So I've tuned this thing up and I'm quite pleased with the sound. It is not as harsh as a typical steel snare, but it is also eight lugs too (historically the steel shell snares I have had have been 10 lugs and thinner shells, Ah La, Pearl stencil).
I don't have it cranked up, but rather pretty loose for my taste- I wanted more of a vintage, buzzy snare sound (like I can get from the Luxor) and this seems to deliver. I'm sure I could crank it up if I wanted that sound too. The 16 strand Puresound wires seem like a good match for this drum, as the snare sensitivity is good to the edges of the drum (at this tuning anyway), which surprised me... Pleasantly.
I also noticed the snare beds are quite generous on this drum. As I was tensioning the bottom head it took a while to get the wrinkles out of the snare bed areas- I think they span clear past a lug spacing and seem to be about 1/4 inch deep (but I did not measure them). They are quite gradual because looking at the bare shell you can hardly tell there are snare beds in it.
Anyway, this is a decent drum for sure. No world beater or anything but not a crummy one either. I think it fits the kit well, but I still watch for the wood shell to come along to match...:)
I also noticed the later (pink badge, Japan made) early 80's version snare is the same shell. If someone needed a decent, low cost snare, I recommend it. They sell as low as $50.00 sometimes.
