Sakae Phosphor Bronze Snare Drum 14x5.5

This snare is incredible. I've never played a finer instrument. You can tell it just holding the drum. The 3mm cast phosphor bronze shell weighs almost 20 lbs and every detail of the hardware is of the highest quality (and super heavy duty). The sound is well-balanced-- bright and articulate but with a warm bottom-end to round out the overall sound. It also keeps its tone at high tunings. I don't usually do high-count snare wires, but the 36-strand high carbon wires on this drum are top notch. I usually replace stock wires day one, but I have left them on because they just sound too good to replace. It comes with USA Remo heads (the good ones) so you can play this thing right out of the box with a bit of tuning. And it comes with a soft shell case to carry it in. I would give this drum six stars if it were possible.