Ludwig 3.7" x 14" Carl Palmer "Venus" Signature Snare Drum (LW0414CP)

Perhaps those younger than 30 would never have hear of Carl Palmer, the drummer for ELP and Asia. In his day, he was regarded as one of the top rock drummers. This snare is from Ludwig, and looks well made. It also is quite attractive, with the gold and metallic green colors. I don't care for the snare strainer release, which I think may have been invented by Ludwig years ago, it feels cheap compared to what you would find on a Yamaha snare, but that is the way Ludwig makes them and they do work. Gretsch snares have the same issue, great snare except for the cheap strainer release. Anyway, this is a very loud snare that will cut through any environment. It has a very precise sound and is on the higher side, although one can obviously tune the drum lower. I think it is less warm than a wood snare, but still have a very nice prog rock sound. It is hand signed by Carl Palmer himself on the inside of the snare. It was under $400, so it's not expensive, and other than the strainer release, it is very well made -- looks more like a $1000+ snare.

So good! Exactly the sound that I was looking for. Versitile. Quality is fantastic. Die Cast Hoops are awesome at this price point! Rim shots sound unique. Paired with a Ludwig Backbeat Elite kit as my main snare. Tuned the batter head to 90 on the drum dial and it pops. Very musical and beautiful drum, one of the best in my collection!

This snare is everything I was hoping It would be, and for under 400$! It’s absolutely gorgeous, and hefty! It sounds amazing and most importantly of all, I found my missing clean ghost notes! Best drum purchase I’ve ever made.

I've read the negative comments about this drum's throw off. it being cheap and not disengaging the snares. I found that to be false. the throw off construction is fine and I get total disengagement of the snares with the flip of the switch. other then that, this snare is awesome. it heavy construction and die cast rims give the sound a very powerful kick. the metal body has that metal overtone and its visually a beautiful drum. I recommend it to anyone and is just an excellent drum and snare experience.

El tambor está bien, solo que no me entregaron el parche correspondiente a este redoblante, ya que le corresponde un black magic y me entregaron un parche ludwig común. Además de que tuvo otros problemas con este mismo vendedor

Arrived in great condition. I would for sure use this seller again.This is a beautiful snare that is very useful in any genre. Its pretty heavy so use a strong snare stand. It does have string for the snare strap which I replaced with mylar. It came with a Ludwig coated Black Magic head. I will replace that with a Remo green Colortone CS batter head. It will be great as a main snare or a second snare. It has the same snap as Dave Garabaldi's Yamaha snare. And hey who doest love Carl Palmer.

I love this drum. I've always wanted a piccolo snare drum and I finally decided on this one. The drum is not only beautiful to look at but it has a beautiful sound too. It really pops. I did replace the stock snare wires with Puresound 30 strand snare wires with straps instead of cords and that improved the sound even more. The issue of the snare wires not totally disengaging has definitely been resolved so if you are buying the drum new that will not be an issue. I have 8 snare drums and this has quickly become my second favorite only surpassed by my 6 /12 inch Joyful Noise snare drum. I was amazed at getting such a great drum for such a reasonable price. I do highly recommend this drum if you are in the market for a piccolo snare.

It’s a beautiful snare drum for sure but for sure the head upper and bottom and the wire need to be changed as soon as possible. I am so surprise I thought I spent so much money on the snare. I will get some decent heads but no, you have to fork out more money for those, but overall the snare is beautiful