Schlagwerk RTS51 Frame Drum

This is a lovely framedrum. 20' is a good size to start. I know many beginners including myself want to have extra deep sound and are drawn to big framedrums. Honnestly 20' is the maximum size you want to start with. (and maybe smaller if you are not very tall). Above that there is a risk of unnecessary pain by lack of good positioning, at least if you get into regular practice.
Anyways, that was my first tunable framedrum and i was quite comfortable with it. I like the brightness of the sound (this is a matter of personal taste), it is perfect for playing lapstyle or free hand. You cannot play in upright position with this one, it's not designed for that (well... you can a little but please dont try to learn upright position with that). The cross bars behind are giving you the possibility of using beaters for a more "shamanic" kind of play, and you can place optional jingles there too.
The skin has a regular width and is a symetric cut around the spine, witch is a must.
I am glad to keep it in my drum collection, for it has a specific sound color that really has a place in my palette.
I dont like the black nylon belt around, it looks cheap and is not comfortable to touch. A cotton or softer synthetic tissue with a little decor would have radically changed the look of the drum. And I dont enjoy the big markings from the company on the skin, hopefully i got rid of them.
So in a nutshell, while the looks could have been improved for less than an euro, it's good for lapstyle, free hand style and beaters but not upright position, the sound is really excellent to me, and i have a very good feeling on the skin, witch is something i cannot explain clearly but is related to the texture and how my fingers are bouncing off it.