Full-bodied tone, with a higher overall pitch response than traditional maple, at 3mm thick, our exclusive precision-milled Philharmonic Cast Aluminum shell snare drum is one of the thickest metal drums you’ll find. Aluminum is a relatively soft metal and provides the warm, round, full-bodied resonance of a wood shell snare. However, it also possesses the snap, volume, and projection provided by a metal snare. No other concert snare drum can offer this perfect compromise between wood and metal. Since the Philharmonic PHA is a milled cast aluminum shell, its bearing edges are precision-cut and perfect every time.

The PHP1325/N Philharmonic Pancake Snare adds a new range of ultra-quiet response and crystal clear tone to the Pearl Philharmonic line. Contemporary repertoire demands and performance environments often push instrument design and innovation at Pearl. Tom Freer, of the Cleveland Orchestra, collaborated with Pearl designers to create the new 13” x 2.5“ Philharmonic Pancake snare drum to meet the growing demand for a solo and audition drum that could be “whisper-quiet” and professional-grade for years of use. Maximum sensitivity was needed in the smallest possible format. The musical challenges presented were met with a variety of solutions affecting nearly every aspect of the drum's design. First, an extremely compact 13” x 2.5” 8-ply Maple Shell was required for whisper-quiet tone and maximum sensitivity. This unique shell design led to the creation of a new single-point lug system specifically for the Philharmonic Pancake. Next, special modifications were made to Pearl's renowned Triad Silent Strainer, allowing the snare assemblies to be correctly positioned and tensioned against the bottom head while still maintaining the adjustability of the strainer. In addition, new snare assemblies were developed using light gauge music wire in a proprietary graduated tensioning system, altogether creating that signature Pearl out-of-the-box performance quality.

Philharmonic PHX African Mahogany concert snare drum features a unique shell design and the new and improved SR505 Triad Strainer Systems. PHX drums are used for a wide range of playing styles and are available in 14” x 5”, 14” x 6.5”, 15” x 8”, and 16” x 16” sizes. PHX brings a Classic and Iconic American Sound to the Philharmonic Series and is as equally beautiful to look at as they are to play. PHX Philharmonic snare drums feature a 4-ply African Mahogany shell with 4-ply Maple reinforcement rings, producing an incredibly full tonality with a natural low-frequency response that is ideal for concert applications. Both the 1580 and new 1616 models feature 6-ply Natural Maple hoops and 8 chrome Slim-Line Aluminum tube lugs with insulated low profile chrome claw hooks, as well as a special snare combination of Synthetic Gut and Heavy Coated Cables for a dark and full sound reminiscent of rope and field drums. The 1450 and 1465 models include standard Philharmonic features such as Die-Cast hoops, 10 Classic Tube lugs with stainless steel tension rods, and Vintage cut snare beds. The new SR505 strainer system is outfitted on these models with a combination of coated cable, Synthetic gut, stainless steel, and light cable snare materials for a whisper-soft response, and a warm projecting tone that will be heard in the largest venues. All PHX snare drums feature fully rounded bearing edges on both top and bottom for a fundamentally focused response and easy tuning with a variety of head styles. PHX Philharmonic African Mahogany drums are finished in a classy #210 Matte Walnut finish and backed by Pearl’s industry-leading Lifetime Warranty.