Ludwig Black Magic Snare Drum

Exhibiting upgraded hoops and lugs, the Black Magic Snare Drum produces tonal purity and optimal snare response with an aggressive and powerful play style.

Overall User Ratings (based on 13 ratings)
  • Overall:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(13) (see rating details)
Submitted December 6, 2008 by a customer from aol.com

"a new timeless classic is born 13x7 magic"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
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.

Musical Background:

engineer,musician,drummer

Musical Style:

jazz,funk,rock
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Submitted October 4, 2020 by a customer from protonmail.com

"This Is A Great Value For $$$ Snare!"

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars
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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Listen, I read the reviews about the strainer slipping loose, the butt plate & strainer mechanism being "so-so", and I TOTALLY AGREE with those comments! HOWEVER... My 13" x 7" version is my absolute go-to snare for live or recording when I just need to "pick something & GO"! My 4 bandmates that come over to my little home studio & rehearse each week were blown away by the new sound! And they are ALL keen, great "ears" who always notice when something changes, lol...OKAY: Here's the 'not-so-good': Kinda cheap strainer & butt-plate, but servicable. The heads are 'not-so-good' to put it mildly. The "Ludwig Silver Coated" batter was really just OK, but the snare-side was ---un-branded garbage.----- The wires themselves were passable, but not evenly 'wave-soldered' across the ends & so I had to crank the h#ll outta the wires to get rid of half the wierd buzzes & rattles.The nylon washers on the tension rods to prevent de-tuning are garbage! 2 of them had visible deformation, 2 of them had actual CRACKS in them, and were totally useless, and the rest looked as if they were torqued by a Gorilla with an air impact gun - NOT a Drum Key!!!HERE'S WHY I STILL CARE:1. I ALWAYS replace the factory Batter side on ANY snare below about ~$600.001a. Evans ST Dry Coated White Batter; PROBLEM SOLVED!2. I ALWAYS replace the Snare Side Head!2a. Evans Hazy 300; PROBLEM SOLVED!3. I ALWAYS replace the Snare Wires (but I forgot to mention I keep ALL original parts)3a. Puresound 24 Strand (I got both Copper & Steel; just to experiment) WORK FANTASTIC!!!IN CONCLUSION:Positive Side: I got an awesome Black Magic shell/hoop pkg bearing the Ludwig badge!I made it into my own Custom snare for about an extra (WHICH I WOULD SPEND, ANYWAY) for a little less than $60.00 ALL-IN.I still PAID LESS than I would have for a Major Brand 13x7 snare with all the features I got on this one.My band-mates agree: everywhere between a whisper & a cannon shot the sound maintains it's character. I've owned & bought/sold over 300 snares in my 40 yrs of drumming; I now keep exactly 4, BUT this 1 just became #5. NOW, I just need to find a 12" snare that performs like my 13,14 & 15", and I'll be set with my perfect half-dozen!
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Submitted February 28, 2011 by a customer from yahoo.com

"Great Snare but....Could use some UPGRADES!"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
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!
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.

Musical Background:

Active Musician

Musical Style:

Classic & Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
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Submitted April 29, 2016 by Chad Betts in Pineville, LA

"The snare is a BEAST!!!"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I bought the 8x14 model and I have to tell you, it's a monster. It sounds so good. Nice and deep. I put a Remo Powerstroke 3 head on it and it came to life. I highly recommend it. As far as the comments about the quality of the throwoff and such, it's subject to everyone's own opinion. I think it works just fine.

Musical Background:

20yrs. (damn has it been that long already?? lol)

Musical Style:

Rock, Metal, Alternative
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Submitted February 28, 2011 by a customer from yahoo.com

"Ludwig 6.5" x 14" Black Magic Snare, it's good, but could be great!"

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
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.
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.

Musical Background:

Active Musician

Musical Style:

Blues, Classic & Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
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Submitted August 19, 2011 by a customer from hotmail.com

"the "black magic" snare is "the" perfect snare"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
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!!
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!!!
Features
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!!!

Musical Background:

active musician

Musical Style:

rock, metal, southern rock
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Submitted September 9, 2011 by a customer from yahoo.com

Ludwig Black Magic Snare Customer Review

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase 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

Musical Background:

active musician

Musical Style:

classic rock jazz
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