This is what I've worked so hard to develop as my trademark stick. A solid powerful, loud-ass didj that's like an instant rockstar kit. This thing has higher backpressure and a tapered bore making it easy to play and entices you to play fast and tricky. The bell is probably over the top and why not? I love that extra volume and bass a big bell gives. It does the overblown note thang really well and the trumpets are easy and solid. The epoxied bore gives clarity and amplification to vocals yet the dynamics of the stick create enough dirtiness to the sound that it sounds even MORE authentic than authentic. If I had to make one style of stick over and over this is what I'd stick with. The appearance is right on too. A big ol' knot really stands out near the bell with lots of spalted accents. I dig it!