Gretsch Drums Blackhawk Mighty Mini Snare Review:
What To Expect from This Snare Drum
Quality
This is a popcorn snare drum in every sense of the term. You get a tight, high-pitched, and punchy sound. It sounds very quick and effective when playing rimshots too.
It sounds best when tuned high, as the small shell caters to that tuning setting. If you tune it low or medium, you get overtones that don’t sound too great.
We were surprised at how responsive it was in higher tunings. You’ll easily hear all the delicate ghost notes that you play.
Construction
This snare drum has excellent build quality for something so affordable. It’s made the same way as Gretsch’s intermediate snares, with the unique part being the bracket to mount it somewhere.
Unfortunately, you don’t get a mounting arm when buying the snare, so you’ll need to buy that separately. If you have a Gretsch drum kit, you can place the snare on one of the tom arms.
Most drummers will end up mounting this snare drum to a hi-hat stand.
Performance
The snare drum works best in jazz, hip-hop, and pop settings due to the high-pitched cracking tone. It also fits well with drum & bass music. The sound cuts through the mix, giving you an effective backbeat when you need it.
We love how the snare wires respond too, as they tighten up the tones.
Unfortunately, this snare isn’t versatile enough to be used as a main snare drum. It just doesn’t have enough range, but you’ll love using it as a secondary snare in your setup.
Price Value Ratio
The price-to-value is the best thing about the Blackhawk Mighty Mini snare drum. It’s so affordable that any drummer could pick it up without their pockets getting affected too much.
You don’t even get beginner snare drums at this price. It’s the size that makes it so expensive, but it’s great to have the option of getting a good piccolo snare drum without breaking the bank.