Mike Dawson's Snare Of The Week, Episode 1: Ludwig 5x14 Acrolite

Buy an Acrolite at: https://amzn.to/2sQS8WS

Welcome to the debut of my new weekly video series focusing on snare drums. I kick off the series with the drum I got started on in fifth grade, the Ludwig 5x14 Acrolite. This is a super-affordable drum that was originally launched in the 1960s as a student-level alternative to Ludwig's professional-grade Supraphonic. Like the Supraphonic, the Acrolite has a seamless aluminum shell, but it comes with 8 cast bowtie lugs rather than the 10 sturdier Imperial or tube lugs found on the Supraphonic. The Acrolite went through various modifications over the years, starting with an anodized aluminum shell in the '60s and then later having different powdercoated finishes. I chose the Acrolite for episode 1 because it's super versatile, records as well as any drum I've ever played, and super-affordable. I own four of the 5x14 sizes, and each is tuned for a very particular sound and response. I use a textured-finish (aka orange peel) version from the '80s for a funky, high, cracking tone, a la James Brown. My Black Galaxy drum from the '90s is dialed in for a very focused, compressed Steve Gadd-type sound. My battleship grey drum is tuned low and punchy, which brings tons of vibe and character to indie-rock tracks. My '60s Acrolite is tuned very low and is heavily muffled for a classic, pillowy disco punch.

On all four drums, the bottom head is tuned very high (to roughly the note G below A440).

All backing tracks in playing demos are from Jim Riley's Survival Guide for the Modern Drummer book. Buy a copy at: https://amzn.to/2JFL5Xq