I've written a number of articles on tuning (see 5-Minute Lessons) the Snare drum.

Without hearing the drum, I have no other suggestions for you. Also, I don't know that the term "honk" is one that I can associate a particular sound to.

Your Broadcaster is not the same Gretsch drum that Ferrone used. The drum itself, plus drumheads, tuning, room, mics, mic-pre, processing, compression, all play a role in what you hear on an Average White Band album ... or any album for that matter.

Pitch bend is achieved by detuning one or more lugs on the batter head. This technique was popular on Tom-Tom batter heads, but not one that I employ on a Snare drum. The way you hit the drum can also create a "bend" to the sound. When a drumhead is struck, if it has some give to it, the drumstick can be pressed slightly to create more tension (raise the pitch). When the stick is removed, the added tension is released and the pitch drops. All of this takes place very quickly during the backbeat.

Perhaps someone else here on the forum can help you in more detail.

"honk" is a term I've heard quite a bit strangely enough- out west and even around here.

Funny sounding term too, but I think descriptive.  I like a snare that "honks" and tune for that sound.  I get the most "honk" with a clear or clear/dot head on a snare tuned to a medium tension, maybe med tight.  I have my bottom head tighter in pitch than my top head.  I personally like my snares tuned lug to lug as close as I can get them *I don't like to spend too much time fine tuning btw- these things aren't pianos- sorry just my opinion*

A small piece of tape rolled up in a tight cylinder sticky side out or a 1/2 piece of moongel seem to trim of the high end pleasantly enough (for my ear anyways) with this head combo.   If you keep your wires on the loose side you can open your snare sound up even more, but that's up to you.

To me the "honk" of a drum is different than the "cut".  Honky drums are very wet that usually are dampened a bit.

The term 'honk' for me means a mid rangey tone with plenty of harmonic content.
You wouldn't get a 'honk' out of a highly tuned piccolo, or a fairly damped drum for example.
The old Radio Kings are an archetypal 'honk' machine in my opinion. I know a record producer who prizes his Ludwig Hand Hammered Brass snare because of it's unruly overtones and harmonics which he likes to bring out with EQ and compression. It helps the drum find some space in the loud guitar rock this guy usually produces.
90% of the time, drummers don't want too much 'honk', because it tends to render a drum one dimensional (as in not versatile).
I believe that's where the DW catalogue is coming from.
They want you to know the Aluminium snare has some character, but not so much it makes the drum unusable in most circumstances.

So, even though Steve Ferrone is black ... he played a honky sounding Snare? Makes sense ... it was the Average White Band.  

Well, I know what "honk" means to me, but I just don't think it's a standardized term. This is obvious in that we've already been given several definitions for the term ... and what sound it represents.

My view of "honk" was more along the lines of what Chrisso has suggested ... although I just don't use the term much.

OK, gotcha - that clears it up for me, thanks!

There have been some good examples of, at least what I think of when I think of 'honk' given here. Early Bruford's definitely a good example. I remember an article of him responding to the question of how he got the early Yes snare sound he was so well known for. He mentioned the same technique Mr. A.'s giving, with a rimshot to the edge of a Ludwig Supraphonic 5 x 14, Remo Ambassador, tuned medium tension.

I think it may be harder to achieve this sound (acoustically, live) with a high tensioned drum but others may have a different experience.

One guy who I think has a cool lower honk is Alex Van Halen. Brother Eddie even described it as part of the 'brown sound.' I think Eddie's quote was that his brother Alex's snare went 'tonk' when he hit it. That's the closest printed description of a snare 'honk' that I've seen outside of drummer circles.


Jim

Long Live the Honk

Get in front of it at a red light and when the light turns green don't move.

It all raises a question on the perception of Honk.
Drummers always asking questions about getting their drums to sound like " name drummers". We all have different perceptions of what " name drummers drum actually sounds like and we also need to know information on  exactly the time the drum track was played. My guess the name drummer has 100 snares and chops and changes tunings and drums between album tracks and gigs frequently.
These type of questions are too hard basket. IMO if you can be specific to the sound you wanted you are going to get better chance of a helpful reply. Honk could be anything. Descriptions of wet, fat, dry etc are hard enough to describe a tuning as all drums are different and head selection comes into it, but Honk!

I'll hazard a guess / addition to what has already been suggested.

I just listened to "Roundabout" to get a reference.  I didn't expect THAT to be what you meant, but if it is, what I'm hearing is a TON of shell resonance.  -That "note" that recording engineers always try to get rid of (!)   But, yeah, I like it too.    

So, I'd probably start out as follows:  

First, use light rims, definitely not die-cast or maple.  Fairly low tuning, as others have said.  
Keep the top and bottom heads close to each other, possibly even the same note  (or tune the reso head to a harmonic of the batter head)

You probably want to stay with a 5" or 5.5"   Any larger, and you would probably be going for more tension to get a useful "all around" tuning, and thus kill some of that desireable honk.  (though all sorts of odd combinations might actually get you there.)

I would personally also start with a single ply top head, as you want the drum to be alive, then use "emad" type dampers.  -But this depend upon the drum.  if the drum is bright (ludalloy, steel) then a double head (or lots of moon gel) might help by killing some HF.  if the drum is wood, I doubt you'd need it. (unless it's really thick, like a segmented shell.)

Bruford's snare sure sounds like thin maple or mahoganny to me.  (Chrisso, is that the Radio King thang?)    If it's metal, then they must have had a ton of stuff on the batter head, 'cause it's all midrange.  (hence you hear more of the honk.)