So, while I was actually given these wires a good while ago, I hadn’t looked at them until the last few days. The joys of having lots of things to review, I guess!

Now, the reason I mention this is because of the snare drum I used for the test/video. The drum in question is a Canopus Zelkova. OK… so what? What you probably need to know at this point is that Vic Firth partnered with Canopus to create these wires. I didn’t realise that until I’d put the first set of wires on the drum. I only recently got that snare drum and I can absolutely promise that it was a massive coincidence that I happened to choose that drum to use. Or maybe it was just fate…

Anyway, the wires…

These wires are made of premium Japanese steel and are intended to make your snare sound more full and increase its tone. They are available in 20 and 26 strand versions – the 20 strand model for standard drums and the 26 for deeper drums. With that in mind, you’ll have to excuse the fact that I tried both models on the same drum but I thought that would be easier to provide a consistent comparison.

As you’ll hopefully hear, there is a noticeable difference between the two models – as indeed should be the case – with the 26 providing a more full sound with the 20 being a little tighter sounding. 

In practice, I really liked these wires. 

I liked the way they sounded and actually the way they looked too; for me they had a vibe unique to them. And, being made by Canopus, you know they’re well made. 

What I also noticed about these wires was how they sat on the shell. Both pairs seemed to sit further across the head than most other wires I’ve come across. I checked that against some other random snares I have for comparison and I don’t think it was anything specifically to do with the Zelkova snare. In fact, they were pretty much sitting on the snare bed both sides.

The Vintage Snappy Wires are only available in a 14” size, but I’d like to see them in maybe 13 and 15” as well as in the strand sizes.

More over at – https://vicfirth.zildjian.com/gear/accessories/other-accessories/vintage-snappy-20-strand-snare-wire.html and https://vicfirth.zildjian.com/vintage-snappy-26-strand-snare-wire.html

David Bateman

April 2020