+1 for an Acrolite. They are the Supra's "ugly" brother. Also, it's a Ludwig snare drum. And if it's the Ludwig sound you're looking for, then you need a Ludwig drum to get it, imo.

Yep, that's the one.

I haven't tried them on mine because:

(1) I don't personally care for super-wide snares.

(2) The snare bed isn't particularly wide and its edges are fairly pronounced. I don't think extra-wide sets of wires would seat particularly well.

I've got Pearl S022 20-strand wires on mine, which are a little bit narrower than Puresound Custom 20-strand wires, and I get plenty of snare response.

You can find a good one in the low $100's to mid $200's. I spent a few months keeping an eye out for one and landed a good one on eBay for something like $108. 6.5" deep drums tend to sell for more.

Yup, that would be the one - the Slingerland Gene Krupa Sound King. It comes in 8 and 10 lug models and has the zoomatic strainer. I have seen them go on ebay ranging usually in the $100-300 range. It seems as though you can get them pretty cheap usually, especially if your willing to do a little light buffing :). Good Luck!

Once again, the sarcasm went right over your head if this comment was directed at my feeble attempt at humor ;) The fact is there is no alternative to a Ludwig Supraphonic, if that's the sound your looking for. Just buy a supraphonic and be done with it. If he's looking for other options, the best bet is to find a drum shop with lots of different snares and test dive them...

I don't like supraphonics. I like brass. Currently playing a 1960 Super Ludwig 400. Sounds great.

Seems like I've gone and generated some discussion and differing opinions. Hey, that's a good thing. I appreciate everyone's info and I'm learning things here.

I've already got a 3 ply wood Hollywood Ace and wanted to pick up a vintage metal (probably brass) snare as another option for recording etc... I started looking by at the Supras since they seem very highly regarded. Sure, I understand that there are endless metal snare drum choices out there but I was basically wondering what other vintage snares fall into the same discussion/ballpark as the Supra and what snares were its closest rivals during the 50's-70's.

Seems like Ludwigs4Life and O-Lugs are saying that the Supras have a sound all their own, a unique Ludwig sound, so if I like that sound, I should go for a Supra. But I've never really played a Supra, a Krupa COB, or any of the other metal snares that you're all suggesting so I'm not necessarily looking for a specific Ludwig sound, only a great sounding metal snare that will be different to my 3 ply wood snare. And now I'm armed with some new info and some metal snare options. Great!

Okay, so there's specific Supra sound and I have no doubt the Slingerland Krupa COB has its own sound as well.

Can anyone somehow describe the difference between the two, if that's possible, for someone who's never played either one?

Guess that Ford X2 aka "snare 11" didn't generate much interest huh?

One major difference between the Supra and the Krupa (hey, those almost rhyme) is the shell material. Aluminum tends toward a drier, more cutting "crack" sound. Brass tends toward a warmer, rounder, "fat" sound.

Sound-wise, I think the Krupa and the Ludwig Black Beauty are more similar than the Krupa and the aluminum Supraphonic. Go figure -- the Black Beauty is a brass drum.

Jonnistix mentioned a few Rogers options as well, and if you happen to stumble across a brass Powertone or steel Super Ten at a reasonable price, those are also fantastic drums. (The Super Ten might be the only steel snare I really like.) They're not as common and usually not as cheap as a Slingy, though.

There's also the Slingerland COS snares from the 70s that are pretty decent. They sound pretty similar to a Supraphonic as well, and not as ringy as the Slingerland COBs. Acrolites are good. Powertones are wicked good.

This is the closest thing to a comparison I have found, but it's ludwig biased.

http://pdgood.us/shootout/aluminum/aluminum.html