Tama Offers Two New Mike Portnoy "Melody
Master" Signature Snare Drums
 |
Mike Portnoy "Melody Master" Signature Snare Drum
(Click for a close-up) |
January 22, 2001Not only is Mike Portnoy one of the most influential drummers in progressive
rock through his work in Dream Theater, Liquid Tension, and TransAtlantic, his
influence can actually be documented as Mike has won Modern Drummer readers poll
awards 13 times (including the six years running for Progressive Rock, a feat
which placed him on the MD honor roll).
To honor Mike's contributions to both snare drum playing and design, Tama is
offering two very different Mike Portnoy Signature Palette snare drums. The 5
1/2" x 14" "Melody Master" features a 6.5mm Canadian maple
shell that's thicker than a Starclassic Maple snare (5mm) for a tight, deep sound.
Another unique feature is Mike's Three-Way tension adjusatable strainer that lets
drummers change snare tensions (on-middle-off) on the fly.
The second Mike Portnoy signature model is a 5 x 12" piccolo with a 1mm
steel shell finished in matte black. It also features the Three-Way strainer.
| |
MP1455 |
MP125 |
| Size |
5 1/2 x 14" |
5 x 12" |
| Shell Material |
6.5mm 8 ply Maple |
1mm Steel |
| Shell Finish |
Semi-Gloss Black |
Hammered Flat Black |
| Shell Hardware Finish |
Chrome |
Chrome |
| Lugs |
MSL-SCT |
MSL-SCT |
| Strainer |
MCS100A |
MCS100A |
| Butt Plate |
MCS50B |
MCS50B |
| Hoop/Batter |
MDH14-8 Die-Cast |
MDH12-6 Die-Cast |
| Hoop/Snare |
MDH14S-8 Die-Cast |
MDH12S-6 Die-Cast |
| Snares |
MS20SC14S |
MS20SC12S |
| Head/Batter |
REMO Coated |
REMO Coated |
| Head/Snare |
REMO |
REMO |
| Price |
$849.99 |
$449.99 |
Mike Portnoy comments from the new Tama Signature Palette Snare Catalogue:
"I came up with the basic concept for my Melody Master signature snare
drums (I named them after my daughter Melody) about four years ago. I thought
about how many drummers use several different snares in the studio. Or how they
have two snare drums on their own kit to get two different types of sounds. So
I suggested to Tama the idea of a snare strainer that locked into several different
positions as opposed to just two. In response they built me a custom drum with
a foot pedal that activated the throw-off on the drum. It functioned much like
a tympani or it could lock into three positions: off, lose, and tight. Later we
took the three-position concept and applied it to the much simpler manual throw
off that's used in the new signature snares.
"With this unique Three-Way strainer, I can get different settings with
the same drum from song to song - and I can even change settings from section
to section within the same song.
"Of my two signature models, one is a 5 x 12" piccolo-type snare
with a steel shell. It has the attack to stand out on a track, but enough low-end
to round out the bottom. The other is a 5 1/2" x 14" maple drum very
much like the foot operated one I've been using for years. This new version will
be my full-time main snare now as I'll retire the foot-operated one.
"The two different models complement one another and they complement my
kit. That's important because I think the snare is the most important factor in
a drum kit. Ultimately, it's the main timekeeper in terms of creating a backbeat." For more information, visit their web site at www.tama.com. | 
