Pork Pie Piglite Acrylic Snare Drums: Review

Pork Pie Percussion, an American company started in Southern California as a hobby by Bill Detamore in 1987. Twenty years later, the drums are known for their quality and power, used by such drummers as Marky Ramone (The Ramones), Byron McMakin (Pennywise), and Eric Green (Twenty Minutes To Vegas). Their Piglite acrylic series, featuring the stunningly beautiful transparent shells featured on such famous Seventies drumkits as Zickos and Ludwig VisaLites, sound every bit as great as they look.

The Piglite snares are the shiny jewel in the serie's crown, noted for their loud, cutting sound and their sensitivity. They come in a variety of colors, dimensions, and configurations to suit a variety of plating styles (just so long as the style is LOUD!) Each of these drums are unique in not only style, but also in response and overall tone. Although Pork Pie will gladly acrylic drums in any size and setup, I am only reviewing those snares availably through such retail outlets as GUITAR CENTER and MUSICIAN'S FRIEND.

The clear Piglite snare (the least expensive model) measures 6"X14", comes with ) ten hourglass shaped lugs (either black powder-coated or chrome-plated) for greater tuning stability. It's clear acrylic shell is a very stunning sight, especially when outfitted with black hardware, as the transparency of the shell gives a ghostly appearance to the hoops, as if they're levitating. They have the standard 20-wire snare strainer, and come fitted with powder-coated Remo Ambassador batter heads and Remo Ambassador hazy snareside heads.

They have a very tight, crisp sound with a timbale-like overtone when the batter head is tuned tightly. They are sensitive enough to perform the most subtle ghost strokes and buzz rolls. Their durable, reinforced acrylic shells are about a quarter inch thick, and they have very heavy 2.3 MM die-cast steel flanged hoops that make rimshots ring like an M-80. The throw-off features a top-mounted tension adjuster knob and a lever mounted closely to the shell to prevent accidental engagement. The strainer is held in place with Mylar straps held in place with a clamp-style butt plate. The 45 degree bearing edge allows for minimum head-to-shell contact for maximum resonance and vibration.

The Piglite Amber Acrylic snare comes in two sizes (6 1/2"X14" and 7"X13"), and has many of the same features as the Piglite Clear Acrylic, with a few noteworthy exceptions. For starters, it only has 8 tuning lugs, and these are much lighter, made of solid brass tubing (like those found on vintage Premier drums of the 60's). These are smaller, lighter lugs that allow the shell to resonate more freely, giving the drum a higher, rounder voice full of overtones when cranked up tight.

The 6 1/2"X14" shell has a more traditional rock snare sound, easily lending itself to the lower, wetter studio sound favored by progressive rock drummers of the seventies. The 7"X13" shell really has both bark and bite! The smaller shell diameter combined with the increased depth gives it a relatively higher pitch. It makes a great second snare for drummers who like to use different snare sounds in their arsenal. They are both very responsive and expressive, and I even prefer the 13" Amber Acrylic sound to the more traditional 14" snare; if for any reason the treble-tinged punch it packs.

As far as acrylic drums go, Pork Pie are among the most affordable. The Clear Acrylic Piglite ranges from $200.00 - $550.00, The 7"X13" Piglite Amber Acrylic ranges from $239.00 - $650.00, and the 6 1/2"X14" Piglite Amber Acrylic from $399.00 - $650.00. If you don't mind spending the extra money, it is definitely worth going to PORK PIE DRUMS to check out all of the wicked colors, configurations, sizes, and hardware packages available. I love these snares, and maybe, an entire American-made Pork Pie Drumset will be in my future, also!