Here's what players are saying:

Played the 13” for the whole gig at the Phoenix last night and felt like I found the sweet spot, tuning wise and boy, was it fun to play that new beauty! Kept the toms pitched higher and the kick but allowed the Bubinga to lurk in the middle range,,,actually makes me play differently. The other night (before bed), I just peeked into the drum room to see it nestled in the kit ... it’s a stunner, looks and sound! Just sayin’.
-- B.B., Brevard, NC

Drums arrived safe and sound. WOW. The look and sound are top notch. Exactly what I had envisioned for many years. Thank you for the hard work, and I look forward to sharing the sound "on tape" with you soon! I "presented" them to the Nashville Drummer's Facebook group yesterday and they were definitely a show-stopper. Hope it brings some business your way!
-- C.S., Nashville, TN

The drum is amazing. I did a concert today and it was not only beautiful but sounded truly amazing. Thank you so much, tomorrow I'm doing my first drum clinic of the year and Sunday I have a show which at both I'm looking forward in playing my new Carolina Drumworks snare. Keep up the great drum work!
-- M.B., Guilford, CT

Wow. What a drum. I can't believe how loud the rimshots are on this thing while remaining so sensitive! Really nice work, Jeff. Thanks again, I'm proud to own it.
-- J.F., Altamont, NY

Finally got to unpack it yesterday, wow, what a stunning drum! Thank you so much. Such a great sound, very different from my other snares, just what I wanted. It is definitely the most in your face drum I've ever heard, probably because of the rosewood (and the stave construction). This one is gonna stay in the studio only. I like the strainer too, easy to get it right. Also really like the snare bed. I'm gonna get a lot of use out of this drum. Thanks so much, again, Jeff.
-- C.H., Hilo, Hi

Fantastic !!! What an amazing set of drums. They are clearly beyond words, we will have to make some music ! Thank you so much for all the hard work, and the exceptional packing job.
-- D.E., Mountain View, CA

Jeff, the drum is everything I had hoped for. Seriously, I really dig everything about it ... The drum has it all, sounds really great low or high, and the overtones! Pure maple and I’m LOVING them!

I noticed that I don’t have to keep the snare wires nearly as tight on this drum for my tone. I never had a snare drum behave like that before. I wonder if it’s because the snare beds are deep. ... Anyway on a scale of 1 to 10 for the initial testing of the drum, I give it a 10+. It’s got everything I was hoping for. I am really, really, really pleased with the sound….and the way it plays. Exceptional work man.

Really great job Jeff. Fit and finish is unsurpassed. I really want to play with it more but I have to go to work. I had a huge smile on my face while playing it. The sharper edges made a WORLD of difference to me. I hoped it would, and I am relieved that it’s everything I hoped for ... you have one REALLY happy customer here. ... Gotta run, thank you thank you thank you Jeff!
-- L.H., Langhorne, PA

Well, the snare's been performing just masterfully! It was on more than half the songs that were tracked this weekend and the drummer was blown away by it; you may see an order from him in the not-too-distant future. There were a couple of songs where I dropped the tuning as low as it would go, threw some gaffer's tape on the head and just killed all the tone, but it got FAT! The rest of the time it was in a comfortably mid- to high tuning and just cracked through the songs.

So, thanks again for the beautiful instrument!!
-- D.G., Seattle, WA

I'm actually on a break at a gig right now playing it and oh my god Jeff...this is the drum!! I put a modern vintage on there and it is so warm and full and the responsiveness is great. Figured out the Trick throw after a little fiddling around.

I can't thank you enough really!!! Christmas came early this year.
-- J.K., Charlottesville, VA

These drums are out of control. I brought the bubinga to a rock band rehearsal this week. I'm still not a big fan of bubinga, but I feel like I get it now after using it in that situation. I wasn't hearing much of the bottom when playing the drum alone, but the lows really came to life when blending with other musicians. The mahogany drum is just outstanding. It's like the absolute ideal version of a 70s Ludwig Standard snare I have. I started falling in love with the Cherry a little bit the other night. It's got that super-rich, woody sweetness - especially around the edge - that just sounds exactly like a snare drum should to me. Gorgeous. Honestly, I started getting a little nervous that maybe that I was going to miss that in the birdseye. BUT, last night, I pulled the reso on the birdseye up a little tighter than I normally do and bang. There it was. It was exactly the sound I had in my head when I first contacted you. This is an outstanding instrument.
-- A.J.D., Asheville, NC

Yes sir, it arrived and it sounds GREAT!!! Thanks for everything Jeff. Imma send you a video of me playing it in the studio if you want to put it on the Carolina Drumworks YouTube page. I know you have a few demo vids up, and I'd love to contribute. Thanks again!
-- T.J.F., Vauxhall, NJ

I've been spreading the word and showing my drum to people everywhere I play, hopefully you're hearing from some of them. I get lots of compliments.
-- J.S., Brevard, NC

Sorry for taking so long, but I had to be sure. I switched to the canary snare when it arrived, and it's still my main snare.

