Life is too short for bad drum heads, the same is true for snare wires! The snare drum is one of the most important parts of a drum set. Snare wires are what sets them apart from the other drums. They are responsible for the signature sound a snare makes.
Snare wires are placed on the resonant head (the bottom) head of the snare drum where they are held in tension by tensions rods. They give it that give it that classic crispy snare sound as the drummer strikes the batter head. Loosen the wires to get an open, resonant sound. Tighten them to get that classic snare crack with a fast attack sound.
My top recommended snare wires are the PureSound Super 30 Series. These are big snare wires that produce a crisp sound of great quality.
My second recommended snare wires are the Pearl S022. These are affordable snare wires but are a classic for a reason.
Contents
The 5 Best Snare Wires for Drummers (2023)
Let’s compare these in more detail.
1. PureSound Super 30 Series
Starting this list with these big snare wires. The PureSound Super 30 Series snare wire is a 14” drums snare consisting of 30 snare wires. These wires are medium gauge and densely weaved. You get a crispy clean sound from these wires.
If you play some older music, like rock and roll or blues or jazz, you are going to love the super 30 series. It packs great quality and sound at a reasonable price, so you shouldn’t worry about your budget suffering for this buy.
Coming from a famous manufacturer, Pearl’s S022 is a 20 strand wired snare for 14” drum heads. It can be mounted on the drum with wide straps as well as with the classic plastic, see-through straps that come with it in the package.
This is a classic, stock, snare wire that is cheap, affordable and all in all middle of the line. Coming from the big-name manufacturer, you can be sure that this is a decent quality product.
The sound coming from this snare is just a classic 20 strand, 14” snare wire, crispy and loud and will give a whole new life to your snare drum.
3. Gibraltar SC-4471 Snare
If you thought the 30 strands of wire is a lot on a snare, what will you think of when you see this 42-strand snare? Made for a 14” snare drum, this 42 strands of wire snare is produced for jazz and rock music, but mainly for live performances.
When you have Gibraltar SC-4471 Snare installed, its high amount of wires packs quite a bit more punch than smaller ones. If you’re looking for a 42-strand snare wire, look no further. If you didn’t actually need one and just want to experiment, then consider buying it as it’s cheap and affordable, just to try it on. It will light up your old drum if nothing else.
4. PureSound Blaster Series Snare Wire
Another of the PureSound classic snare wires, the Blaster series is a 20-wire, 14” drum snare wire. It comes with 20 strands of wire made from premium grade steel alloy, with bent end clips, which produce the magnificent crispy sounds they make. These wires come with black straps, but you can always buy transparent ones if you want them that much.
Blaster series is a true, American-made high-quality snare wire. This is an industry-standard so you won’t make a mistake with buying this snare wire, whatever the music genre you’re playing maybe.
5. PureSound Equalizer Snare Wire
Lastly, this is another PureSound Snare Wire. This time it’s the Equalizer series with their 16-strand snare wire, built for 14” drumheads. This is perfect if you’re looking to go more minimal with your wires.
The specific design of this snare wire is that, differently from all of the others, it doesn’t have a middle section of the wire. Basically, it’s split into two matching 8-piece strands of wire with a gap in the middle of the snare.
Included in the package you will get just the snare wire without any straps, so be prepared to buy that separately.
Conclusion
I hope that this list helped you in finding the right snare wires for your drum. When you’re buying snare wires, you will find a lot of options on the market, so it’s worth trying out a few options to see what works best for you.
My top snare wires pick is the PureSound Super 30 Series, they’re big snare wires that produce a crisp sound of great overall quality.
My budget snare wires pick is the Pearl S022, they’re affordable snare wires but are considered a classic for most.
