Know where i can find a 6.5 tama bell brass 40th?

Roy E. Munson

Roy E. Munson

Senior Member
I had one ordered from a shop, just to get notified yesterday tama isnt sending them a 6.5 anymore. Really bummed. Ive called all over the country to find one to know luck. Original shop said they'd do the 5x14 for 1600 for me, but just not quite sure if thats a pill i can swallow. Would love a tip or your thoughts on the 5" instead of the 6.5".
Thanks!
 
After favoring deeper snares for a while, I like standard depth drums. They don't always have as much body but they get a tone that I'm now starting to lean towards.. Hard for me to describe but I bet that drum will make you happy. For $1,600 it better, ha.

I'd want a tama too but there are other companies making bell brass snares.
 
Roy,It appears that Tama is completeley sold out of that size,and only has the 5 " drums left.I called the Long Island Drun center,who's a big Tama dealer,and that's what I was told.They're a 5 star drum shop,and straight up guys.I'm pretty sure Tama still has a warehouse/distribution center in Bensalem PA.Maybe you could try contacting them.

The only guy I know that got one was a guy on the DFO forum,who posted that he just got one.He also posted that he spoke to a Tama rep,ans was told there would only be 30 made.

Don't fret,one will pop up on Ebay soon.

Steve B
 
Up date on the Tama 6.5 bell brass drums..Two online music dealer claim that thought the drums are not currently in stock,they will recieve a shipment on 5/12 or 5/15 Music &Arts(never heard of them) and Musiciand friend .I did rewatch the Namm 2014 Tama vid,and thy claim only a limited edition run,but not exactly how many drums were being made.

Call NOW to preorder .They are going for a little over 1,900 US.

Steve B
 
tamadrm said:
Up date on the Tama 6.5 bell brass drums..Two online music dealer claim that thought the drums are not currently in stock,they will recieve a shipment on 5/12 or 5/15 Music &Arts(never heard of them) and Musiciand friend .I did rewatch the Namm 2014 Tama vid,and thy claim only a limited edition run,but not exactly how many drums were being made.

Call NOW to preorder .They are going for a little over 1,900 US.

Steve B
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music & arts and musicans friend are both the 5". according to their website that is.
 
Roy E. Munson said:
music & arts and musicans friend are both the 5". according to their website that is.
Click to expand...

Yes,but they also list a 6.5 which is out of stock as of now,...but they also state that the 6.5 will be available as of 5/12 or 5/15.Check it again.Remember,these drums are hand made,individually by a sand casting process,and lathed by one individual,in Japan.They're NOT mass produced using investment casting like Sonor does.

Steve B
 
tamadrm said:
Up date on the Tama 6.5 bell brass drums..Two online music dealer claim that thought the drums are not currently in stock,they will recieve a shipment on 5/12 or 5/15 Music &Arts(never heard of them) and Musiciand friend .I did rewatch the Namm 2014 Tama vid,and thy claim only a limited edition run,but not exactly how many drums were being made.

Call NOW to preorder .They are going for a little over 1,900 US.

Steve B
Click to expand...

Hate to tell you this but Guitar Center=Musicians Friend=Music123=Music and Arts=Harmony Central, etc. etc.
 
These things are badass...... and that look ! Never thought I would DIG those lugs many years ago.
 
well just ordered one from guitar center. I fully expect a refund here in a day or two, but according to the website they have the 6.5x14 option avail so I pulled the trigger. we shall see, but again, I fully expect either a 5 to show up or a refund.
 
Roy E. Munson said:
well just ordered one from guitar center. I fully expect a refund here in a day or two, but according to the website they have the 6.5x14 option avail so I pulled the trigger. we shall see, but again, I fully expect either a 5 to show up or a refund.
Click to expand...

No kidding, that's great… hope it comes through. I never saw both options listed at GC after monitoring it almost daily since March... both were mentioned in the specification, but the item listing was for the 5" only. And the 6.5" inventory from other sources (Dale's, Vic's, Sweetwater, American Music, etc.) seemed to arrive and vanish within days of each other about two weeks ago. Sam Ash did show both sizes in stock up through yesterday, but as of this morning, both there appear to be gone as well.

If you don't receive the 6.5", here's some recent experience that may convince you the 5” is a worthy contender...

