So I'm daydreaming a little and the question is, "What would make the perfect snare drum?" With all respect to my friend John Aldridge, who believes that the Ludwig & Ludwig Black Beauty is the perfect snare drum, I just want to add that I want to theorize based on a woodshell model.

The wood needs to be maple- our historic choice. And speaking of history, let's make our snare with a solid maple shell and with sharp bearing edges.

The next thing I'd like to see is that the only metal that touches that shell is brass. There's a reason horns are made of brass- it's musical, warm and beautiful.

The lugs need to be made of brass. Tube lugs are fine- although they can strip- actually, I'm not sure if I care about the shape.

The triple flanged hoops need to be brass as well- I don't want any cheap steel or zinc hoops. We can chrome plate the lugs and hoops, just make them out of brass. I am not a fan of die cast hoops on snare drums, and so I'd like the hoops like early Rogers or Camco. These were both a high collar design and very attractive.

As far as strainers go, I really favor the Ludwig P83, the all metal predecessor of the P85. The newer one's OK, but the P83 was solid and dependable.

Lastly, and this is so important, I want great quality snares. Old Slingerland snares were terrific and so were old Ludwigs, but most new snare wires are J.U.N.K. It's just so disheartening to see a new expensive and beautiful snare drum that has cheap snappy snares on it.

So, now that I have designed the drum, sort of, who will break down and build it? And, who will breakdown and buy it? The line forms right behind me.

You can see pictures of the most collectable snare drums in my book for Modem Drummer. Order an autographed copy of The Great American Drums and we'll send it right to you. E-mail or call us for details.