Part of Michael’s Drums series of life-long joy
Michael’s Drums 15
2023 Update
Above – Steel floating shell Pearl piccolo FTSS1435 – die-cast hoops, Ambassador batter
Above – TreeHouse Custom 4″ x 14″ Solid 1ply Steambent Maple Snare Drum – THICC 1-plt maple shell, PHATT maple reinforcement rings, black die-cast hoops – this thing has attitude.
Above – 2002 DW Blue sparkle maple shell, 12×5″ “popcorn” snare with wood hoops – lovely tone as expected, does nothing wrong but almost ‘too well behaved’? I think I need something on that side snare with a bad attitude.
Above – Vintage Ludwig Slingerland Snare 5.5X14 Solid steam bent 1-ply maple shell – old-school delicious; I promised its previous long-time/original owner a great home and will provide.
Above – Vic Firth 3.5×14 Vicious V stainless steel snare – kind of a ‘throwaway’ for trash / play; justified because somehow I misplaced my black steel snare…
Above – Pearl Sta1450Pb Sensitone Premium 1.2mm Phosphor Bronze — this thing is insane, and it immediately grabbed the #1 spot (away from my decades-long-time fave chromed aluminum Ludwig!) after only a few seconds sitting in on my main kit — tangy but smooth, deep but complex, dynamics galore, extremely versatile and accomodating voice…wow.
It easily weighs 4-times what my previous champion weighs. Its play/feel is mostly the same in some manner but also wildly different in other (compared to chrome/alum Ludwig); it’s easier to play quieter, and it likes being played quieter; the nuances are begotten effortlessly, and it’s actually this dramatic sensitivity that makes it a bit more challenging, er, engaging to play…I could get the nuances with the chrome/alum but only at mf or more power; this gem has nuance all the way down to ppp…and all the way up; in fact, it kind of overpowers my main kit’s Wood Power in the same way that heavy cymbals quickly become just too much.
I’m not loving its strainer which, though beautiful, lacks the spectrum of engagement I’m used to from my chrome/alum Ludwig; otherwise, superb…hadn’t realized what I’d been missing! Pretty sure this snare will soon be sporting Diplomat heads and 1.6mm 3flange hoops, hopefully to release even more of that unexpectedly exciting tang and pang and zazzle. As it is right now, this snare sounds stupid good.
Funny thing the several snares I picked up recently mostly have die-cast hoops and all have Remo Ambassador batter and reso heads, both of which I’ve not been too keen on in the past. I’ll post soon on how things progress and morph.