It was worth the wait, and just what I was looking for: dry, crisp, sensitive, with great tone and lots of character. The wood hoops sound sweet too. Thanks again! Hopefully, the Canadian dollar with improve and I'll be able to order another one (maybe a birdseye).
-- B.F., Toronto, Ontario

I wanted to let you know that I received the drum and it is everything I wanted and more. The trick strainer gives me a great amount of versatility, and the snare response on the drum is terrific. I love it more and more every time I play it, and want to thank you for the superior craftsmanship it took to make an instrument of this quality. To give you a heads up I have passed on your name to my professor, who was impressed by your work, and was interested in talking to you about a drum. I wish you the best, and I can't wait until the next drum!
-- Q. M., Athens, GA

The beech absolutely kills!! And the sensitivity I'm getting with it is exactly what I asked for!! How do you do it?

I can't wait to take this out on a gig, unfortunately not for another few weeks....I am very excited to play it and I love the tone.
-- M.M., Innisfail, Alberta

HUGE thanks to Jeff Hankin from Carolina Drumworks for building me this custom 13x7 maple/walnut snare. I am overwhelmed with sound, beauty and craftsmanship. ... This babe sounds like a shotgun!
-- J.Z., Gastonia, NC

I got the snare and it's just amazing!!! I love it! I can't wait to use it at practice next week. Thank you so so much for helping me out along the way. You didn't have to do that, but I'm grateful. Everything is looking up for me now, so I hope to do business with you again! And you best believe I will tell all my drumming buddies and show it off on tour as well! Thank you again Jeff!
-- B.S., Baton Rouge, LA

I purchased [an] ash stave from y'all not too long ago, and have been so thrilled with it that I'm thinking about adding another.
-- N.S., Chapel Hill, NC

Jeff, just wanted you to know I received your snare today. All I can say is WOW. Outstanding job. This drum not only looks incredible but sounds exactly as I hoped it would. I will have some photos for you soon. Beautiful work Jeff. Beautiful work. Thank you. Any snare I get from this point forward will be a Carolina Drumworks. You've built two beautifully amazing drums for me.
-- M.C., McAllen, TX

I know a good drum sound when I hear one. When I heard one of your Walnut snares I was just blown away. Without a doubt, the best sounding snare I have ever heard.
-- D.S., Leesburg, VA

I have a few and they are awesome! I also record quite a bit and I use MANY snares at sessions and I "a-b" snares a lot at sessions.....all of the Carolina snares that I have sound excellent!
-- A.H., Takoma Park, MD

An update on my Carolina Drumworks snare.....I have 40 snares ranging from Joyful Noise, Canopus Zelkova, Craviotto, Brady and Dunnett etc etc. Why do I have 40 snares, well now that I have my Carolina Drumworks, I really don't know. I have actually thought about selling off some of my collection because of how much I love my CDW snare, but I know I'll lose a lot of money and would rather just keep them for that reason.

I can't say enough about my CDW! It just has the sound I was searching for and more so, it's been consistent from room to room with barely any adjustments. It's so easy to tune and sounds great all the time!

Out of all the drum gear I have, 8 complete kits including a Craviotto, this snare is my favorite part of my entire collection!

Not to mention the exceptional customer service Jeff provides!!!
-- M.M., Caroline, Alberta

It really is an incredible work of art and Jeff is a true master with these snares. Jeff listened to everything I wanted in a snare, and then went about putting together the shell, edges, and parts that would give me what I was looking for. Fortunately for me, he delivered everything I wanted in a snare and more. I really didn't know what to expect when we were going through the building process, since I've never had a stave shell before and never had anyone try to build a drum to the sound I wanted.

I will be honest and tell you all that I never expected the snare to live up to the requirements I wanted from it, and I really did not think Jeff would be able to meet all of my high expectations. All I can say is that I was blown away by this snare. It met and exceeded all of my expectations and I was thoroughly floored by how great of a drum this is. The crack this drum generates is ear splitting (and I asked for that), and the body it maintains while delivering that crack is more than I could have expected. To me, this is the perfect snare drum and the sound I have been searching for, for many years. When you get past the sound and the huge smile that puts on my face, the fit and finish of this drum is second to none. It truly is a work of art.

