Latin Percussion LP848-SN 8-Inch Micro Snare Drum

I bought these as a pair. The 6" came with a quality snare throw-off, but the 8" came with the one in the photo, which, frankly, is rubbish. The snare itself is basically a full size snare literally cut in half, which leaves a rough edge on the end in contact with the head. This is what causes the wear of the head described in many other reviews. However... I bought these as mini timbales for bossa tunes, so I have removed the whole snare and throw-off from the 8" altogether. I've kept the snare and mechanism on the 6" because it is much higher quality and just in case I want to use it some time. As mini timbales, they work great. I replaced the stock LP heads with clear Remo Ambassadors. I usually use Evans heads, but couldn't get any to fit in short time, so went with Remo for the time being.Not sure about the quality of the threads on the tension screws/blocks yet... not very smooth, so makes it difficult to tune preciseley, which is a difficult job on very small drums anyway, but I seem to have got the right tension/tuning/resonance with a some careful work.The shells themselves are nicely made and finished so, overall, I would say worth the money. Afterall, they are what they are, and for latin genre music make a nice addition to the accoustic soundscape without reverting to sampling pads like the Roland or Yamaha, which, although I have both, I don't really like using.Would have given 5 stars if it hadn't been for the cheap and tricky snare throw-off on the 8", and the fact I had to remove it altogether. A shame really. Otherwise I think LP generally produce good quality kit.

This is a lovely little drum. Solidly built and very versatile with a good tuning range. It's small enough to fit almost anywhere around a kit or percussion set. I'm going to sneak mine in right next to my main snare and mix things up between the two.The snare mechanism is really simple and quick: 'off' and it's high, cutting mini timbale; 'on' and you suddenly have a really focussed, crisp, tight snare sound that instantly opens up a whole load of new possibilities. Really love this little beast.

Its fun to play, but my God does this sound cheap. The snare which goes underneath the drum breaks very easily.

Snare wires fall off after limited use. Only then useful as an expensive mini timbale