It's a dark night and there's a sharp chill in the air. The wind howls through the sprawling forest as you move through the brush. You part the foliage as you stumble upon a stark and imposing entrance to a cave. Between the rock walls you see nothing but black within black. You hear a voice escaping, but it's hard to understand. You inch closer to the opening hesitantly. The voice sounds again, this time more clearly. "Hi guys, COOP3RDRUMM3R here! Welcome to my man cave!"

The ground beneath you starts to shake and crack away. You dart to the side as the cracks widen and a faint glow penetrates the seams. Up from the ground rises this rounded object, reflecting the under-glow on the surrounds. You approach the object and start to take in details–Pearl badge, hammered brass, custom classic lugs, super hoops. You realise you've just stumbled upon the holy grail of brass snare drums, purely by accident.

Casey Cooper's voice booms once more from the rock encased darkness, "This made in Japan hammered brass 14 by 6.5 inch snare drum is now yours. Every note you play from now on will be big and full sounding, you will find tone in brass you never knew possible, and from now on you will find tremendous success in your music career but there are a few catches.

"What catches?" you query.

"From now on, you will compulsively perform stick tricks. You will search and search for good cymbals and only find A Customs upon A Customs. Furthermore, you will forget entirely how to tune drums."

"Ah, the curse of COOP3RDRUMM3R," you muse. "I've heard of this. I decline." The voice from within the cave lets out a cackle and your heart begins to race. "What's so funny?"

"You don't have a choice." The voice booms once more and the snare crashes into your chest.

You jolt awake in your bedroom. It was just a dream, phew. You roll over in bed and grab your phone. You visit the Topshelf Instruments website and see a really cool Pearl hammered brass snare for sale–great price too! You purchase it. It arrives within 2 business weeks with fully trackable and insured express shipping. They packed it really carefully and even included a couple cool stickers in shell pink and sonic blue.

Now you have a new snare and unlike COOP3RDRUMM3R, you like it because it's good, not because you're endorsed by Pearl.

Manufacturer: Pearl Drums
Model: Hammered Brass
Made: Japan, late '80s-mid '90s
Serial: 497374
Dimensions: 14" Diameter / 6.5" Depth
Weight: 4895g
Shell: approx. 1mm hammered brass
Hardware: Custom Classic Hardware / Pearl Super Hoops Triple Flange Top & Bottom w/ Snare Brackets
Current Setup:
Batter: Remo Weather King Coated Controlled Sound (6.5/10)
Reso: Remo Weather King Ambassador Snare (7/10)
Wires: Pearl Japan 20 Strand Wires (7/10)

Additional Notes: The throw is smooth and doesn't get stuck. The snare wires and heads are in passable condition. There is some pitting and rust on the hoops and hardware. The shell is good condition with no damage besides some pitting. The batter head is well played but still tunes up fine. The snare plates are tarnished but the wires are in good condition with none missing. The resonant head has some dirt and a few dimples. Overall: good condition (6/10)