The Noble & Cooley SS Classic Snare Drum is an industry legend. It is the stage and studio standard, and few professional drummers don't own at least one of these remarkable instruments.
$1,102.00
Retail: $1,540.00
Birch offers boosted high frequencies, slightly reduced mids, and a good low-end punch for applications requiring extra presence and cut. Noble and Cooley is the company who originally came up with the whole notion of nodal point mounting. The hardware is mounted on the shell at the point where the vibrations are the weakest. This means that the hardware has the least dampening effect on the shell so that the drum rings for longer, is louder and has more tone. Not only is it minimalistic sonically, it's minimalistic visually too. Enhanced lows and highs offer a good balance of tone to crispness and the enhanced high side does well with this snare. The visually striking grain pattern is further accentuated with the Honey Maple gloss finish. The drum is complemented with polished brass lugs, throw off, and butt plate that fit well the timeless appearance this snare.
In this video, Sound Pure percussion specialist Barry Knain explains the various features of the Noble & Cooley 7x14 SS Classic Birch Snare Drum Honey Maple and tests it out in several different tuning ranges.
The SS Classic was Noble & Cooley's initial offering in the professional drum arena, and served to establish our reputation as a manufacturer of "The World's Best Drums."
SOLID SHELL: The heart of this drum is the shell. We take a piece of 1/4" solid birch, hand-picked for grain consistency, and run it through a steam bending process that hasn't changed since the Civil War. A single piece of wood will vibrate far more freely than a piece constructed of multiple plys. Accordingly, a single ply shell will vibrate (resonate) more freely than the multi-ply shells that are most commonly used in drum manufacture. This resonance is what gives the SS Classic it's characteristic warmth and legendary bite. These drums are available in Maple, Oak, Cherry, and Tulip either 3 7/8", 5" or 7" deep for a completely customizable sound.
NODAL POINT LUG MOUNTING: Sound, as every grade school student knows, is produced and travels as a wave pattern. Although not nearly as apparent to the naked eye, a drum shell vibrates in much the same manner as a guitar string. By placing the lug post at the nodal point of the shell's natural wavelength, the intrinsic tone-creating vibration is virtually unaffected by the mass of the lug. The shell rings true. Instead of all drumhead sound, the shell itself adds to the ultimate tone of the drum. Nodal Point technology is a Noble & Cooley patent. Our choice of low-mass brass lugs also serves to counter the inhibiting effect mounted hardware has on shell vibration.
SNARE SYSTEM: Of obvious importance to a snare drum is the snare system itself. This includes the snares, the throw-off and the snare beds. Our patented cam-action snare wires are designed to allow very tight tensioning without choking the bottom, resonant head. They also will vibrate beautifully at medium and loose tensions. This creates a very versatile drum that can be tuned up or down as the playing situation or material requires. Our brass throw-off is smooth, simple and elegant. The snare wires are engaged or disengaged quietly and evenly. It is cast of low-mass brass and lacquered to a brilliant finish.
BEARING EDGE: Arguably the single most important aspect of drum crafting, the bearing edge is the point of contact between the shell and the drum head. It is the accuracy of the bearing edge (perfectly flat, no nicks, marks, etc) that will determine the drums tone and tunability. All of our custom drums have hand cut bearing edges that are checked and rechecked on a machinist's grade granite flat (true to 1/10,000 of an inch). This exacting process is an art; a perfect edge takes serious time and experience to create, and makes the difference between a good drum, and a great drum.
As a company, Noble & Cooley has a rich heritage that is as singular and remarkable as the drums themselves. Founded in 1854 by Silas Noble and James Cooley, the company has been producing drums for over 140 years. We were one of the primary manufacturers of marching drums for the Union Army during the Civil War. Still owned and operated by direct descendants of James Cooley, the Noble & Cooley Company of today is run from the same rustic location in Granville, Massachusetts.
For many years, Noble & Cooley served primarily the toy drum market. It was in 1980 that company vice-president Jay Jones (Great-great-great grandson of James Cooley) decided to enter the professional drum arena. Working closely with designer Bob Gatzen and pulling out of retirement a steam bending machine old enough to have survived a company fire in 1889, N&C introduced the Solid Shell Maple Classic snare drum in late 1983. The drum was a huge success and revolutionized the drum industry to a degree no one could have expected.
It is precisely this combination of innovation and tradition that fuels Noble & Cooley to this day. Attention to detail and the relentless pursuit of perfection are the motivating ideals of our company philosophy. Our commitment to excellence is the reason why Noble & Cooley are called by many "The World's Best Drums."
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