I'm giving away a black beauty snare drum, here.

Wish i had a big sob story.. my truth is that i have never tried a BB and want to :) but i am cheap.. i do hope whoever get's it really needs it though. very generous.
 
Wish i had a big sob story.. my truth is that i have never tried a BB and want to :) but i am cheap.. i do hope whoever get's it really needs it though. very generous.

Good enough for me. Consider yourself in the running.
 
Wow, Larry!! Cool thing you're offering up.

How about this: I'll take the Black Beauty and pay forward my very first snare drum purchase (my Ludwig Acrolite) to the jazz band at my school along with a set of Sabian Cymbals. The drums and cymbals these kids use suck.... like really suck.

Cheers!

Hell, maybe I'll just do that anyway.
 
Wow, Larry!! Cool thing you're offering up.

How about this: I'll take the Black Beauty and pay forward my very first snare drum purchase (my Ludwig Acrolite) to the jazz band at my school along with a set of Sabian Cymbals. The drums and cymbals these kids use suck.... like really suck.

Cheers!

Hell, maybe I'll just do that anyway.

Well I like that idea...you're definitely in.

I'm thinking of making a decision on December 1st. That leaves the whole month of November for everyone to ply me with your thoughts.
 
Unbelievable. 24 posts and only three people made a pitch so far? Lol. Good on you Larry, and good on everyone else who cared more about recognizing your gesture than getting the drum.

Ok, here goes....Ever since I was a little kid growing up in a wet paper bag in the middle of a busy street, I have wanted to own a Black Beauty, just like the one in the music store window that I could see from our little bag. The same bag that I shared with my 8 siblings after our parents had abandoned us. Though it was cold and wet in our little paper bag, and there was little food aside from the occasional bits of pizza crust and cigarette butts that we found in the gutter, the thought of one day owning such a drum kept me warm and dry at night and filled me with hope and the promise of one day becoming a drummer.

I scrounged around the alley behind the music store for anything I could find which might help me pursue my dream. Soon, I started practicing my rudiments with an old Q Tip in one hand and a rolled up copy of Crochet Quarterly in the other. I slowly accumulated a rag-tag collection of hub caps and 5 gallon pails, with which I was eventually able to start busking so that I might feed my family.

Over the years, as my skill and talent grew, I began to draw bigger crowds, sometimes as many as 3 or 4 people, and I was able to make enough money to get us out of that dank, little bag and into the spacious cardboard box which we find ourselves in today. And to think, none of this would have been possible if that Black Beauty hadn't caught my eye all those years ago. If only I could actually own a drum like that one day... (sigh)
 
What a kind gesture. Not so long ago I was really down on my luck and had to sell all of my guitar gear. A very kind guitar player who I didn't even know sent me a bunch of gear...it was the biggest display of generosity I had ever personally experienced. Things have completely turned around for me now and I don't want for anything, but I will never forget his gift. I now make a point to give more, and when I quit playing guitar I sold that gear and doubled up the amount and gave it to the children's hospital.

The point of my little ramble? I don't need a drum, but kindness begets kindness and I love to see things like this. I hope you find someone that really could use it and it helps turn things around for them.
 
Ahem, allow me to make a pitch (of sorts)...

Don't write off kids.

My boy's thirteen now and he's been playing drums for just over a year. He's about to take his grade four exam and he's let me know (in the way that kids do) that he "needs" a better snare drum to replace the starter drum that came with his Pearl Rhythm Traveller. To be fair to him, he's worked really hard and has put in the hours to demonstrate that he's serious about his drumming, so I will probably buy him an upgrade to celebrate when he passes his exam. He's been lusting over Black Beauty videos on YouTube, so your drum would be a dream come true for him...

BUT... we live in a small house in England and the first thing that I'd do is replace the head with a Remo Silent Stroke (my boy's kit is currently set up with mesh heads and Zildjian LV80s) and there's no way a drum like yours should be neutered and banished to my attic.

However, I've just booked him up for his second four-day course with a local charity called "Felix's School of Rock". Inspired by the Jack Black film, these guys have been running music courses/events in the school holidays since 2004. They put kids (aged 9-16) of all levels together in (nine to ten) rock bands and work with them over four days to prepare a ten-minute set for a full stage gig at the end of the course. The courses are fantastic, the gigs are great (some bands are surprisingly good) and a Black Beauty would be a ridiculous improvement on their current gig snare, inspiring loads of young drummers for years to come.

BUT... these guys are in London, England and the logistics/costs of sending a drum across the pond would make you regret your kind gesture. So why have I wasted your time with this half-hearted, infeasible pitch? Because there must be similar schemes running stateside and I'd suggest that your drum would make a big difference to a whole bunch of aspiring drummers if you could find it a home like this. I remember the first time I got to play a Les Paul at about 14 and it blew me away. Kids remember this stuff.

In any event, good luck with your decision. This is an insanely generous offer.
 
You know, I wish I could say I would accept such an offer, and then auction off the drum to benefit someone else. But I think we've all had enough false charity on display this election season.

