Tech Speak is a regular segment of the Pearl Drummers' Resources and features articles pertaining to Pearl drums and (sometimes) drumming in general. It is written by Gene Okamoto and Raymond Massey, Pearl's resident nuts and bolts guys.


HOW TO REPLACE AND ADJUST SNARES
by Gene Okamoto


1) Thread the cord through the holes of the snares and wrap them around the bolts of the butt as shown in the photo below.


2) Turn the tension knob on the throwoff clockwise until it stops - the slider will be all the way up.



3) Turn the tension knob on the throwoff approximately 5 turns counterclockwise. This assures that the slider has enough "headroom" when adjusting the snare tension later.



4) · Wrap the cord around the keybolts of the throwoff as shown below. It's best if the throwoff is in the OFF position.



5) · SLOWLY turn the lever to the ON position.



Note:
If the lever meets resistance before it is fully ON, DON'T FORCE IT! Loosen the tension knob until the lever clicks to the ON position easily and a crisp snare sound is achieved. If the tension knob runs out of threads before this happens, reset the cords in the clamps of the throwoff or butt to give the snares more slack.

If the snares are too loose when the lever is ON, tighten the tension knob until a crisp snare sound is achieved. If the tension knob tops-out before this happens, reset the cords in the clamps of the throwoff or butt to take up slack on the snares.

6) With the throwoff ON, the snares should be in the CENTER OF THE DRUM. If it is not, reset the cords at the clamps of the strainer or butt or both until the snares are centered.


Note: The snares above are pretty straight and even. This is what you want for clean snare sound without buzzing.

7) In many cases, however, the snares will be zigzagged rather than straight as in the photo below.



This is caused by the cords pulling unevenly as shown below.



8) You can balance the pull of the cords two ways:

a) Loosen the bolts and balance the cords as shown below. If necessary, do this to both ends of the snares.



Or…

b) Balance the cords per the sequence below.

• Take a small screwdriver and lift the cord on the side that is longer (in this case, the left side) as shown in the photo below.

• Drag the cord to the short side (in this case, the right side) as shown below.

• Repeat until the snares are even as shown below. Both ends of the snares may need straightening.

If you have any questions or comments regarding the "how-to" article above, please contact me at geneokamoto@pearldrums.com.

Happy Drumming!

Gene Okamoto
Product Manager