Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain joined Premier's artist roster in 1993 and to honor this anniversary, the company introduced two limited edition snare drums at the 2013 NAMM Show. Both models are handcrafted in Premier's manufacturing facility in Lancashire, England. Limited to a production run of 100 snare drums only, each one is personally hand-signed by Nicko.
To Nicko's great surprise, Premier also presented the drummer a special anniversary one-off snare drum.
Nicko's Sicko The first special edition snare drum is Nicko's Sicko 14" x 5.5" snare, designed to meet Nicko's demanding performances. Nicko's Sicko is produced with a 100% sycamore, 10mm thick, 16-ply shell. The characteristic warmth of the sycamore with the added attack from the 10mm thick shell gives this snare drum a warm yet powerful punch with plenty of sensitivity.
Finished with a 'silver shimmer' outer ply of sycamore with a hand rubbed oil finish, this snare also includes 2.3mm chrome plated triple-flange steel hoops, a 0610 quick release heavy-duty snare strainer and chrome plated British Collection solid brass tube lugs.
Aces High The second limited edition Nicko McBrain snare drum is the Aces High model, inspired by the Iron Maiden song of the same name that recalls the skill and bravery of fighter pilots during World War II.
The 'Aces High' consists of a 14" x 5.5" shell which is 10mm thick and constructed from 17 plies of sycamore. The outer ply features a stunning handmade-inlay from dyed sycamore and cherry to recreate the camouflage of a Supermarine Spitfire. This intricate marquetry also incorporates a Royal Air Force target, a red, white and blue tail fin ensign and carries the LZ symbol of the Royal Air Force Squadron 66 who flew Mk6 Supermarine Spitfires. The inner ply is finished in a sky blue sycamore to represent the underside of the Spitfire.
The snare drum is fitted with Premier's Spitfire chrome plated solid brass tube lugs, themed on the front nose of the Spitfire to complement the shells unique markings.
Both snare drum models also feature two touches inspired by Nicko: a Remo Emperor X coated batter head and 42 strand snare wire.
A Matter of Life and Death one-off anniversary snare drum To recognise his commitment and hard work across the two decades, Premier presented Nicko McBrain with a special, one-off anniversary snare drum. Handcrafted in England, the anniversary present was constructed from 100% British indigenous woods and made of a 7mm thick shell that consists of 6 outer plies of English brown oak with a single ply of sycamore and 2 plies of yew. The inner ply of the snare drum is walnut.
The outer ply carries a stunning piece of marquetry in the form of the Iron Maiden 'A Matter of Life and Death' logo which is created completely out of wood then set seamlessly within the outer veneer. This image is created from walnut burr with sycamore detail and positioned in an outer panel of English yew. The inner ply features Nicko's name set in yew with a sycamore outline.
The outer hardware features Premier's new 'weathered' chrome which is also hand finished in the UK.
Taking over 100 hours to create, this snare drum will never be repeated and represents the highest level of skill and craftsmanship that Premier have put into any one instrument. But according to Premier, this snare drum will culminate into new product lines in the future.
