First off...Happy New Year to all y'all! My resolution is to do just enough selling and trading of gear this year to keep the Hoarders TV crew from knocking at my door.

With that said... I suck at keeping resolutions.

I host a poker game on New Years Day, and this year I came out a few hundred ahead. My favorite thing to do is buy something with my winnings and then subtly point it out to the guys the next time they come over..."So you like my new TV, well, remember that hand when you had aces and I won with seven five? Love the picture on this thing, it has WiFi too".

Anyway, this year it took only a few days to not only break my resolution to do more trading and less buying, but also violate my long standing boycott of big chain music stores, and modern drums in general.

Paralyzed with boredom on a post-holiday "I'm just going to the mall to return a few things" 4 1/2 hour shopping trip with my wife and two daughters, I took a spin through the local evil big chain music store (rhymes with Guitar Center) and I walked out with a new Tama snare. It was clearance priced at $199, with tax it came to within $1.50 of what I had in my pocket from the poker game, it seemed meant to be.

This past summer I refurbished a 1970ish Star clear acrylic kit that unfortunately had no matching snare. I don't have much experience with acrylic snares but I've read mixed reviews, and finding a match to the Star kit seems next to impossible, so I had just moved on from the idea. But this new Tama SPL snare caught my eye because the lugs are reminiscent of the tear drop (lawn dart) lugs on the Star kit, and it definitely caught my ear when I played it. Being 6.5 inches deep with heavy cast rims, and Tama's top of the line strainer (according to the helpful and friendly salesperson at GC), it is like carrying around a bowling ball, but upon inspection it is made with real precision, and it sounds cracking good.

So, until I stumble across a vintage Star acrylic snare this stout pup from the same bloodline will be standing in.

Have a great start to the New Year! As a Cleveland Browns fan I love this time of year, I get to pick another team to follow in the playoffs.