I would jump at the chance to be gifted a Black Beauty in either depth. My very first snare drum was a Ludwig. Their mojo just can't be denied. And yet, I currently only own one Ludwig snare, that being my little aluminium Standard. Which means that currently I have a brass Mapex snare sitting among my prized Ludwig 3-plys in my studio.

Don;t get me wrong, the Mapex is a brilliant drum, with a lot going for it. But that's kind of like Michael Jordan wearing Reeboks. It just jars the sensibilities of any reasonable person.

Make my drumset great again. It will be gigged. It will be recorded. It will be worked as a Black Beauty was meant to be. It will have a loving home with kind parents who clean it, feed it, play with it, and even tuck it in at night.

Think of the baby kittens.

EDIT: I see you've also put a SS-to-Supra and a bronze Sensitone on the block. I can love those drums like nobody's business. they will gig. They will record. They will be loved. Your newfound dislike of metal snares speaks to the mercenary spirit within me. You know you want to.
 
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You blow me away Larry. Very generous. I don't think I could say anything to deserve it so I hope you give it to someone who really needs it - I could say I really need it, but you already know I don't, and you already know I sound pretty much the same on everything I play, so I can't say I even need the sound of it.

Maybe you'll prod others to do the same. I do have at least one snare drum I know I don't really play....
 
Hello Larry,
I had a black beauty which I sold because we needed the money for son's college expenses. I miss that drum and use a aluminum supraphonic instead which is OK but I never thought I would miss the BB. I knew I wouldn't be able to scrape the money together to buy another. Here's a video I used the BB on before I sold it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgXEVNp7384
I would be willing to trade the Sabian ride used in this video if you'd like. Thanks
 
That's a great gesture, and its been interesting reading the responses so far. I'm
another non-entry, but I thoroughly endorse the concept, and I'm sure you'll find several worthy recipients by the end of November.
 
Well I'd just like to have a BB. No sad story. I have 2 snares right now a steel Yamaha and a wood Yammy that came with my 88 model Power Tour Customs. The steel snare is from the same era. I've been playing sense 1969.I just play some small clubs around my part of Kansas. Nothing big. None the less I'd take it off your hands if you're giving it away. Thanks
 
Larry,

I hope you find a good deserving home for that snare. A home that would help the drummer achieve what they desire. Where the drummer is in need of a snare drum such as this, and the drum will bring out their best playing.
 
Man, if John Bonham had ever played a Black Beauty you'd have a five-page dissertation on why I'm your ideal candidate. But since Bonham only ever played an LM402 I guess I'll sit this one out.

Great gesture, Larry!
 
It would be funny if Larry ended up selling it to someone here, because nobody feels worthy of receiving one for free ;)
 
Man, if John Bonham had ever played a Black Beauty you'd have a five-page dissertation on why I'm your ideal candidate. But since Bonham only ever played an LM402 I guess I'll sit this one out.

Great gesture, Larry!

He did play a 14 x 6.5 Black Beauty in later recordings, I've read in the past.

Just saying...
 
He did play a 14 x 6.5 Black Beauty in later recordings, I've read in the past.

Just saying...

I've heard that, but the more reading I do the more of an urban legend it seems to be. Same as his silver sparkle kit. Although, that said, it now seems pretty certain he recorded In Through the Out Door with the stainless steel kit, when the narrative has always been that he only ever recorded with maple shells.
 
I've heard that, but the more reading I do the more of an urban legend it seems to be. Same as his silver sparkle kit. Although, that said, it now seems pretty certain he recorded In Through the Out Door with the stainless steel kit, when the narrative has always been that he only ever recorded with maple shells.

I thought Bernard Purdie recorded that album.....
 
I recorded an album with a studio-owned BB one time and damn near fell in love. Similar tone to my cheapo tama steel snare which is my usual workhorse, but much richer and more versatile.

Liked it so much I was thinking about getting an acrolite because it's more close to my non-existent budget... In the end I had to admit that I'm not really getting "that sound" I wanted and I should just stick with my 90 dollar special I've used since I started. I've never owned any new drums or even cymbals for that matter, I have to be very frugal living in an expensive area while helping support someone I care about.

Hopefully it shows here that I'm a passionate drummer who takes this seriously. I gig with several different bands, and I can promise if your snare came in my direction, it would get tons of use as my main snare on and off stage for the foreseeable future. Money and material things really aren't that important to me so I'm certainly not trying to state that I should get your stuff, or that I'd even use the word "need"; but your gift would be deeply appreciated and you'd be helping a bro out for sure with something I couldn't consider on my own budget. Consider my hat in the ring!
 
He did play a 14 x 6.5 Black Beauty in later recordings, I've read in the past.

Just saying...

He certainly played one, if only to sound one out. But supposedly didn't like it. "Too dark" was the description I've heard attributed to him. So it's a surprise to read he later recorded with one. Never come across that before.


I thought Bernard Purdie recorded that album.....

On an a stainless steel or silver sparkle maple?
 
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