@@alefejamarino Right? I'm a Tama guy, and they even beat out (in my humble opinion) the finishes of Tamas W/B kits. The Redwood Burst is absolutely gorgeous
@@nickreza641 yeah bro. The armory finishes can easily beat out some of the Tama Starclassic´s finishes, but for me, there´s no finish more stunnig than the Tama starclassic Bubinga Natural Finish.
My only issue with mapex kits is the lack of a 14 inch deep bass drum. 18 is not as punchy, it rings on after impact for ages. It's also a pain to fit through a doorway or carry in a small car.
@@vibes..585 honestly I would ask someone else because I haven’t personally used or heard the kit in person so I can’t say first hand. I don’t want to give you information that I’m not 100% confident in.
Nick's product demos are an incredible insight into his amazing musicianship. His playing represents the best any instrument has to offer. This kit sounds amazing and looks beautiful (even though I usually go for the solid black finish...I may be turned around on fades). The quality of build and sound at this price is amazing. Well done Nick!
I’ve never clicked on a video so fast till right now. I loveeee love loveeeee that Nick is wearing a floral button up to match the kit’s vibe 😉😉 as always great playing!
Love Nicks playing. He sounds the same on every kit he has tested. doesn't matter the make of the drum. he's going to tune it to his ears and his touch. the one thing most care about is amazing hardware. doesn't matter what drum you play. your going to sound like you.
@@henrikostensson1160 - this. 100% This. The fat 'M' badge makes their sets look so cheap and unrefined. Such an eyesore. Their drums beg for a more refined understated visual statement - something to match their finishes. Literally - just remove the fat M from their badge, and it's a 200% visual improvement.
I personally LOVE that snare drum...reminds me so much of the 90's Rogers steel snare I play as my main snare. Kit sounds great for what it is, especially when played with those Hot Rods. The hardware seems really great also...all-around great deal.
Thanks for checking out this stunning Mapex Armory Studioease Fast Tom Shell pack with us! For more awesome Sweetwater exclusives and the latest on the best gear make sure you like, comment, and subscribe!
Not going to lie, I thought you were going to break into The Ventures and do a little Hawaii 5-0 at the beginning. I received my Armory kit about a month ago in the Redwood Burst. Wonderful kit with a great sound. Sweetwater is even helping me get the 8" tom from Mapex so I will have the 3 up 2 down that I've always wanted. The Tomahawk snare is great and I use it as an auxiliary snare to the left of my Pork Pie Big Black Brass (BOB) snare. You really can't go wrong with this kit.
@@sp1ne674 Yes it did. They come with Remo coated on the batter and Remo clear on the resonant side. They all have the Mapex logo on the heads too. Not bad sounding stock heads either. I did swap mine out for Evans clear G2 and G1 combo eventually though. That combo gave the drums even more punch.
I just picked up a used Mapex Armory kit yesterday because of your previous videos. Look forward to starting this journey on learning to drum! Now I just need a sick Hawaiian shirt to match 🤙
With the colors of the kit, and vibe of the shirt. Along with the beginning drum beat. First thing that came to my mind waaaassss.....1970's t.v. series Hawaii Five O. 🤘🏼🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🤘🏼
I put clear Emperor's on top and a remo clear p3 power stroke on the bass drum. They sound great. No muffling and sound wonderful recorded. Plus the emerald burst looks amazing.
The drums sound incredible, I especially liked them when played with rods. The veneer and finishes in the Armory line make them look twice as expensive as they really are. I wish lower level drums were this kind of quality when i was getting started in drums 😀 And great shirt Nick!
I used to think that Joe Morello was the greatest drummer ever... Now, there's Nick, I would play heck trying to compare the tune. He is truly one of the best drummers ever when you compare him to the old greats. I gave a set of Mapex drums to my Grandson and now I am giving him lessons on it via fakebook facetime. They have great sounding drums, well made and definitely something to pass on to your heirs. Thank you Nick, I use you in a lot of my lessons.
@@rachelcox4010 Tama has great QC and rock solid hardware (DW and Yamaha as well), and their lineup is outstanding. Their SLP line is incredible. Tama doesn’t slouch on anything. But this kit is a great value…
Mapex kills it with the Armory kits!!! I just wish they would have a 4 and 5 pc. configuration! Like a one up two down or one up and one down? Would give players more options. I would love to have one for my gigging kit but I don’t want to buy a 6 piece and just have the 10” sit at home!!!
