Yamaha Musashi Oak Snare Drum Transparent Black Oak 13 x 6.5 in.

First let me start out and give credit where it is due .. Guitar Center - Excellent Place for Musicians , Sales staff ... Always a Pleasure doing business with them , That is the Main reason i shop here .. and for this snare I own a lot of snares in my collection and being on the road i always would listen to other live drummers and say hey that Snare was killer , then look and this is the All around snare they were using .. from the lows to the highs this snare cuts it and Once again it was a Yamaha snare .. I caught this on sale and after i got it i changed both heads and snares - puresounds and a controlled dot on top and hazy on bottom . . then the Magic began . . this is the gem you have been waiting for .. the Oak sings on this snare and with a little moon gel any over tones or ring you don't want is gone or tighten her up and let her scream .. and remember if you are not happy within 30 days ..you can always return it .. but, i think that will not Happen .. go enjoy this Gem of a Snare . .you Deserve it .

13X6.5 - I don't wanna bad mouth this drum as everyone else seems to love it, but I'm just gonna be honest. First, the throw off is terrible. It's not the worst I've seen, but definitely the worst I've seen on a drum that sells for around $300. With that out of the way we can get to the sound. This thing sounds best at medium to high tunings. Unfortunately I found that this drum sounds very dead no matter how you tune it. It has very little character to it. Rim shots literally sound like your smacking a metal hoop with a stick - there's no "crack". The sound is not very full either. The drum really lacks "body". It feels like it takes up very little sonic space, if you can imagine what I mean. Also, for a 6.5" drum it's not very loud at all. I've got a 14 X 5.5 steel Tama that is easily TWICE as loud as this thing. I've recorded with them both and used them in various situations. I wanted to use the Musashi for playing in church but I quickly realized the lack of body and volume made it quickly disappear in the mix. It seems to only be useful if you crank it up and use it as a high pitched side snare. Perhaps I just prefer metal drums, or maybe it's the 13" diameter, but I overall I found the Musashi to lack character, body, and volume. The flimsy strainer doesn't help things much either.

I bought this snare a week ago only guided by the reviews I readed in the Guitar Center web page. I played this beauty when I returned to my country... i fell in love inmediatly. The perfect sound for me, something similar to Mike Bordin's sound in King for a Day - Fool for a Lifetime. Great attack and loudness. I recommend it to everyone. Ca��_to (from Chile)

The Yamaha "Musashi" Oak Snare Drum Rocks!!!! I own The 12" x 6" model and the sound is high pitched and crackle-licious! Great cross stick/rim shot sound for them country favorites.....cuts through molasses sound (like a Samarai) with great punch as well. Looks and feels great, well suited for any music genere. No disappointments with this lil' bad boy, topped it off with an "Evans EC2 (clear)" and voila! I've been asked what kind of snare I use and how I get that high pitched crack sound.....I just give em' the brand, model and size, it all speaks for itself!!!! Well worth it.....

Of the twenty-some-odd snare drums I've owned over the last 33 years, the only one I deeply regret parting with was a Noble & Cooley 13" x 7" maple snare which I bought in 1992. It was made with an interior ply of mahogany which gave it a little more bottom end than solid maple and naturally muted the undesirable overtones. My bandmates and studio techs loved that drum as much as I did. I hadn't come accross anything like it until Yamaha released the 13" x 6.5" Musashi oak snare. Like the afore mentioned Noble & Cooley, the Musashi provides lots of contemporary high end pop without sacrificing bottom end depth, and it does it without the unpleasant ring that accompanies almost all snare drums. And while the Yamaha version lacks the die cast hoops and heavy duty strainer that were present on the Noble and Cooley, it has no adverse effects on the overall sound of the drum. Besides, it is not uncommon for smaller diameter snares to be fitted with low-mass strainers. As for the hoops, this drum is plenty loud and produces crisp rim shots with the standard hoops provided. Unlike the 10" and 12" versions, this is definately a primary snare drum. The oak shell offers more bottom end than the popular 13" x 7" O.C.D. maple snare and without the unwanted ring. I am recommending this drum based on its sound quality and versatility, but the very modest price tag makes it smart investment for anyone.

This drum gives you a snap, crack, and pop while still retaining some depth with the 6" deep shell (I have the 13 X 6.5). It's also great as an aux drum with the snares turned off. The throw off is not the best of quality, but the sound that this drum produces overcomes that flaw.