The Ludwig Drums Vistalite Snare is a vintage snare drum (depending on when yours is from of course) that is part of the full Vistalite kit. The particular kit that I've used this snare with is from the 1970's. It's not the thickest snare in the world, but it's also not the thinnest as it's right there in the middle in terms of depth. Like all Ludwig drums, it's built extremely well and it's built to last. The one I've used is over 30 years old and is still in great shape - both looking and sounding. Which leads me to the sound of this instrument, which is in a word, great! It's got the perfect amount of crack to it, as it's the kind of snare that cuts through a mix extremely well. It's definitely on the brighter side of snare drums, but in general that's how I like my snares anyway. I was an engineer on a series of live recording sessions and we used this drum on almost all of them so I really got to know the sound well. It's definitely best suited for rock and pop that is up beat, but it will certainly work across the board if you need it to. I'm not sure if they are still making this drum, but if they are I would imagine that it's changed a bit in the more than 30 years since the original was made. While it's a great drum for recording, it's not the be all end all and you can't get every desired sound from it, but that's going to be the case with most snare drums. The Ludwig Vistalite kit as a whole is a great kit, but it's not the tightest and definitely has a vintage vibe to it. All in all, the Ludwigs Vistalite Snare is an awesome snare drum with a lot of pop that's great to have around the studio...