I bought this snare after a lengthy email discussion with one of Thomann?s drum techs which eventually led me to asking him which snare he used himself. When he sent me the product code I scoured the internet for sound samples and reviews and was soon convinced that this drum was also for me. The snare comes fitted with a high quality Evans G1 coated batter and 300 hazy reso, (always a good sign in my book) in addition to 20 strand Tama Starclassic snappy snare wires. These are all excellent components which make for a fantastic sounding snare. (I had a Ludwig 14? x 5? snare before this, which was ok, but never really gave me the sound I was after?everything always sounded a little flat and dead)?not so with this beauty! The narrower 13? diameter and 7? depth give this drum excellent attack, powerful rim-shots and a quality of tone I?d only dreamed about before owning this drum. I have mine cranked right up to a high tuning which, combined with the sensitive Tama snare wires gives it a superb crack that cuts through any mix with real energy. I?ve been gigging this snare for almost a year and can confirm that the build quality is excellent and has never let me down. Buy with confidence!