While they weren't Yamaha hoops specifically, I did recently put maple hoops on my old Yamaha steel snare, replacing the triple-flanged hoops that came with the drum - and it did wonders for the sound. Joker's description pretty well fits my experience - the drum has been transformed from a "satisfactory to get me through the gig" drum to a "something I'd want to play specifically for many of my gigs" drum.
My Yamaha snare is really ringy, to the point of distraction - but the hoops really helped to mellow out the sound of the drum. Before I started experimenting with different counterhoops, I didn't realize how much of an effect hoops have on the overall sound of a drum - even beyond rim shots and other techniques where one actually strikes the rim.
I bought my set of Pacific-brand counterhoops at...well, a national chain that folks don't like to mention on this board. The store isn't important, you can get them at a number of different stores. Anyway, the hoops came "finished," and just set right into place like "regular" counterhoops. The only differences are:
- the circumference of the wood hoops is slightly larger than that of the metal hoops, so my drum now barely fits into its case;
- there is a recessed area in the batter-side hoop to accommodate the snare throwoff mechanism, but since Pacific drums have the type of throw-off that moves away from the shell, versus my Yamaha's throw-off that moves parallel to the shell, I'm going to have to get out the sandpaper and open up the recess a little bit more to let the throw-off function smoothly.
- the way the counterhoops were drilled for the lugs, the top tips of the lugs stick out slightly (less than 1/16") above the top surface of the maple counterhoop. It hasn't been a problem for me, but I suspect at some point, I'm going to order lugs which have slightly shorter tips, so that I'm not hitting the lug with my stick when I play a rim shot.
I just "won" two sets of ten-lug Pacific counterhoops in an auction on eBay, being auctioned by the Long Island Drum Center. The eight-lug hoops I bought at that unnamed store cost me about $90 for the set of two (less than the Yamahas), and the hoops I won on eBay were $29.95 per set. I know they didn't sell all of the sets they had up for auction (it was a "dutch auction," FWIW), so look around, and you might find them auctioning off some more before too long.
Now, if you want to really go with some
nice wood counterhoops, take a gander at what's for sale at
http://www.stanbridgedrums.com. Pretty stuff, that's for sure.
