Overview
This rare model doesn't appear in any catalogue or advert I can find but I found some information in an old issue of Modern Drummer from 1996. There's a piece about the Winter NAMM show that year, and it includes Mapex's release of this snare. It's not exactly a high-resolution scan (see below) but it does at least confirm the provenance of this model and its release date!
According to one old "for sale" listing I found, it's a seamless brass shell, and only 175 were ever made. I've included the photos from the article and I've written to the original seller to ask for details to credit them.
The main, very comprehensive, set of photos are of Carmine Appice's personal snare which Donn Bennett of Donn's Drum Vault in Bellevue, MA, USA had up for sale in 2023! As Donn himself says...
It looks like Carmine took extra special care of his namesake snare. It remains in excellent condition with just the slightest evidence of use. This is one of the snares Carmine Appice used to recording his Guitar Zeus series of albums.
Carmine autographed the batter head in black Sharpie after these photos were taken. Includes a COA signed by Carmine Appice.
Not often you get to see the personal signature snare of the endorsee themselves! Also, note the tag line "The World Beat" underneath the Mapex logo which doesn't seem to appear on any other drum I've seen.
Photos courtesy of Donn Bennett from Donn's Drum Vault. Thanks a million Donn!
