• This little baby can do it all

  
  As reviewed by liquidmetaltheater on 5/3/2007

  I am a big fan of all things Tama. And this drum is no exception. This is the most diverse, most bombastic, most powerful snare drum that I have ever played. I am still amazed by the overall performance of this drum. I first used it in my progressive thrash band and got all the finesse and volume I needed out of it for all those fast fills between snare, toms, and bass. Then, I used it in my metalcore band and got all the power needed for any blast beat or breakdown. Finally, I've used it in my high school's jazz band. I got the presence and ambience needed for brushwork during a ballad, I got the tasteful pop needed for swing and finally the strong bite needed for funk. As I said in my title, this snare is as diverse and unique a snare drum as you will find. Once again, Tama hits a home run.

  18 of 18 people found this review helpful.
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• outstanding!

  
  As reviewed by Bob McK. on 7/6/2007

  when I first got this snare, I was amazed at all the different tuning levels it allowed, with every level from tuned way down, to up high, it gave me EVERYTHING I needed, and then some. Get one, you won't regret it!

  7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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• TAMA quality at it's best!

  
  As reviewed by graham976 on 3/30/2010

  I want to start off by stating TAMA makes great "quality" products. Now I can honestly say I laughed at the introduction of the "Warlord" series. What can I say?I thought the name & look was a little over the top. After some reviews & hearing a few of the drums, they started to make an impression. I was primarily interested, as well as impressed after playing it some at the store, in the "Spartan" snare drum. And then a friend of mine had the 6 x 13 limited maple Warlord. Let me tell you, that snare drum is wicked?expensive, but worth it. And all of which finally led me to the "Masai" snare drum? The Masai looks incredible in person & comes with a nice hard case?the obvious. Now the sound of this bubinga snare drum is different from TAMA's Starclassic Bubinga. I used to own the limited edition "Midnight Storm" bubinga snare, which I painfully regret getting rid of, and I've also played the Starclassic Bubinga. Both drums are similar in plies & hardware. They had a nice powerful deep tone, rich resonant lows, and a loud crack. The Masai snare drum has a thicker shell, which gives it a different "sound character". It has a tight tone & the "solid attack" of bubinga, but not as deep or rich in resonance. Don?t get me wrong, the Masai is a nice snare drum & unique in it?s own right. I like the Hi-Carbon Snappy Snares. The drum has a lot of sensitivity even when played soft. I've been using the factory single ply coated head to be different among my other snare drums. I like the open ring, and between the thickness of the shell & die-cast hoops there's plenty of volume with a sweet rimshot. Now with everything you just read, I actually prefer & would suggest the Starclassic Bubinga snare drum?that?s just my opinion. I was a little disappointed in the sound character of the Masai?not the sound quality. The Starclassic Bubinga is lot more versatile with rich resonance & deep tone?again that?s just my opinion. Also, you?ll save a few $$ whether it's a standard Starclassic Bubinga or the "Elite" with the only con being availability (special order in most cases).

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