Sakae Phosphor Bronze Snare Drum 14x6.5

This is yet another solid drum from a company that made some of the greatest drums in history. Sakae unfortunately shut down a few years ago, but Korg acquired some of the corporate assets. The designers were retained to work on new products, including the Evolved series that was made in Taiwan. However, the Japanese design team planned to produce a series of snares in Japan: two bronze snares and two walnut snares. The snares use the Sakae lugs and hoops that we are all familiar with. The phosphor bronze shell is 3mm at the center at 5mm at the edges. The machining looks tight to me, and the use of 3mm in the center cuts down on the weight. (However, the weight is still substantial). The stock heads give a bright tone with a very quick attack. I need to play around with the drum to see how it responds at different tunings, but it is clear that this is Sakae's Japanese quality. The drum comes in a cardboard box with a softshell case, but with a drum of this quality I would recommend getting a hard case if you are transporting it.