Been playing Aheads for years now. I can say, absolutely, they are one of the best "bang for your buck" snares out there. That aside, IMO, they are some of the best snares out there, regardless of price.
I can honestly attest that these snare drums are exceptional, cost aside, having owned several models fron the line. I recall way back that there was a comparison of the Ahead Black on Brass and the infamous Ludwig BB. I purchased both and, to me, the Black on Brass was "Ahead" and cost less money. Happy New Year Shane and Co!
The Se7en sound clip at the beginning made the movie fan in me shake hands with the musician in me. The snare drums are awesome too! I've used ahead sticks off and on for years but didn't know that they made drums as well. Very cool.
Wow. The Single Ply Maple and the BOC 14X6 are Absolutely Amazing. The S Hoops Give the Drums a fantastic rim shot with just enough Ring , without clanging annoying overtone. These Ahead Snare Drums are A Game Changer for Top End Quality and Price Point. Thank You Shane and the Gang at DCP For Another Great Video..
I'm a huge proponent of S-hoops. They can make a problematic snare sound great. They're like a light version of a cast hoop. 2.3mm thick and similar control to a cast hoop. It's a perfect balance IMHO. They're also less than half the cost of putting cast hoops on your snare. They are different than cast though. They're not a substitute, just a better, more stable version of a triple flange. These snares sounds great, and I'm with you Shane... I don't know one person who has EVER adjusted their Fat Cat snare wires. Gimmicky, and you can't set your snare down on the ground without fear that the snare adjuster is demolishing your very thin reso head.
I am a massive fan of S-hoops as well. Found them by buying an Ahead snare but then they eventually made it to all my snares and toms. I dare say S-hoops saved my hands and wrists. No science to back that up but the S-hoop rim shots are easier on my hands than triple flange and die cast hoops. I won’t play any snare without them.
love you guys I think you're absolutely awesome. I've been playing drums since 1969 when I heard the very 1st Led Zeppelin album I became hooked.I 've seen every one of your videos multiple times.One day I'm going to take a trip and see the store. You guys have the greatest gear of anybody.
I’ve been running he COB 13X6 for years…so good!! But I must say I was blown away by the 14X4. Not a size I usually like but you played it like a pimp! Sounded great!!!
Incredible at that price point! Just what I'd expect from AHEAD! That's my brand! Beaters, Sticks, Cymbal Accessories! Built with LOVE for the true Drummers out there making this there Art!
Never been aware of Ahead snares so this was really interesting. On first listen, a few made me prick up my ears. The single ply maple sounded fantastic, but both the COB ones stood out for me. The 14x4 being a real surprise tuned low. But tuned high both were sweet. And a very reasonable price indeed. The 14x6 with a Dunnett throw off? I think that would be all I'd ever need.
I love the way these sound! I just really wish Ahead would make more sizes in general - a 10 and 12 inch snare would be fun along with some deeper snares as well! I would KILL for a 14x8 from them!
Great vid as always! These have really perked my interest.... Especially the bell brass as I do love a thick metal shell. Are they actually cast? Some companies call snares bell brass but they're rolled or spun (I'm not actually that bothered tbh). You guys in the states don't know how lucky you are, these bell brass snares are all around £1000 ($1200) in the uk 😭
I ordered one in January and it may show up this month if I'm lucky. All digging I did before ordering said that it's actually cast, which is the only reason I decided to pick one up. I'm in Canada and when I ordered it was around $1000 CAD.
They ALL sound good, but that maple sounded fantastic....with the titanium right behind it. I don't know the price of these drums, but that BOB also sounded really nice. If it's at the right price, it would be a GREAT alternative to the Ludwig. And, those S-hoops are PERFECT.
Been looking for a 4x14 and the low and high tuning are fantastic. (medium is good also). Hard to beat (pun intended) at that price. The Titanium is another I would add. You can cover alot of musical ground with these snares. Thanks for the demo. Nice chops - BTW!!
I really liked the 13x6 and 14x4. They all sounded really nice though. I’m not necessarily in the market for a snare in this price range, but I may pick up an s hoop and see what difference that makes
Huh, I only knew about their drumsticks… have been using those for about 10 years… they make snaredrums too? :P To me, the 14x4 COB piccolo sounded the best, with high tuning. Fuuuuuunky ;)
Titanium sounded nice, crisp sound. I was really impressed with the brass, really a stand out for me. Otherwise I liked the solid ply maple, very nice. Great job with the video! Wish ahead had a nicer logo, it’s nit picky but seriously they have an awful logo. Needs updating badly.
I like their selection of sizes. Also, every I've found demos of titanium snares other than this one to sound kind of brittle and annoying, and as a skateboarder, I've generally thought that any product could be made more overpriced by making it out of titanium, but this snare really performs. It has a metallic roundness that some of the others lack.
In one of your other videos you said 7 out of 10 people that come in your shop pick CANOPUS Snares. You are good at sales. SWEETWATER is too they do the same thing. What's funny to me is everyone that sells drums always says the LM402 is THE go to snare. Huh kinda funny when you think about it. Also your staff pics of favorite snare drums video did not include the ICONIC Ludwig 402. Snap.
What’s up DCP! How would you compare the steam bent maple to the Canopus maple snare. Do you prefer one over the other especially for heavier more aggressive styles of music? Cheers!
wow i have never heard of these, fire the marketing director at ahead, jesus these should be out there way more, incredible drums, im blown away, comes stock with a trick or dunnett throw off lol and fat cat wires....wtf, why am I just now hearing about these? If it wasnt for yall I would still be ignorant to them, not cool....not cool at all lol
How heavy is the bell brass? I've been eyeing these up for a few months and there haven't been many high quality audio clips. Sounds fantastic here, also seems like a lot of drum for an awesome price.
Well, if it's anything like Tama's Bell Brass...all I can say is...lift with your legs, not your back! A customer on the Sweetwater website said he/she bought this snare drum and it's 18 pounds. Yikes! Lift with your legs, not your back! 🤯😳😅
@@DrummerGrrrl thanks, that helps. I recently had some hands-on experience with the Gretsch bell brass and I believe it was also around 18 pounds. It was alright, nothing special, but I didn't really have time to tune it where I would normally like a snare. I'm sure it would be great if I had the time to do so, but the Ahead is really enticing based on price and features.
There's a video of a Tama BB (Reissue I believe) from KaitsuDrums across different tunings, and at the very least the Ahead sounds almost identical to the Tama based on the recordings. Whether that holds up in person, I have no idea.
I find it interesting that you guys did a specific video for Ahead snare drums that “check all your boxes” but not one of them made your best Top 20 snares of 2019. Top 10 in 2020 or the 15 best snare drums of 2021. It’s a bit contradicting and misleading because I bought the first 13” x 6.chrome on brass demoed on this video and I’ve owned some very nice snares over the past 40 years . Anyway, so you then add a RU-vid video for 2021 best snares and not even ONE AHEAD SNARE THAT CHECKS ALL YOUR BOXES MAKES THE LIST??!!
@@drumcenternh I have to say, after playing the Ahead 13” snare for a few months now, it compete’s with some of my favorite snares! I’m so happy I saw this video and acted when I did! I’ve switched out different heads and they all sound great. That said, you guys took the time to ship it to me already tuned and sounded fantastic right out of the box! I will be buying more products from you in the future due to the care you guys put into shipping your products. Great job guys!
Did all of you have to constantly clean all these snare drums? I imagine human saliva might ruin the drumheads or mess up the beautiful finishes. Drool, drool, drool... 🤔🤣
