A spectacular specimen sporting a precious 1.5mm sterling silver shell.
by Michael Dawson
English musician-turned-builder Alan Van Kleef has earned high praise from drummers, critics, and collectors over the past few years for his continuous output of unique, top-shelf snares and kits crafted with premium metal and wood shells and proprietary hardware. We’ve checked out VK’s aluminum, titanium, steel, cast-bronze, and magnesium snares in past issues, as well as a fantastic all-aluminum kit, but nothing prepared us for the company’s latest creation: a series of precious 4.5x14 snares with solid 1.5mm 925 sterling silver shells. Only forty-seven of these bad boys are being made, with each carrying a hefty price tag of £4,999 GBP. We were lucky to get our hands on one to review, so let’s check it out.
