The main feature of the Spaun Solid Stave snares lies in how they build their shells. Rather than steaming or bending plies of wood into an unnatural shape, Spaun cuts separare pieces of wood to the proper size and angle, then aligns them vertically to produce a solid shell. The advantage of this process is that the shell has a much greater proportion of wood in it than a normal ply shell. Less glue is needed to hold the staves together than is required for a multi-ply shell. The more wood, the more resonance the shell possesses.

As Brian describes it, the shell comes out of the initial gluing process looking like a "twenty-sided stop sign." Next, the shell is cut to the desired depth and lathed to the desired thickness. Because they create the horizontal and vertical dimensions of each drum individually, Spaun can offer drummers true customization in the process. You can't get features like this in a steam-bent shell.

The shells are offered in five basic woods: maple, cherry, walnut, oak, and birch. (We'll discuss the character of the different woods a little later on.) The shells can be ordered in 5/16" (7.9mm), 7/16" (11mm), or 9/16" (14mm) thicknesses. You decide which thickness you want based on how you want the drum to sound. Volume and focus increase with a thicker shell, while a thinner shell is warmer and more sensitive to distortion.

Stave construction, an art used today to create fine congas and djembes, gives the player more options than ply or steam bent solid drums can provide. For instance, you can choose to mix woods, like birch and maple. This lets you further customize the sound of your drum. You can also opt for stripes between the staves, which creates a visually stunning effect. All these choices give the player a chance to have a truly unique drum.

Here are the features that ar common to all the Spaun Stave snares. They come with 2.3mm steel hoops, with die cast hoops as an option. Standard heads include an Evans G1 coated batter and a 300 GL snare side. The machined-brass lugs are an exclusive Spaun design containing a floating insert to hold the tension rod. Spaun's theory is that instead of interfering with the resonance of the shell, a solid brass lug actually helps it, because the lug becomes a part of the shell. Most of our review drums had brass-finished lugs, which beautifully complemented the natural wood finishes of the shells. But those lugs finished in chrome were also beautifully done. Lugs ar also offered in many optional powder-coated colors.

The 6 1/2" and 7" deep snares have ten single lugs per head, while the shallower drums had ten double-ended lugs. Each lug is held in place with a single allen screw. Nylon spacers protect the shell from the lugs; nylon washers are used under the tension rods. There is an attractive brass air hole grommet on the same plane with the lugs.

Spaun does not believe in reinforcement rings, so none of their drums have them. (Rings might be needed to keep a steam-bent shell round, but that is not the case with stave drums.) The drums feature a double 45° bearing edge, which keeps the edge on the flat part of the head and not the collar. I opened up one of the drums to check on the bearing edge, and it was smooth and straight.

The shells are finished on the inside with a sanding sealer, which protects the shell from weather changes. The finish on the outside of our test drums is a Spaun secret. They claim that it's stronger than an oil finish, but thinner, and thus doesn't interfere with the natural resonance of the shell. Even though they call it a satin finish, I found it rather shiny. When I questioned Brian about it, he told me that their high-gloss finish is much shinier, "involving numerous applications of a much harder clear coating, and requiring quite a few labor-intensive steps from sanding through buffing the final finish." (If it's that much shinier than the "satin" finish, I hope the drums come standard with sunglasses!)

Spaun tops off their drums with the now famous Piston Drive Strainer from Nickel Drumworks, Inc. This strainer is phenomenal! The throw travels 5/8", has a guidance system that keeps the snares aligned over the head, and is as smooth as glass. It's an absolute dream, and it's standard on all Spaun snares. It certainly seems that Spaun has paid keen attention to every detail of their drums' construction. Now let's see how they sound.

4x14 Solid Stave Maple
(5/16" Shell, Chrome Hardware)

For a drum sized in the piccolo range, this is definitely a multi-purpose drum. Yes, it can be tuned up high to produce a real crack. But at the same time the voice is full-bodied. I tried this snare on a few gigs where I would normally have used a 5" or larger drum, and it did not disappoint. It produced a very full sound with lots of overtones.

5x14 Solid Stave Oak
(9/16" Shell, Brass Hardware)

This snare possesses a clear and clean voice. Due to the nature of oak, its range is a bit higher than the others and its sound is dry and very articulate. The thickness of the shell gave it a strong sound with no distortion at any tuning.

