Tama 50th Anniversary Mastercraft Bell Brass Snare Drum Review | Return of the Terminator 

Thanks to Shane and the great folks at DCP for making this awesome video. You are a treasured asset to the drumming community. As the owner of just about every cast bronze snare drum made, by any manufacturer, in any year, in any size, and as an engineer with a material science PhD from MIT, it's a passion of mine to study the subject matter discussed in this wonderful video. Shane asked for someone to explain the differences in these shells. I would describe the main difference in the result of the two casting processes in one hyphenated word - micro-porosity. In the sand casting process molten metal is pored into the mold and hardens in place as it cools - this results in more natural porosity in the resultant hardened material. Micro-porosity is caused by microscopic air bubbles being trapped in the cooling metal, not necessarily impurities. The Japanese have a term called "mura" which has a negative connotation - it's less consistent and less uniform. So it's no surprise for cost and quality reasons Tama has moved to centrifugal casting. But does it sound better? Let's discuss Practically, in a sand cast shell, due to the micro air pockets the percentage of the shell that is metal (density per unit of thickness) is lower. We are talking much less than 1% to MAYBE a max of 1% different. Is it possible to measure it? Absolutely. Is it possible to hear it? I would say yes, absolutely. Porosity in a sand cast shell translates to my ear to a mellowing of the tone, that is very pleasing to the ear. It's less metallic and smoother/warmer. Sand Cast Bronze is just about the only metal drum that has warmth and sharpness. Most metal drums are sharp and bright sounding. The downside of sand casting is that pores are propagation sites for cracks and also if there is a micropore at the surface it can be viewed as a cosmetic imperfection (any mura or variation is considered a defect in Japanese lean manufacturing). As a result of the inconsistencies, the manufacturing yields on sand cast shells are lower, so the cost is higher (more scrap). Other famous sandcast drums like the original Noble Cooley Zildjian snares had notable problems with cracking. You hear about cracking less with the Tamas - and while it is possible to inspect out larger pores using ultrasound the cracking is more a function of how the drilled holes are finished since the holes the stress concentration points which are initiation sites for cracking. The newer Tamas (somewhere after the Starclassic Bell Brass but before/including SOME of the starphonics and all of the 40th anniversary is centrifugal cast (sometimes also called spin casting). With centrifugal casting you are forcing the air/porosity out of the shell by spinning the molten metal (metal goes to the outside/fills the mold as you spin it) and you get a more consistent, dense metal with higher process yield. It's certainly "better" if you want high yields and more uniform cosmetics. Better if you want to make more profit at the same selling price. But I would argue, not better, sound wise. Just a little harsher, a little more metallic. I can hear the difference, for sure. Not mentioned in the video are "rolled brass shells" which include the Ahead and some other lower cost snares and extruded shells. Those are far far from cast, to my ear. The reason the 1981's and 1982's sell for crazy prices is the sound and the limited supply. I have stated many times that my favorite cast bronze drum of all time is the 1982 6.5. I have owned three of the 1981 6.5's raw shelled drums and none sounded as good as either of the two 1982's I have owned. I also have a special place in my heart for my 1981 5" raw shell Tama , the 3rd Noble Cooley5" alloy cast with the scalloped outer surface, the Sonor Horst Link Signature 6.5, and the Paiste/Ocheltree 6.5 (that one is a different alloy and brighter).

In 2007 my band recorded at Sage and Sound in Hollywood. Ross was hired to bring in some drums and he brought in his famous Bell Brass from the Nevermind sessions! So amazing that I got to play that drum on our album

i so love the fact it is not Limited edition! What a low kick for the collectors! The reissue sounds as good as the OG. Good job!

As soon as you hit the 1980 with snares on - there was that attack with body smack. The other two are different & really nice. But 1980 has ‘it’.

I love how the 50th sounds cranked, fuckin immaculate

I think the reissue did it justice! The reissue shell without the snare wires engaged sounds just a hair drier, but it has a snappier snare response with the wires engaged. Probably because the centrifugally cast shell is so new and free of inconsistencies the sand cast shell has with age. I wonder if it’ll sound closer to the original as years go by.

The 40th anniversary reissue sounds incredible as well.

