This one comes from Luke's collection--A made in Japan TAMA Artstar-ES 14x6.5 beaded brass snare drum. The Artstar-ES line was introduced to the Japanese market in 1994 and these snares came stock on all those kits from 1994. These went for ¥42,000 back in the 90s which at the time, was the equivalent of a Fender Japan Standard Stratocaster, roughly $1,000 AUD by today's standards.

This particular snare features a fair bit of quirky wear from the years of playing. There's a fun amount of surface rust and a noticeable dent under the badge. Functionally however, all is good in the hood.

This snare sounds great! It tunes up nicely and carries a bucket load of smack to it. It has a crystal clear crack and hefty body to the attack which gives it oomph when used as a rock or metal snare. Mic'd up, that mass of tone translates to a thick smack in front-of-house which is oftentimes missing in steel and brass snares.

Regardless of what you throw at it, this guy doesn't mess around and as self-professed drum psychologists we can confidently say this is a textbook extrovert.

Manufacturer: TAMA Drums
Series: Artstar-ES PM306
Model: Birdseye Maple Snare in Transparent Charcoal
Made: Japan, from 1994, discontinued
Serial: 030347
Dimensions: 14" Diameter / 6.5" Depth
Weight: 4460g
Shell: Beaded Brass approx. 1mm
Hoops: MFM14-8 Mighty Hoop / MFM14S-8 Mighty Hoop Snare Side
Hardware: MSL30S Sure Tune Lugs / MUS20A Strainer / MUS20B Butt
Current Setup:
Batter: Remo Coated Emperor (6/10)
Reso: Remo Snare Side Ambassador Clear (9/10)
Wires: MIJ 20 Strand Wires (19/20 Wires) (7/10)

Additional Notes: The throw is smooth and doesn't get stuck. One snare wire has been cut off and the reso head is in good condition. The batter head is pretty close to its use-by so we'd recommend switching that out, however there are no dimples, it just lacks the tone of a fresher head. There is a fair amount of surface rust on the shell. Minimal rust on the hardware with small nicks on the lugs, throw and butt. There is a small divot in the batter side hoop which does not affect tuning. Overall: good condition (6/10)