Ludwig Supraphonic and Black Beauty Snare Drum 6-Way Shootout!

[@dancoffman4336]

The first 6 are my fav's...

[@alexg4284]

Mine's the Ludwig

[@bepoondrums7093]

Black Beauty 1:05 - 3:02 - 3:09 Crome Over Brass 1:24 - 3:21 - 3:29 Copper Phonic 1:43 - 3:40 - 3:48 Supraphonic 2:03 - 3:59 - 4:07 Raw Brass 2:22 - 4:18 - 4:26 Supraphonic Bronze 2:42 - 4:37 - 4:46

[@ricardogonhin]

These markers are so useful, thank you!

[@just82much51]

Your time stamp breakdown was VERY helpful!! Thank you!!!

[@nixonuriel816]

instablaster.

[@Timotolas]

Thank you!

[@Eric_Cartman83]

BB for the win

[@Mikas_Emil]

LM402 just sounds fantastic.

[@anthonycostanzo3012]

Still love the good ole Supra (LM402)

[@user-xe6gx6wh4g]

I heard this vid and chose the LM402. My favorite all the way. I love the drum and the inspiration it gives to me. The only problem I have with it is it takes up too much room in the bed.

[@jmdrummer7]

I own the Supraphonic aluminum and the raw brass, love both, Ludwig for life!

[@DrummerGrrrl]

That Raw Brass snare was amazing. Such great lows. But the Black Beauty was THE winner for me!

[@MarkOnDrums1976]

I have the black beauty 6.5 and raw brass in 8" depth and love both.

[@3stann78]

Black Beauty for me!😍

[@just82much51]

I’ve listed to and watch A LOT of drum shoot out / comparison videos and NO ONE does it better than you guys!!!!

[@Juniscrazy]

Always love the aluminum sound. Lm402 is just my favorite but all sound great

[@Tyler_Wilson]

Black Beauty wins it for me! Supraphonic in close 2nd

[@jedfriedland1520]

That is how I heard it much to my surprise.

[@JeromeDayUniverse]

I agree ! Yes

[@portley777]

Absolutely, spot on. The other drums, however, might come to life in a different tuning.

[@monkeyxx]

same here followed by raw brass and bronze in 3rd/4th place

[@pearldrummer7217]

Got same results.

[@68PieceDrumKit]

The one I enjoyed the most was the raw brass, loved it’s tonal quality.

[@johnniesmith3041]

Black Beauty.. All the way!!

[@TXMusicDrummer]

For me personally, the Copperphonic had the most personality with that dark overtone. Black Beauty and Superphonic are most familiar. Bronze was interesting to a degree. Only drum I didn't like was the raw brass shell even though it looked the coolest of the six. While overtones were as pronounced as the copper, it wasn't as pleasing to my ears.

[@todds6048]

Agree 100% with your evaluation. I've had my eye on the Copperphonic for a few years now, and besides the very cool look... it seems to have the most personality.

[@jove1155]

I have the Copperphonic and BB, they tune vey similarly, but the Copper has an extra something I just love. Btw, that Raw Brass needed better tuning, Im sure it would sound better tighter.

[@ramencurry6672]

The standard Supraphonic is the most boring sound but in some ways it’s best for blending in with songs without being a distraction

[@mattnewell5414]

I know I’m rolling up fashionably late for this exchange, but you’re all crazy. The raw brass is an incredible drum, possibly the nicest and most musical of the bunch. The LM402 always sounds good and it’s probably the default snare sound that we recognize due to it being the studio standard for the past 50 yrs ❤

[@STIKLYFE410]

​@mattnewell5414 I was thinking that same thing while I was reading thru comments, like wtf are these dudes smoking...me personally i feel like the raw brass is the best snare that Ludwig has period!!!

[@JanPatrickLucas]

Black Beauty on top of the heap...….quite fitting fellows. That's the way I hear it, but they're all bangin' drums - no wrong decision. This was a fantastic idea for a demo, Great job DCP!

[@drumcenternh]

Thanks for watching!

[@1111Paiste]

@@drumcenternh From a question above: "...can someone explain why the COB should sound any different from the BB nickel plated brass ? I have owned both in the 5x14” size and they sounded EXACTLY the same, as one would expect them to. So I’m confused - please, no sarcasm - this is just an honest question."

