> > > BeatIt Presents: Dixon Artisan Chris Brady Snare

Some time ago, we presented some pictures from the test which we performed on four snares made by Dixon. Drummers and Drummerettes! The time has come to share with you the results of our work as well as our opinion on the gear, which we received courtesy of the Soundtrade company – the official Dixon Drums distributor in Poland.

The first of the three is the Dixon Artisan Chris Brady Snare. Holed up at Poznań-based Perlazza Studio, under the supervision of award-winning producer/sound engineer and drum freak Przemysław ‘Perła’ Wejmann, we prepared a test aiming at showing this instrument in as many settings as posible.

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Let us start off by “listening with our eyes” for just a bit. The snare drum is beautifully crafted, with absolutely no visual flaws as far as laquer or chrome is concerned, nor are there any problems with the way the tension rods or the throw-off mechanism work.

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Nice look is a good appetizer but it is time to get to the main course, i.e. checking the instrument’s sonic qualities.

The film includes:

  • Low tuning (D) – rudiments w/o dampening, rudiments with dampening (moongels),
  • Medium tuning (F#) – rudiments w/o dampening, rudiments with dampening (moongels),
  • High tuning (A) – rudiments w/o dampening, rudiments with dampening (moongels),
  • Low tuning (D) – groove w/o dampening, groove with dampening (moongels),
  • Medium tuning (F#) – groove w/o dampening, groove with dampening (moongels),
  • Low tuning (D) – w/o snares
  • Medium tuning (F#) – w/o snares
  • High tuning (A) – w/o snares
  • Rim only.

Instrument specs:

  • Size: 14″ x 6.5″
  • Material: Australia Rose Gum (9 plies)
  • Shell thickness: 4.5 mm
  • Hoops: Die Cast
  • Heads: Evans G1 Coated (batter), Evans SS Clear (resonant).

Thanks to such a detailed approach, you can form your own opinion on the snare’s behaviour, practically, in any setting excluding being used with a whole band playing. Sorry about that. We still dare think that the way we have treated the Dixon Artisan Chris Brady Snare  has produced quite an authoritative effect.

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In our humble opinion, the instrument responds best in medium and high tuning, without too much dampening. In the case of low tuning, the snares do not respond so well. Overall, the snare is an active one and rather demanding (requires precision and good articulation from the player).

Drummers and Drummerettes! Here is our film presenting the Dixon Artisan Chris Brady Snare!

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