How to Properly Thread Snare Cord

When attaching snare wires to the strainer and butt my preferred method is to use gorsgrain ribbon (see Other Tweaks in this post). However, I have a lot of vintage drums equipped with strainers that require snare cord. Often I get these drums with the snare cord incorrectly installed.

This post applies to the majority of snare wires one encounters with the end plate designed with a lateral channel under the end plate. An example of this type of end plate is shown here:

There are exceptions, such as these two examples where there is a pair of front channels designed into the end plate or tabs on top of the end plate that require an approach opposite of what I describe below.


For the majority of snare wire models, including Puresound and other common models that have the lateral channel under the end plate, here is an example of how not to thread the cord (and is the focus of this post):

Notice that the cord is threaded over the top of the end plate, which means that the two ends of the cord are threaded under the end plate. This causes the end plate to lift slightly off the head, which, in turn, does not allow the wires to have full head contact.

The second problem shown in the photo is the end plate is slightly cocked to the side, which also hampers wire to head contact because the wires are slightly offset from the center line that extends from the strainer to the butt. A close-up of the problem is shown in this photo:

You can actually see the lifting of both the end plate and the wires.

The correct way to thread snare cord is to pull each end through the eye holes in the butt plate from the bottom as shown in this photo:

Under the end plates are slight channels that prevent the long side of the cord from lifting the end plates off the head. There is a caveat here: not all snare cord is created equal. For example, the stiff blue cord that comes with Puresound snare wire sets is too stiff to be pulled flush into the end plate channel, which prevents the plate from laying flush against the head. Another problem with the Puresound cord is it is really wire, and if you over tighten your snares they can actually dig into your snare beds!

Yet another potential problem is using any kind of cord that is handy, which may be too thick to properly fit into the channel. I have received snare drums with everything from packing twine to fishing line in lieu of proper snare cord. They do not work!

I use and recommend Ludwig's orange snare cord, which can be purchased from any Ludwig dealer in ten yard lengths. I order mine from Dana Bentley who runs Bentley's Drum Shop. I've also used Gibraltar snare cord with good success.

Threading the end plates correctly is only half the battle. You also need to make sure that the snare wires are centered and straight when installed. Correctly done, your wires should look like this:

Getting the wires correctly centered and straight takes attention to detail and a little time, but the effort is worth it.

First, lay the properly threaded wires across the head and visually center them with relation to the shell's bearing edges.

Second, thread the cord into the strainer holes. I usually use the two outermost holes on the strainer as shown here:

This gives me sufficient spread to aid in lining up the snare wires from the center of the strainer to the butt.

Before tying off the strainer end, adjust the throw between fully engaged and disengaged, and make sure the end plates are each the same distance from the bearing edges, indicating they the wires are completely centered on the head. There are two basic ways I adjust the strainer's tension to be between fully engaged and disengaged, with the method chosen depending on the travel of the strainer when it is cycled from fully engaged to fully disengaged:

1. For strainers with relatively short travel distances, such as the strainer on the 1920s Ludwig snare drums, I usually loosen the tension know a few full turns, then position the throwoff lever halfway between fully engaged and disengaged.
2. Strainers with a lot of distance, such as the Leedy three-point and the Ludwig P83, I leave the throwoff lever up (engaged position) and loosen the tension knob adjustment by two thirds.

The goal is to make sure that your initial layout of the wires across the head does not change when threading the cord into the strainer and butt.

After you have threaded the strainer, thread the cord into the butt and tighten the pressure bar on the butt sufficiently to hold the cord in place, but loose enough to make minor adjustments in tension.

Double check thhe wires across the head to ensure they are centered relative to the shell's bearing edges, and are straight with respect to the center-to-center of the strainer and butt. After making any necessary adjustments, fully tighten the butt.

Turn the drum over to normal playing position, place it in a snare drum stand, and adjust your wires with the strainer adjustment knob to suit your preferences. Play the drum with the snares on and off to make sure those adjustments are correct, and that the snares engage and disengage normally.

Finally, town the snare drum back over, snare side up, and make sure that the wires are centered and aligned. If you need to make small adjustments, do so by loosening the butt pressure plate slightly, while also using the snare adjustment knob to ensure that the end plates remain centered relative to the bearing edges.

These instructions make the procedure appear to be more difficult than it is. In practice, the procedure is straightforward, reasonably easy to perform, and the end result is worth the time and effort to get it right.