavy, solid wood shells. So... A fun review. Thanks from Arizona!

[@terrywinkle6010]

Ludwig Copperphonic wins for me - great tone and body with a broad tuning range.

[@robertomorales6488]

Great sounding snare drums, all of them. I’ll take the DW.

[@drmayo10]

Tama surprised me. It was my favorite.

[@supra865]

I really liked the Tama and DW. It wasnt in your video but the Mapex Predator copper is also a great sounding snare.

[@fabiocacchioli9074]

I like the DW and Tama. Both sound great.

[@loko306]

I loved the DW and the Tama!

[@supmet2]

Noble and Cooley - Tama - DW - A&F - Schagerl - Ludwig - Gretsch

[@karlmaanum4286]

Definitely the Tama. I own three Starphonics including the Copper and absolutely love it. Seems fatter and more unique compared to the rest. I have to admit the DW was very crisp. Wasn’t expecting that.

[@cyclopsamurai]

Hello! How does your copper Starphonic compare to your... brass??

[@karlmaanum4286]

@@cyclopsamurai honestly I love the brass as a universal snare drum for a metal snare. The copper has some wood characteristics and is warmer than the brass. The DW is similar in sound to a Ludwig BB but $200 cheaper. Hope that helps.

[@damianphelps648]

@@karlmaanum4286 Thanks. I went w Starphonic brass and it's been awesome with a Black Max batter. It's really pretty perfect!

[@jeffreyalexander7504]

I liked the Ludwig and the Noble & Cooley. I'm a Gretsch guy, I have 2 round badges sets and I love them. But the Gretsch drum decays too quicky, which is typical of Gretsch drums. Works for toms (in my ears) but not so much for snare drums. I have a USA Custom (wood) snare, I took off the dye-cast hoops and put on flanged hoops. That opened the drum up nicely. Ludwig has always made amazing snare drums!

[@portley777]

Copperphonic, Schagerl , Gretch and DW are all good ;)

[@geovannisouza4846]

DW Cooper amazing sound !!

[@roybeckerman9253]

TAMA..warm and classy. 👍🏿

[@ThomasMetal75]

That Ludwig and Tama! I play an 8" deep copperphonic and like the warmth and dark edge it has with the perfect amount of cut initally, which is what I like about my copperphonic, but that Tama snare was thick as mentioned with good definition and warmth. Either sound like my kind of drums!

[@Monsterdrumma]

The Ludwig then the Schagerl.

[@remygaron8311]

Ludwig et a&f for me but l like em alll 👏👏👏🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦💪🏻💪🏻

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

😍😍😍🤤🤤🤤🤤🥰 Copper snares.....I'm gonna have to build one soon....

[@qlqnen]

That Tama is nice and throaty. None of them sounded bad, but the Schagerl doesn't justify its price from sound alone. It's more of a collector's item. All the rest sound and look great. Tama and DW compete for the top spot, I was a bit disappointed with the N&C. But as said, all of them sound good and differences are quite minor. With the correct head and tuning any of these would probably work in just about any situation.

[@James1623]

I preferred the Noble & Cooley

[@echohawk9579]

Tama star hand hammered copper FTW

[@WardenOnDrums]

First of all, they all sound dope. I'm a fan of copper; even though I still don't own one (I'm trying to find the right one atm)... but my favs have to be the D dubs and the Ludwig 👌

[@rle440]

My favorite was all of them .

[@LESNOUVELLESAVENTURESDUREEL]

No doubts the TAMA is the best. warm deep and powerfull.

[@anthonyn1312]

I love DW 🤩🎉💞💗😻❤️ collector series 6.5 inch Copper snare drum

[@Jokilldrum]

The Tama sounds best to me. Dw , af, nc, the rest no particular order as I found them to close to call

[@palesama]

NC has more resonance than the rest, and a quick lovely decay. 💜 A&F sounds the driest for me 👏👏👏 Tama Copper is fatter so its sound. Nothing to do with Lars' signature drum. But you are the experts, not me. I think you were having fun bullying around with this 😂 I would leave DW at the end, that Gretsch has more character and an awesome elegant look. 🎩 However, I'd like to say Tama is the best because I have one, but NC sounds the best.

[@crifox16]

-dw: wow! probably the most balanced of the bunch -gretsch: sounds pretty choked. pass -ludwig: a bit more tame than the dw, nice ring -a&f: super fat, also sounded the best coupled with the kick, maybe the fact they're both a&f has something to do with it :v -schagerl: perfect, that sustain is unbeatable. so good it sounds like a trigger sample out of the box. by far the best -n&c: similar to the ludwig but with even more ring and less fundamental. eh, i'll pass -tama: and i thought the a&f was fat :v this guy is throaty yo tl;dr: #1 schagerl, #2 dw, #3 a&f

[@georgepelekoudis]

🥇N&C. Great depth, and excellent piece of art to own. Stay safe guys :)

[@davidsuprenant893]

I'm a very big fan of the starphonic line.I wish they would of done this drum in the 14x6 size.The #1 spot for me goes to A &F,and a close 2nd would be schageral. They just out shined the rest.

[@biglittlepeakester]

I heard Jack Bruno playing an AK (not A&F) 6.5x14 copper a few weeks ago. It was DELICIOUS. Around $1300 I think. A lot of comments here about the TAMA. I am not a big TAMA fan but this one got my attention. Checked it out at a local drum store. It weighed about 200 lb. Amazingly deep body however.😊