Noble & Cooley Solid Snare Drums - Six 14x8 Wood Shells Compared

[@drumcenternh]

The Maple shell is, in fact, NA Rock Maple. Janka is 1450. Forgive us for not being forest rangers. While we would call these shells "Solid-Ply", Noble & Cooley calls them "Solid-Shell". It's all fine.

[@isihernandez9752]

I got surpirsed when I saw maple was tagged as less dense than others like walnut.... now I'm surprised it's denser than oak... 🤣 What thickness are those shells anyway...? -Wich one do I prefer...? -...yes !

[@johnbertasius2612]

Unforgivable. Haha!

[@Assimilator702]

@@isihernandez9752 The softer species if Maple and Birch are indeed around 850 to 950. Species doesn't matter as much as overall hardness and of course certain woods like Oak have a unique grain structure considerably different than Birch, Maple or Beech.

[@footlongrat2755]

Please Do a review on the Tama Superstar Classic

[@drumcenternh]

@@footlongrat2755 Coming in about 3-4 days!

[@mathieutremblay745]

I have a tulip and a walnut 14x7 of these and I couldnt be happier. Incredible musical instruments

[@rickeaton3085]

I'm sure everyone who posts on here would agree with me when I say, I am so appreciative that you guys have the inventory, equipment and drive to make all of these videos. I live in a city with one drum source, Guitar Center. It absolutely sucks and I never go in there. I have to rely on the internet and your videos are so helpful when trying to compare. So, thank you. In my opinion, the Tulip wins this one but you're welcome to send me any of them...

[@adamfrost8417]

Thanks, Rick. We appreciate it. A lot.

[@drumcenternh]

Great to hear. Thank you, Rick.

[@barberbob22354]

This successful and only been in business for 11 years. Incredible!🥁

[@johndough7160]

Don't get me started on The Guitar Center. These motherfuckers plant these stores in the weirdest parts of towns all over America and apparently every guy that waits on me just started the week before so he can't really help me. They are however, very good at getting back to me later. ...lol...lol... I'm for sure getting that Maple snare but not until my list is full. These guys are expensive. Gonna have to save for this one. That Maple snare gave me a boner. Lugless at the top. Never would have thought of that one. Very interesting.

[@BumpNrun69]

Guitar Center/s only wants to move products, that's why you rarely see anything good at their locations. Granted 15 years ago it was a different story. There's a local family mom & pop's music store near me that I have been dealing with for many years. When I find a cheaper price they always match or better, but that's the camaraderie that we've both built throughout time.

[@davidsuprenant893]

TULIP, steals the show for me.sound and visually. Natural with high gloss lacquer and brass lugs.That would be my dream kit.14x20 bass,8x13 tom,14x16 floor tom and 6x14 matching snare.Id even take it in a solid snare and ply toms and bass. Nobel and Cooley are top shelf,hope to take a trip to there factory,and have you guys order my dream kit someday.

[@EricT43]

That low-tuned oak snare sounds incredible.

[@raycavazos8927]

Oak and walnut are my favourite for drum set woods. I like ash snare. Or metal.

[@stephenhylander9395]

For those drummers that may look away from a 14x8” snare drum, I think that you all would be very surprised, and impressed, by how versatile a drum this size can be. Hey, its not just for hard rock and metal! They can be whisper quiet and sensitive, and of course, can roar like a lion, with throat and crack for Miles!! So much range to be had from an 8” deep shell! I love em’, and hope others will take a chance on them!

[@Joshstix95]

Stephen Hylander I find with my 14 x 5 snare . It only has one type of sound. Dry ring with not much body . Deeper snares when tuned high are amazing man

[@PC-je4es]

All of them are beautiful. For this Tulip & Maple were the ones I liked the combined low/high tones.

[@joshuatappan2407]

On regular computer speakers, I liked the Walnut, Oak, and Ash. Very interesting demonstration of the wide ranges of sounds. Great video!

[@Glock_Nico]

Great video! The Tulip gets my vote!

[@drumcenternh]

Tulip is so good and in my opinion their "signature shell".

[@RTEllis]

I agree with Rick. Thank you DCP for taking the time to painstakingly produce such fantastic videos. One run of any one of the videos through a home theater system makes appreciate their dedication to sound detail. Again, fantastic job! I'll go out on a limb here and say Oak and Maple!

[@petermasalsky8844]

I was surprisingly drawn to the beech one. Anyhow, well done, guys. Great job as always. Please keep doing these.

[@kiltymacbagpipe]

I can’t help but imagine that you folks were thinking about this video when you ordered these snares. Excellent video as usual.