Jeff: Amazing drum! I can't thank you enough for the drum you made, and the time and focus you put into listening to what I wanted in a snare, and then you delivered everything and more that I asked for. The drum's first live show went great and the snare did not require a mic.....And it still cut through the mix and was heard loud and clear in the back of the hall. My wife testified to this. I loved every 2 and 4 on this thing and can't wait to do it again this weekend. Thank you!
-- D.D., Covington, LA

Jeff, you really have put together a work of art. The drum sounds great (I did have to retune the snare) and looks fantastic. I can't thank you enough. Even after the birdseye maple, I can't wait to see what other woods you can get your hands on, you can never have to many snares.
-- J.T., Baton Rouge, LA

Holy crap!!! The snare that I just got in the mail is absolutely amazing. It looks better and better each day I look at it. I even go home for lunch now because I can't stop playing it!! My neighbors hate me.

This snare could NOT sound any more perfect. It has exceeded my expectations ten fold and I couldn't be happier. Not only it is sexy looking, but it has a PERFECT contrast to the Ultracast, just like you said. I know better than to be skeptical now when working with you. Thank you soooooo much!!!!!
-- J.B., La Crosse, WI

I received the drum--it arrived safe and sound. It sounds as good as it looks. I have been playing it for a few hours and I really like it a lot. Wow...every time I look at this thing it just makes me smile. I may change the head to a Remo vintage and see how that sounds...then experiment a bit with Evans heads, etc. Anyway, beautiful work on the drum. I am very happy.
-- M.G., Ann Arbor, MI

I checked out the drums at Forks and they are very impressive. Strong, thick shells with very nice finishes, cool lug system and nice tone. Seem like very professional, well built drums!
-- J.S., Nashville, TN

Fantastic job on the clear coat, Jeff. Really gorgeous work. Kudos on quite possibly the best clear I've seen, and I've seen my share. She's clear as glass. Thanks again. You made a customer out of me!
-- M.H., Crozet, VA

Hey Jeff, I'm so happy with the snare!!! I woke up this am around 6:00 and just went and looked at [it]. I loosened the drumhead on the snare just a tad and took some tension off the strainer and get the fattest rim shots, man it's great. Fantastic response too. If you ever need a testimonial let me know.
-- B.H., Winchester, VA

Your snare drums are of the finest quality, sound definition that I have ever heard!
-- K.J., Fairfax, VA

Wow Jeff, what a beautiful drum! I played with it for hours last night, it has a beautiful sound and it's a dream to play, and I really love the throw off too. I got to gig with the drum all weekend in different settings from light brush work to blasting hard bop and it played wonderfully for everything, gets a nice big brush sound which I love. I can't thank you enough, it's perfect for what I do, I know I'll be using this drum for a long time.
-- J.K., Ann Arbor, MI

Man!!! You really out did yourself! This is a BEAUTIFUL piece! The pictures you sent earlier, as nice as they are really doesn't give this drum the justice it deserves! This drum is TOTALLY off the chain!

There is one thing I disagree with you on, You said it sounds "good". That's not entirely true. It sounds FANTASTIC! And the thing is, I've only played it with my fingers! I have yet to touch it with a drumstick! Crisp, open and sensitive, EXACTLY what I look for out of a snare drum. I have 17 of them now and this one is my flagship for sure!!! Wicked!!!

Oh, and just in case you're wondering what the bummer part is. It's so beautiful, I don't want to hit it! That's the honest truth! It's back in the case. Of course I'll play it eventually, but it's a special occasion drum for sure. I'd hock my house to get a kit from you, I'll tell you that right now!

You're a TRUE craftsman, Jeff. I am pleased a thousand times over. It's an honor and privilege receiving this finely crafted piece from you! Thanks again, man!!!
-- D.T., San Jose, CA

Can't wait for you to start making my snare drum,,,,, I fell in love with your work.
-- S.R., Laredo, TX

Hey Jeff, thank you for the snare drum. It is beautiful and a great sound !!! I love it.
-- A.S., Queens, NY

Just want to let you know I received the snare drum! I absolutely love it! Thank you for your beautiful work on it.
-- J.M., Edinburg, TX

I've been playing 48 years, this year, and I like to think I know nice when I see it, and those babies are NICE !
-- R.H., East Tawas, MI

Thannnnk youuuu, Jeff & Carolina Drumworks! 6.5x12 inches of custom made Drum Magic!!
-- J.M.G., Nashville, TN

Hey, just played on one of your snare drums today. I really need one.
-- V.A., Washington, DC

In the years I've been touring, different countries/cities, recording in different studios, there's always a little trick every drummer has, it could be a cymbal, or a stick, or this case a snare. If these snares sound as good as they look, any drummer would be hired in a second! I'm imagining the phat backbeats I could lay into one of those! You've definitely sold me on the solid bubinga!
-- B.R., Toronto, Ontario

Awesome snares!! They are beyond beautiful they are a masterpiece!!!
-- A.O., Watertown, SD