Pearl FreeFloaters

[arielites7]

Hey guys,

Been wanting to buy a snare for some time now and i was just wondering if anyone has ever played a pearl free floater before. Any reviews on the performance of this snare??

Much Appreciated

 

[Pinsy]

If i'm not wrong, Jeepers has one. Haha, if i remember rightly. Sorry.

 

[jeepers]

Pinsy: You are?

And yes, I do own a Freefloater. A 14x8 Maple 10-lugger. Hexagonal lugs.

Pretty darn sweet snare. I've got on it a G1 Coated on the top, G1 Clear on the bottom and 42-strand wires. Can't remember the brand of the wires.

I've got the reso tuned up high, and the batter tuned slightly lower than the reso, according to my preference.

It's fat, for sure. Pretty sensitive for such a deep snare. Nice rim shots. People have commented that Freefloaters sound boxy, but I don't think they do! All up to the individual.

I was bidding on a Pearl 14x8 Brass Philharmonic, but narrowly lost the auction. Pity. Might have sold the Freefloater if I liked the Philharmonic 'cos I'm in the process of building a 1-ply maple (14x6.5)

I say go for it, but it's your call.

 

[arielites7]

Sounds like a sweet set-up jeepers
Do you play it for like rock? Cos you said fat sounding so I imagine rock. Could be funk too!

Can't wait to get mine. Thanks for the review! Much Appreciated!
Keep drummin!

 

[jeepers]

I use it for everything. I only wanted to get the Philharmonic 'cos it's more sensitive at lower volumes compared to the FF. But yeh, the FF's a no-brainer for rock.

I suppose you're getting the 6.5"? But brass or maple?

 

[arielites7]

I thought of getting a 6.5 brass. But i also want a warmer tone for some other songs. haha.

Maybe i will get the maple shell when I get the $$$. Which would you recommend for a first snare?

cos its kinda for gospel music so its gotta be versatile.

 

[jukebox]

Hey arielites7 if you're using it for gospel music (low-medium volume, am I correct?) take note that free floaters are pretty darn loud! At least that's what I've heard, maybe jeepers you might want to jump in and correct me if I'm making a flawed assumption? Of course tuning and head selection come into play but you might want to consider the 5" instead of the 6.5, although that would be sweet.

Maple vs brass- have you tried a metal snare before?

Straying off topic (kinda)- Jeepers where did you get your snare shell? Sounds interesting, I like the size. What finish are you planning to do?

 

[jeepers]

Well, the volume of the FF is relative to the venue you're playing at.

But yeah, if you're playing gospel, you might wanna go for 5" instead. Crank it up.

Jukebox: I picked mine from a Vaughncraft "seconds" sale (On GN) for like USD70. It's a reconditioned one-ply steambent Maple Slingerland shell. Vaughncraft used to do shells for Slingerland. I'm thinking either doing a light Walnut stain, or the classic sparkle finish (Burgundy; to go with my jellybean kit).

 

[jukebox]

arielites7, how's the snare search going? Have you decided if you're going with brass or wood?

jeepers: Nice, USD70 is pretty reasonable. I love natural finishes. Do you have all the materials you need to get your desired finish though? I tried looking for some stuff at the DIY store because I'm thinking of refinishing my drums, they don't stock a lot of stuff here. A champagne or burgundy sparkle would look so classy. Can't go wrong with either!

What's this jelly bean kit you speak of??! Specs!

 

[jeepers]

jukebox: I dig both natural and sparkle finishes so that's why I've not settled on one yet! What materials exactly are you looking for? I reckon I've all I need, for now at least. Need to try and see if the burgundy sparkle spray works fine. A PDFer spray-painted his kit in gold sparkle and it looks pretty good so I'm gonna try that, rather than shipping in a wrap (brings up the cost by quite a fair bit!)

Ha, the kit's on its way here. Well. Tempus. That's all I'm saying. Will post pics when they get here!

 

[arielites7]

Jukebox: Hi! erm ya using it for gospel. Went swee lee to check it out ... too bloody expensive. I thought of the brass 6.5 cos my friend said it had the sound I was looking for, that aaron spears sound. And i played a yamaha steel before so i think metals are kinda nice. I think metals are tighter. But ya the room is quite small so I'm actually playing in a really small corner of the room with a screen in front of me. And im using a stock forum that my church has, 14x5 I think. Wood and it kinda sounds sucky. So ya im going to use metal.

Got offer for an FF