[@Ben802]

It’s a tie between Beech and Walnut for me! If I had to choose though... Beech.

[@Drew-po3mt]

And that’s why people love vintage sonor!

[@jimsilveroli4046]

Right? I was surprised by the other comments. To me the beech was the brightest most open of the bunch.

[@jimsilveroli4046]

And yes the walnut was a close 2nd

[@dancalabrese3523]

When it comes to drum videos no one does them as good as all of you at DCP. I really look forward to them. If I had to pick one, probably the Walnut, although I thought they all sounded great. What actually surprised me the most is how much I liked the sounds of such deep snare drums. The sensitivity of all the drums was amazing. A lot more versatility from such deep snare drums than I would have thought possible. Thanks for another great video.

[@drumcenternh]

Thanks for the positive feedback, Dan. Keeps us goin'.

[@LouProsperi]

Great video! I know I'm more than 2 years late watching this, but I'd love to see a version of this but with more shallow drums (14x6.5, 14x5. 14x4.75), and with head-to-head comparisons between the drums. I'd also love to see a comparison between solid shell and ply versions of the same material. Thanks!

[@zendean5207]

I gave it a good long listen. Oak was my favorite. Tulip was interesting, very different from the oak but neat in its own way. Ash and beech were also good. Very interesting comparison. Thank you!

[@drumcenternh]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@robmerrick5028]

Love the Tulip! (It also showed up under the tree today bc of my awesome wife:) Thanks DCP!

[@drumcenternh]

That is awesome! Merry Christmas and enjoy that special drum!!

[@perosa99]

Beech and Tulip for me. Different but quite musical both. I agree, all sound great. Excellent product from a top company. Rim shots make those bad boys sing (almost talk). Listen to the end of Pearl Jam’s Evenflow (post solo lick on snare/rim shots). It’s played on a N&C 14x5 solid shell maple.

[@RealityBombDrummer]

Listening to this video in decent headphones, I think I like the Tulip and the Beech the best. That said, I am a 1 month owner of a 14"x6.5" Walnut Noble & Cooley Snare, with a burnt logo, and Black Nickel hoops and hardware. I absolutely LOVE the N&C snare. I have played on Tama chrome snare (14"x6.5"), a Ludwig metal snare (14"x6.5"), and an Oak cheap Amazon $60 special Picolo snare 13"x 3.5" and the Noble & Cooley snare looks, sounds, and feels so much better than any other snare I have played. I found out about Noble & Cooley from random KZbin videos, and I thought "Why Not?" then I thought "If I don't like it, I can just sell it." I don't think I would sell this snare if you paid me double what I paid. The 5 month wait for them to build my snare seemed like 5 years, but it is SSOOO worth it. The sound is amazing, the hard hits, the rim-shots, and the ghost notes are all heard thru the band. The feel is amazing, the snare responds effortlessly, and plays like a dream. I can go on all day long about how great of a purchase this was. But I will spare your time, go get a Noble & Cooley snare for yourself, you will not be disappointed. Thank you Rob, you made the purchase pretty easy.

[@beholdason3669]

I have ordered a 14x8 maple (full brass hardware and hoops) to join my 14x5.5 supersolid and music city 14x6.5 maple all the way to the grave, great vid Drum Centre Portsmouth.

[@drumcenternh]

thanks for watching!

[@toddcapiton6285]

Holy shit these sound good! Woods I’ve never heard sound better than the “staples”. N&C are mind blowing. God bless America

[@Lateralus1007]

There’s some video on YT of Lenny Kravitz performing live, he’s got a black thinner dude playing drums for him on a N&C drum set n it sounds soooooo SOOOO good I think it might be him at Bonnaroo

[@aaronlin6599]

Blown away by the production

[@adamfrost8417]

Wait til you see our next one...we got some new gear

[@aaronlin6599]

Adam Frost can’t wait！

[@loganamaral]

I really love what you guys did with this video, very effective comparison. The whole Janka rating was informative and helpful to understand the sound properties I was hearing. My favorite was definitely the TULIP!!! Then walnut in a very close second.

[@drumcenternh]

Thanks, Logan.

[@Marreroortiz]

I want to know what does JANKA means?

[@loganamaral]

@@Marreroortiz named after Gabriel Janka, tests for wood hardness/density.

[@Marreroortiz]

@@loganamaral Thanks man… that is good to know! Have a good day!

[@dhonnar]

Thank you very much for this video. You opened my ears to the tonality of these woods. You are a really great group of musicians and salespeople. Always fast and reliable customer service. You always go the extra mile.

