LP 3012-SM Stanton Moore

It's a top Pandeiro. Very durable wood, hardware, everything. Build for the tough for life on the road.
But I really wished for some standard drum lugs instead of a different size bolt that need a special tuning key.
It's a already a hassle traveling between rehearsals and gig and always have the right stuff in the bag, that's why I ordered another of those tuning keys.
It’s a good thing this drum keeps it’s tuning (very) well during multiple gigs.

Another critical point: It's also advertised by Stanton Moore using it as a kick with an LP Gajate holder.
Well it can be done, but you'll need to fasten the Pandeiro to the Gajate-rod (and to any other rod) using a grip tool, and tighten it with good force. And repeat the process it in between songs, just to be sure.
Lost a star because of this.
It will fit on the standard Tama tom rods too.

But no way a handfastened Pandeiro will be securely fitted when you're going to use it as a mini bass drum.
A snare basket with a good clamp would be a better solution, and I already ordered one to make it happen.

If you really want a bass drum-ish sound out of this, you're going to have to mike it as soon as the room is bigger than a living room.
Which in real life means: always.
Only then, this thing develops itself into a little punchy monster.
You can hear it’s low capabilities hitting it with a stick, but with a kick drum it just doesn’t punch as much without miking.
You’ll need to find the balance between miking it and a suitable soft beater (not too soft) to really make it work as a mini-kick.
Not as easy as shown in the demo-clips!

That being said, when not used as a mini-kick, this is excellent for usage on the drum set as a mid-tom, or even (as an extra) low tom.
I placed it as a mid tom on my 4-piece jazz kit with an extra tom holder, and since the color of this Pandeiro is almost the color of my main drum kit, it looks really good and integrated.

I found it really shines when played with hot rods. The hard attack becomes less obvious in comparison with sticks, which makes the deep "thud" sound really come out.
The added custom Remo skin with added LP logo and a Stanton Moore signature adds is a good combination, but I didn't expect anything less from LP, who also hand pick the skins for their other high performance percussion drums.
This Pandeiro certainly isn't a one trick pony.

However: being a big 12” size, thick wood drum with a steel rod clamp, makes this quite a heavy contender for traditional hand play.
But this pandeiro wasn’t designed for that, nor did I buy it for that.

It’s build to integrate with a drum set or usage in any way with sticks, and it does that very well, with confidence.
Includes a soft bag as well.

This is very well built, very sturdy and reliable. It also comes with an LP bag for traveling to gigs, something that more products should include.

First thing to know, is that this is not a true acoustic instrument, it is supposed to be miced. It has a great low end, but it will only be realised when put through a bass amp or PA.

It comes shipped with a coated emperor, so you don't need to shell out on a new head right away. It is reasonably priced, and sounds great.

The only issue, is that it is not drum key tunable, so if you lose the tuning key provided, you are screwed, and it is also not a very universal key.

Can be used as a bass drum substitute.