[@floridabeardedwoodworker]

I CALLED TODAY AND ASKED A FEW QUESTIONS YOU GUYS WERE SUPER HELPFUL!!! THANKS!!!!

[@drumcenternh]

Glad we could help! Stay safe, brother.

[@emperortrasparente3254]

From what I hear, the Black Beauty is the most cutting.

[@1life2pono]

Nothing beats the LM 402!

[@cajundaddy64]

I would have to go with the Black beauty and the LM402 and Bronze tied for 2nd. The copper deserves a mention too.

[@mariotelaro]

your drum sounds on all these latest videos are just outstanding. it's really nice to hear these drums recorded and mixed well

[@seanskeete1905]

They all sound great. Supraphonic, black beauty, and chrome over brass standout for me. But the raw brass is nice too.

[@TraceyChattaway]

Thank you Tony and Tom. I really appreciate hearing the different sensitivities - vey helpful.

[@jakethepitador2558]

It's those Dave Weckl signature sticks that make the drums sound so good.

[@kirstensray]

Black Beauty Copper Phonic Supraphonic Bronze

[@gregpeller1499]

"Oh sweet Lord! THOSE were my picks also in that exact order...

[@douglasmackenzie5265]

Very interesting! I just wish you had thrown a 6.5x14 Acrolite into the mix.

[@DavidEpstein]

It's a dangerous thing to add the Acrolite, Supralite, and Black Magic to a comparison like this. Those cheaper metal Ludwig drums sound so good, they might discourage folks from buying the drum that costs 3 times as much.

[@DavidEpstein]

The Acrolite is already drier and slightly darker than the Supraphonic even unhammered. I believe there was a hammered drum called Acrophonic at one point, though I'm not sure what the exact specs of that drum were.

[@rushxanthemtcg5607]

@@DavidEpstein a 6.5 acrolite goes for the same as a 6.5 supra because they have the same lugs and shell. Now a 5 inch supra and acro is a different comparison. The acro has 8 lugs to the supras 10 at that depth, and the acro is cheaper.

[@rushxanthemtcg5607]

The 6.5 acrolite is only different from the supra in the style of the lugs, so it's not really a useful comparison.

[@robevans6599]

@@DavidEpstein I’ve got an Acrophonic, fantastic drum. Basically an Acrolite with supra fittings. I may be wrong but I was told the shell is 1.6 mil thick, whilst a standard Supra is 1.7 mil.

[@LyndaWhite-ju1gj]

I love all Ludwig snares.

[@JasonWelchMusic]

Black Beauty definitely my favorite... But the winner is whoever gets to own any of these drums. They ALL sounded excellent.

[@bubinga_basher]

I’ve got the Raw, and Supra. Raw is surprisingly dry, and can be nice change for recording. The lm402 is still my go to, and most versatile snare I own. The Copperphonic’s rim shot sounded incredible! I know it’s not a Ludwig, nor part of this test, but recently used the Gretch Bell Brass. Wow! May be the best sounding snare I ever played?

[@Martin-kn6vc]

I'm usually a fan of Supraphonics, but now I'm considering whether to get a Black Beauty instead... It had more of a low end punch compared to the Supraphonic. The Raw Brass sounded great too!

[@keithwillett1109]

I’ve owned both. Can’t go wrong with either. The BB has more of a ringing resonance though… 🥁😎

[@daveeccles1181]

Black beauty for me

[@jesseknorr9052]

I use to always think black beauty from all the videos and recordings I’ve heard of it. But then I went and actually played on these drums and I have to say the Raw brass is spectacular

[@emilioparedes7466]

I like Supra COB..!! Nice open sound, nice feel..!

[@Jetty-xd9yc]

You guys always get down to the nitty-gritty without any cheesy sales pitch. You give your honest opinion's and that goes a long way in this industry. I'll keep my mid 80s black Galaxy acrylite. "4 now"

[@chiefwarrior2567]

That raw brass is an underrated piece of equipment

[@andrewyka]

I Loved Ludwig!!! I us Supersensitive Alloy!!! Great!!! 40 Year and I in Loved Studio / Live !!!

