This drum loeft me speechless when I saw it and played it, its the kind of drum that makes you remember why you started playing drums in the first place. Its also a drum that you just want to play and play and play! I am very impressed. Panthers have always been held a special place with drummers and with me, this one tops the bar and in my opinion is the new standard by which all Steel snare drums will be measuerd in the future! By this drum and play it for life, simple as that! I cant wait for mine to arrive any day now! Thanks Mapex and Thanks zzounds!

Sound
A good drummer friend of mine had one of these. I was able to play the drum for awhile, oh what a thing of beuty ! Needless to say after playing it I rushed home and jumped on to zzounds and ordered one without hesitation ! This is an amazing sounding Snare drum, Mapex out did themselves here with all the upgrades to the Black Panther line and especially the price point! This drum "the Blade" is amazingly versatile and I would say it could be the only Snare you would use for everything! The articulation at low volume is superb, On a full out backbeat the sound is loud and clear with an amazing crack and pop ! Its loud but in such a nice way. The drum does not need an dampening at all just use carefull tuning ! It would be a shame to mute or dampen this drum in anyway, its made to be played as is! All steel drums have some ring to them but thats the nature of them and what I love about… read more them! This is just a jaw droping gorgeous drum with the sound to back it up. As for heads the stock heads are fine but my choice for this drum would be an evans hazy 300 snare side with a single ply coated reverse dot on top, oh waht a sweet thing it is!

Features
The new hardware is just wonderfull, the throw off is silky smooth and buit well, the snare adjustment is on a click with each fine adjustment dialed into place with a nice click! The snare wirse are adjustable from both sides, which is just a fantastic feature and you can really dial in your snares perfectly. The all new lugs are great looking. But I save the best feature for last. The key to this drum's amazing sound is indeed in the new hoops! They curl over inward and the rim shots are like nothing I have ever heard, amazing! I own two black panthers that are old drums but this new version took a great drum and made it better, much better if that can be believed! I also own a 6.5 x14 Pearl sensitone stell which is a great drum but once the Panther arrives that pearl will be staying home alot. This is the finest snare steel snare drum on the market to day bar none , dont even compare to others by price, the price is nice but the drums sound is what your after and this is the steel snare drum to end all others, what a fantastic job Mapex!

Ease of Use
Its a drum

Quality
Well its a quality drum thats for sure, its a heavy drum at just about 13 lbs and its all buisness! Everywhere you touch and look on this drum is is a thing of beuty, its an amazingly well built quality drum!

Value
This goes without6 saying, Amazing value for a snare of this quality, its a high end professional drum all the way!

Manufacturer Support
Not dealt with

The Wow Factor
Ummmm Yes you want it so get it

Musical Background:
Gigging drummer

Musical Style:
Classic Rock, Blues, Top 40 read less