[@derikandreoli5177]

That is a really interesting comment about stick feel. I suspect that the feel is an illusion created by your ears. I say this because I know that this is 100% true for me because I practice on Roland's highest end electronic kit, and I was gobsmacked when I first started playing it because I would switch from one snare (big fat low tuning sound) to a bright, tight piccolo and the bounce of the sticks would feel TOTALLY different even though the surface (drum taught mesh head) was completely unchanged. It really blew my mind. Try it out if you get a chance, and it will blow your mind, too. These Noble and Cooley drums are all gorgeous.

[@klauth_Yksyn]

Thank you for listing the tunning frequency and note!

[@drumcenternh]

Glad we got something right! Thanks for watching.

[@richboshart1201]

Beech and maple for me. Great video fellas.

[@drumtavo]

I have a walnut and oak solid shell both 14 x 3.78 and I love them to death. Utterly amazing drums.

[@MicahJoelDrums]

Great comparison. Much appreciated. Love to see you guys do a comparison video between the different size SS tulip drums! Particularly 14x8 vs 14x7 =).

[@tristanhope1]

Simply the best technical comparison of wood types I've ever seen. Great video! Oh and yeah, Tulip is something special, but Maple is best, a shame Sassafras didn't feature. Great work guys!

[@drumcenternh]

Thank you very much!

[@Assimilator702]

Fun fact. There’s Tulip trees growing across the street from Noble & Cooley. When they need one they cross the street and cut one down.

[@metothemoon1227]

This drum is my future dream but for now I'm happy with my Tama Slp Spruce fat in 20/12/14 Believe it or not the sound is beautiful and extremely versatile for jazz, rock, blues, rnb soul pop funk, old school, African music, really top notch.

[@pfunnk14]

Tulipwood was really great at both frequencies. Maple and beech at high were killer. Surprised there was no cherry, though... that one is my personal favorite.

[@adamfrost8417]

We have a cherry and birch on order, but we had to get a video out. :/

[@kosonamsuk6116]

Drum Center of Portsmouth is my most favorite one, Thank you! :)

[@joshrichards6486]

The walnut and tulip 👌👌👌👌👌

[@blueavadis22]

I like the maple the most , also impressed with tulip and oak , all sounds great overall.

[@donnie_333]

Walnut all day! I play a Tama SLP g Walnut and couldn't be happier.

[@starshiplazyboy475]

I had a chance to play a N&C solid tulip snare a few years ago. I had an old radio king for years (that I sold when I couldn't pay my rent and regret it every day since) and it reminded me a lot of that. Not a new shiny clear modern construction 1 ply maple kind of sound, but more like a 60 year old 1 ply maple kind of sound. The definition of modern vintage. So yeah, I like the Tulip wood too.

[@jermss_]

this video really raised my Janka rating and that tulip is as lush as Adam's hair

[@drumcenternh]

Adam's lush, but it has nothing to do with the hair.

[@jermss_]

@@drumcenternh 🤣🤣 you guys mean a lot to us in the drumming community. thanks again for what you do!

[@paulbartlett9054]

Tulip had the biggest sound difference from the rest. They all are great to me. I would like to add oak,walnut and cherry to my collection. Cherry was the only one missing from the demo I think, but thanks for having the variety on hand to do a demo comparison. Very helpful!

[@onceovereasy1529]

Thanks for a great video. I have the N&C 5x14 maple..still my fav. I've played maple drums for years and they seem to be the most versatile.

[@ChrisSmithJazzDrumHang]

Tulip!!! I have a 6x14 and love it so much. Musical Musical Musical.

[@bigmich485]

Love love love the walnut! Least favourite starts with a T

[@franktatom1837]

From my earliest days in drumming, I noted that lighter drums produced, to my ears, a lower fundamental tone, all else being equal (edges, heads, tuning). Over the years, I've essentially had that confirmed, comparing, for example, an Acrolite to a Supraphonic COA to a Bronzephonic to a Super 400 COB. As these snares progress in weight/density, the timbre brightens as the weight increases, in my opinion. I also compared a steel Rogers drum from the 70's to them, it was as heavy as the Super, and was similarly pitched. My preference in this test would be for the tulip drum, as I feel wood drums sound more pleasing when they produce a deeper/darker sound. Just my preference.

[@Assimilator702]

The less dense material is absorbing more energy from the head strike. A more dense material like Oak would be absorbing less of the energy from the head strike resulting in more volume from tge head. The higher density will usually bring the pitch up compared to the less dense shell material. The head is at the mercy of the drum shell. But we still only hear the head.

