Some time ago, we locked ourselves away at Perlazza Studio (based in Poznań, Poland), where we tested quite a number of vintage drum kits and snares provided by Mateusz Wysocki and his MW-Vintage company, which (as the name suggests) specializes in vintage drums. We performed the test under the sonic supervision of musician, award-winning producer, studio owner and, most of all, a drum maniac, Przemysław Wejmann. To be more exact, it was drummer Max Psuja, who tested all the gear while the beatit.tv team recorded the video and the sound engineer/producer took care of the sonic side of things.
Max Psuja, as an utter vintage drum maniac, a former employee of a drum shop, and a great drummer, who has collaborated with a host of popular acts in Poland, such as Kumka Olik, Holak, Lilly Hates Roses or Yoachim, was perfect for the role of ’lab tester’. Needless to say, he was more than eager to do the job.
We are testing a 14″ x 5″ Rogers Dyna-Sonic Snare Drum
1. Product
Rogers is a brand established as early as in 1849, but its heyday came in the 1960s. It was then that the world fell in love with Dyna-Sonic snare drums (especially the chrome-over-brass), which are sought-after to this day on the aftermarket. Another hit from Rogers was the Swiv-o-Matic tom-mounting hardware ball and socket tilting mechanism, which was used by the likes of Ringo Starr of The Beatles, Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and John Bonham of Led Zeppelin.
According to Mateusz Wysocki’s best knowledge, the Rogers Dyna-Sonic snare drum is from 1979. The shell is made from brass. The finish is Chrome Over Brass. This snare drum was made In USA. The Dyna-Sonic snare is a classic rock drum for discerning players, perfect for the studio and live performances.
2. Basic product specification
- Manufacturer: Rogers
- Model: Dyna-Sonic
- Size: 14″ x 5”
- Shell material: Brass
- Shell thickness: 1.2 mm
- Hoops: 10 tension rods
- Strainer: Rogers Dynasonic
- Lugs: Double ended lugs
- Snares: 20 strains
- Color: Chrome Over Brass (COB)
3. Test and sound
When testing the Rogers Dyna-Sonic snare, we also used a Rogers Big R drum kit, Impression cymbals, EvansG2 Clear / WS Classic Clear heads on the toms, and Remo Powerstroke 3 Clear / Remo Powerstroke 3 Ebony with a Rogers logo on the bass drum.
Max first presented the sound of the snare produced by single strokes at different levels of dynamics, he then proceeded to playing rudiment-based patterns to finish off with a rhythm figure using all the kit elements as well as performing a groove.
The sound of this snare drum can be easily described as warm and dry. It does not choke at “atomic” strokes from behind the ear. There is a large range of sounds the Rogers Dyna-Sonic sounds good in. The snares sound very nice – they are nicely balanced and do not come to the fore. The rimshot sound is not too coarse either. Despite the fact that the shell is not particularly deep, there are no overtones here that often cause a terrible squeak in the ears after producing each rimshot. The rim click is very pleasant, quite high, with a significant admixture of the stick sound.
This snare is available for purchase at MW-Vinage Internet store under this link: http://mw-vintage.pl/rogers-werbel-dynasonic-14-x-5-nr-d-603312-vintage/
Drummers and Drummerettes! It’s time to put the 14″ x 5″ Rogers Dyna-Sonic drum kit to the most important test of all, i. e. the en.beatit.tv viewers’ test! Exclusively for you, we give you Max Psuja!
