Overview
These 8mm Maple, chrome die-cast hoop snares only seem to be listed in the 1997 Black Panther Catalogue, at a time where Mapex seemed to be making a drum out of every material going and in every size imaginable - there's over 40 snares listed!
Like all early Black Panthers they are badged with their shell type rather than having the later Black Panther branding - in this case "Maple Deluxe".
Really rare to find any photos of this model these days, and until January 2023 I only had a really low-res crop from an early catalogue on the site. Then I was contacted by Tim Scharn from Holland who had picked up this pristine example of one what turns out to be one of the first batch of Black Panthers (My 1997) a couple of weeks earlier in a Dutch drum shop. He had read that I was looking for photos of one and kindly sent me this really comprehensive set. Fantastic - cheers Tim - one more win for the Internet!
PS I won't tell you what he paid for it, as it'll make your teeth grind until they break in jealousy!
Photos courtesy of Tim Scharn. Hartstikke bedankt Tim!
