I and probably ten thousand other drummers have had the idea of a pedal operated snare drum. Of course Rick Allen of Def Leppard has been playing an electronic snare trigger pedal for years, but I am not aware an acoustic snare drum stand with foot pedal attachment made by any of the major drum hardware manufacturers. Well, it took a guitar player to actually make a commercial model. Jim Darnell is a guitarist and the owner of Side Kick Drums. The Snare Kick Riser Stand is simply a metal stand that holds a snare drum on its side and has a “lip” to attach a foot pedal to.
It works and it is very simple and well made.
The popular Mumford & Sons with their lead singer/acoustic guitarist pumping a bass drum is responsible for the sacrilege of solo acoustic guitarists playing a lone bass drum with their right foot. Now this gizmo will give them something to do with their left foot!- but I think the biggest market for this Snare Kick Riser Stand may be drummers who want to free up their left hand to do other things. I can see this catching on quickly.
The stand is made of steel that is powder coated black. The two circular cradles for the snare have a firm foam rubber bumper glued to isolate the snare from the metal. The rear cradle is fixed in position while the front cradle is adjustable back and forth to accommodate different depth snare drums, up to 10”. The cradles will accommodate 14” and 13” diameter drums. Even though the drum just “sits” on the cradle while flanges in front and back hold the drum in place, the snare drum is pretty secure without excessive tight clamping. There is a 16” piece of thin flat metal in the rear that serves two purposes; it acts as the “hoop” for the pedal to attach to and acts as a “stabilizer” to keep the drum and stand from tipping over on the site. The spurs in front are adjustable and are attached to a nice front piece that has the company name laser cut into it. This is a well designed piece of gear, made of sturdy but light metal.
I tried it with several different size snare drums. It was very stable and it produced the desired effect despite my weak left foot... :-)
The Snare Kick Riser Stand is available from the manufacturer for $109.99 at www.sidekickdrums.com. They also make specialty snare drums and bass drums. Dealers are welcome too.