Gear Review: Job For A Cowboy Drummer Jon “The Charn” Rice on His Yamaha Mike Bordin Signature Snare Drum [w/ Audio]

Job For A Cowboy have been dominating the deathmetal/core scene for the past few years, during which they’ve been on some of the biggest tours imaginable, playing in support of their album Ruination (which reached number 42 on The Billboard 200 chart). Also, they just recorded their newest EP Gloom on which drummer Jon “The Charn” Rice had to ensure he had the perfect gear to get that “right” sound. Read on to find out why the Yamaha Mike Bordin Signature Snare Drum is Jon’s go-to piece of gear.

What one piece of equipment do you use to obtain your signature sound?
The Charn: Right now I use the Mike Bordin signature sound snare drum from Yamaha. It’s just a crazy drum. The bottom half is hammered and the top half is laid. It’s a metal snare drum but it has all the characteristics of a wooden snare drum as well, so it’s extremely loud, but it also has a very warm fat prep and it’s still sensitive too. It actually combines the characteristics of a metal snare and wood snare without being a wood snare drum.

What about it makes it so important to you?
The Charn: It’s built well; on the road it never falls apart. The sound of it is perfect for what we do and the fact that it’s loud draws me to it even more.

What are the major pros and cons?
The Charn: Pros, it’s a metal snare that has fat prep to it and warmth; it’s very sensitive. It’s built well. The heads I have on it work great and it’s very easy to tune. Cons, is it’s extremely heavy.

How long have you used this piece of equipment and would you ever change it?
The Charn: I’m always open to changes when it comes to equipment. If something better comes along and works perfectly then I’m always down to give it a shot. With this one so far I haven’t had a problem. I’ve had it for a year and a half now. Since I’ve signed with Yamaha I got the snare drum with my entire kit so it’s been about a year and a half.

Any final thoughts or comments on the gear?
The Charn: I play whatever you want to play and whatever you feel will work best with you and what you’re most comfortable with using. Yamaha for me has been a phenomenal drum company and they sound fucking incredible.

Check out the song “Misery Reformatory”.