HEAVYWEIGHT

In the mid-2010s, Pearl released two special limited-edition free floating snares. The first was the Pearl FBD1465C 30th Anniversary Free Floating 14" x 6.5" 3mm Brass Patina Finish Snare. The second was the Pearl CS1465F Chad Smith Signature Free Floating Tricolon 14" x 6.5" 3mm Brass/Steel Snare. I never saw the former, but I did see the latter in JB Music some years ago, then in FB Marketplace and Carousell before the pandemic. It looked spectacular, but so was the price. This is probably why it never got bought. My curiosity led me to discover what made it special. 14x6.5 Free-Floating chassis. Diecast hoops. Three seamless interchangeable 3mm shell rings, two brass and one steel. Only one hundred ever made. The price? Let's just say it was about double my most expensive snare. Why did I suddenly consider buying it? It was Christmas. I survived a bout with Covid19. The semester was ending. Any excuse becomes valid when you have a serious case of Gear Acquisition Syndrome. 

It arrived with a “Certificate of Authentication” and a drum head both signed by Chad Smith, which I really didn’t care for. So they are tucked away with my spare drum heads. It was pre-owned, but never played, with nary a stick mark on the batter head. The first thing I noticed with I took it out of the box was that the drum is very, VERY HEAVY! Seven kilograms of heavy. The hardware is extremely solid, but luxuriously satin smooth and/or polished shiny. The heads came with almost no tension. I cranked the reso head, then I brought the better head up to half turn above finger tight and it sounded fat and authoritative. Each half turn up brought higher pitch, and more glorious harmonic combinations. The response is super sensitive, and the loudness can be deafening when whacked with the stick butt. The only mod I applied was a half inch square of cushion tape to the reso head to control a bit of after-buzz. But that’s it. I usually swap out the snare wires for Puresounds, and mounting string for plastic straps. But everything was so perfect that I left them stock. 

This drum has spoiled me forever. Suddenly all the other drums I was interested in lost their luster. It has earned a permanent spot in my recording setup. And if and when I finally start gigging again, this will be my go-to snare ….. if I have the strength to carry it.