Black Beauty

SAINTDRUMS

Senior Member
I just can't contain myself - I'm totally psyched! My local drum shop just called to let me know my order has arrived and tomorrow I'm picking up my brand new 6.5x14 Black Beauty!!! I can't wait. I never owned a BB, but I've heard so many, many great things about them. I have a couple of 60's 5x14 supras and they sound great, but I wanted a BB. Hopefully it's worth the investment!
 
Oh, it's worth it. I just got mine. Loud, fat, crack, warm, sensitive, gentle......some attributes that come to mind.
 
6.5 is a great size for that drum, and I know you'll love it! It's sweeter than a regular Supra, and will feel great to your hand. I have the same model and it's been my touring snare for 5 years, and I have one for my local gigs as well.

Enjoy!

Bermuda
 
jealous!!! i can only afford the pork pie bob snare…. the poor man's black beauty-lol
 
I'm in the market for a new snare - what's a BB cost these days?
 
The owner at the drum shop sold it to me for what I consider to be a great price. He wanted me to not advertise the price because it's great and I've bought a lot of snares from him, but I will say I paid somewhere shy of $600 for it. I've seen them online ranging from $600 to $700. I try to support the local "mom and pop" stores when I can, and this is one of the ways they show their appreciation for my business.
 
jealous!!! i can only afford the pork pie bob snare…. the poor man's black beauty-lol

To be honest, I think the Pork Pie delivers around 98% (unscientific use of percentages) of what a Black Beauty delivers. I also think Black Beauties - although very nice indeed - are insanely overpriced.

I'm not a costings expert but I've had several discussions with people 'in the know'. They tell me that to produce a Black Beauty shell and hardware (minus the finish) probably doesn't cost significantly more than $200-250 (at a generous estimate). I appreciate that Black Beauties are finished in a particular way and that adds significant cost to the drum but the margins on Black Beauties are still very high for Ludwig. They could drop the price by a couple of hundred Dollars and still make a healthy margin.

They are lovely snares and they sound fantastic but for me it's going to have to a WorldMax or Pork Pie equivalent. Spun shells aren't that expensive to produce and even with a seamed shell, the difference is likely to be negligible.
 
To be honest, I think the Pork Pie delivers around 98% (unscientific use of percentages) of what a Black Beauty delivers. I also think Black Beauties - although very nice indeed - are insanely overpriced.

I'm not a costings expert but I've had several discussions with people 'in the know'. They tell me that to produce a Black Beauty shell and hardware (minus the finish) probably doesn't cost significantly more than $200-250 (at a generous estimate). I appreciate that Black Beauties are finished in a particular way and that adds significant cost to the drum but the margins on Black Beauties are still very high for Ludwig. They could drop the price by a couple of hundred Dollars and still make a healthy margin.

They are lovely snares and they sound fantastic but for me it's going to have to a WorldMax or Pork Pie equivalent. Spun shells aren't that expensive to produce and even with a seamed shell, the difference is likely to be negligible.

A drum, or anything, is only worth what people are willing to pay for them. They are the one snare most drummers HAVE to have in their collection and with that comes a price. Can't blame Ludwig for capitalizing on that.
 
Congrats, and enjoy your snare!!

I've played BB's since my first (Bronze) in 1989. Got a Brass around '02, and the second Brass around '05. All are 6.5's.

They have never let me down in any way, and the brass are basically the only snares I take on a gig (have 10 other non-BB's).

It works for every type of music in every venue setting.

The Bronze I record with. It's always been "ready" within a minute or two.

I really like all my other snares, but for me, the BB is all I need. My C.O.B is basically a BB with a chrome finish, and it performs the same way.
 
A drum, or anything, is only worth what people are willing to pay for them. They are the one snare most drummers HAVE to have in their collection and with that comes a price. Can't blame Ludwig for capitalizing on that.

From a purely cold, capitalistic perspective then yes. I agree with you.

That doesn't change my view though. They're great snares but I know companies that will make handmade bespoke snares for similar or in many cases much less money. I would like a Black Beauty but for me it's not necessary - I have at least two good snares one of which is exceptional. Both are cheaper than a Black Beauty and in fact, combining the prices of the two together they still probably work out at less than I can buy a Black Beauty for in the UK.

They are fantastic snares but it's got to be the WorldMax for me - even if I felt the need to replace some of the hardware.
 
Nice purchase!

I got my Black Beauty many years ago from a guy who found it at a flea market. The guy knew drums but was either a little deficient in his specific snare knowledge or just didn’t care. He sold it to me waaaaay cheap, and he even drove me to the bank machine to get the cash!

Absolutely fantastic drum that works in many many styles and genres.
 
I respect everyone's opinion and I also agree that the chances are very high that you can buy a snare for much less money that sounds very close (if not identical) to the sound of a 6.5 BB. With that said, I wanted to add this snare to my collection (this will make snare #16). Please be aware that I play out literally 44 weekends a year - on both Friday and Saturday nights and on top of this I hold down a 40 hr/week job. I consider a purchase like this to be a reinvestment of sorts. Yes, the BB's are probably considerably overpriced, but I don't mind paying the extra cash (within reason) to get a snare I've always wanted. Don't get me wrong - 16 snares may sound like a lot, but I play (more like abuse) each and every one of them and I feel they have to "earn their keep/pay for themselves". I also look at the fact that just like the supraphonic, many drum companies strive to make their own copy of the snare - it becomes the benchmark that other companies emulate. To me that makes it that much more desirable...
 
From a purely cold, capitalistic perspective then yes. I agree with you.

That doesn't change my view though. They're great snares but I know companies that will make handmade bespoke snares for similar or in many cases much less money. I would like a Black Beauty but for me it's not necessary - I have at least two good snares one of which is exceptional. Both are cheaper than a Black Beauty and in fact, combining the prices of the two together they still probably work out at less than I can buy a Black Beauty for in the UK.

They are fantastic snares but it's got to be the WorldMax for me - even if I felt the need to replace some of the hardware.

Totally agree. I've heard plenty of snares that sounded great or just as good as a BB but cost way less. While the BB is a quality snare you're paying a premium for the name more than anything.
 
I remember when I bought my BB. It was the first "high-end" (read: expensive) snare I ever purchased, and I didn't know how it would go. Would it really be worth the premium? I knew it would sound good, because you hear them used in recordings all the time. However, what I didn't know to expect was how easy and versatile the BB was in tuning. This is what really made it worth all the money. I can make my BB sound great in so many different ways, I am still astounded. My other, cheaper, snares can only be tuned a couple of ways in order to sound acceptable. Anyway, great purchase, I doubt you'll be disappointed!
 
Good on you, you're going to love it the more you play it!
I picked up a mint condition 6.5x14 BB (may as well have been new) a while back at a really stupid good price figuring if I didn't like it I could just resell it and make a profit. Turns out I absolutely love it (love it like I love stuff, not like I love my family).
It's got that fat, yet ringy, yet crisp sound I've always wanted from a snare. And as others have mentioned, it's quite versatile.
It's a keeper.
 
While the BB is a quality snare you're paying a premium for the name more than anything.

Just like Harley Davidson. But try and convince the die hards that they'd find better value with a Yamaha.

Sometimes, it's worth paying extra for the "mojo".......especially if it's the mojo that you're after if the first place.
 
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