They're all fantastic. For some reason that 1982 just really spoke to me!

Proud to be in this moment of Drum history!

I saw Elvin Jones at the Village Vanguard in NY playing the ‘82 version of this drum. I’m still recovering… great drum!!!

Got mine a few days ago! Thanks for hooking me up sooner than expected! About to spend 4 days recording this beast nonstop.

I like the 82 the most! If you can get them to recreate the 1982 it would be epic 😎

I can't confirm that all the famous recordings with that snare drum had a reverse dot, but if you watch the making of the black album documentary, you will actually see where they show the famous snare drum with a Remo reverse black dot head on the batter side. In that part, the producers are talking about the type of heads he used, and the tuning methods he used to get the sound that is on the album.

The three drums sound great. The reissue is a killer. I think the original will always be king of the "bell brass." DCP knocking it out of the park again!

Currently saving up for a Tama Starclassic performer from DCP. It will take a while but it will be worth it. My wife doesn’t understand because she bought me a kit 6 months ago. But she will when she sees it

Great video! Love to hear you guys go into the geeky details of these drums

FANTASTIC!!! That's exciting! (and I gotta say, the 1982 polished Bell Brass was the nicest sounding of the lot, though all are amazing drums!). I'm gonna have a hard time sleeping tonight!!! 😊

They all sound identical. Now Tama brings the Bell brass market back to reality. No more snares price gouging for 10k or 15k. Thanks Tama! Still....4k is too much but its better than having to sell your car to get one. To me, If I played a thick cast aluminum snare on a record and said it was cast/bell brass....no one would know..............

Fantastic, considered and well recorded comparison. Thank you.

Hey Shane , Great video!!!! How about doing a head to head with the zildjian 400th anniversary against the 50 year anniversary???? They are both about the same price. Lets see which one sounds better.!!!

Excellent comparison video as always Thank you

I really couldn't be more excited about this!

I just pre ordered one with you guys! Really excited! 😃😃😃

Wonderful work Shane! Looking forward to getting one!

OH lets go!! DCP always brings TOP SHELF content. Much respect! 🥁🥁

São três belas Obras de Arte da TAMA com um som incrível. Parabéns a DCP pelo vídeo ! Abraços a todos.

Sounded awesome! They did a great job on this reissue. Glad they went to this finish too.

it must be amazing to be able to play so much history. thanks for sharing.

They all sound brilliant. The 82 sounds like it has a zero-ring on it…a more controlled sound without some of the wildness of the original and reissue.

Beautiful ❤️ Nice touch to throw in Eddy Wally at 12:11 😂

I've always wanted the original Tama BB, but after listening to all three Tama's, I'd be ok with the reissue instead of shelling out $$$$$ for the original. Great video DC! Now, let's compare the new Tama with the Zildjian 400th snare. I just received one of those and love the range and tonal quality from it!

These are awesome and I’m buying one. The 82 is my favorite but I love the sound of all of them

0:47 just made my day! 😂 Well done 🤘🏾

Awesome to see that Tama is reissuing these as a standard production model! There will definitely be some butthurt cork sniffers in forums and Facebook groups, but I think it's great that these will be available to more people now.

That 'High" tuning on the drums sounds so perfect. Would love a tutorial video on how you tune these drums.