About a month ago, I did a side-by-side comparison of the 5" and 6.5" 40th Birch model with medium tuning and no muffling at GC. Among 5 of us there (3 drummers, 1 recording engineer, 1 guitarist), everyone agreed both had a great “crack” and the 5” was a excellent sounding drum, but the unanimous favorite was the 6.5" due to its more full-bodied tonality and “throaty” sound. The versatility of the crack and throatiness (if you will ;-) of the 6.5” Birch was very appealing.

This made me more energized about the Bell Brass (BB) model so I asked the dept. mgr. if he could get the 5” one listed on the site in the store and call Tama to see if the 6.5” was also available. Turned out that Hoshino USA only had two remaining 5” BB and none of the 6.5” left in inventory (in Bensalem, PA) at that point. Mind you, this is mid-April for models that were just released in April. Apparently only 30 of each BB version were made to be distributed within the U.S. and all other units had already shipped to retailers.

Several days later the 5” BB model arrived and while waiting for the mgr. to pull it from receiving, I got a cell call and stepped into the cymbal room to avoid disrupting other customers. Deep into conversation several minutes later, I heard this beautiful, fat snare sound come from across the dept. and casually looked in that direction… i.e. not expecting to see the BB. The mgr. (behind the snare) and the other staff drummer across the other side of the room were both staring wide-eyed at each other and asked, “Did that really just come from that little drum?” The sound was punchy and more “bronzy” than brassy with a controlled ringing outside the sweet spot and a nice crack with accents and rim shots. Physically it was fairly heavy and the fit and finish was quite impressive as you would anticipate. Succinctly put, the 5” BB was not only tasty like the 5” Birch, but full-bodied and capable of power similar the 6.5” Birch… albeit in its own way.

I then found a number of YouTube videos from user “bellbrass” and his newly acquired 6.5” BB which I found very beneficial. Three clips that nicely highlight the 6.5” sound at low, medium and high tunings without any other instruments are:

Low:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALcD-9oy0y

Medium:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcwlrmnfNqw

High:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC4iHnhbfeE

Additionally there are several other videos of him playing it with his 3-piece Gretsch kit (all tuned very open) along to songs from Rush, Journey, ELP and Santana so you can also listen to it in context with other instruments.

From these, you can hear the 6.5” is quite impressive with a voice and strengths all its own. To me, the contrast between the 5” and 6.5” Bell Brass isn’t as significant as the Birch with respect to a full-bodied, throaty sound. The 5” Birch is more noticeably shallow sounding than the 6.5” Birch whereas both BB models seem to have a closer depth and breadth in tone. The 5” BB just seems to have more of a controlled, “bronzy” tone (i.e. less open and “brassy” ring) than the 6.5” does. Given this, one could certainly state the 6.5” may be able to be muffled to more closely match the 5” and would therefore be more versatile… which very well may be true, I just can’t validate it not having both side by side.

In summary, the 5” BB is articulate with significant power potential and a versatile snare for many genres and environments. And for my needs, the 6.5” Birch and 5” Bell Brass would be my humble selections from these two series.

Which brings to mind… has anyone tested any of the 40th Rosewood models? I believe GC has the 5” and wonder how it compares to the 6.5” and 8” versions…
 
fl.tom said:
No kidding, that's great… hope it comes through. I never saw both options listed at GC after monitoring it almost daily since March... both were mentioned in the specification, but the item listing was for the 5" only. And the 6.5" inventory from other sources (Dale's, Vic's, Sweetwater, American Music, etc.) seemed to arrive and vanish within days of each other about two weeks ago. Sam Ash did show both sizes in stock up through yesterday, but as of this morning, both there appear to be gone as well.

If you don't receive the 6.5", here's some recent experience that may convince you the 5” is a worthy contender...

About a month ago, I did a side-by-side comparison of the 5" and 6.5" 40th Birch model with medium tuning and no muffling at GC. Among 5 of us there (3 drummers, 1 recording engineer, 1 guitarist), everyone agreed both had a great “crack” and the 5” was a excellent sounding drum, but the unanimous favorite was the 6.5" due to its more full-bodied tonality and “throaty” sound. The versatility of the crack and throatiness (if you will ;-) of the 6.5” Birch was very appealing.

