Review: Black Panther 14"x5.5" Steel Snare

[-=[Luke]=-]

Mapex Black Panther 14" x 5.5" Steel Snare

First Impressions:
After seeing this snare in my local drum shop I knew I had to try it, so after politely asking the sales person for a demo he kindly left me with a stick and a drum key to really try it out, and I tried out several other snares that day and this one totally blew them away. Not only does it look amazing, but this snare has so much character, and one hell of a crack as you can imagine.

The first thing I noticed with it was LOUD, man this thing cuts, BUT that's not all. It has such a wide dynamic range and it's even great for soft articulation. If you like rim shots, this will blow you away. This snare could be used in a variety of different genres, i'd say it's a perfect snare for heavier music though.

Features:
- 1.0mm shell thickness
- black chrome finish
- 2.3mm powerhoops
- fully adjustable throwoff
- 20 strand snare wire

Price:
The price of this snare drum I would say is very reasonable considering the sound of it, at approx. £160 (this price will vary store to store) you really do get an incredible snare for your money.

Durability:
As you'd imagine a steel shelled snare should be quite durable, and you'd be right thinking that, this things built like a tank, but don't think that makes it have an ugly appearance, because in my opinion it's one of the best looking snares out there. I'd recommend transporting it in a case of some sort as i'm only guessing it could scratch quite easily, lets not take any chances eh?

Overall:
After using this snare for a couple of months now I totally love it, if your looking for a snare that's reasonably priced and has a wide dynamic range then this is the one for you, i'd seriously recommend trying it out, even with the stock heads it sounds amazing.

I'd give this snare a 5/5. Go try one now!

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a180/Dracus/snare2-1.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a180/Dracus/snare1.jpg

If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me at lukerevird @ msn.com.

[zildjianboy1984]

Excellent review of a most excellent snare!

[lewisniven]

aye, one has pride of place in my gig setup, and its amazing, when u crank it up high its like a shotgun going off, such amazing crack. Rim shots are incredible and will blow the windows out f u mic the drum up, lol.

Like you say its also super articulate with the snares nice and loose, and is easy to control overtones etc.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c19/lewisniven/DSC09916.jpg

I was also really impressed with the snare throwoff, super smooth and really high quality, finished it off nicely. All in all a superb snare, you'd have to part with serious wedge for something better in my opinion, it really is great value.

[lewisniven]

heres a recording my band did, shows off the snare quite nicely i think:

http://lewisniven.com/Racune/running%201st%20bounce.mp3

(no vox or anything, it was a recording project for our singers uni degree)

[LoneStarDrummer]

good recording and good review. i've been impressed with all the black panther snares. great prices for what you get.

[Matter]

Here is a vid I did with the 13x3.5 version of this snare, this one is only $130 bucks brand new(mass music).

http://youtube.com/watch?v=O2Wu-0Ticak

[Pleaseme]

I have the same snare, bought for the same price and it certainly is a good snare. Nice ring, brilliant rimshots and an awesome tuning range. Worth every penny.

[sonicmachines]

I bought this snare as well. I wanted to turn my Mapex V-Series snare into a permanent mesh head as I was getting fed up having to change it over.

I tried about 4 other snares including the 14" x 6.5" Steel and a 14" x 5.5" £300 Premium Walnut, didn't like any of them as much as this one. I know that steel is an aquired taste and not suitable for everything, but I'm very happy having bought it.

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/images/icons/smash.gif
:smash:

[sonicmachines]

I've also bought the Black Panther snare case as shown here with the Kung-Fu snare. http://usa.mapexdrums.com/news/news_story.asp?ID=147

It's sooo nice, has excellent padding and internal pockets for other equipment. They're about £50 on ebay.

[ant_182]

I should really do some reveiws. I have the hammered phos. bronze! Its beautiful

[SkaRabbit]

Here is a vid I did with the 13x3.5 version of this snare, this one is only $130 bucks brand new(mass music).

http://youtube.com/watch?v=O2Wu-0Ticak

your setup looks comfortable. brilliant