Flint Percussion Reggae Snare Drum review

We first saw the work of upcoming Brit company Flint Percussion back in summer 2012 in the form of a jointly produced snare with fellow UK flag bearers Echo Custom Drums. This time we have a drum that is all Flint.

Build

This 14"x51⁄2" snare is crafted from a single piece of aluminum and features a stunning powder-coated finish. Powder coating can be something of a Marmite subject for drummers and we must admit to being apprehensive, but Flint has made a fantastic job here. A bodge job can look cheap and nasty, but this oozes class.

Taking the top head off the drum shows not just the smoothly rounded 45° bearing edge and thin aluminum shell, but also one of the drum's main calling cards - its suspended shell.

Flint has screwed the lugs directly into the bottom hoop, forming a cage into which the head is positioned. This means that as the snare throw and butt-plate are also directly attached to the bottom hoop, it is just the heads that are in contact with the shell.

Hands On

We quickly discover that this is a versatile beast. Flint claims that the drum is perfect for reggae and ska and while it certainly has the required ping for those two genres, it has so much more to offer. A one- trick pony this most definitely is not.

A quarter-turn of each of the drum's 12 die-cast aluminum lugs and you're greeted with a wet, fat tone perfectly at home in a rock or pop setting. Crank it back up a little higher and suddenly you've got a cracking funk sound.

We have no problems at all in getting this array of sounds with the drum's supplied Remo Reverse Dot head. Sticking with our desired rock tuning we're impressed by the drum's excellent bounce and sharp response. Buzz rolls are achieved with beautifully articulated clarity.

So far, so good, and things only get better when we check the price tag. To pay £289 for a quality all-rounder is something of a bargain. To sweeten the deal, Flint is throwing in a snare bag for free with the first 50 orders of this snare.