5x14 Solid Stave Cherry
(9/16" Shell, Brass Hardware)

The thick cherry shell gave this snare a lot of highs that would help it cut through just about anything. It impressed me overall as a very bright-sounding drum. Given that quality, it would be interesting to see how changing the thickness of the shell would alter the sound. My guess is that it would still have a piercing voice with clear overtones, but might sound just a bit warmer.

5 1/2 x 14 Solid Stave Walnut
(7/16" Shell, Brass Hardware)

Upon hearing this drum, a friend of mine commented that it sounded like the snare that Neil Peart used on some of the older Rush albums. This is one aggressive snare, with great strength and cut. It would be easy to drive the sound over most amplification. And it's only 5 1/2" deep! Imagine how a 6" or 7" would sound. The mind boggles.

6x14 Solid Stave Maple with Walnut Stripes
(7/16" Shell, Brass Hardware)

This was one of my favorites. It proved to be the kind of all-around drum you take on gigs because you can count on it to sound great and respond to your requirements. My first impression of the drum was that it sounded as sharp as a metal snare: extremely clear and clean, all snare and articulation. Rimshots fired off with no effort, rolls flowed out of it, and it just made me want to play it simply to hear it talk back to me. It gave back whatever I put into it. On a cosmetic level, I found the stripes to be very attractive, especially when I turned the drum over and viewed them through the snare head.

7x14 Solid Stave Birch with Bubinga Stripes
(7/16" Shell, Chrome Hardware)

This big guy had the sound I've grown accustomed to with birch shells: dry and very articulate. It's a clean sound with less ring than the maple shell snare- almost gated in nature. This drum would be good for players who want a lot of clarity in their playing. It has lots of cut and volume, and is also very agreeable to being tuned down into fatback range- getting deeper, but retaining its character.

7x14 Solid Stave Curly Maple
with Bubinga and Maple Stripes
(5/16" Shell, Brass Hardware)

One quality of all the Spaun drums we tested is that they are not made for just one application. That was especially true with this model. I took it on a gig where most of the playing had to be quiet, and I found it very controllable. Snare response with sticks or brushes was clear, and it was easy to play in a delicate fashion. At the same time, I had lost of reserves to call upon should I need them. The drum has a deep sound with lots of overtones, but the whole package is rewarding to play. It just gets fatter and deeper if you tune it down. The triple stripes on this shell give it a great look- especially combined with the curly maple in the larger portions. This drum surprised me, since I don't usually like snares deeper than 5 1/2". In fact, it turned out to be my other favorite.

General Sound Characteristics

All of our test drums had great snare sensitivity, and they didn't tend to close up during hard playing. (I don't think they could.) Rimshots were strong and clear enough to take your head off.

Due to the nature of their bearing edges, the drums were very sensitive to tuning changes. What's more, I got the feeling that there is lots of tuning "headroom" in which to work. This means that the drum will work with you, not make you find the drum's own sweet tuning and hope you like it. Another character that I love about these snares is their ability, especially in the larger drums, to let you play press rolls forever. Even as I tuned the big ones down they just got more comfortable with the idea.

As I said earlier, you may choose to mix woods for acoustic or cosmetic reasons (or both). In that case the price of the drum would be based on the more expensive wood. According to Spaun's price list, 13" drums are $50 less than 14" models; 12" drums are $100 less. Stripes are an option that can really enhance the look and unique character of the drums. Single stripes between each stave adds $100 to the price; additional stripes adds another $50 per set. If you check out Spaun's catalog or web site, you can see the available stain finishes. The drums that I tested were all finished to show the natural wood. Staining is available at no additional cost, unless you want a custom mixed color. These drums are so good looking in their natural state that I'm not sure you would want to change their color, unless it was really important to match an existing kit.

Spaun has come up with some real winners here. The drums are stiking in appearance, a dream to play, and priced in line with other manufacurers' custom snares. The vast array of different woods, thicknesses, depths, and cosmetic options may make you dizzy at first. Find a dealer that stocks them, go to their web site, or contact Spaun at the address below to start the process. If you call them you'll speak to either Brian or David. With their help you can custom-design the sound and character you're looking for. With all the choices available to you, the drum you'll wind up with will likely be the only one of its kind in the world. The fun is in the building!