I come across drum kits, shells, and accessories that I want to buy, all the time. However, I’ve never come across anything percussion related that would entice me to climb a mountain of volcanic ash to fight an epic battle with a mystical, 10-headed beast that has an appetite for arm flesh… Until now. This drum shell from M4 Drums is every bit custom, every bit beautiful and brought together in a hand-made 6×14 snare shell that will have you hitting that skin with your happiest 6/8 rhythm.

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M4 Cherry Segment Snare

M4 Drums is a custom drum manufacturer from Gilbert, AZ. They have full kits and hardware, all of which can be customized to your liking, but their specialty is the snare stave shells they create. Stave shells are constructed using blocks of wood, typically from the same tree, as opposed to plys of wood. Many think the reduced use of glue and single tonewood thickness give stave shells a more resonate sound. Whether that is the case or not, it certainly provides for many more design possibilities. I asked Matt Miller of M4 Drums about the shell and how it came about.

Mark, who is M4’s amazing wood worker, dreamt up this design. It consists of 384 individual pieces that where all hand glued together, and then hand-carved on the lathe to make it into the shell. It took almost 20 hrs to complete.

Only 20 hours. Wow. Here are the specs:

  • 6″x14″ Cherry segment with Walnut inlays
  • Maple wood hoops stained with Dark Walnut (to match the inlays)
  • Chrome hardware, Tube Lugs, M4 Standard throw off.

You can buy this one-of-a-kind snare at the M4 store for $450.00 (no battling magical beast required) and see more of their fine work at M4drums.com.

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Images: M4 drums / Storyboard photography
Hat tip: Evans drumheads

Author

Josh is founder and editor at SolidSmack.com, founder at Aimsift Inc., and co-founder of EvD Media. He is involved in engineering, design, visualization, the technology making it happen, and the content developed around it. He is a SolidWorks Certified Professional and excels at falling awkwardly.