Yamaha Musashi snare 12 inch!

daredrummer

Gold Member
So my 12" x 6" Yamaha Musashi is finally here! All credit goes to MapexManiac for finding the killer deal I got!

Just $140 used (goes for $300 new) in mint condition, no scratches or marks at all!

Unfortunately, not much can yet be said about the sound, because it came with really terrible snares which are ruining the sound of the drum. It'll be a couple days before the ones I ordered get here, but I'll let you know how it sounds and maybe even post some samples when they do!

Still got the pics though! I really like the black lacquer finish, looks really nice. At some point I may get a nicer throw off and maybe even some wood hoops! (Nodiggie ;) )

Enjoy!

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NICE!

You are gonna love that snare. I just found some puresound blasters online to replace the factory split equalizers that were on it. They are still in good shape just wanted to try something different. I may take a pair of dikes to the center strands and turn them into a "blaster/equalizer" ha. Very happy for you bro.
 
Very nice! You have a great snare there. I love my Musashi and used it exclusively for years.
 
Daredrummer, you might as well be on the lookout for the 13" cause you're gonna want it too. lol
 
I'm glad you got it man, hope ya like it.
 
Finally got the new puresound snare wires. They're Custom 20 Strands.

After playing a little bit, I think I should have gone with 16 strands, or maybe some equalizers, but the drum still sounds fantastic.

Was using an emperor on top and stock reso on bottom. With no muffling the ring was overbearing, probably because of the emperor and the stock reso (which had to be about .000001 mil...). Next time I'll probably get a PS3 or Genera.

But to avoid that problem for now I put a 12" e-ring on it, and it really sounds great. So far, it's somewhat limited in tuning, but I think a lot of that is the 20 strand wires and heads. Once I get the right combos I'll probably get a better tuning range.

Anyway, my favorite tuning was high on the reso side and medium on the batter. It gave a very full and warm sound. It almost sounded dark and bright at the same time. When I tuned up the batter a bit more it had a great pop and crack. I also tried bringing down the reso to medium/high and medium. It still had a great sound, just more "standard" than when tuned up high. It really sounds unique with that high tuning.

I was also very (surprisingly) pleased with the cross-stick. Despite it's 12" diameter it produced just as good if not better cross stick sound than my 14". The one thing I was disappointed in was the rim shot. It didn't have much character, and sounded fairly similar to a normal hit.
Fortunately I don't use rim-shots often!

Great snare, a blast to play, and can't wait to get some wires with less strands to see how it sounds then!
 
Musashis are great drums. I use an Ambassador on both sides for my 13", but I don't mind a bit of ring. I don't change heads too often either and the drum 'softens' over time so the ring is a little less pronounced. What surprised me the most about the 13"x6.5" is its low-tuning ability. It can go low if you put it there and that was a surprise given the size.

I've always liked the 'click' on my 13" and it's probably a little higher on the 12" - which helps it carry. The rimshot on the 13" used to be a signature of mine. I played in a metal band for a year and used to go to gigs with it fairly cranked, playing with 2Bs. It surprised the sound engineers; they usually went to put a mic on it and then changed their minds!

I don't play like that any more (I was in the band out of a favour for a mate) but I had a great time with that snare. The only problem it's ever given me is the tension rods backing out after a few rimshots - that used to be a real problem but it isn't so much any more. I've also replaced the strainer on mine with a Pearl model that's a bit better. It's the 'little snare that could' - it's great. Never going to part with it!
 
Musashis are great drums. I use an Ambassador on both sides for my 13", but I don't mind a bit of ring. I don't change heads too often either and the drum 'softens' over time so the ring is a little less pronounced. What surprised me the most about the 13"x6.5" is its low-tuning ability. It can go low if you put it there and that was a surprise given the size.

I've always liked the 'click' on my 13" and it's probably a little higher on the 12" - which helps it carry. The rimshot on the 13" used to be a signature of mine. I played in a metal band for a year and used to go to gigs with it fairly cranked, playing with 2Bs. It surprised the sound engineers; they usually went to put a mic on it and then changed their minds!

I don't play like that any more (I was in the band out of a favour for a mate) but I had a great time with that snare. The only problem it's ever given me is the tension rods backing out after a few rimshots - that used to be a real problem but it isn't so much any more. I've also replaced the strainer on mine with a Pearl model that's a bit better. It's the 'little snare that could' - it's great. Never going to part with it!

What wires are you using on it? I think I want to go with a 2 ply head actually. because it will be harder to get it down low and the 2 ply head would help (I think?)

Yeah I was using 7A's on it, so maybe some heavier sticks would help with the rim shots.
 
If you want it lower, go two ply. I have to question the wisdom of that slightly though because it's a 12" - it's going to be higher. One trick you might want to use is the 'tone trick' of tuning it fairly high but with a looser resonant head and reasonably loose wires. That gives the impression of a lower note but in reality the pitch is quite high.

I just use the stock wires. I don't tend to mess around with wires too much.
 
If you want it lower, go two ply. I have to question the wisdom of that slightly though because it's a 12" - it's going to be higher. One trick you might want to use is the 'tone trick' of tuning it fairly high but with a looser resonant head and reasonably loose wires. That gives the impression of a lower note but in reality the pitch is quite high.

I just use the stock wires. I don't tend to mess around with wires too much.

Well I got the idea when I heard this video.

Gavin's using his signature 12". If you listen without really paying attention, it actually sounds pretty deep (at least to me). But then if you really listen to the the snare, it starts to sound more high pitched.
Which is why I said it almost sounded dark and bright at the same time.
Maybe it's just me, but I've only heard this cool quality in 12's, not 13's or 14's.
 
You can get that out of the 13" Musashi if you try but the 12" should certainly do it.

Gavin is tuning it fairly high (on the batter at least) and reasonably low on the resonant. You also have to remember that he only has a few snare wires on his drums (four or six?). That has a lot to do with the dryness of his sound. It has a low tone but a high pitch - that sounds contradictory but I promise you it's not!
 
You can get that out of the 13" Musashi if you try but the 12" should certainly do it.

Gavin is tuning it fairly high (on the batter at least) and reasonably low on the resonant. You also have to remember that he only has a few snare wires on his drums (four or six?). That has a lot to do with the dryness of his sound. It has a low tone but a high pitch - that sounds contradictory but I promise you it's not!

No, I believe you! That's what's creating the illusion. I will try the tuning, and yes will get less wires next time!

EDIT: The smallest wires I can find for 12" drums are 12 strand puresound customs, and 14 strand equalizers. Did Gavin get his custom made?
 
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I suspect he gets rather busy with the wire cutters. Try it with some cheap wires and try not to leave any sharp edges against the head!
 
I suspect he gets rather busy with the wire cutters. Try it with some cheap wires and try not to leave any sharp edges against the head!

Equalizers in half maybe?

I might try just the 12 strand first: 6 may be a little too little! But I'll do some experimenting and let you know how it goes.
 
Great snare!
I went with the 13" and it sounds amazing...so easy to tune also.
 
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