The Holy Grail of snare drums.

What if each drum in your drum set was engineered as an instrument unto itself? Each tom designed to respond perfectly within the confines of its respective frequency without compromise over any other area of your kit. This is the mission behind Reference Series drums. A complete set of individually engineered, incredible sounding drums.

In 1999, Pearl began its most ambitious undertaking, The Masterworks Series, the world's first truly custom drums. Designed for the player by the player. Every aspect of the manufacturing process was custom made, from the number of wood plies, to the wood selection, to the final finish. Over the last five years, through arduous listening tests, Masterworks taught Pearl drum makers a great deal about drums and what makes the perfect shell. So forget what you think you know about drums and take a close look at Reference Series, the most acoustically advanced drums in the world. To fully understand the Reference Series you must understand that the desired tonal characteristics of a 10" tom are completely different than that of a 22" bass drum. Thus to use the same material in both drums would result in a compromise.

Reference Series drums use a combination of task-specific bearing edges and three time-proven woods: birch, maple, and African mahogany. Using maple as a sole material has long been the traditional choice for shells and for good reason. Maple provides smooth, well-balanced tone that is perfect for a 12" tom.

Subsequently, all Reference Series 12" toms are composed of six plies of maple; this is the only single wood shell in the series. Pearl's 10" and 8" toms receive four plies of maple with two inner plies of birch for cut and attack. And for maximum response, all 13" diameter and smaller toms have a rounded 45° bearing edge, and a more focused area for head-to-shell contact to boost mid- to higher-range frequencies.

Each snare drum shell is composed of a blend of woods totaling an incredible 20 plies. This extra thick shell ensures that no energy is lost through shell vibration and all energy is focused on moving sound waves. The shell's bearing edge is 45° to promote a focused contact area with the head for response and crack. Six inner plies of birch provide cut and attack while the outer 14 plies of maple provide warmth and solid midrange punch.

Reference Series snare drums are available in three different shell sizes: 14"x 5", 14"x 6-1/2" and 13" x 6-1/2" to suit individual preferences and tastes. The heart and soul of your kit is your snare drum and Pearl's Reference Series snare drums shine through loud and clear. Simply amazing volume. The snare tension knob features a locking mechanism to maintain snare tension at all times. Simply depress the button and turn the knob simultaneously. The strainer lever features a Positive Lock system that, while in the "on" position, removes the possibility of accidentally turning the snares off without depressing a button on the lever.

With Reference Series, it's not about compromise; it's about every drum in your kit performing at its optimal capacity.

Pearl REFERENCE SNARE DRUM Features:

• 6 inner plies birch
• 14 outer plies maple
• 45° bearing edge

The volume and response will amaze you. Order today!