Glad to see Tama is offering this drum. They did close enough job that you'd be hard pressed to pick out the reissue from the 1980 model in a blind test... and nom-drummers just hear a nice snare drum ("oh, is that what that's called?!)" Great job by DCP, as always. Hope lots of folks buy this snare... maybe that will pull the prices down a little on two final snares I want to finish out my collection with. LOL. I'm not a metallurgist, but here is what I know from reading, years ago: Sand Casting results in an imperfect (or in the 1980 case, perfect) shell, in that it endows the shell with higher porosity. I am hearing a lower fundamental tone from the 1980s model. Logic tells me--all things being equal (which they are supposed to be and appear to be)--that the porosity is soaking up those high-end frequencies. Another explanation might be the metal used--the 1980 model shell production was outsourced to a company which no longer exists. In my humble opinion, it's more a matter of the casting method used. As far (please correct me) as I am aware, all of the current "Bell Brass" snare drums are NOT produced using Sand Casting. OK, so why was the original 1980 model as expensive and why don't other companies offer Sand Cast "Bell Brass" drums? Simply, Sand Casting results in a high enough number of unusable shells (have to melt down and try again) that even at the price Tama was charging in 1980, they couldn't justify production, i.e., either they couldn't make a profit margin high enough to justify production. This is just what I read eons ago. In my humble opinion, given the production method (very few re-dos needed) I would have liked to see--I'm a lot of you agree--a more comparable price point. I could see a premium of possibly 10-20% more than other currently produced "Bell Brass" snares, due to the need to re-tool to produce the hardware components (it needs to be mentioned, though, they are using those components on the other MasterCraft 2024 snares they just released). I would love to see another DCP Bronze snare comparison with at least 10 competitors, i.e., Apple-to-Apple comparison. I don't want to leave on a sour note and hope this post is not perceived in that manner. I am happy for everyone who wanted one of the 1980 snares... actually, I think it's great... sales help DCP and other companies... money moving around in the economy is always a good thing for everyone. Peace.

Great video. This reissue really came out of nowhere. I love my '81 Tama and am not worried from a resale point of view ( I bought it to play and not for retirement). The originals will always be sought after because they are the OGs. This allows slightly more ($4k price tag) to enjoy this phenomenal drum.

Great job DCP! The Tama Bell Brass is legendary. I remember them back in the 80”s. By far the best snare I’ve ever played. Listen to the song Digital Bath by the Deftones. Abe Cunningham used a Tama Bell brass on those earlier albums. Best snare ever created!

all 3 are great! the 50th Anniversary model does a great job. there are tiny differences, but nothing you could hear in a blind test or especially in a full mix. in a recording setting all of these would be perfect. great video!

Arguable this is (and will be) the best comparison video of this snare! Well done! I am glad Tama didn't decide to make it limited run. At least for now. It would be my final snare after Tama Abe Cunningham signature snare and Ludwig Raw Copper snare!

The original and the reissue sound very similar, the 82 has a slightly different tone. But they are all stunning sounding snares. Great job

That snare sounds GOOD. All of the models in this video.

incredible, especially when paired with that thicc floor tom. Good stuff Tama!

I’m not saying Tama didn’t truly believe that the centrifugal cast shells were better, but I do know they’re way better for consistent production and efficiency. Looking at the shells I can see they aren’t even machined unless after they are treated with something to make them look like raw bronze castings. For consistent sand castings you pretty much have to cast them much thicker then machine them down which requires a ton of extra steps and extra labor, so my opinion is that this was a “close enough.” Kinda decision.

4K ? Wow a bargain for such attention to the replication. Great video guys

my exact thoughts at 5:30 when you played the flams... "ohhh!!"

All three sound similar but the 1980 was my fave. Kudos to Tama for the reissue. I think it’s cool they did it and I think it’s worth the money. As for the vintage ones, my apologies but it’s hard to not have contempt for the collector market. Those numbers are just frickin bonkers. Absurd, really. Oh well. It is what it is. ✌️❤️🥁 Cheers to another great video.🍻

Man. This Gem is Spectacular. 😎🎉👍🥁

I heard they were gonna do this while at NAMM last year. It sounds and looks impeccable! The OG has a bit less ring than the 82 and the 50th. All three sound God-tier and I will ABSOLUTELY be purchasing the 50th here in a couple days. Great content guys, I friggin DIED laughing at the Snare Collectors in the Forums gag hahahahahahahah! My 13yr old self is giddy with excitement!!!

What a jerk I was to not pay attention to the Tama snare drum ads in Modern Drummer back in the late 70's. Now I have to figure out how to get this reissue snare without my wife killing me. I thought all three drums sounded great and had amazing sensitivity along incredible volume. The 1982 snare I felt had a much different sound than the other two. Nice video once again.

So...the Bell Brass is actually a bronze drum? Fascinating, captain. I wonder if there will be a comparison of bronze drums for 2024. Anywho, great job, guys.

It sounds Beautiful

OMG! The god sound of all snare drums! I think the price is definitely worth the sound.

Okay, I'll be the guy who says it. I liked the 82 bell brass the most.

