• an amazing snare

  
  As reviewed by Ed on 12/13/2010

  I recently bought the 6.5x14 with imperial lugs. As a musician that plays a variety of genres in various venues, I can, without a doubt, say that this is the most versatile, best sounding snare I have ever had the pleasure of playing (I have yet to get my hands on a brady or a craviotto). Some venues I have played have been pubs walled with brick that lend for some nightmarish acoustic circumstances, but even in situations like those, this snare cuts and still manages to sound great while receiving dozens of compliments. It can be sensitive, loud, resonant, or quiet and even muted (if that's the sound you're looking for- but I recommend letting the dynamics of this snare SING). It fits jazz, rock, blues, r&b and absolutely everything in between. It sounds fantastic with brushes, hot rods, nylon tips, or simple old fashioned hickory and will give you the sound you are looking for, whether you're in the studio for a session or playing a gig, mic'd or not- the sound is superb and definitely projects with definitive warmth that I have yet to find in other snares- and the black nickel finish is absolutely STUNNING. The stock heads are actually decent, but I recently picked up a coated ambassador with a hazy ambassador snare side. The stock snares sound great as well. I have puresounds, but have yet to put them on because the sound i'm getting is already really sweet. I have a spare set of die cast hoops and tried them out, they bring even MORE volume to the drum, but the stock triple flanged's feel great and give higher sensitivity and stick rebound. This drum certainly lives up to its hype. I realize the price tag is a little steep, but if you're looking into purchasing a snare like this, you've probably already done your homework on it like me. If you're on the fence about buying it, let me help you out and tell you to just splurge and get it. I receive countless compliments about the sound I get from this snare and even get friends and fellow drummers asking if they can play it in their next show (yeah right!). I am extremely picky about my snare sound and have never actually owned a brass snare before, so this is a first for me coming off of two gretsch maple snares; a 5x14 and a 6.5x14, and a couple other customs. I used to vow to stick with maple, but this snare completely changed me. For a while I was looking into the lm402 (the 6.5x14 supraphonic) after reading several reviews, but decided on the 6.5x14 BB because I can get the supra sound out of this snare, but can't get the BB sound out of a supra. Spend the extra cash get this snare, you will certainly not regret it. The quality is superb and I am proud to finally be a member of the ludwig family with the majestic and highly sought-after black beauty.

  8 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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• Horrible Quality

  
  As reviewed by Tom Rettler on 7/13/2011

  I recently ordered two 6.5" x 14" Black Beauty snare drums. Upon arrival, I noticed that it was very difficult to stop the snares from buzzing unless I tuned the drum very high. I brought it to my drum teacher, and he suggested that we focus on tuning the resonant head. We used the Tama tension watch to give us a more precise indication of what we were doing. As the head started to tighten up, we noticed that some areas of the head would go no higher, no matter how much we cranked down on the adjacent tuning lug. Some additional troubleshooting revealed the root cause of our problems. The bottom hoop was so out-of-round that only one side was actually in contact with the edge of the drumhead. A tape measure quickly confirmed that the hoop was nowhere close to round. To make the situation even worse, we checked the second Black Beauty and found the exact same problem. So this wasn't a fluke, it appears that a whole batch of these defective drums must be out there. I am so digusted with Ludwig that I will never buy another one of their drums again. When I paid $500-$600 for each of these so-called flagship units, I at least expected the damn things to be round. So long, Ludwig...I hope you go bankrupt. But I will mention that Guitar Center was very accommodating when I brought the drum back for a refund.

  1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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• Great for playing and learning

  
  As reviewed by Praise for God on 4/10/2008

  This is a great drum, and has a various sound range especially when tuned correctly. It has a nice bright sound, and give a nice feel to any gospel song and expounds greatly on praise breaks. This drum is also terrific for practicing rudiments when tune correctly. I played in the marching band so I like for the sound of the snare to fit that of a flam head marching band free floater. This comes close especially with the remo emperor head or evans G1.

  20 of 51 people found this review helpful.
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