This made me more energized about the Bell Brass (BB) model so I asked the dept. mgr. if he could get the 5” one listed on the site in the store and call Tama to see if the 6.5” was also available. Turned out that Hoshino USA only had two remaining 5” BB and none of the 6.5” left in inventory (in Bensalem, PA) at that point. Mind you, this is mid-April for models that were just released in April. Apparently only 30 of each BB version were made to be distributed within the U.S. and all other units had already shipped to retailers.

Several days later the 5” BB model arrived and while waiting for the mgr. to pull it from receiving, I got a cell call and stepped into the cymbal room to avoid disrupting other customers. Deep into conversation several minutes later, I heard this beautiful, fat snare sound come from across the dept. and casually looked in that direction… i.e. not expecting to see the BB. The mgr. (behind the snare) and the other staff drummer across the other side of the room were both staring wide-eyed at each other and asked, “Did that really just come from that little drum?” The sound was punchy and more “bronzy” than brassy with a controlled ringing outside the sweet spot and a nice crack with accents and rim shots. Physically it was fairly heavy and the fit and finish was quite impressive as you would anticipate. Succinctly put, the 5” BB was not only tasty like the 5” Birch, but full-bodied and capable of power similar the 6.5” Birch… albeit in its own way.

I then found a number of YouTube videos from user “bellbrass” and his newly acquired 6.5” BB which I found very beneficial. Three clips that nicely highlight the 6.5” sound at low, medium and high tunings without any other instruments are:

Low:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALcD-9oy0y

Medium:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcwlrmnfNqw

High:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC4iHnhbfeE

Additionally there are several other videos of him playing it with his 3-piece Gretsch kit (all tuned very open) along to songs from Rush, Journey, ELP and Santana so you can also listen to it in context with other instruments.

From these, you can hear the 6.5” is quite impressive with a voice and strengths all its own. To me, the contrast between the 5” and 6.5” Bell Brass isn’t as significant as the Birch with respect to a full-bodied, throaty sound. The 5” Birch is more noticeably shallow sounding than the 6.5” Birch whereas both BB models seem to have a closer depth and breadth in tone. The 5” BB just seems to have more of a controlled, “bronzy” tone (i.e. less open and “brassy” ring) than the 6.5” does. Given this, one could certainly state the 6.5” may be able to be muffled to more closely match the 5” and would therefore be more versatile… which very well may be true, I just can’t validate it not having both side by side.

In summary, the 5” BB is articulate with significant power potential and a versatile snare for many genres and environments. And for my needs, the 6.5” Birch and 5” Bell Brass would be my humble selections from these two series.

Which brings to mind… has anyone tested any of the 40th Rosewood models? I believe GC has the 5” and wonder how it compares to the 6.5” and 8” versions…
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I have been checking for a month too. I had one ordered through one of the companies you mentioned only to receive an email after a week stating tama pulled the plug and was not sending anymore. Most of the people, stores, reps etc. I talked to said the drums were sold before they even arrived to collectors, endorsers, and/or kept by the reps. A couple stores put them on ebay only to have them sold within hours. One of which I actually saw and passed up because I thought mine was already secured. Anyways, according to what I was told today mine is on the way. We shall see. I will for sure update if and when it arrives. If not I will keep looking. I'm sure one or two are bound to show up soon on ebay for double the original cost. Also, one of the reps that I spoke with told me that he, and at least one other US tama rep have "traveling B/B 40ths" drums that they are taking to the remaining drum shows, special clinics, and various things reps show up for to show the drum. Once those commitments are fulfilled he said the drums will be handed over to stores to sell. He also said as you mentioned only 30 were made avail in the US market. Hope to have good news next week.

Oh and by the way I ordered mine last night and there was at least 2 6.5's available because after I bought mine I went back and checked....This morning it was back to only the 5". I have a pretty good story that goes with my drum, but I'll wait to see if it shows up first before I tell. Its quite amusing to say the least.
 
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Couple of other points I observed with the Tama 40th Anniversary Reissue snares that may be helpful...

Limited Edition Quantities

  • For the Bell Brass models, the 5" one had "1 of 50 worldwide" stamped on the inside along with the serial number. Based on feedback from Hoshino USA, it appears (50) 5" versions and (50) 6.5" versions were made and (30) of each were distributed in the U.S. Which means (20) of each were made available for distribution outside the U.S. Provided we didn't misinterpret this (e.g. 50 total instead of 100 which would be even more scarce), these are very limited.

