I had recently purchased and wrote a review on a used, in Like New condition, Metalworks snare drum that was terribly flawed. Either the drum had been dropped or it was defective the moment it left the Tama factory. As it turned out, the shell was out of round badly, so whether it was dropped or defective I don't know but I was offered a very good deal from Musicians Friend to replace the flawed Metalworks snare with a new 6.5x14 Metalworks snare, which I gladly agreed to. Now, having a new Metalworks, I can objectively review it. It's features are excellent and the drum looks great in a dark, industrial sort of way, just like it's advertised, however, it's not the best quality drum and being mass produced it does seem like the drum was slapped together in no time, little disappointed about that. The top hoop/rim on the new drum I received was slightly dented in one area and the bag it came with had two slight puncture holes in it. Anyway, I will overlook those slight imperfections because it's a very good sounding snare drum and I was amazed how full and deep it still sounded when it was tuned high. It has a good tuning range and has excellent articulation. I noticed it did have a little snare buzz at low volume due to the shallow snare beds but that can be eliminated easily by slightly detuning the 4 tension rods closest to the snare wires on each side. It doesn't have a nasty ring to it and only needs one moon gel or other minor dampening to lessen the ring. It's a fairly heavy drum, weighing about 8-9 lbs. It's very comparable in sound vs. my 6.5x14 Pearl Sensitone bronze snare and being a steel shell, it can be loud. This snare bites, in a good way! I'm glad I purchased the Metalworks, it was worth giving it a 2nd Chance.

I have been playing drums since the fourth grade and once i was getting really serious about drums i wanted a good snare, this is such a good drum it goes from soft to loud with great tone and awesome looks. overall an amazing drum

I bought the 6.5x14 version of this snare to replace the one that came with my Rockstar kit. And I love it! Not only is it powerful, it's also sensitive too, so it can be played by jazz drummers using brushes or alternative drummers who might need to be a bit quieter than metal folk.

Two things, though. One, like other reviewers have mentioned, it does go out of tune pretty fast. Just do a quick checkup before any performance. Two, use single ply coated heads for the batter, unless you're an extremely heavy hitter. Without muffling, the steel in the drum rings nicely, somewhat similar to birch if you tune it high. If you use a muffling ring and tune it in the medium range, it cracks loudly.

Make no mistake, this snare will be heard.

I own this snare drum because it has a unique sound and it really gives the music a different edge. i play gospel/r&b and this snare works for that style even though it is made for metal/ rock drummers! AWESOME DRUM

I bought this snare drum when I got my Joey Jordison kit. I wanted a good snare, and I knew Tama makes good drums. I had tried several different drums and I liked the Tama the most. It was a bit pricey, but well worth it. The only complaint I have is the head. It has worn out after a year, but then again, I play it all the time, and I guess heads only last that long. Good buy, good cutting sound, and amazing look. YOU WON'T BE DISSAPOINTED.