[@JJ_Squillario]

if you have to choose one, go with the bb. it is the best snare I have ever owned, and it can tune in any way you want it to. It fits any playing style. I have tried to make it sound bad, but I can't. I hope this helps somebody.

[@rhythmista7707]

As a former Ludwig player, i must say, that the new copperphonic and raw brass sound perfect. But as always and for the past 50 years or so, the supraphonic is THE snare drum sound of all time.

[@ramencurry6672]

The aluminum Supraphonic is great because of that “bland” sound which means that it blends in well with songs in studio recordings. For my home studio that snare is in my collection

[@DrGray_Drummer]

I always end up going back to the 402 Supra. Idk, same heads, same tunings? They're all going to have their different sweet spots. Just got a Raw Brass..Liking it. Much warmer than I had anticipated.

[@payableondrummer]

Raw Brass has the coolest rock sound, Bronze is the prettiest (subjectively), and the Supraphonic seems like the most useful. Love my LM402 but damn do I want the rest of these lol

[@szymonbaranowski2574]

You guys are doing a splendid job with those videos, thanks so much!

[@drumcenternh]

Thanks for watching, we're glad you like them!

[@Henry-uv9xu]

Brass shell - Dense, focused, medium brightness. Aluminum shell - Bright, airy sound. Copper - Darker airy sound. Bronze - Dark, dense, focused sound.

[@MrVoraxTranstellaris]

Black Beauty, Supraphonic and Raw Brass stood out to me.

[@brianmcknight6136]

These guys do killer videos.. great audio and video!

[@drumcenternh]

Thanks, Brian! Glad you enjoyed it - we had a lot of fun making it!

[@manifestgtr]

Man..that cob 402 is incredible.... Ludwig really never bested the supras when it comes to “default, good metal snare sound”. The black beauty is its own thing, IMO. It sounds incredible but I don’t think it can compare with the 400 and 402 in terms of sheer versatility. You can do ANYTHING with a decent supra

[@chottozumi]

Wow, the Copper! Great video and sound reproduction. Thank you!!

[@HGH44309]

Glad I already got the one I like best. The Copperphonic.

[@patrickincharlestonsc4935]

Black beauty. Tune it up fellers it can hold steady!

[@dugjay]

Supraphonic all the way. The raw brass came in a close second.

[@traviswoodall6547]

I thought the raw brass was the worst. Guess that's why they have so many flavors! Funny thing is, if YOU love the raw brass and it speaks to you then that us absolutely the snare you should play, and will sound the best playing. Same for me and the Copperphonic. I just LOVE that thing and my playing (to me) sounds better when I play that snare.

[@tobyvattilano7846]

@@traviswoodall6547 agreed. Just went splat. I think the drum sucks. No personality whatsoever and that sound is achievable on just about any metal drum in much lower price point. Granted, there is a time and a place/application for that sound but I want to hear the shell sing up to it's potential on a demo. Maybe that's all it's got

[@misterdogbiscuit]

Great video! I would get along well with the raw brass. It's probably least preferred by the masses here, but go figure. I like a drum with ghostly overtones.

[@seanhershey3390]

just got a new Supraphonic.. 6.5. after 20 yrs on a 66 gretsch ( and various ludwigs) ... I'm in love.

[@bendickens2186]

Copper phonic👌

[@rippindrummer666]

I like the raw brass, copperphonic and black beauty

[@romankevkel]

All of them sound great! What is the tuning frequency on the top and bottom head. Thank you, keep up the good work!

[@cj_m2477]

Great video. It verifies my choices of snares I chose. Thanks guys.

[@drumcenternh]

Thanks for watching!

[@blakegowan6623]

The Bronze was great...and the CO Brass . I wasn't that into the Copper...and thought I would be. All good though....I would get one of each if I could.

[@munton5150]

Very nicely done. I love these types of videos. More!

[@jeffballou2940]

The black beauty is my go to snare. But they are all great, and I kinda like that raw brass!

[@FlamaFlanga]

Still hard to beat the straight up LM402.

[@joecap2919]

I have owned the Hammered Bronze 6 1/2 since 1982! Despite having played over 50 different snare drums since then, it is still the best sounding snare I have ever played.