[@mathieutremblay745]

You guys got the tuning right !! Amazing

[@drumcenternh]

We sure try!

[@michaellowe17]

The walnut and maple are the most pleasing to my ear. Noble & Cooley drums in general are just wonderful though, all are winners.

[@donphillips4718]

All are beautiful. I have a N&C 5X14 solid maple which is my snare of choice in wood shells. My choice of the drums in the video would be the walnut although the oak is a close second.

[@scottmitchell56]

Loved the Tulip!

[@austincox1709]

that tulip had such a nice attack

[@claudeabraham2347]

Wow! They all sounded great. I liked maple best, followed by tulip. But ever shell sounded superb.

[@Robjoe757]

My favorite is maple ,but i was quite impressed by tulip...gooddddd

[@ws17]

I´m a maple guy. You never go wrong with maple shells.

[@ramencurry6672]

I have one maple snare made by Gretsch. It’s very good

[@mikeyvirgin469]

I didn’t know I need a beech snare lol

[@progression_decibel]

Overall fav was the Walnut. The Beech close second and seemed the most "even" tone to my ears. Without poking on the N&C site if you guys ever get a Mahogany, Birch, and Cherry version that they make I'd be interested in a pt.2 video!

[@billbox1916]

Solid Maple, though Tulip was nice, thank you

[@7crosschop]

Agree. Tulip's my pick over all.

[@georgepelekoudis]

Man, these all sound good. You’d have to have a backing track to really tell. That said, this is the first maple snare that I’ve listened to, that I like. Also, never seen an ash snare before. Usually early Strats were associated with that wood. Interesting. Stay safe guys :)

[@drumcenternh]

You too, George.

[@tmaddrummer]

FYI, I've found that I'm no longer SUBSCRIBED? I'm seeing this happen on other YT channels as well....... YT stinks! Long live DCP, love y'all!!! Oh yeah, I think the Beech is Gorgeous wood, and the Walnut and Tulip and Oak, and they each sound pretty good to me, but the Ash is a flop both looks and sound...... Thanks and Blessings!

[@victorloya1590]

Wow they all sound like equalized already, great snares

[@munton5150]

My fave for low tuning was the oak. For high tuning liked the beech, walnut, maple, and tulip.

[@Simon-IFF]

Great demonstration! Love your videos

[@Sn00ze]

Really interesting comparison. They're all great, but if I could only pick one I'd go with the Walnut.

[@richardjoseph8532]

On the low and high tuning I liked the oak, maple and tulip. Surprised to see how low the tulip's density is (or is it the other way around?).

[@gregoryposeno1507]

That tulip ❤

[@markbayer1683]

Tulip my favorite across both tunings. One thing about tone and sustain - you can naturally reduce it if it's too much in a given scenario, but if the overtones aren't there to begin with you can't create them out of thin air (naturally, anyway). Thus, beech was also attractive - plenty of sustain and overtones at both tunings. I was surprised to see Maple and Oak agree to be in the same room together; I heard there was unrest in the forest and the Maples had a real problem with the oppressive Oaks.

[@RealityBombDrummer]

Setup a visit to the factory in Mass, and see all of the beautiful Tulip shells, they are so different, the grain in the wood makes so much character, and they are all different. The staff at Noble & Cooley are equally as amazing as the drums they create. Also, on another note, I have heard that the Oaks & the Maples have 'buried the hatchet' so to speak, and they kinda get along much better these days. (love all Rush references)

[@65Drums]

The problem with choosing, is that they all sound fantastic

[@timdegaugh9512]

One of each please! Nice video.

[@natevanslyke7274]

Hands down Tulip 🌷

[@drummerbhoyshug]

I love them all, but if I was forced to pick just one it would be the Walnut ! 👍

[@DenisRichardJr]

Beech and walnut 👍🥁

[@jimsilveroli4046]

Exactly 100%

[@matthewsweet5232]

Thanks for the content! I liked the Tulip best at both tunings followed by Oak then Maple or Walnut depending on the tuning. Beech was my least favorite in this comparison; it would have me reaching for a gate while mixing it. As bass player, I am confident that I could make all of them sound bad if I tried to play them ;) . That's why good drummers with good equipment are important.

[@philippgrunert8776]

Is there a video on comparing different metals snares as well? Great content as always

[@SkitchPatterson1983]

MAPLE! all day! Thats the OG anyhow!

[@claudeabraham2347]

All are good, but that tulip shell was great!

[@meekoloco]

Love the Tulip

[@jimsilveroli4046]

Any votes on the beech snare? I thought it was the brightest and most resonate of the bunch.

