I received my drum Sept. 27, 2023. It clearly had a lot more black tape on it than the ones portrayed online. I sent a picture and was told: "Thanks for getting in touch. We are training in new staff at the moment and this does indeed look like it was overtaped. The good news is that it shouldn't affect the playing of it. However, if you would like to change it, please let me know and I will guide you through the process." I asked to have it replaced on Sept. 29, and heard nothing back. I tried multiple ways to get someone to get back to me-no one did until I responded to a request for a review on Oct 11. The original person I had been speaking to finally responded and apologized, saying he was out with Covid, but was he the person in customer service? Could no one else have gotten back to me? Disconcerting when you're thousands of miles away (US). He said they had no correctly made drums in stock, so either return it for a full refund or keep it and get a partial refund. I took the generous second option, because-now for the positive part-the drum looks and sounds great. Does it sound as great as it should? I'll never know. I purchased from McNeela based largely on your 40 years experience-which should include the best amount of taping for the best sound quality-I didn't get that. However, as a beginner, I did receive a great sounding drum for an excellent price, especially after the partial refund, and it is certainly good enough for the likes of me. I wish you hadn't disappeared without a trace for almost 2 weeks, but, the way I look at it, my drum is unique. One of a few if not one of a kind. The free lessons and the emails are also excellent, but for a while there, I was not feeling part of the McNeela family