[@timcline161]

All sound great. Glad of my 5" BB & 5" Acro. Go-to, do anything you need snares. Excellent vid DCNH

[@drumcenternh]

Glad you liked the video, Tim. Thanks for watching!

[@jarcidiacono1]

@@drumcenternh everyone below asking about your tune-bot settings...and now I’m curious!! Any chance you would share?

[@maddog0342]

Great video, thanks! With complete honesty, I would have to go with the Black Beauty, Raw Brass and then the Bronze. In this video anyway. We all hear things differently and obviously our ears are turned on by different sounds, etc... Interestingly though, I have all three off those snares plus 6 other Bronze shelled Ludwigs (mainly from the early-mid 80's, 5's & 6.5's, Hand Hammered & Super Sensitives included ) and my favorite by far is a 6.5x14 Hand Hammered Bronze Supraphonic with Twin Channel die cast hoops, from 1985... And although Im mainly an Evans or Remo user. I use a clear, Aquarian Studio X (no power dot) top and ambassador, bottom, on all my 6.5 x 14 Bronze snares.... Just an amazing combination that I stumbled upon to be honest! Lol... Just some thoughts and my opinion.....

[@drumcenternh]

Thanks, Martin. This is useful info for everyone!

[@larrylizzard4938]

I had KZbin running in the background as I looked over snare drums on the Ludwig site when this video started. I was curious as to how the raw brass snare sounded and there it was. As far as this video, I'd have to run with the Black Beauty. Nice work guys

[@dandillon2010]

As always….great video!!!! May I ask what the tunebot tuning was reso and batter. I'd really appreciate it.. Thank you guys!!!!

[@chrismitchell45]

Excellent video and perfect timing as I’m trying to decide between a BB and the Super Brass. I have the new Super COB and it sounds exactly like my 63’ COB Supra I sold years ago. NOTHING cuts like a COB Supraphonic when tuned slightly high. I’m actually now thinking about the Copper Phonic. Thanks for the video gentlemen, even though it’s old lol.

[@ruffdrag]

I've played and owned a lot of snares over the years. Just about every major brand and some custom and "boutique" snares as well. I have 14" x 5" 1968 Acrolite, 14" x 5" 1920's Ludwig solid maple, 14" x 5" 1960's custom Acrolite with tube lugs and custom spray (not a black galaxy), 14x 3.5 1998 maple, 14" x 5" 1968 silver sparkle Jazzfest, 1990's 14" x 5" black and white badge smooth bronze and a 2007 14" x 6.5" hammered bronze with tube lugs. Enjoy playing all of them, but heaven forbid, if there's a fire I'm grabbing the hammered bronze. No question.

[@DJFalkoHannover]

Black Beauty!

[@jedfriedland1520]

I've got them all. To my ear: 1. Black Beauty 2. Copperphonic 3. Bronze 4. Supraphonic 5. COB 6. Brass

[@hippydippy]

Black Beauty all the way! I'm a proud owner of a 1975 BB.

[@AlbertMoyerJr]

They all sound fantastic!

[@tbsschiro1393]

Black beauty for me!

[@U2WB]

My favorites are the Black Beauty, the Supraphonic LM402, and the Bronze. I’m confused about something, though : can someone explain why the COB should sound any different from the BB nickel plated brass ? I have owned both in the 5x14” size and they sounded EXACTLY the same, as one would expect them to. So I’m confused - please, no sarcasm - this is just an honest question.

[@1111Paiste]

That is a GREAT question! Inquiring minds NEED to know.

[@marniewalinga]

The only thing i can think is of that the weight of the plating might be different, which makes the note of the shell lower or higher?

[@drummer4mysavior]

Sounds like the COB was tuned a bit lower. That would result in less resonance and less "focus" as well. I wish they used the same tuning across the board - hard to hear all you need to hear

[@U2WB]

@@drummer4mysavior especially considering a lot depends upon the headphones or speakers of the listener. All that I can judge by are relative differences, but I agree it's impossible to compare a recorded sample to a snare drum in one's own arsenal. Cheers !

[@diferberrezuetaneira9187]

Lm 402

[@curtisjohnson1103]

I love the copper because of the sound approach but it’s something about that raw brass it’s deeper and has a lower range

[@stromghouls]

i hope you will do another shootout and add the new super Ludwig and super brass snares.

