Pearl · Pearl President snare · 1966 into the mid-1970s
Pearl President Snare
The original President snare wasn't a wood drum. Pearl's 1969 catalog presents it as a professional snare made of plastic fiber, with a smooth shell of even thickness and no reinforcement ring inside, and Pearl's 75th-anniversary history calls the President's shells phenolic. It came in two 5.5 x 14 versions, the ten-lug P-514 that went in the President outfit and the eight-lug P-414, both with an inner tone control and Pearl's new President strainer, whose horizontal switch allowed fine adjustment of the wires. In 2021 Pearl brought the name back with a limited phenolic kit and the President Series Deluxe, whose matching 14 x 5.5 snare, the PSD1455SE, is a real wood drum with a six-ply lauan shell. Lauan was the wood in Pearl's made-in-Japan shells from 1961. So a President snare listing is either a 1960s or 1970s plastic fiber original or the 2021 lauan model. Look inside the shell in the photos. The original is plain and smooth with the President strainer, and the reissue shows wood grain and modern recast lugs.
P-414 eight-lug version (1969 catalog)President Series Deluxe 14 x 5.5 snare PSD1455SE (2021 on, 6-ply lauan wood)
Spec at a glance
- Brand
- Pearl
- Model
- Pearl President snare
- Family
- President
- Type
- Snare
- Years covered
- 1966 into the mid-1970s
- Sizes
- 5.5 x 14 (P-514, ten lugs; P-414, eight lugs)
- Era
- 1960s
Inside the shellPearl President snare
- Shell
- Phenolic shell
- Construction
- Laminated plastic fiber (phenolic resin), no reinforcement ring
- Hardware
- Inner tone control; the angular C-043 (Battleship) lug from 1969
- Strainer
- President strainer with a horizontal height-adjustment switch
- Finishes
- Marine Pearl
How to date one
The 1969 catalog lists two President snares, both 5.5 x 14: the ten-lug P-514, also the outfit snare, and the eight-lug P-414. Pearl cast the angular C-043 Battleship lug for its professional drums from 1969. The wood President snare is the 2021 President Series Deluxe PSD1455SE, a 14 x 5.5 lauan drum.
What to check before you buy
Missing or replaced strainers and tone controls are the common problems, along with lugs swapped from other Pearl drums. Coverings on the originals can lift at the seam.
- 01Shell: Look inside the shell in the photos. Smooth, grainless plastic fiber is the 1960s original, and wood grain means the 2021 lauan model.
- 02Lug count: Count the lugs in the photos. Ten is a P-514 and eight a P-414, and empty holes mean a lug was moved or lost.
- 03Strainer: Ask for a photo of the strainer and a short video of it flipping. The original has a horizontal adjustment switch and should hold the wires tight.
- 04Tone control: Look for the inner tone control knob on the shell in the photos. Ask whether it turns and presses its felt against the head.
- 05Covering: Look at the covering seam in the photos. Lifting edges, glue lines or extra holes under the covering point to a re-cover.
- 06Snare beds: Ask for a photo of the bottom edge with the head off. The edge and snare beds should be even, with no chips.
- 07Packing: Ask the seller to double-box the snare. A loose drum in a dropped box can bend a hoop or crack the shell.
Find one on eBay
We haven’t been through this drum’s listings yet. Search eBay for the exact model and run every listing through the checklist above. Ask for clear photos of the badge, the inside of each shell, the bearing edges and every lug, and ask how it will be packed. Pass on any listing that won’t show them.
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