  • For the Birch models, not sure if quantities are divided across finishes (Cherry Wine, Super Mahogany and Super Maple) or depth (5" and 6.5"), but of the two I played, one was Cherry Wine and one was Super Mahogany and both finishes were first class. The 5" one had "1 of 170 worldwide" stamped on the inside along with the serial number and the 6.5" one had "1 of 190 worldwide" stamped. So although not as limited as the Bell Brass snares, these are still fairly limited.
*** UPDATE *** based on today's feedback from Tama

Bell Brass: 100 total made worldwide = (50) 5" + (50) 6.5" [where 30 of each were distributed within US and remaining 20 of each internationally]

Birch: 1080 total made worldwide = (3 x 170) 5" + (3 x 190) 6.5" [where factor of 3 represents each finish (CWH, SMH and SMP) and current distribution TBD]

Bell Brass Composition

After seeing and hearing the 5" BB first hand, and this has been noted by others for the original Tama BB and other manufacturers' models, I believe these are actually constructed from Bell Bronze rather than Bell Brass which makes them even more desirable. I'm not affiliated with Tama in any way, but this distinction is important and the use of the specific term “bell” is (provided it’s not just used as a marketing term) a key indicator of some important characteristics.

  • First, bells (as in large liberty bells) are typically made through casting rather than rolled or spun and this applies to drums as well. Bell brass snare shells are made from cast "brass" (more on this in a second) and snare shells labeled as just brass are typically made by rolling/spinning a single sheet of brass. This is usually physically evident by the thicker (e.g. 3-5 mm) shells with no seams of bell brass versus the thinner (1.0-1.2 mm) shells with welded seams (although not always readily visible) of just brass ones.

  • Another important characteristic of so called bell "brass" is that it's typically made from bronze alloys rather than brass... and this applies to both bells as well as drum shells. Fundamentally, Brass is composed of 60% Copper + 40% Zinc whereas Bronze is composed of 80% Copper + 20% Tin. These compositions make Brass a relatively soft metal and prone to corrosion whereas Bronze is very hard and long lasting. Additionally Bell "Bronze" is supposed to be the purest type of bronze in the bronze family with no contamination from other metals in the alloy. These chemical characteristics tend to give bell bronze a more true and clear tone whereas brass tends to yield a more brassy or clangy sound.
Knowing the above would certainly explain why true Bell Brass/Bronze snares are so much more expensive than just Brass ones (e.g. the $2500 versus $600 Tama Starphonics) and why the Superstar BB even at the 5" depth sounded more focused and warmer than initially expected.
 
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Artstar said:
These things are badass...... and that look ! Never thought I would DIG those lugs many years ago.
Click to expand...

Funny how that works out, eh... For me, the Superstar lugs and T badges are as unique an identity to Tama drums as the Imperial lugs and Blue/Olive badges are to Ludwig. Good stuff.
 
T.Underhill said:
If you say so...

My point was it's probably from the same supply warehouse.
Click to expand...

You are quite correct sir... GC and it's sister companies/subsidiaries (MF, Music123, W&B, M&A, etc.) all share the same warehouse inventory. If you happen to pull the last item from distribution for any of them, you'll witness all of their websites show out of stock afterwards. ;-)
 
I ordered one even before NAMM was done at Long & McQuade, Canada's largest instrument dealer, and have had the order cancelled. Apparently only one is coming to the Great White North!
 
Roy E. Munson said:
I have been checking for a month too. I had one ordered through one of the companies you mentioned only to receive an email after a week stating tama pulled the plug and was not sending anymore. Most of the people, stores, reps etc. I talked to said the drums were sold before they even arrived to collectors, endorsers, and/or kept by the reps. A couple stores put them on ebay only to have them sold within hours. One of which I actually saw and passed up because I thought mine was already secured. Anyways, according to what I was told today mine is on the way. We shall see. I will for sure update if and when it arrives. If not I will keep looking. I'm sure one or two are bound to show up soon on ebay for double the original cost. Also, one of the reps that I spoke with told me that he, and at least one other US tama rep have "traveling B/B 40ths" drums that they are taking to the remaining drum shows, special clinics, and various things reps show up for to show the drum. Once those commitments are fulfilled he said the drums will be handed over to stores to sell. He also said as you mentioned only 30 were made avail in the US market. Hope to have good news next week.
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Yea, you figure inventories for most limited editions are initially pruned by collectors, endorsers and reps. My humble comments were just intended to reassure you the 5" is not necessarily a back seat and quite a snare in its own right. If your 6.5" order goes sideways, getting the 5" before they're depleted may be a good idea. Then if a show 6.5" ultimately becomes available for a reasonable price and you prefer it, you should be able to sell the 5" for a profit. It is definitely no slouch as one might expect from a 5".