[@bergerdrum]

Good video, well done. My only suggestion is to stop trusting Tune Bots, and go with your ears. Some of the snares were a full semitone different than the others, so while you can still hear the major differences in character of the drums, it's still not 100% apples & apples. Having the drums absolutely dead on the same note throughout really makes your brain focus totally on the timbre of the drum. But again, well done.

[@JGerman70]

Agreed. These drums were definitely not tuned the same. They like plugging the tune bots.

[@bonzo4423]

The copperphonic had a nice dark under tone and was a nice new sound to my ears. Of coarse the Supra & BB are more familiar to my ears and great. I was surprised the COB sounded so different than the BB, not as focused.

[@StuartJrBarrett]

All sound great! Very subtle differences

[@jerryjohnson2270]

Black Beauty then Supraphonic . I bought the BB with tube legs. My Question is what batter and reso heads for two snares i like to see for that. Thanks

[@richboshart1201]

Love the production and approach you used to demo each drum. Really gave viewers an opportunity to discern differences. With that said, none of these drums did anything for me. Demo a Tama Star Reserve hammered copper with this group and Ludwig would never sell another drum.

[@michaelenoka1230]

Tama are horrid drums

[@escobanhc1307]

Request: can you do a Black Magic vs. Black Beauty shootout?

[@escobanhc1307]

can u ? :)) both with diecast in 6,5 or 8.

[@mikeplaysdrums23]

Great comparison. I've got the supra and the BB, but 9 times out of 10, I bring my acrolite. I think that raw brass is next on my list to buy, though.

[@mickgentry8128]

Black Beauty, Raw Brass, Supraphonic brass, copperphonic was cool also.

[@johnnymerritt9544]

Everyone one of these sound great to me they are all awesome !!

[@jcw91371]

Raw Brass! There's a lot of mileage and range in that snare.

[@DonPiruflo]

Black beauty is best for me, it's so easy to work with in a mix, it always finds his own spot right away, plus it has that sweet ring that I love. I really really like the Supraphonic too but is a little bit more tricky when you are mixing a hole band, it still sounds lovely for my ears. I'd love to work with a copper phonic some time tho

[@tonymilone5458]

Nice comparison! It's hard to believe that these are all tuned exactly the same (top and bottom), but you guys obviously know what your doing and I have to trust that it's a fair comparison. So I'm surprised at the differences between shells. Hard to choose, but I think the BB wins and the bronze was nice too. Thanks for doing this!

[@jazmineyazmin]

I don't think they are tuned the same, they're all playing different notes if you listen closely.

[@onanskiespg]

great video can you share the tune bot measurements in the 1st tuning. thanks

[@ignaciodelangel451]

Hi guys truly enjoy your videos. What Tune Bot setting were used?

[@freddiebishop2553]

I like the Black Beauty and Supraphonic

[@TempoDrift1480]

Going with the copper and raw brass.

[@jorgeadelgado77]

Could you share tune-bot tuning? Thanks! Black Beauty for the win!

[@U2WB]

This is very interesting, because I used to own both a Black Beauty and a Chrome over Brass in 5x14 size, and I even recorded them both. Mine were completely indistinguishable from one another. Here the Black Beauty sounds 100 times better to me, followed by the Supraphonic and then the Bronze. I didn’t care for any of the others.

[@stikkman61]

Black Beauty then the Supraphonic Bronze - was suprised at how bright the standard Supraphonic was in comparision

[@Rturner201]

They sound fantastic! What did you tune the top and bottom heads to?

[@sirui5108]

Thank you so much for doing this!! Now I know which to start saving up for haha..

[@drumcenternh]

Thanks for watching!

[@WeFoundAMap]

Amazing shootout. thank you

[@drumcenternh]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching.

[@dalesdrumchannelzero1802]

That Copper Phonic is speaking to me.

[@denisetiawan5423]

Yeahh .. same .. Me to

[@ronaldzeoli7528]

Great viedo Black beauty then copper phonic then raw brass. The rest are good too but that's my preference

[@customdrums]

awesome comparison.

[@Eurodrummer666]

I wasn´t expecting to prefer the Raw Bronze here. But the different models aren´t tuned to the same note so I tended to prefer the lowest tuned one.