Holy Smokes! Was this rim polished before chroming? And why are the top and bottom rim so different looking?
Those were my first responses when I pulled the Lite out of its shipping box. Spent quite a while before being convinced that the hoops were the ones appropriate to the drum. I’ve seen imperfection from Sonor, but never dereliction. Since then, I’ve discovered that the Lites went through a metamorphosis, from not-Sigs to Sig-like. I’ve also discovered (I think) that there were at least nine different configurations on the bottom hoop snare gate, so trying to verify correctness by web photos doesn’t work very well.
Prodded on by several members of this board, and having heard people laud its virtues for years, I bought a ten lug, triple flange, Throw-off II (TO2) Lite snare, made in ’84.
The top hoop is a monster at 3mm thick. It is almost as rigid as a cast version, in that it tunes the same way a cast one does. The TO2 is brilliant. Without all the sculptural beauty of the parallel mechanism, but also without the bulk and mass, it allows tensioning of the snare wires across the continuum of tension without choking the bottom head. Every reasonable wire tension sounds good to me.
There are many aspects of interest in this drum; variation of sound, dry center and an exceptionally ringing edge with ear opening, complex rimshots; deep tonality while maintaining crispness. But the thing that surprised me most is the ease of playing. It has a soft feel, but a softness that does not translate into mushiness. It has a comfortable give, but the give seems to push back, energizing the stick. It is a bit difficult to define, but the result is that I can play it better than I can either of my Designer snares. The overall description of the effect on my playing is… more accuracy and greater speed at low volumes, with less effort.
The Lite has great variation and presence in its overtones. While I was playing this rig, I realized I was having a flashback, of being twelve years old and tapping away at my first drum, a Radio King snare. Sonically, this drum reminds me of that one - a lot. An unreliable memory almost 50 years old now, but it is as it is.
, I can hear it clear as day