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Download December 2020 Issue

Ten years ago, Sonor introduced the original 5.75x13 signature beech snare for top endorsing artist Benny Greb. Greb and Sonor recently revisited that incredibly popular model to make a few tweaks. The result is not one but two upgraded versions that maintain the tonality and versatility of the original while introducing some clever and functional new features. These two new drums are both 5.75x13. One is made from beech, and the other is made from brass.

The Specs

Both of these drums have 5.75x13 shells and feature vintage-style teardrop lugs and 2.3 mm Power Hoops. Sonor’s Dual Glide snare system gives you great control over the snare response and sensitivity, and a quick-release system enables you to change out the resonant head without having to reset the wires. The wood snare has a 9-ply, 5 mm beech shell with a semi-gloss Scandinavian birch veneer and a bubinga inlay. The brass model has a 1.2 mm shell with a patina finish and a polished center stripe.

Both drums come equipped with a new internal muffling system that Benny designed called the MonoRail. As the name suggests, the dampeners on this unique mechanism are housed on a fixed system that can be raised onto or lowered off the head for very precise dampening. The dampeners are locked in place easily with a finger-tightening knob. Most traditional internal tone control systems either have a side-action lever that only allows for the dampener to be fully engaged or disengaged. Others have twist knobs that tend to rattle when disengaged. The MonoRail system eliminates those issues and offers two independently controlled dampeners. The Sheep is a fluffy muffler that deadens the tone more substantially, while the round felt muffler provides more subtle overtone control. You can use them individually or together for maximum dampening flexibility. These pads are also interchangeable, and more options are said to be coming soon.

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