It is .yes GORGEOUS! ❤️ And ofcourse regarding sound MAPEX doesn't let you down 😉 I am still using a Decade old HORIZON/Daisycutter Snare still roaring .
Nick I have been enjoying your drum set and other product demos for at least 5 years. Very tasteful playing as always. It seems like you really were enjoying and inspired by This Mapex Armory drum set. I was thinking originally about upgrading my Sonor Force 3000 kit to the Tama Superstar 7 piece based on your demo, but now I am leaning much more towards Mapex Armory 6-7 piece drum set after viewing this demo. These drum sound so rich and full. Thanks.
Lately a lot of bass drums are being made shallow. 22 x 14 seems to be popular these days. But I really love the sound of the 22 x 18. It's bulky to carry around but I just love the sound. 🥁❤
You should do a video on the best intermediate level drum sets on the market for those ready to take the next step, like myself, but just don’t know what to buy because everything seems good. I’ve been looking at the SJC pathfinder, Gretsch Renown, and Pearl decade maple. Just a suggestion, but I’m sure I wouldn’t be the only one who would greatly appreciate this kind of video.
For the money mapex are well worth the money and way more competitively priced than the majority of other brands. And talk about quality hardware and pedals, I've had a m birch double bass kit ,2 X 22 bass drums,8,10,12,13,( floor Tom's I converted the 14 to a mounted Tom )14,16, and custom 18 floor Tom, I played that for ten years,then I got a meridian birch (custom order kit ) 8,10,12,13, rack Tom's,14 floor Tom again converted to a Tom, and 16 ,18 floor Tom's, 1, 22/ 20 bass drum ( I used double pedal on that kit) plus a brilliant 20 inch gong bass drum , and a matching 14/7.5 inch snare (birch/ maple) . It was a beauty, I wanted to order something similar again, but for whatever reason the mapex representative said that mapex will no longer make any custom order Tom's deeper than what they are selling in their current models,I was gutted, so I ended up going second hand.
Thanks for this amazing demo. This helped me a lot by looking for some acoustic drum kits. Since a few weeks, I got a Mapex Armory in Black Dawn with an extra bass drum. The sound of the snare is amazing for Power Metal!!
I just wish I could get mapex to make the Tom's slightly deeper,not exactly square sizes,but maybe another inch on each Tom, if they did that I'd be buying a 9 piece shell pack tomorrow.
I just ordered the same kit but in night sky burst...it's a purple . I cant wait.. I don't know what heads I'm going to get.. I do know I will emad the bass. And stay with coated Tom's. I added the 8" Tom too. I might try HD dry on the tomahawk. And I'm maybe gonna go with double ply Tom heads idk
I see a lot of marketing hype in the bearing edge claims on this kit. From my experience, it doesn’t matter if you have a 60 degree round over, west coast 32 degree or single 45 degree angle. The only thing that makes a difference is how much or how little edge is touching the head. In other words, how sharp or rounded the edge is.
Snare tone was not very maple or birch sounding. 5:08 Oh I see. Great surf rock tone! I see this on a nice beach somewhere with sand and blue water matching the tom colors. 10:47 Oh nice! Yup!
That could be easily customized to look like a beach scene just paint foam and beach dwellers or you can paint the reverse with seagull silhouettes a horizen line and a reddish sun setting.
It's a very cool finish. I just wish all these drum companies would stop making such long kick drums, 18 is just too long. 22x16, or even 14 is fine. They should at least offer the option.
What mics? I’m new to recording and interested in mixing pairs of toms with one mic. Also which Remo bass head is that with the large port. Amazing break down, thanks
Mapex honestly kills it with finishes in the Armory line
The armory finishes are much better than the Saturn V finishes. (In my profile photo I’m playing my Armory Redwood Burst)
@@alefejamarino Right? I'm a Tama guy, and they even beat out (in my humble opinion) the finishes of Tamas W/B kits. The Redwood Burst is absolutely gorgeous
@@nickreza641 yeah bro. The armory finishes can easily beat out some of the Tama Starclassic´s finishes, but for me, there´s no finish more stunnig than the Tama starclassic Bubinga Natural Finish.
My only issue with mapex kits is the lack of a 14 inch deep bass drum.
18 is not as punchy, it rings on after impact for ages. It's also a pain to fit through a doorway or carry in a small car.
I have the nights sky burst order right now.
This is the most aesthetically pleasing, most amazing sounding, and most advanced drum kit I have ever seen for only $1000!