Oh and by the way I ordered mine last night and there was at least 2 6.5's available because after I bought mine I went back and checked....This morning it was back to only the 5". I have a pretty good story that goes with my drum, but I'll wait to see if it shows up first before I tell. Its quite amusing to say the least.
Click to expand...

You may have actually snagged the only 6.5" GC received as their inventory is typically not updated until the order is processed on the back end. Sounds like your tenacity paid off and look forward to hearing if you receive it and your thoughts on its sound.
 
twelvenotes said:
I ordered one even before NAMM was done at Long & McQuade, Canada's largest instrument dealer, and have had the order cancelled. Apparently only one is coming to the Great White North!
Click to expand...

Wow, maybe I misinterpreted the Tama rep's comments and the "1 of 50 worldwide" stamp I saw on the BB literally meant 50 total for 5" and 6.5". I know there was definitely a different total (170 versus 190) for the different Birch depths or finishes after seeing the inside of the two different shells.

I'm kicking myself now for not trying to secure some of these models while I was at NAMM...
 
fl.tom said:
Couple of other points I observed with the Tama 40th Anniversary Reissue snares that may be helpful...

Limited Edition Quantities

  • For the Bell Brass models, the 5" one had "1 of 50 worldwide" stamped on the inside along with the serial number. Based on feedback from Hoshino USA, it appears (50) 5" versions and (50) 6.5" versions were made and (30) of each were distributed in the U.S. Which means (20) of each were made available for distribution outside the U.S. Provided we didn't misinterpret this (e.g. 50 total instead of 100 which would be even more scarce), these are very limited.

  • For the Birch models, not sure if quantities are divided across finishes (Cherry Wine, Super Mahogany and Super Maple) or depth (5" and 6.5"), but of the two I played, one was Cherry Wine and one was Super Mahogany and both finishes were first class. The 5" one had "1 of 170 worldwide" stamped on the inside along with the serial number and the 6.5" one had "1 of 190 worldwide" stamped. So although not as limited as the Bell Brass snares, these are still fairly limited.
Bell Brass Composition

After seeing and hearing the 5" BB first hand, and this has been noted by others for the original Tama BB and other manufacturers' models, I believe these are actually constructed from Bell Bronze rather than Bell Brass which makes them even more desirable. I'm not affiliated with Tama in any way, but this distinction is important and the use of the specific term “bell” is (provided it’s not just used as a marketing term) a key indicator of some important characteristics.

  • First, bells (as in large liberty bells) are typically made through casting rather than rolled or spun and this applies to drums as well. Bell brass snare shells are made from cast "brass" (more on this in a second) and snare shells labeled as just brass are typically made by rolling/spinning a single sheet of brass. This is usually physically evident by the thicker (e.g. 3-5 mm) shells with no seams of bell brass versus the thinner (1.0-1.2 mm) shells with welded seams (although not always readily visible) of just brass ones.

  • Another important characteristic of so called bell "brass" is that it's typically made from bronze alloys rather than brass... and this applies to both bells as well as drum shells. Fundamentally, Brass is composed of 60% Copper + 40% Zinc whereas Bronze is composed of 80% Copper + 20% Tin. These compositions make Brass a relatively soft metal and prone to corrosion whereas Bronze is very hard and long lasting. Additionally Bell "Bronze" is supposed to be the purest type of bronze in the bronze family with no contamination from other metals in the alloy. These chemical characteristics tend to give bell bronze a more true and clear tone whereas brass tends to yield a more brassy or clangy sound.
Knowing the above would certainly explain why true Bell Brass/Bronze snares are so much more expensive than just Brass ones (e.g. the $2500 versus $600 Tama Starphonics) and why the Superstar BB even at the 5" depth sounded more focused and warmer than initially expected.
Click to expand...

"Bell Brass" is equal to "Cast Bronze" when the term is used for snare drums manufactured by Tama, Sonor, dw, Ocheltree and others.
 
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