Cool video! All three sound great, if I could pick one I would choose the 82 for sounding a bit more open and clear, without losing body. It would have been cool to have included a 40th anniversary reissue too, curious how this would fit in.

All 3 are amazing! ❤ my choice is 82”.

Incredible!

THANK YOU TAMA

Super excited about this! Nice comparison, I think that in any scenario where there are other instruments playing you'd be hard pressed to pick them apart. And who cares about drums when there's no other instruments playing? But for $4000? I don't know, man. I think I'd get a Sonor Artist Bronze, the new Mastercraft rosewood, 2 hard cases, and like, insurance.

A direct comparison with the Sonor Artist snare drum would be interesting. great video💯

They all sound amazing! I think the 1982 model has a bit of a different sound to it that I like alot!

4K for this snare drum is madness! Sounds great though 😊

First off, ALL 3 sound great! As far as sound comparison, the 1980 model has a more extended overtone, than the 2024 and 1982. I DO think the 1982 and 2024 sound the most similar though. Godbless all those who have the $$ to buy a new one. Personally I just don't see/hear why it would be sought after unless you're buying it for a studio, and want the prestige of the option. You offer plenty of similar bell brass options at your store at a much more affordable price, when heard in a live rock environment would easily fill the Bell Brass "need"!

It’s about time TAMA has reissued the bronze *Bell 🔔 Brass* iconic Snare Drum 🥁! Build it for as many Drummers that want it! Simple as that, and don’t ever stop making it! 🤘🏻

Right at 8:35👌🤘 That's the sound I want. all tunings sound great!

Shane I'm so proud of you

Super close! The subtleties that other people are talking about could even be down to micro differences in tuning and even how they say different in the snare basket. What an amazing product, seriously.

Amazing.. .all of them.

Thanks Shane, fantastic vid, this one's going to rack up some likes! Was the tuning identical for each drum? Honestly, I thought the reissue had some unpleasant overtones at the lower tension, that could be attributed to the tuning - ? An awesome drum every day of the week, but in that company, Junior has a lot to live up to, and maybe a bit of growing up to do. When cranked and speaking up though, it absolutely held its own in that higher tuning range. Great drum. I've always been a fan of the '82+ Mastercraft finish and hardware, love it by default. But I was really very pleasantly surprised by the 1980 original. It's just so Phat! It's got depth and body forever, and a killer crack on top, even at the lower tunings! Tama absolutely aced it with all of these drums. 👏👏👏

I know it’s expensive but in my humble opinion you can keep your ludwigs, these are the best snares money can buy. Sadly it will remain a dream.

Wooooooooooooow!!!!!…..finally here! The rumors were true!!!!…for the ones that say that this is expensive, just want to share that this is the usual price range for the DW true cast, Sonor Artist, Savage Custom, etc….it is what it is guys. Even the 2014 re issue is listed even higher on reverb, as second hand. In my opinion, Tama realized that they can recover the market by making this a regular snare while others were trying to imitate the sound, and yes, there is bunch of marketing behind and probably other snares could sound “better” (for each taste) but I’ll say that the magic of this snare is due a very fair reputation of the brand and this specific snare drum…just sharing my thoughts. Have some fun playing drums!

To me in this video the 1982 version sounds the best.

As I watched this I thought it sounds pretty good for sure then I saw the $4000,00 price tag and considering how many snares are out there that I know I can can get that sound from that are more affordable I think I’ll use my tuning skills and save $ 3500. But thanks for the demo you guys rock

I've always been a Tama Guy. I actually own a late 70s steel superstar snare drum that sound awesome. I'm glad they are reissuing the Terminator, maybe the used marked will go less crazy on these now😂.

Will you guys be doing a video on the rosewood, artwood and steel? Thanks!

Snare sold before I could even finish checking out, lol!

The one thing i wish you and Tama would explain, the One touch muffler can be adjusted with the Ribbed wheel.. to change the tension on the muffler, then flip the wing..ir just turn the ribbed wheel for more or less touch to head

I like the original best.

All three sound great, but the "82" sounds best to me 👍👍👍

Shane playing 3 Tama bell brass with no ear protection, the guy is a savage hahaha. great video, now lts time to speak to the wife....babe just to let you know Tama did something that nobody was expecting...