Hi, What's it like in comparison to a dw collectors ?....tone as deep & warm ?
@@vibes..585 honestly I would ask someone else because I haven’t personally used or heard the kit in person so I can’t say first hand. I don’t want to give you information that I’m not 100% confident in.
U can’t possibly compare a DW collectors to a 1000 dollar maypex kit
More like the design series
@@stevenfederico2594 come now, its all in the heads and tuning.
@@stevenfederico2594 90% of the sound is coming from the heads & tuning, not the shells/finish/hardware. So yes you can and should compare the two.
Nick's product demos are an incredible insight into his amazing musicianship. His playing represents the best any instrument has to offer. This kit sounds amazing and looks beautiful (even though I usually go for the solid black finish...I may be turned around on fades). The quality of build and sound at this price is amazing. Well done Nick!
🙌🙌
I’ve never clicked on a video so fast till right now. I loveeee love loveeeee that Nick is wearing a floral button up to match the kit’s vibe 😉😉 as always great playing!
🤙🌺
@@sweetwater PS. I also love floral shirts 😉
Love Nicks playing. He sounds the same on every kit he has tested. doesn't matter the make of the drum. he's going to tune it to his ears and his touch. the one thing most care about is amazing hardware. doesn't matter what drum you play. your going to sound like you.
Just ordered the new night sky kit. Absolutely can’t wait for it
Mapex is criminally underrated. A name change would put them at the big brand table.
I think a less bloated logo would change a lot of attitudes. I mourned when they started using that abomination. It's the little things, you know..?
I always keep a bottle of MAPEX handy for all my household cleaning. LOL
@@vapeguy3625 I’m trying not to laugh. I think their kits are awesome, but the name just doesn’t jive with me.
I never thought there was a problem with mapex or the logo
@@henrikostensson1160 - this. 100% This. The fat 'M' badge makes their sets look so cheap and unrefined. Such an eyesore. Their drums beg for a more refined understated visual statement - something to match their finishes. Literally - just remove the fat M from their badge, and it's a 200% visual improvement.
That drumset's finish is gorgeous. The color design is perfect. Perfect.
But it’s fake wood outer ply!
I personally LOVE that snare drum...reminds me so much of the 90's Rogers steel snare I play as my main snare. Kit sounds great for what it is, especially when played with those Hot Rods. The hardware seems really great also...all-around great deal.
A drummer walks into a Tiki bar… 🤓 (I was kind of expecting the „Hawaii Five-0“ theme…) Awesome as always 😎
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Let it be written in the halls of the great book !!!
Teltub wins the Interwebz on this day !!!
Your drum demos are the best sounding demos online.
Birch + maple = masterpiece
Thanks for checking out this stunning Mapex Armory Studioease Fast Tom Shell pack with us! For more awesome Sweetwater exclusives and the latest on the best gear make sure you like, comment, and subscribe!
Not going to lie, I thought you were going to break into The Ventures and do a little Hawaii 5-0 at the beginning.
I received my Armory kit about a month ago in the Redwood Burst. Wonderful kit with a great sound. Sweetwater is even helping me get the 8" tom from Mapex so I will have the 3 up 2 down that I've always wanted. The Tomahawk snare is great and I use it as an auxiliary snare to the left of my Pork Pie Big Black Brass (BOB) snare. You really can't go wrong with this kit.
Nice! I have the same kit and color as yours ive had it for 2 months ....sounds great!🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
awesome, i have had the same kit, same colour for about a month too! awesome kit!
Yup... I thought the same
Did your set come with heads?
@@sp1ne674 Yes it did. They come with Remo coated on the batter and Remo clear on the resonant side. They all have the Mapex logo on the heads too. Not bad sounding stock heads either. I did swap mine out for Evans clear G2 and G1 combo eventually though. That combo gave the drums even more punch.
Well, Mapex nailed it! I play Armory for over three years now - very happy. And new colors are top! Well done Mapex!
Dude. I play guitar , bass, keys, banjo, dobro, slide, mandolin....
Now you make me wanna buy a kit!!! Damn you!!
Oh man that snare sound… so distinct and beautiful
That drum set is going to be mine
I just picked up a used Mapex Armory kit yesterday because of your previous videos. Look forward to starting this journey on learning to drum! Now I just need a sick Hawaiian shirt to match 🤙
We should start including Hawaiian shirts in our orders, good luck on your drumming journey! 😎🤘
I owned this kit(Black matte)
When I left the praise band I was playing in,I donated it to the church.Highly recommend this kit
That’s so nice of you to donate such a good kit, God bless you! ✌🏼
@@NikkoNikko98 Praise God, I would give all my worthy possessions if he asked me 2.
i bought an Armory last year, and it's by far the best set value i have ever seen, i definitely recommend it.
