I plan to purchase a Yamaha SFZ soon, however, can someone fill me in on the differences between the 13" and 14" drums? Quality-wise, sound-wise, etc. Price isn't a huge factor to be, cheaper is still better if they're very similar.

All help is appreciated, thanks.

13" pros
- cheaper
- lighter to carry
- higher pitched, more articulate
- fits into most snare stands with little effort
- cheaper heads, replacement parts
cons
- different sound
- if you practice with a harness, not representative of what you would actually march with in a band or corps situation
- in certain situations, may take longer to get heads, replacement parts

14" pros
- common sound
- representative of what you would use in a corps or band situation
- might be easier to get a hold of heads and replacement parts
cons
- more expensive
- heads & replacement parts more expensive
- heavier to carry
- slightly more difficult to tune
- may not fit into certain snare stands


honestly, for a personal snare, you might want to spring for a 13" just because it makes more sense in the context of a personal snare.
as part of a full drumline, especially outdoors, i would much rather use 14" for the purpose of sound.

For personal purposes, 13" is probably the way to go. They're cheaper, lighter, take up less space, and do all the same things a 14" snare drum do. There's really no drawback that the 13" has that a 14" doesn't, unless you want to go into very minute, specific things.

Ultimately, you probably won't be playing in an ensemble setting with your personal drum, so there isn't really any need to worry about any sound other than your own preferences (most of which can probably be achieved with the 13" drum).

I think I'd put it this way: If you're looking for something compact and/or you prefer the higher/shallower sound of a 13" drum (which might make sense for a practice drum), go with the smaller drum. If you want a full-sounding drum and don't mind it being a little bit bigger, go with the 14" drum. Personally, I'd rather have a 14" drum simply because I prefer its fuller sound.

And for the record, I disagree with just a couple of hiredgoonthug's pros & cons:
* Other than maybe rims and a set of snare guts (neither of which is replaced often), replacement parts for 13" & 14" drums are typically the same price. They're often the exact same part.
* Difference in the cost of heads is negligible -- a 14" fiber/Kevlar head is generally only one or two bucks more, which isn't a whole lot when you're talking about a $40+ head.
* In my experience, there's no discernible difference in difficulty tuning 13" or 14" drums.

Thanks for the help guys. I ended up going for the 13" because I found an amazing deal for one on eBay, but I probably would've gotten one anyway. I think I might prefer the sound of the 14" in a line, but like you said, for a personal drum, the 13" seems like it would work better.

Anyway, here's the drum I got, http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220206166038 . Used, but in good condition, and got it for $350. Best part is, the title/description says it's an SFZ, but one of the pics shows the knob that disengages the top snares of an MTS. $350 for a good used 13" MTS, amazing deal. All I need to do is get a White Max for the batter (and a replacement foot), and I'm set.

Thanks again for the help guys.

EDIT: Kind of off-topic, but it seems I might what to get replacement tension rods at some point, but where would I go about getting some? I know Pearl sells some online, but I didn't find anything from Yamaha. Do I have to call and order them directly from Yamaha?

I think you're gonna regret the MTS, at least for personal use. I certainly did. The top snare mechanism is such an added weight to the drum, and you'll find that you almost never use it, unless playing along with corps music, then you'll use it for about 1:00 out of every show you're playing along to. Even though it is such an added weight, you wont realize it unless you've marched a regular SFZ, as I got the chance to do when I marched in the Thanksgiving day parade. When I got back home to my MTZ, it felt like it weighed about 100 lbs.

However, one thing I dont regret is getting the 14", but if i'd have gotten that awesome deal, i'd have taken it too.

Yeah, an SFZ could've been better, I honestly don't plan on using the double-snare that much. However, I do think it will have at least some use. As for the added weight, between a 13" SFZ and 13" MTS there's only a 2.6 lb difference (versus the 3.5 lb difference with the 14"). It may be nuisance at times, but hopefully it won't be much of an issue.

But with a deal like that, it's hard to refuse when my other option was buying a new SFZ for more than $400.

I'm not sure about the technical lbs. difference, but, at least on the 14" (those are the one's I marched) the difference is painstakingly noticeable.