Identifying and purchasing the exact snare drum model Stewart Copeland refers to as "The Snare"--the backbeat behind most of The Police's hit records.
By Darin Soll
For many reasons, The Police are one of my all-time favorite bands, not the least of which is Stewart Copeland's brilliant drumming throughout their catalog. Non-drummer fans of the band may not realize how much Stewart's world beat influences, and general avoidance of backbeats on 2 and 4, contributed to the band's unique sound.
My wife and I saw The Police on the Phoenix stop of their Reunion Tour in 2007. I had been looking forward to Stewart's drumming and I wasn't disappointed--except for the dead snare mic during the first few songs in their set. The brief mic issue really highlighted how important his rimshots are to "Message in a Bottle."
Much has already been written about Stewart's snare drum of "mysterious provenance" that cut through "the dirge from the bass and the ear-piecing sounds of a guitar." However, there is a lot of confusion about which specific snare drum is "The Snare" that he used on most of The Police's recordings as well as many live performances.
Some of this confusion arises from the fact that Stewart has a long-running endorsement deal with Tama Drums. While Tama did finally introduce its Stewart Copeland Signature Snare in 2001, "The Snare" was a standard Pearl (gasp!) 5x14 chrome-over-brass snare drum.
The rest of the confusion is created by inconsistencies in Pearl Drums' catalogs. The same 5x14 10-lug chrome-over-brass snare drum equipped with a "professional die cast" or Gladstone-style throw alternated between two model numbers in Pearl catalogs of the late 1970's and early 1980's:
- 1977 Pearl Drums catalog: Model 4214, branded as a "Custom Snare Drum" and featuring more rounded center beads, a vent hole centered on the beads, and an adjustable butt plate. Pearl continued offering snares equipped with parallel-action throws under the "Jupiter" brand.
- 1978 Pearl Drums catalog: Model B4514, which featured more squared-off center beads, a vent hole positioned below the beads, and a non-adjustable butt plate. The '78 catalog accidentally associates the "Jupiter" name with the Gladstone-style throw by reversing the throw pics for snare drums "A" and "B" on page 16.
- 1980 Pearl Drums catalog: Model 4214. No changes to the drum, once again branded as a "Custom Snare Drum." The "Jupiter" brand remains reserved for drums with parallel-action throws but headlines page 9 in a way that leads many to incorrectly believe that all chrome-over-brass snares are "Jupiters."
- 1982 Pearl Drums catalog: Model B-4514. No changes to the drum. The "professional die cast" throw is unchanged but is now referred to as the S-015 "Gladstone" type throw. The "Jupiter" brand is no longer used, but the parallel-action throw lives on with a new S-017 version, which adds an "X" to the end of the model number of any drum so equipped.
The inconsistencies in the '78 and '80 catalogs confused nearly everyone, and as a result, "The Snare" is often misidentified as a Jupiter. What we do know is that "The Snare" was equipped with Pearl's "professional die cast" or Gladstone-style throw with a non-adjustable butt plate, as shown in this pic of "The Snare" from Stewart's "Sacred Grove" studio:
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Stewart Copeland's "The Snare" |
Okay, enough of the history lesson--why does any of this matter?
Because two legendary drummers, Neil Peart of Rush and Stewart Copeland of The Police, were loyal to very specific non-Tama snare drums while endorsing Tama Drums. They were loyal to these drums for a reason. I've already posted about Neil's "Ol' Faithful" Slingerland snare, which has an amazing crack. Stewart's Pearl COB snare would also be a worthy addition to a drummer's arsenal.
There are two options for drummers wanting to closely replicate Stewart's sound:
- Purchase Tama's Stewart Copeland Signature Snare (SC145)--about $500US new, or $300-$400US used.
- Find and purchase a used Pearl B4514/4214 in good condition--typically $200-$300US--and upgrade the batter hoop. Use the magnet test to determine whether the shell is brass or steel.
In early 2011, I picked up a Tama SC145 on eBay for $240. It was my primary snare for a while, but the throw was not properly aligned with the snare bed and it was a beast to dial in. I eventually parted with it.
After reading again about "The Snare," I checked to see if I could pick up a Pearl B4514/4214 at a reasonable price. Udrum offered one on Reverb at the beginning of January, also for $240, and I decided to purchase it.
The drum arrived in good condition, exactly as advertised, with some light scratches on the shell, minor pitting on the tension lugs and throw, and some rust on the hoops and tension rods. The seller noted that the internal tone control was missing--not an issue since I remove them from drums I play, anyway. I had already decided I was going to upgrade the the batter hoop, but I opted for a 3.0mm triple-flange model from Drum Factory Direct instead of diecast. I've found that 3.0mm triple-flange hoops provide ease-of-tuning and rimshot advantages similar to diecast hoops, and diecast hoops are crazy expensive at the moment.
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Vintage Pearl B4514/4214 with batter hoop and gasket upgrades--note that butt plate matches "The Snare" |
As always, I disassembled and cleaned all of the components of this drum. WD-40 helped remove rust and corrosion from the brass lug receivers and tension rod springs. I used Turtle Wax Chrome Polish and Rust Remover to improve the appearance of the shell, tension lugs, and snare side hoop.
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B4512/4214 includes Pearl's S-015 "Professional" Gladstone-style throw-- note extra holes from missing internal tone control |
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Puresound Blaster snare wires are always a solid upgrade |
As you can see from the pics, the cleaned, re-assembled, and upgraded drum looks great. More importantly, it sounds great--the voice of the heavy brass shell is loud and musical. While the drum has a decent tuning range, it really sings at a higher tuning. And the rimshots on this drum have me looking forward to getting to The Police in my playlist the next time I'm behind my kit!
--Darin
P.S. - Not to add to the Jupiter confusion--but--this video compares three COB snares: (1) a vintage Rogers Dynasonic, (2) a Tama SC145, and (3) a pre-'78 Pearl Jupiter (note the more rounded beads and the parallel action throw). Yes, the pre-'78 Pearl shell is slightly different, and of course the parallel snare strainer is completely different. However, it has a very similar voice...similar enough that the video comparison is relevant to this post.
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