Snare Drum Of The Month – Sia 12×7” Red Gum

I like 12×7” snare drums. I like them because not only do you get the higher crack from the smaller head size, you still get some body too and I find that much more useful than something in a more shallow depth.

This stave shelled drum is made from Red Gum and the rich colour of the wood really makes it stand out. Red Gum is part of the Eucalyptus family native to Australia, which is where Sia is from. Whilst the wood may not in itself have any deep grain or figuring, I find that just the colouring alone makes the drum visually attractive; it just makes me want to pick the drum up. 

It’s quite a heavy drum because it’s a pretty thick shell which isn’t unusual for drums of this construction. The shell has a fairly narrow snare bed and defined, but not overly sharp, bearing edges.

The drum comes with triple flanged hoops, Nickel Drumworks strainer, eight double ended tube lugs and 20 strand wires. Heads are a coated Evans G1 on top and a clear Evans 300 snare side on the bottom. 

I don’t really have any fancy story or background for this one, I bought it directly from Matt at Sia Drums UK at a drum show in 2016 and I’ve loved it ever since.

Sound-wise, for me it sits best at a medium/lower medium tension just to get some more of that body out of it, but it will work at tunings higher and lower than there as well. And, despite being 12×7”, it’s got a good solid feel to it too which I’ve sometimes found is lacking in smaller snare drums; this one will take a 2B rimshot and it won’t feel like you’re going to go through it.

David Bateman

September 2020

By | 2020-09-14T23:46:39+00:00 September 15th, 2020|Categories: Features|Comments Off on Snare Drum Of The Month – Sia 12×7” Red Gum
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