Who doesn't want to get a cracking open funk tone on one song and a hefty ballad 'BOOSH' on the next without having bringing two snares to the gig or having to retune and apply a ton of tape?
This product is the perfect thing if you want to be able to get two distinct sounds out of one snare and being able to swap between them in the blink of an eye.
The most common critisism of that I see regarding the BFSD products is that they are expensive. But I feel they're well worth the price. The old trick of using an upended drumhead on top of the snare achives much the same effect, but since most drumheads are much lighter than the BFSD, the effect is not as profound. Plus you need to cut the collar off the head so it won't get in the way.
An untensioned head lying on top of the snare is also bound to dent and warp over time, as will most other sheets of material that you might use in its stead. Not so with the BFSD, it's super tough and mine (this 13" and a 14" with the jingles) barely show any sign of use.
Keep in mind that you need to experiment to find the tunings where it sounds best and strike the best balance between the open snare tone and the dampened one, if you want to use it for gigs and switch between songs!
