The need to rename this snare... for the amount you spend,, no body can touch it. The crisp attach and sustain is fantastic. Recording this snare is awesome, the snare throw is an issue, and when you first tune it becareful you do not strip out the nylon in inserts, but if you pay attention and go slow the sound is amazing..

I was kind of cautious on investing in this particular snare drum, but I said it wont hurt to try it, and sure enough....It didn't!!! From day one this snare has satisfied my playing situations. I couldnt even think of another drum to replace it with. I suited with Evans HD Dry on the batter side, and Evans Hazy 300 snare side, and it gives me a remarkable clean, and consistent sound. Has natural power, and not as much overtones. I agree the throw off could be a little more sturdier, but for the sound it is worth it!!! Go and Get it!!

A drum worthy of being named after japan's royal guards, thats for sure. The main thing I like about it is its sharp attack, sustain, and volume. I dont feel like i wasted a cent on it. Before this I was playing an awful custom snare that I didnt build very well, and this just blew it away. Its actually louder than all of my drums, and my cymbals, even if I were to play them all at once. I been playin for a few years, and I just knew when I saw it what it was going to do for my set. Once I stuck an evans reverse power center head on the batter side, just about all strokes became very clear and pronounced without any fuzz, the strainer is not bad at all, it does go out of tune, but not as much as these reviews suggested. Overall, its great for things like pop, punk, metal, alternative, indie, or anything else that needs an especially poppy sound to it. It is capable of going lower, but not very much, as that isnt what the 6 1/2 x 13 inch size is for. Drum rolls also sound very vintage on it I noticed. Get it.. just get lug locks, and maybe some die cast hoops too, although you really dont need this drum to be louder. Seriously a good buy if you need to be loud and heavy. Yamaha is God

I originally bought this snare to play on a prog-metal recording that I was playing on at Ironwood Studios in Seattle. (one of the best sounding live rooms for drums in the whole northwest!) The sound of this snare was fantastic, and worked well for everything from fast technical stuff that needs great definition, to slow Isis/Neurosis type stuff that just needs to be heavy and cut through really well. Best sounding snare in this price range.

That being said, as it comes straight off the shelf, it has to be tuned not just frequently, but ALL the time. Sometimes I couldn't even make it through a whole song without having to stop to tighten the lugs. Also, the throw for the snares is cheap, and tends to stick in the off position, so I actually had to pry at the part that slides up while pulling on the lever to get it on.

Fantastic sounding snare, but has some definite (fixable) technical issues.

I have a Mapex kit but couldn't afford a Black Panther. When I got it it was on a special sale. This drum sounds awesome. It has a great pop and can be used with all kinds of music. I mostly play hard rock but I've used it in Jazz rock and funk. I haven't had any problems with tuning, and have loved this drums since I bought it. It's truly a great buy.