DRUM! Magazine – Issue 14-5, Pg. 105-106

Puresound Percussion is widely known for making quality snare wires that are used by some of the biggest names in the business. It seemed only logical to make snare drums to go with the wires, so the company has released a series of UltraSonic metal snare drums, designed for serious players who are searching for bright and dry sounds, powerful articulation, a wide dynamic range, and lightning-fast response. The first snare, the Limited Edition UltraSonic 14″ x 5″ Copper model, was introduced in early 2004, followed later in the year with aluminum and steel-shelled tubs to round out the line. Only 200 of each model were made available, and all drums will include a serialized badge, a certificate of authenticity, and a deluxe padded drum bag.

Pennies From Puresound. The crown jewel of the UltraSonic snare line, the UltraSonic Copper shines – figuratively and literally. Straight out of the bag, the highly polished amber glow of the copper shell is striking. I couldn’t simply plop this baby on my snare stand and start wailing away at it; just like when you purchase a new car, you have to show it off to all your friends. Even though the snare has to be sent back to Puresound, I proudly displayed it to my bandmates like it was my toy. The 1mm shell is made of high-grade rolled copper, and is fitted with chrome-plated brass tube-lugs, heavy-gauge 2.3mm triple-flanged steel counterhoops, a smooth Nickel Drumworks throw-off, and Remo Ambassador heads. A clear lacquer sealant has been applied over the copper exterior to keep the shell shimmering, and aside from its fingerprint magnetism, the drum is made nearly flawlessly, with straight machine-formed bearing edges, and very shallow snare beds.

Just lightly tapping on the batter head produces a strong buzz that is no doubt attributable to the Puresound 30-strand Super snares. With the heads tuned at medium tension, the drum produced a fat sound with metallic overtones. There wasn’t much use for that fatness since in my band I try to copy, wait, emulate the cutting attack of Carter Beauford’s snare sound. After cranking that Ambassador batter up nice and tight like Joan Rivers’ face, I blasted the drum with a rimshot. My bandmates glared at me with an amusing combination of pain, anger, amazement, and confusion. The confusion stemmed from what they surely thought was a pistol being fired, but this was no pistol. This was the rimshot from heaven if you’re the drummer, or hell, if you’re not. Playing extra hard through the rehearsal, each hit woke the dead. During the quieter moments, cross-sticks were thick and meaty, and rolling near the edge of the drum emitted a pleasant buzz that would be perfect for those of you moonlighting on jazz gigs.

Aluminum Lite. Forget about a thick and heavy aluminum snare, because this isn’t it. The Limited Edition 14″ x 5″ UltraSonic Aluminum snare drum features a thin 1mm shell with machine-formed bearing edges. Like its copper cousin, it is fitted with chrome-plated brass tube-lugs, 2.3mm hoops, a Nickel Drumworks throw-off, and Ambassador skins.

The aluminum snare has some significant differences from the copper model. First off, while still elegant in its subdued brushed aluminum shell, this drum doesn’t quite have the flair of its copper cousin. Also, it’s not as loud or refined, and does need a little bit of tweaking to produce an optimal sound. Right out of the bag, this drum had a howling over-ring that was less than pleasant. Playing on the center of the head seemed to amplify the ring, while hitting a rimshot seemed to deaden it a bit. Still, the howl wasn’t working for me, so I cranked up the head to see if it could be tamed. With the Ambassador torqued to a Beauford-esque level, the ring subsided, but was still too metallic, clangy, and just plain undesirable.

Experimentation with a thicker batter head seemed to be in order, so I swapped the
Ambassador with a thicker Powerstroke 3 coated snare head. After cranking it up, I struck the center of the drumhead. Surprisingly, the over-ring was still there but didn’t howl as much. In fact, it had a very nice metallic “clang” that colored the sound. Playing rimshots dulled the “clang” a bit, but it still sounded raw. While this drum is not quite as sensitive, due in large part to having a 16-strand Puresound strainer that can obviously be replaced by the 30-liner, its lack of refinement made it a good bashing drum. The thin shell will require some muffling, but it will cut through singers and guitars like a fat guy through a buffet line.

Quality Concerns. Both drums were nearly impeccable in fit and finish, but they each had some quality issues that caused concern. The copper snare has a seam where the rolled sheet of copper is joined. Although the seam is completely smooth on the outside of the shell, it had some minute but noticeable pits on the bearing edge that may or may not have an effect on the sound. The drum sounded wonderful, and because the pits were so small, I can only assume they didn’t hamper the sound. Nonetheless, those pits should not have been there, especially since this drum will knock about a grand off your bank account.

The shell on the aluminum drum flattens out under the throw-off, which could be a byproduct of its thin shell. While other manufacturers use thicker shells, sometimes even with one or two beads to strengthen the rigidity, this shell has no structural support. I’d hate to think what would happen to the feather-light drum if it were dropped on a stage, much less off of one.

The Verdict. The UltraSonic Copper has looks and personality to burn. If I had the opportunity and the ducats, I wouldn’t hesitate to put it in my stash. While the copper snare offers a beautifully fat and loud sound, the UltraSonic Aluminum snare doesn’t stand out too much from lower-priced aluminum or steel snares. A starving drummer might want to think about forking out the $995 list – that’s a lot of peanut butter sandwiches. On the other hand, if you got a nice tax return and need an aluminum snare, you should by all means give this a closer look.