[@thezogs95]

Beech. That tone is killer

[@giuliocarmassi]

Ash Ash Ash. I'm so surprised to see how rare Ash drum sets are. I remember how shockingly amazing it was to play one. Especially at low tunings.

[@rickeaton3085]

Hello Giulio, Sometimes I will look at who has commented on here. I clicked on your profile then watched one of your videos. That was good fortune. I really enjoyed the one I watched! I subscribed to your channel and will be returning to view more! I used to work for an Italian wine importer. We imported Tenuta di Valgiano from Lucca. I stayed with them while living in Italy for a year. I miss that area. I worked for a Brunello producer. I miss Italy and would love to move back someday... Magari... Comunque, Nel bocca lupo e ci sentiamo in KZbin allora!

[@jiondrums78]

Like them all. But where is the Birch Solid Shell?

[@drumcenternh]

on order, along with the cherry

[@loko306]

after watching this video, I still love the maple !

[@edwardpetersii6276]

You will find that hard rock maple is probably the hardest of the bunch, here! I’ve done a lot of research on various wood’s Janka hardness because I was interested in getting a very dense wood for a cutting sound. What I found was that although a particular wood may be the most dense, it doesn’t necessarily mean that wood will be an interesting sounding drum. Lignum, for instance, is very, very dense, compared to many other woods out there. I didn’t think it sounded that good. The reason I say this is because these here woods are very ‘common’ and mostly used by drummers, for a very good reason. They’re domestic, dynamic and versatile. There are so many drum builders out there and although you can make a drum out of almost anything, not everything should be used to make drums, IMHO. These Noble and Cooley drums all sounded great. I prefer the oak and maple, though.

[@timurhant469]

Both tunings Oak, also Tulip and Walnut for higher tuning. Solid ash was the least attractive for my ears.

[@72Stiles]

Maple and Walnut for versatility, Ash for darker and more controlled.

[@johnthibodeaux5189]

Could you please tell me the frequency you tuned the batter and reso heads for the low and high tuning?

[@flocore]

Judging from your solid production level, I really wish you would go the extra mile and tune the heads to an equal frequency, so that we could hear an exact comparison. Great video, nonetheless - and even greater snares! I wonder why N&C didn't put their cast hoops on these.

[@pabulumdrummer]

How about that Sonor on the shelf behind you? Bell Bronze? How Much??:)

[@stromghouls]

i was under the impression noble & cooley used sugar maple or hard maple with a janka rating of 1450 to make their snare drums. the only maple i know of with a rating of 950 on the janka scale is eastern red maple. but it kinda make sense since red maple is the most common native tree in eastern north america.

[@stromghouls]

forgot to say my favorites were maple and tulip.

[@drumcenternh]

Yeah. You're right.

[@stromghouls]

after re-listening the video, beech is my favorite.

[@zhongxina8426]

How are the lugs staying in place when there's only one screw that's attached to the drum?

[@Vivaldijevich]

Walnut and Tulip for me :)

[@remygaron8311]

Steam bent snare wow i take all of them 🤟🏻🤟🏻🤟🏻🤟🏻👏👏👏🥁🇨🇦

[@alexanderjamieson7971]

Walnut for both sound and looks. When it comes to these steam bent single ply shells, the characteristics of the wood effect the sound more. It becomes less noticeable with multiple ply wood shells which use a lot of adhesive between the plies. These NC shells also don't have a bunch of polyurethane or a wrap on them that alters the sound either.

[@jamesdavidson8392]

I'm shocked that I liked the Beech lower tuning best and the Walnut at both setting. Least was Tulip and Maple.

[@joeakaradej8666]

Tulip and walnut for me🥰🥰 Tulip has more breathing sound and Walnut has drier sound 🙂

[@joeakaradej8666]

After listening again, Beech and tulip are almost identical. 😆

[@Martin-kn6vc]

Beech lower tuning sounded phenomenal! Tulip being a close second for lower tunings, and maple being my least liked. I preferred walnut, maple and tulip for the higher tunings.

[@gastoncorti669]

Walnut and Oak !!

[@drumkick2315]

Walnut, of course. Like the dryness

[@jckcrnt]

The tulip is my favorite

[@carterpochynok4874]

Loved the Walnut and Beech. Wasn't into the ash. Something about the balance between lower and upper harmonics just wasn't working for me. Granted, it could sound great in the mix. Some snares are sleepers like that.

[@remygaron8311]

Please send ´em all to me lové em all 👏👏👏👏👏🥁🥁🥁🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@stromghouls]

beech was best! indeed!

[@sokp9751]

Tulip by a mile!