I've been waiting for this for years!! Original is best but great job on reissue 💯🤘🤘

I’m not an expert on the Tama BB but the 82 to me sounded the best. Pork pie came out with a snare drum maybe 12 to 15 years ago that was a natural swirly blue and if I remember correctly, had a little bit of a bell brass sound and it sounded awesome! I remember everyone in the drum department bought one at GC the week they came.

To my ears the 50th reissue is slightly more focused, probably due to the centrifugal casting resulting in a more consistent shell, but I prefer the 82's hi tension lugs more, overall TAMA have nailed it ! 🥁👋👍

I think all 3 of these drums will sound great in a mix! They got drier and less overtones in order of appearance. The 1980 drum medium tuning is "the sound" I think everybody hears for rock drums whether youre a drummer or a producer/engineer, though my recording brain liked the 1982 because that lack of overtone can fit in more styles than just rock. My only gripe is the new drum sounds a little stiff and hollow and boxy under the microphone. Not bad by any means, still an excellent sounding drum. But I do think that's the key to the "magic" of the older drums. I think the key is theyve been played in for decades and those molecules of metal have been shaken up (or something im not sure if that's a real thing!) It kinda reminds me of when you get a "brand new cymbal" and it takes awhile to play it in. I hope the new bell brass will get eventually get that to point as buyers play them in! As well, I know how expensive casting metal can be! But 4 grand is a tough price point for just one snare. I think still the best "deal" out there is the gretsch bell brass for 600-950 used (I picked one up long ago before the market price hikes after watching a DCP video of "heavy metal snares!" One day I will get the gretsch bronze

This is as good a comparison as you're gonna get. The takeaway from this is that the differences between the three are so small, they are essentially meaningless. In a band mix, you wouldn't be able to hear those differences. This is good news.

Finally!

In my opinion, the reissue has nothing of the magic that the 1980 and the 1982 models have. I think the difference is quite big actually. Maybe in 40 years it will have the magic ingredient. It's a great snaredrum for sure and it looks amazing.

Waiting for TAMA to reissue the awesome maple 🍁 Artstar and birch 🌳 Grandstar Drums!!! ❤️‍🔥 🤘🏻

I hope Tama keeps these snare drums and the Superstar line permanently. These are the products that put them on the map. I remember asking the music store manager how they were selling, and he replied, I sell more Tama than Ludwig by 2 to 1. This was in 1980. They would still be popular with the 14 inch bass and mounted toms!

The 1980 version does seem to possess some sort of crazy mojo. I honestly sounds slightly better to my ears.

They all sound good for sure. The reissue, to my ears, is not close to others - sounded choked at some points, and a little less resonance perhaps? I am sure people will gobble these up (well, some people will) since they are descendants of the OG. There are some other cast options out there - Offbeat and Oriollo come to mind - that are much more reasonable in price and may be good options to look at too. As always, thanks for the video!!

All three of them sound great, but I really like the 1982 Bell Brass. I also like that extended snares are coming back with no snare beds. Not to hijack the Tama Bell Brass video thread, but I wonder if DCP can get Ludwig to bring back the Super sensitive P70 strainer in a limited run? That would be something. It would be nice to buy a new one for sure with maybe an updated construction to overcome some of the frailties.

Very accurate comparison- the original(s) still win, but it's needed to say that bronze shell change a lot in time, so, maybe the new reissue will sound great as the original from 80s

I want them both

man, they are very close... but that original 80's... maybe the patina... or maybe the casting method. regardless great to see this snare available at somewhat of an attainable price now... for me though, at 4k, I choose the Zildjian 400th. I think it's an overall better package, given the price. DCP 10th anniversary Sonor HLDs were a steal thinking back on it.

Do you know if the hardware will be available in a parts catalog? Would be great to get that strainer system, extended wires with "tape" straps, etc.

The 82 was my fave. Had a little more bite up top or something

nice!

I'd like to hear a comparison between the 50th Anniversary Mastercraft Bell Brass and the Star Reserve Hand Hammered Brass 14x6.5 snare drum.

Gostei das três, mas a impressão que fica é que a de 1980 fala mais, pode ser apenas impressão. Mas os 3 equipamentos sao fenomenais, parabéns!