Fans of heavy, cast snare drums, get ready to rejoice! DrumCraft - the Thomann-owned and revived drum brand has just announced the release of its new 14"x6.5" Bell Brass model, which puts the iconic sound of a cast-shell, bell brass snare in reach of even more drummers.
Now, if you know anything about the Bell Brass moniker, you’ll know that it’s a misnomer originating from Tama’s iconic ’80s Mastercraft Bell Brass model - the same drum that supplied the thunderous backbeats on albums from Nirvana, Metallica and Rage Against The Machine. Tama reissued the Bell Brass in 2023, but with a price tag of over £3000, many of us are still left drooling into our bank statements.
What we’re actually talking about when we use the term is a cast, bronze alloy drum, known for its heavy weight, loud, cutting response and beefy, full-bodied sound. That’s exactly what DrumCraft is aiming for. This isn’t the brand’s first foray with a heavy, cast snare, with its previous model available under the brand’s previous incarnation.
But now, DrumCraft has brought the Bell Brass back, with a few tweaks. First up is the shell - the previous version was 6mm-thick: twice that of the classic Bell Brass blueprint. Here, it’s thinned down to 3mm.
The trade-off, though, perhaps comes with the hoops. While the original DrumCraft featured a die-cast batter-side rim and triple-flanged snare-side, the new model features triple-flanged rims on both sides. It’s joined by DrumCraft’s Nickelworks throw-off, and all hardware is finished in satin chrome.
Elsewhere, it comes with a DrumCraft-branded Remo CS Coated batter head, Remo snare-side head, and DrumCraft 20-strand snare wires. All of which adds up to a weight of 12KG.
The DrumCraft Bell Brass snare is available now, with prices at Thomann currently set at £766/€903/$1004. For more information, head to the DrumCraft website.
