Ludwig Supraphonic Black Beauty Snare Drum 3X13 Inches

Comments about Ludwig Supraphonic Black Beauty Snare Drum:

this snare has great sound with any adjustment.
great pop and crack to it for rock,jazz,big band
everything !!

Comments about Ludwig Supraphonic Black Beauty Snare Drum:

What can I say about the Black Beauty that hasn't been said? It's beautifully built, gorgeous to look at, and so capable.
Tuned loose, it has a very nice tone, reminds me of early small jazz combos.
Mid-tuning is what you hear on so many recordings...just the perfect tone and snap. And the volume to stand up and be heard through a wall of Marshalls!
Tight tuning is super articulate...sounds like a Scottish field snare..nice!!
It's now my go-to snare....love it!

Comments about Ludwig Supraphonic Black Beauty Snare Drum:

My 6 1/2 X 14 finally arrived and I immediately changed the batter head over to a Remo Ambassador coated. My stick never touched the stock head because I just didn't want to hear it that way. Tightened the new head to what I assumed would be about a medium tension and whacked it with a 5B. WOW!!! I couldn't believe how I could feel it in my gut while hearing that perfect ring with no bad overtones. My beloved other brand copper shell drum sounds like a pile of dog poo beside this awesome drum. Honestly you don't need tube lugs or die cast hoops for this thing to rock your world. If you're on the fence between this one and another, please do yourself a favor and buy this one, even if you have to save up for a while. I'm going to go play some more now.
Yes, it's fantastic value because you really get the best drum in existence. How much is that worth? A lot.

Comments about Ludwig Supraphonic Black Beauty Snare Drum:

Already owning two Ludwig LM402 Supraphonics, I ended up getting this 14x6.5 Black Beauty in addition. I play in a very loud rock band, with 3 electric guitars, and was wondering if this drum would cut through all that noise better than the Supra. So far, it has, do to the extra cut and presence associated with the brass shell. I came across this drum in the store, and was so impressed and inspired by how it sounded and felt, with the Ludwig factory heads. I have since installed a Remo Powerstroke 3 batter head, which preserves the power and good qualities of the drum, while controlling the ringing very well, and plan to experiment with different heads. Compared to the Supra, I would say there is a little more "oomph" or bottom end behind the pop, with more ringing or cut. They are both great, and couldn't say one is better than the other. The BB is definitely fun and inspiring to play on. Seems to have a wide tuning range, rim shots are awesome, as are press rolls and ghost notes. If you have the dough, I highly recommend checking out the Black Beauty.

Comments about Ludwig Supraphonic Black Beauty Snare Drum:

This is the one snare drum you can own and never get criticized for owning... while the standard features are nearly indentical to a Supraphonic costing far less, the plated brass shell is unique and beyond compare. This can be special ordered with tube lugs (look better, but no different in sound) and die cast hoops (which do improve a lesser snare's sound, but make much less difference on the Black Beauty). In the listed configuration, though, the drum looks and sounds fantastic.
The Black Beauty I purchased was "standard," with supraphonic snares, P-85 throwoff, and Imperial Lugs with triple flanged hoops. That all said, "standard" on a Black Beauty is really super-deluxe compared to most other snares. The black nickel plated brass shell makes this snare sound exceptional; warm, sensitive, crisp, and not a bit of the sense that this is a "ringy" metal snare drum. All the "standard" features noted above -- even the tried and true P-85 -- work and sound flawless.
The Black Beauty exhibited no flaw to be found; no lug splay, no imperfection in the solid brass shell, not a spec on the gorgeous nickel finish. The slight heaviness of the brass shell (not too thick like most imitators) is the perfect weight for the perfect sound. I have a friend who plays and runs a studio, and has owned dozens of snares; he says this Black Beauty is the best recording snare he's ever heard.
Yes, they are damn expensive; but I have found few drummers that have ever complained about the cost, and who wouldn't own one if they could. Even (or perhaps especially) at its price point any serious drummer should have one of these in their stable of snares.

Comments about Ludwig Supraphonic Black Beauty Snare Drum:

I finally broke down and bought the 6.5" X 14" Black Beauty. I wish I hadn't waited this long. I now own 4 snares but this is at the head of line and may be the only snare I use. I am so impressed with the different tones I get with just adjusting stick strikes. So far, I have only opened the box, evened out the lug tension and played it. Wow! If you are on the fence, buy it. You will not regret it.

Comments about Ludwig Supraphonic Black Beauty Snare Drum:

I've been a drummer since 1997 and I've gone through a few snares. I've been partial to Tama in the past although I did like the Chad Smith signature snare. Anyway I was reading up on the Ludwig Supraphonic 402 and how both Keith Moon and John Bonham used them so I picked up the 6.5x14" Black Beauty snare. Assuming you tune well and use a quality Remo head, this is the closest you'll get to their sound without spending a bunch of money finding and restoring an old 402. I love this snare. You can get a variety of sounds based on the tuning and they're all great. I'm even impressed with the sound when playing on the rim (rim clicks). You won't be sorry if you buy this snare.I also do a lot of recording and the best snare sound I've achieved is this snare with an Audix I5. Try it for yourself.

Comments about Ludwig Supraphonic Black Beauty Snare Drum:

I didn't buy my Black Beauty here but just wanted to say it's hands down the best snare on the market today. I owned a high end Brady snare and it didn't compare the to Black Beauty. It's loud and warm at the same time and has a nice focused sound. You can even hear all the warm brass qualities come through even playing along with a loud guitar next to you. I was shocked the BB sounded better than the Brady Block snare. No question about it ....you need to BUY the Ludwig Black Beauty and see for yourself!!!

Comments about Ludwig Supraphonic Black Beauty Snare Drum:

I stewed about buying this snare for several months. I finally pulled the trigger and bought it for myself for Christmas. Wow. It totally gave me the snare sound I've been looking for. This thing is so adjustable, you can have whatever you want. If you're on the fence, let me help you out - get this snare drum! You won't be sorry. It delivers and then some.

Comments about Ludwig Supraphonic Black Beauty Snare Drum:

I recently bought the 2009 Anniversary model for collection purposes, an LB419 and could'nt resist removing the 100yr. batter head to give it a run before packing it away. It sounded exactly like my 73 only I noticed they no longer have an Internal tone control. Which is good because no one every used them anyway. The only other difference was the shell did not have the snare beds either. My 1960s Supraphonic, as well as both the LM411 and the LB419 All have snare beds molded in the metal. I guess Ludwig decided this wasnt important. Now I completely understand why the black beautys of the 60s and 70s go for thousands at auctions.