$442.65
The size that defines the sound
Ask most people to picture a snare drum and they picture a 14×5. It's the size that recorded the bulk of American popular music, and it's the reference every other snare gets measured against.
The FSDC Maple 14 is that drum, built by hand, without the shortcuts you'd expect at this price.
All maple, and what that means
This is a six-ply maple shell — no mahogany core, no hybrid layup. That's a real tonal choice, not a downgrade, and it's worth understanding before you buy.
Maple is bright, present, and it rings. Long sustain, strong projection, and a clear top end. Without a mahogany core to pull the decay in, the FSDC Maple 14 is a livelier, more open drum than anything in the MobTown Series.
Where that helps: cutting through a loud stage. Rooms that eat high frequencies. Players who like a ring and hate a dead drum. Anyone who reaches for the snare because they want to be heard.
Where you'll notice it: close-miked in a dry studio, all-maple can be more drum than the track needs. That's what a strip of tape or a moongel is for, and every engineer alive has one in the drawer. If you'd rather the shell solved that problem for you, the MobTown Series is the answer, and it costs more because of it.
At five inches deep — the shallowest drum in our range — the response is fast and the attack is immediate.
Hardware
- Eight double-sided die-cast lugs, chrome. Mass at the mounting point tightens the drum's focus and keeps the shell true under tension.
- 2.3mm triple-flanged hoops, batter and snare side, 8-hole. Open, ringing rimshots and enough flex to be kind to your sticks.
- Chrome-plated throw-off and butt plate.
- 14" 20-strand snare wire. Twenty strands is the classic count — drier and more focused than a 25-strand, with less sizzle underneath the note. On a bright maple shell that's a sensible pairing; too much wire on too much shell gets busy.
Heads
- Batter: Aquarian Studio-X with Power Dot. A single ply of 10mil coated film with both a lightweight muffle ring and a Power Dot on the underside. It was designed for recording — the ring kills the high-pitch ringing while leaving the body intact, and the dot adds attack and durability. On an all-maple shell it's a deliberate pairing: the head does the taming so the shell can stay lively.
- Resonant: Aquarian Classic Clear snare side. A thin 3mil clear head, sensitive and responsive, that lets the drum breathe.
Who it's for
The working drummer. The player who needs a real, handmade, American snare drum but isn't in a position to spend eight hundred dollars on one. The second kit. The rehearsal room. The drum that lives in the van and gets loaded in at two in the morning.
It's also the honest entry to what we build. If you like this one, you already know what a MobTown shell is going to do for you.
Built to order
Clear satin lacquer is standard. Dye, solid color, fade and custom graphics available, and every part on it is substitutable.
