Pearl Decade Maple Snare Drum - 14" x 5.5"

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By Joseph "Stix" Davis - 8/24/18

If you're a fan of maple snare drums, but don't want to spend a lot of money, check out the Pearl Decade Maple snare drum. It comes with Pearl Decade Maple shell packs, but can be bought on their own.

Price

Prices listed are approximate and are an average gathered from various online stores.

New: $159
Used: $99

Size

14" x 5.5" is currently the only offered size. My preferred snare drum size is 14" x 6.5".

Shell

The shell is a 6-ply, 5.4mm thick, 100% maple shell, with a 45° bearing edge. This shell is made using Pearl’s Superior Shell Technology (SST) method, and utilizes scarf joints.

Finish

The finish for this particular snare drum is Gloss Deep Red Burst. A gorgeous vibrant dark red that fades to black. It pairs well with my black with red stripes bowling shirt.

Hardware

1.6mm Triple Flanged Hoops

NDL55/C Lugs

TR5052 Tension Rods

SNW1420 20 Strand Snare

SR700 Strainer

The hoops are 1.6mm triple flanged. The lugs are almost too blocky, but have slight curves to round out the overall appearance. This is an 8 lug snare drum. The tension rods do not come with the nylon washers pictured. The snares are 20 strands. The strainer is a side lever style throw.

Demonstration

For this demonstration, I used two Audix F9 overhead, an Audix F5 snare, and an Audix F6 kick drum microphones. I used no EQ or compression. I wanted the drum to sound as authentic as possible to give you an idea of what it sounds like. I play the snare drum with no muffling, then a studio ring, then a wallet. These are not the stock heads. I use Aquarian Drumheads. Texture Coated for the batter head, Hi-Performance for the resonant head.

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jgdV7wXoRU

Final Thoughts

Th Pearl Decade Maple snare drum is a quality maple snare at a low price. I only wish they offered a 6.5" deep version. However, I am very pleased with the overall sound of the 14" x 5.5". It's warm, and it's snappy.