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Photos of this snare do not do justice to this drum’s actual appearance in person. The next thing you will notice is the snare drum’s beautiful and unique finish. The first thing you will notice when lifting this drum out of its box is its weight: At eighteen pounds, this is a very heavy snare drum! Regardless of price, this is not a drum you will likely be hauling back and forth to band rehearsals based on its sheer weight alone. The key has an integrated spin top, which allows for fast tuning. The Tama Bell Brass snare reviewed, model BB156, comes in one size: 6.5”x14.” The drum was received in flawless condition and included a uniquely designed, heavy-duty drum key. The high price of this exceptional snare drum may be a deal breaker for some, but it’s definitely a quality addition to any serious kit. This adds to the overall musicality of this snare drum, and when you play the Bell Brass snare, you will hear a difference.īy utilizing advanced manufacturing methods, Tama has come up with a snare drum that prevails in the most important aspects of snare drum design, including wide-range tuning stability, loudness capability, unique and gorgeous tone, and striking visual beauty. In addition, a seamless metal shell produces a continuous vibration uninterrupted by a weld seam. However, the internal stress within the shell still exists in most of these designs. In order to keep this from happening, gluing, welding, and other methods are utilized. Whenever wood, metal, and other materials are bent into shape, the natural tendency is for the material to return to its original, natural state-usually flat like a board. The theoretical advantage in producing single-piece, seamless drum shells is that no stress exists anywhere in the shell as a result of the absence of any bending during manufacturing. Hand-cast and manufactured in Japan, Tama claims to utilize “a process similar to that used in making cymbals” to produce a single-piece, seamless brass shell. Ibanez told us that when this snare drum was originally released, “there was nothing like it in the industry, and many drummers, recording engineers, and producers heard the difference.” Given its historical significance, then, it was only fitting that Ibanez would eventually re-issue the snare. A studio favorite back in the era of huge ‘80s drum sounds, Tama’s famous Bell Brass snare drum has been reintroduced for 2016.
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