What is the difference between a stave snare drum and a ply snare drum?

A stave snare drum is built from thick vertical segments of solid wood glued edge to edge, then turned round by hand. A ply shell is thin layers of veneer pressed into a mold. Solid stave shells are denser, so they give a stronger fundamental note, more projection and a clearer stick attack than a comparable ply drum.

How long does a custom snare drum build take?

Every drum is built one at a time by hand, so lead time depends on the current build schedule and how involved your design is. You get an honest estimate before any work starts, plus photos and video as your shell is turned, cut and assembled.

How much does a custom snare drum cost?

Price depends on the shell material, size, finish and hardware you choose. Tell us your maximum budget in the quote form and you will get a firm price within 24 hours, along with a realistic delivery estimate. Finished drums in the store show their exact prices.

Can I choose the wood species for my snare drum?

Yes, of course! Seven Six Drum Company builds in domestic species like maple, walnut, cherry and Louisiana sinker cypress, and in exotics like Bolivian rosewood, purpleheart, bubinga, olivewood and zebrawood. If you have your own special piece of wood, ask about building with it.

Can I specify custom bearing edges, snare beds and hardware?

Every edge is cut by hand, so you can specify a sharp 45 degree edge for attack and cut, or a rounded vintage edge for warmth and body. Hoops, throw-off, snare wires, heads and hardware plating are all your call, and we will advise on what suits the sound you described.

Do you ship custom snare drums worldwide?

Yes. Drums are handcrafted in New Orleans and shipped anywhere in the world, carefully packed and insured.

Custom Snare Drums

The big manufacturers make wonderful drums, and some of them are rightly coveted. But we all want our own drum, made to our exacting specifications. That is what Seven Six Drum Company does best. Every custom snare drum is handcrafted one at a time in New Orleans — stave, steam-bent solid, true solid and metal shells, with stave shells being built, milled, finished, and assembled by hand, then shipped anywhere in the world.

If you have a vision for how you want your drum to look, feel and sound, we want to help your dream become a reality. Fill out the quote form below and you will hear back within 24 hours with a price and a realistic delivery estimate. (Check your junk mail folder after sending a quote request.)

Start your custom snare quote Shop snare drums ready to ship

The process

How your custom snare drum gets built

Talk about the sound first

Before any wood is cut we talk about the music you play, the rooms you play it in, and the drums you already love or cannot stand. The sound you describe drives every decision that follows.

Choose the wood and the shell

Species, construction, diameter, depth and shell thickness get settled together. Dense exotics, warm domestic hardwoods, stave, steam-bent solid or metal, each one moves the voice of the drum in a different direction.

Mill the shell, cut the edges by hand

The shell is miiled using a custom built jig and hand-held router to make it round inside and out, then the bearing edges and snare beds are cut by hand to the profile your sound calls for. This is the stage that decides attack, sensitivity and sustain.

Finish, voice, and ship it to you

Hand-applied finish, your hardware, your heads and wires, then the drum is tuned and voiced in the shop before it is packed and shipped anywhere in the world.

Designing your drum

The four choices that decide how your snare sounds

Shell construction

Stave, steam-bent solid, true solid and ply shells each behave differently under a stick. Stave shells are loud and focused with heavy low-end body, steam-bent solid shells are warm and round, and a true solid shell is one piece of wood with no glue seam at all.

Read the shell construction guide

Wood species and tone

Dense tropical hardwoods like purpleheart, Bolivian rosewood and bubinga bring crack, projection and a long clear ring. Maple, walnut, cherry and Louisiana sinker cypress sit warmer and darker, with a fatter mid-range that suits recording and quieter rooms.

Read the wood species guide

Bearing edges and snare beds

A sharp 45 degree edge lets the head sit on a fine point, giving attack, cut and a higher tuning range. A rounded vintage edge puts more wood against the head for warmth and body. The snare bed underneath sets how quietly your ghost notes will still speak.

Read the bearing edges guide

Sizes, hardware and finish

Diameters from 10 to 15 inches, depths from piccolo to deep, die cast, flanged, wood or stick chopper hoops, chrome, black nickel or brass plating, and a hand-applied finish chosen to suit the grain of your shell.

See the full build, start to finish

Read before you order

Snare drum building guides from the shop

Stave, Steam-Bent, Solid and Ply Drum Shells Explained

How stave, steam-bent solid, true solid and ply snare drum shells are built, and how each construction changes the tone of a custom drum. Shop now.

Choosing a Wood Species for Your Custom Snare Drum

Maple, walnut, cypress, purpleheart, zebrawood and more: how each shell wood sounds and looks on a custom snare drum. Start your build today.

Bearing Edges: The Cut That Decides How a Drum Sounds

What a bearing edge is, how 45, 30 and rounded edges change attack, sustain and tuning range on a custom snare drum. Explore custom builds now.

How a Custom Drum Is Built, Start to Finish

From the first conversation to the finished drum: shell, edges, finish, hardware and tuning on a handcrafted custom drum. See the process and order yours.

All drum building guides

Hear one

What a handcrafted stave snare drum sounds like

A 6x14 inch walnut custom solid stave snare drum, built and voiced in the New Orleans shop.

Hear more custom snare drums

Ready to ship

Custom snare drums finished and in stock now

Not everyone wants to wait for a build. These snare drums are finished, photographed and sitting in the shop, ready to ship anywhere in the world.

The Steam-Bent Solid Shell Walnut Custom Snare Drum

$1,375.00

The Golden Maple UltraThin Reso Series Custom Side Snare Drum

$795.00 $595.00

The 4x10 Hurricane Chinaberry Custom Utility/Side Snare Drum II

$795.00 $650.00

See every in-stock snare drum

Questions

Custom snare drum questions, answered

What customers say about their custom builds

A few unsolicited notes from drummers after their custom snare drum arrived.

Absolutely no words — it is breathtakingly beautiful. And you found one of our all-time favorite photos. A perfect touch.
Robert LucianoThe Wenge Birdseye Maple Tribute Custom Snare Drum

Thank you sir for the incredible drum. Sounds perfect, really versatile too. And the look speaks for itself — belongs in an art gallery.
Aaron EmeryBlack and White Ebony 14x7 Custom Snare Drum

Marc is a custom drum artisan. He will build a drum for you according to your specifications. He truly builds some beautiful works of art!
Don McClellan5.75x14 Multi-Species Custom Snare Drum

Request a custom snare drum quote

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