Yamaha Recording Custom 14"x5,5" Alu

I've had the Pearl sensitone 14x5.5 aluminium snare before I purchased this one. The quality is better, feels more ridget and the die-cast hoops really help prevent from chipping your sticks away in a single month; they're a bit thicker, which I like. The snare has a nice, dry sound. It's best played on higher tunings for funk / jazz, which I mainly use it for. You can use it for any other style though, it's very versatile. I have only one slight complaint; The bearing edges are sometimes not even on all sides. I guess that's because it's aluminium, so harder to deal with. But that has not been a problem for me. All other aspects of the drum are flawless. The throwoff is nice too :D

For me, this snare is near perfect. It's articulate, very responsive and 'fast'. By this I mean it gives an immediate response to the playing of both very delicate grace notes and louder back beats. It will identify any technical weaknesses in your playing, which I think is a plus!

The tone is well balanced and gives both a full range of frequencies as well as having a crisp cut through, which means it is not lost in the mix when the rest of the band show up. The full characteristics of the drum are best appreciated when it's under the microphone and in the recording setting. Then it's quality and nature really shines through.

I compared this side by side with a 1974 Acrolite, and the 6.5" version of the same drum. I initially intended to buy the 6.5" model, thinking this would give me more tone and body, but that was not so. In my opinion the 5.5" had more openness, had a larger effective tuning range and generally more character and body. (It has a wonderful ring, but not overbearing - I think any more, perhaps from the steel or brass versions, would be too much for my taste.) For my style of playing, which is predominantly funk and jazz biased, it was an obvious choice. That said, the 6.5" is an exceptional drum too but I can only afford one! Just give consideration to the sound you are looking for personally.

Compared the the vintage Acrolite the sound quality was virtually identical, but the Yamaha was much more focussed and the snare response was superior, as you may expect from a modern drum.

In conclusion, I can't enthuse about this drum too much. It's a joy to play and I just want to stay playing it all day. This is money very well spent!

The snare has a nice, dry, wood like snare sound and powerful rimshot for that heavy back beat, its light yet feels very sturdy. Its great for the studio or medium to small gigs.

I use on it just a small bit of moongel for dampening metallic ring. The hardware is awesome it does not detune with hitting it hard on the rims, a problem i've had with many previous snares. The heads on it are proper remos, so its good out of the box. This is really a go-to snare for anyone who is an active drummer and needs a dependable snare. On the plus side it comes with a tuning key and some spare snare wires.

To sum it up, I love this snare!!