Black Magic Arrival

[Ricardo]

Edit.............to anyone that knows how to downsize these photos, please do so.................



The drum arrived on time yesterday afternoon. I was surprised when I opened the box :



This package was simply a drum in a plastic bag in a box...........with a generic drum key thrown in :



Here is a photo of the 7X13 BM...........the finish is perfect -- no flaws anywhere. The lugs and hoops are also beautiful. The throw is not the best, but really not bad at all...........I worked with it a while and it feels solid -- no wobble..........and it locks in just fine...........when released, it drops the snare wires completely as it should...............first impression is to leave it on the drum. I played with the tuning last night and will have time to completely check it out after work today.............I need to practice on my own for 2 hours so I should know much more afterwards :

[inthpktplayer]

Surprised it wasn't packed better. Luckily it got to it's destination unscathed. Enjoy.

[SpazApproved]

glad it made it there safely seeing that.

[myk]

Wow that's a beauty,congrats Ricardo

[gdmoore28]

Yippeee!

Can't wait to hear your impressions. I'll bet you're going to be pleasantly surprised.

GeeDeeEmm

[longgun]

Congrats Ricardo........sure you'll love it

[Pearl MCX Man]

Congrats Ricardo on your new snare.

[Olimpass]

I think the pics are a little too big...lol
Congrats!

[CB700]

Very nice Ricardo

[Ricardo]

Surprised it wasn't packed better. Luckily it got to it's destination unscathed. Enjoy.

glad it made it there safely seeing that.

I was shocked that it wasn't sitting in a bunch of foam or padded wrap.
But nevertheless, it was shipped to me in perfect condition.

[Ricardo]

Wow that's a beauty,congrats Ricardo

Congrats Ricardo........sure you'll love it

Congrats Ricardo on your new snare.

I think the pics are a little too big...lol
Congrats!

Very nice Ricardo

Many thanks to all...............I am happy with my purchase.

[Ricardo]

Yippeee!

Can't wait to hear your impressions. I'll bet you're going to be pleasantly surprised.

GeeDeeEmm

GDM.............I played for two hours last night............playing snare drills for a while and then playing along with some of the band's songs.

First impressions : this drum sounds fantastic at a medium-high batter tension. Not a bad sounding drum at low tension (not my favorite with any snare) and a decent playable sound at high tension.

At the preferred tension, it is extremely PHAT with good tone and volume........rim shots are remarkable.
I liked the stock Ludwig batter (single ply) OK.............but it can't compete with the Super 2-ply Aquarian I put on it last night. I kept the stock snare-side head.
I have played 14" snare drums my entire life and it is very different looking down at a 13...........but I do like the extra room and with the 7" depth, the drum does not lose anything. I can play this drum with moderate force and achieve good volume with no problem...........if I want, I can make it loud.
In fact, I believe I will need to watch out to "keep it tame".............I am conditioned to traditional sized maple snares.

Bottom line = this is a good snare drum with a range of versatility.
It arrived in absolutely perfect condition and it appears to be expertly crafted.
I will get many years of good sound and fun from this Ludwig product.

[wOOdshedd]

Beauty of a snare drum! I find that die cast hoops on metal drums make for really nice sound. Not too wet by virtue of the heavy cast hoops, and not too dry by virtue of the metal shell. Sweet!

[Ricardo]

Beauty of a snare drum! I find that die cast hoops on metal drums make for really nice sound. Not too wet by virtue of the heavy cast hoops, and not too dry by virtue of the metal shell. Sweet!

I could not agree more..............

[BonzaiTree]

I was shocked that it wasn't sitting in a bunch of foam or padded wrap.
But nevertheless, it was shipped to me in perfect condition.

I had the exact same experience (minus the generic key--they included a nice heavyweight Tama one) with my Tama 14 x 6.5" Power Maple snare that was delivered on Wednesday.

I couldn't believe they just shipped it in a box with a plastic bag over it, no padding at all!!!!

Thankfully it was unharmed like yours. Beautiful drum man, congrats!

[dangermoney]

I was shocked that it wasn't sitting in a bunch of foam or padded wrap.
But nevertheless, it was shipped to me in perfect condition.

A few of my Ludwig drums came shipped that way as well. Surprisingly, not a scratch nor blemish on them. It's magic ...

Congrats on your new snare ...

[gdmoore28]

GDM.............I played for two hours last night............playing snare drills for a while and then playing along with some of the band's songs.

I have played 14" snare drums my entire life and it is very different looking down at a 13...........but I do like the extra room and with the 7" depth, the drum does not lose anything. I can play this drum with moderate force and achieve good volume with no problem...........if I want, I can make it loud.
In fact, I believe I will need to watch out to "keep it tame".............I am conditioned to traditional sized maple snares.

Wonderful. I knew you'd like it. Like you, I've used nothing but 14" snares since I started playing in the sixties, and dropping the 13" snare where the 14" had been was a startling experience. I had no idea that one less inch would create so much space between my legs and around my kit. But, it immediately felt more comfortable.

I'm just thrilled that you liked it.

GeeDeeEmm

[weezy]

Very nice drum.

[CoachAbbott]

I bet that thing is LOUD.

[metallitroy]

Surprised it wasn't packed better. Luckily it got to it's destination unscathed. Enjoy.

I've found that new Snares almost always come with minimal packaging. Doesn't make any sense. On the flip side, every used snare I've ever had shipped, be it from ebay or Gc or wherever, is SUPER well packed.

[Ricardo]

A few of my Ludwig drums came shipped that way as well. Surprisingly, not a scratch nor blemish on them. It's magic ...Congrats on your new snare ...

I've found that new Snares almost always come with minimal packaging. Doesn't make any sense. On the flip side, every used snare I've ever had shipped, be it from ebay or Gc or wherever, is SUPER well packed.

Crazy.............I'm just glad it arrived in perfect shape.

Very nice drum.

Thanks.............I'm getting used to it.

I bet that thing is LOUD.

It can be if you really pop it.
I have found that all you need is a moderately firm rim shot..............killer.

[SpazApproved]

we got a new 14x8 back in at our store and it has a much nicer throw off on it. Still basic and standard IMO but much nicer than the last Black Magic. I think I might pick it up now.

The thing that blows my mind is why would they have a different throw off on this one?
Do they just use any throw-off lying around at the factory? lol j/k

[Ricardo]

we got a new 14x8 back in at our store and it has a much nicer throw off on it. Still basic and standard IMO but much nicer than the last Black Magic. I think I might pick it up now.

The thing that blows my mind is why would they have a different throw off on this one?
Do they just use any throw-off lying around at the factory? lol j/k

The throw on my new LBM is solid............not the greatest, but not bad.
It does the job.

[kay-gee]

Can anyone tell me what a p85 is as opposed to a p-86 or any other Ludwig throw? The one one my supra is NOT like the one pictured on this thread. I've always called it p-85. It always throws on and off easily and the tensioner has fine threading for micro tuning of snares. Just a great throw in every way.

all the best...

[Ricardo]

Can anyone tell me what a p85 is as opposed to a p-86 or any other Ludwig throw?

First photo is a P85; second photo is a P86.