Sound:
This drum is the missing link to the black beauty. Why? I has money down on a black beauty. went in to finally get it. 6 1/2 x 14. thats when i saw the `13x7 magic. tuned it-played it ...i fell for it hands down...that 7 deep is the missing link. its tight focused sensitive and has a dynamic tuning range. its a unique sound. side by side with the black beauty i chose ti right away. I played a few shows with it and I alway catch people comming up to the stage to check it out. I know why...its just in your face in a good good way. I was using a 14x6 aluminum tay with wood hoops and this thing sounds just as good and just a little bit better. the magic is brass but the 13 is crisp and the 7 depth growls. tips in my book. i paid 3 bills for it and i paid 800 for the taye and almost 6 for the black beauty. buy the black magic.
31 of 32 people
(96.88%) found this review helpful. Did you?
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Sound:
This is an awesome sounding snare! Depending on your style and tuning, this drum can be very versatile and musical. Very loud rim shots with the die cast hoops. Also very sensitive. I had the stock heads on it which are equivelant in weight to Remo Ambassadors and they seemed a little higher pitched than what I like so changed them to an Emperor snare on the resonant head and an Ambassador X on the batter side and I gotta say, perfect combination for this drum. I also changed out the stock wires for Pure Sound Blasters as the stock wires are just junk. Surprisingly they even put those cheap things on the top of the line Black Beauty Snares!?
Ease of Use:
Nice snare drum and versatile. Just the sound and feel of this drum makes me want to play.
Quality:
I would have given the drum a higher quality rating if it wasn't for the cheap components! The shell and die cast hoops are great. Love the sound and look of the brass shell. I've always favored diecast hoops on snares for the louder rim shot. As for the strainer, it loosens as you play w/ the vibration of the drum. After about 5 songs or so you can definitely hear a difference in the buzz.The butt plate seems pretty thin and flimsy. I will be replacing both of these shortly with a Ludwig Millenium Strainer. As for the snare wires, they're awful as I mentioned before. They don't stretch evenly across the drum, they sound terrible, and they come with nylon cords, which I personally hate. So again I've switched them out for Puresound Blasters with Kevlar straps and switched out the stock heads. Which again, the snare head on this thing was terrible. I know they're supposed to be very thin, but this one I was able to poke a hole in it with my finger! As for the tube lugs, they give the drum a great overall look but I'm not happy with the way they hold tuning. As I played I noticed the drum started to sound and feel different and thought I need to tighten up the tension rods TOP & BOTTOM!!! The worst part was when I went to tighten the bottom ones 3 of them were laying on the floor! Since they're one solid piece the vibrations just transfer right through them. Needless to say I remedied this with Tama Hold Tight washers and lug locks for added reassurance. Now the drum stays in tune and sounds amazing!
Value:
This is a great sounding snare but I think they could either upgrade the component parts for the price they sell this thing for, or lower the selling price to match the low quality of the components and heads. I got mine on sale, but you can get better sounding snares with better parts and features for the regular selling price of this drum. I played the snare at my local music store and loved it when they first came out but they wanted $350 for it 2 yrs. ago. As they've gotten more popular the price went up to $375! Like I said, I got mine on sale for $319. Knowing what I know now about the parts and heads I would say this drum should sell for no more than $300 because your gonna have to put another $100 into it to make it sound amazing!
The Wow Factor:
The drum looks awesome and sounds great even with all the stock parts and heads.
Overall:
Overall a great snare for the price (could be a little cheaper!)and I don't ever plan to get rid of it as it will become my gigging snare drum. This is a great sounding snare w/ all the stock parts and heads but if you want it to sound freakin' amazing, be prepared to shell out another $100 to do so. In that I mean replacing the heads, strainer, but plate, snare wires and adding luck locks to keep the tension rods tight! I was very surprised to learn that these same stock heads and wires are also on the very expensive Black Beauty's as well?! You'd think for the money you spend on those things, you'd get top of the line everything!
3 of 3 people
(100%) found this review helpful. Did you?
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Sound:
Great sound....after you upgrade the poor quality components. Specifically the snare wires, throw off, butt plate, heads and add lug locks so the tension rods don't vibrate loose! After that the drum sounds amazing!
Ease of Use:
It's a snare, tune it and play it!
Quality:
The brass shell and die cast hoops are great! That's what really makes this drum crack and sing! Like I said, change the components and I would've given the snare a 10.
Value:
Again, I've put about another $100 into the snare to make it worth it's "original price" of $375. I'm glad I got it on sale for $320!
The Wow Factor:
I REALLY wanted it after I played it at my local music store. Unfortunately if I had really taken a good look at the parts, I would of spent the extra cash on a better snare with better quality parts.
Overall:
Overall, it's a great snare now that I've upgraded the cheap parts. This will definitely be my workhorse snare for gigging and I don't plan to get rid of it. Don't get me wrong this snare sounds good out of the box but with a few upgrades this drum sounds amazing. Very close to the WAY more expensive Black Beauty.
2 of 3 people
(66.67%) found this review helpful. Did you?
Sound:
the best way to describe this snare is....WOW!!! I have never owned a snare that sounds as good as this one! I was a little worried when I first got it because its made in japan? I thought it was made here in the U.S.A. but its not, but no matter!! its still the best snare I have ever played, the price on this snare is really affordable. It can be tuned low to high, and still has that "punch" you expect from ludwig...don't be discouraged just because its made in japan, it is worth every yen!! or dollar...haha!!!
Feature:
the throw off and the butt plate may need to be changed out but its still really good just the way it is...
Ease of Use:
very easy to use, I recommend that you change out the heads first thing, I use evans reverse dot on the batter side, and the tuning can go from low to high very easy, I tune mine high for the "crack" but it still keeps the "full" sound you expect from a 6.5 inch snare. and that ludwig sound is there...believe me!!!
Quality:
everything with this snare is well made, except the throw off and butt plate are plastic? I put puresound 30 strands on it and Im getting ready to change out the plastic parts..but it still works very good out of the box!!! I highly recommend this snare...no regrets at all!!!
Value:
its very much worth the price!!!
Manufacturer Support:
not yet??
The Wow Factor:
Its a very beautiful snare!!! the black nickel stands out!!!
Overall:
this snare drum completes my ludwig set and I wont be looking any further for another snare, Im a working musician and I know ludwig will stand the test of time!!
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Sound:
when i got the black magic snare (5x14) i loved the way it looked however after using it on 2 gigs so far i noticed that i had to change both heads and the strainer and the butt plate (all cheap quality comes with the snare)now i notice that no mmatter what i do the lugs keep comming loose, not good i mean you spend all this time tuning the drum only to have it constantly go out of tune! so to remedy this problem i had to buy 6mm lug tight washers so far so good. i feel that ludwig could have sold this drum with better hardware on it i am quit surprised i have been using ludwig products for many years
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