Little Booty Shakers - Make Your Snare Basket Come Alive
By Dendy Jarrett |
Expert Review:
Little Booty Shakers —
Make Your Snare Basket Come Alive
by Dendy Jarrett
INTRODUCTION
When I reviewed Booty Shakers … I stated: “Trust me, a name you don’t want to Google at work or with kids around. But a clever name nonetheless. So I assure you this product isn’t the first thing that probably pops into your mind.” So, yes, I can assure you that Little Booty Shakers isn’t Honey Boo-Boo twerking either!
Little Booty Shaker grew out of the development and success of the Booty Shaker product.
The goal with the Little Booty Shakers is the same as that of the Booty Shaker: these little foam wonders allow you to uncover your tone.
WHAT THEY DO
Little Booty Shakers are die cut foam pieces wrapped with a Velcro strap. They are mounted on the “ears” of a snare basket for your bottom snare rim to rest on.
Think for a moment about restricting a sonic wave. If you rest a snare drum or snare basket-mounted tom in a snare basket and it is a rigid mount, you are choking the sound of the drum. A good example would be placing a finger on a guitar string when you strum the guitar versus letting it open ring. Strike your snare drum as it rests in a snare basket and then pick it up and strike it with a stick while suspending it with the other hand. You’ll hear the difference, no doubt.
These little studio foam “ears” really do make a huge difference.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
There have been all kinds of inventions from manufacturers to try to open the sound of drums.
Little Booty Shakers work and they are simple, lightweight, and inexpensive and can be easily used on the go.
Some manufacturers recently introduced snare baskets that have this same sort of “idea” built into their snare stands right out of the box. But let’s face it: the majority of us already have all the snare stands we need, so these Little Booty Shakers allow us to utilize any and all of our snare stands with the same resounding results.
I used a set on my snare and the results are tremendous. I will caution that the benefits are difficult to hear when you are sitting behind your kit. You need to have someone play the snare while you walk out front. The good news is that while allowing the drum to breathe, the Little Booty Shaker didn’t make it feel unstable or wobbly in any way. The foam is soft enough to allow the great tone of the drum but stiff enough so that the drum doesn’t seem unstable.
MADE IN THE USA
Like the Booty Shakers, the Little Booty Shakers are made in the USA. This would be such an easy thing to produce off-shore and would allow for a better profit margin for TnR Products (the manufacturing company), but they make them in the US. Rich explained the importance of keeping this product made in the USA: “There is no reason to ship this product overseas. We have people who are eager who need work here.”
This was a real plus with this product for me.
CONCLUSION
Sometimes the solution is in the little details. When it comes to drums, we as drummers are in a constant battle to improve our sound. These little simple products from TnR will make a difference and are an affordable way to help you, as a drummer, uncover your tone.
RESOURCES
WEB:
VIDEOS:
Rich Redmond (Jason Aldean):
Jim Riley (Rascal Flatts):
Daniel Glass (Brian Setzer and Royal Crown Revue):
PURCHASE LITTLE BOOTY SHAKERS:
MSRP: $25.00 (set of three feet) Street: $19.99
Buy Little Booty Shakers At Musician's Friend
Dendy Jarrett is the Publisher and Director of Harmony Central. He has been heavily involved at the executive level in many aspects of the drum and percussion industry for over 25 years and has been a professional player since he was 16. His articles and product reviews have been featured in InTune Monthly, Gig Magazine, DRUM! and Modern Drummer Magazines.
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