Russ Miller demos and talks about his Versatus Artist Series Snare Drum at NAMM 2015.
The Versatus snare in the Mapex Black Panter series was introduced at NAMM 2015 together with the Chris Adler 'Warbird' and the Matt Halpern 'Wraith' snares.
The 'The Mahogany Sandwich,' as Russ Miller calls it, has a shell built as a Maple/Mahogany/Maple combination. Developing the feel of the drum was the hardest part of the process. To get that feel, the the combination of wood density, diameter and thickness was important, and Russ and Mapex eventually found the perfect sound and feel in the 4 5/8" depth. And that is not really a common size.
"The gets everything done snare drum," states Russ, has a dry, focussed sound and has a 4-ply Maple Reinforcement Ring on the batter side only. It comes with Puresound snares because Russ feels these are the best snares on the market. Watch the video to get all the details on the snare from Russ Miller himself.
Versatus' main features:
- 14" x 4 5/8"
- Mahogany / Maple Hybrid Shell
- Top Side - Batter Rounded & Reinforced 45°, Snare Side - Rounded 35°
- Sound: Versatile, Articulate, Controlled
- Transparent Cherry Over Burl Finish
- Black Brushed Chrome Hardware
- Puresound 16-Strand Custom Series Snare Wire
- Mapex Sonic Saver hoops
- Russ' personal choice of snare wires and drum head fitted as standard
- a personally signed picture booklet is included with the snare