Mapex for life! The Armory series is killer!!🤘🏻🔥
😁🤘
With the colors of the kit, and vibe of the shirt. Along with the beginning drum beat. First thing that came to my mind waaaassss.....1970's t.v. series Hawaii Five O.
🤘🏼🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🤘🏼
I put clear Emperor's on top and a remo clear p3 power stroke on the bass drum. They sound great. No muffling and sound wonderful recorded. Plus the emerald burst looks amazing.
Can't beat the price! Mapex knows what they're doing.
hello Nick...very beautiful kit and sound...i am a TAMA guy, but i love it.
😁👍
Loving the sound and, I agree with a few others here. Shallow 20” kick goes best with these sizes. Offer it up Mapex!
They offer it now, but only with fusion toms in 10,12,14, but not with a 6pc, and 16" floor tom 😢..
I want that option so bad!!
That snare sounds super nice!!! This drumset has a groovy sound and the ombre colors are really 😎
😁🙌
That snare sounds so good!
You need it! 😉
The drums sound incredible, I especially liked them when played with rods. The veneer and finishes in the Armory line make them look twice as expensive as they really are. I wish lower level drums were this kind of quality when i was getting started in drums 😀 And great shirt Nick!
I used to think that Joe Morello was the greatest drummer ever...
Now, there's Nick, I would play heck trying to compare the tune.
He is truly one of the best drummers ever when you compare him to the old greats.
I gave a set of Mapex drums to my Grandson and now I am giving him lessons on it via fakebook facetime. They have great sounding drums, well made and definitely something to pass on to your heirs.
Thank you Nick, I use you in a lot of my lessons.
These armory kits sound incredible.
🙌🙌🙌
The stock heads sound amazing eeven
beautiful look, beautiful sound, beautiful price
wow , great drummer , awesome demo!!
Great looking and sounding kit! Nick is the best.
Hell Yeah! My Armory fast shell kit is just amazing! Best decision I made after coming from Tama.
If I may ask,why did you leave Tama? I play Pearl and was thinking about switching to Tama,but these caught my eye.
@@rachelcox4010 Tama has great QC and rock solid hardware (DW and Yamaha as well), and their lineup is outstanding. Their SLP line is incredible. Tama doesn’t slouch on anything. But this kit is a great value…
That drum is tuned amazingly!
to high for my taste !
Am I the only one who's happy that Nick's awesome Hawaiian shirt suits the ocean sunset wrap of the drums?
We love it too! 🤣
one of most gorgeous kit finish i've ever seen.. btw love Nick plays as usual
absolutely love this kit
Nice sound with this Mapex Armory drum kit. I ❤️ it. Recording with beyerdynamic mics is great, too. My favourite bran in mics
BEEEUTIFUL finish... and the drums sound good too :-)
Love it Nick, tasty chops! Very cool!
🤘🤘🤘
Mapex kills it with the Armory kits!!! I just wish they would have a 4 and 5 pc. configuration! Like a one up two down or one up and one down? Would give players more options. I would love to have one for my gigging kit but I don’t want to buy a 6 piece and just have the 10” sit at home!!!
It is .yes GORGEOUS! ❤️ And ofcourse regarding sound MAPEX doesn't let you down 😉 I am still using a Decade old HORIZON/Daisycutter Snare still roaring
.
Sound great for stock heads
Nick I have been enjoying your drum set and other product demos for at least 5 years. Very tasteful playing as always. It seems like you really were enjoying and inspired by This Mapex Armory drum set. I was thinking originally about upgrading my Sonor Force 3000 kit to the Tama Superstar 7 piece based on your demo, but now I am leaning much more towards Mapex Armory 6-7 piece drum set after viewing this demo. These drum sound so rich and full. Thanks.
Lately a lot of bass drums are being made shallow. 22 x 14 seems to be popular these days. But I really love the sound of the 22 x 18. It's bulky to carry around but I just love the sound. 🥁❤
Worth the extra bulk! 🥁
Just ordered a set of the redwood burst😁😁 Nick is a great salesman 😅
I find it funny how Nick was playing with Innovative’s, but Sweetwater doesn’t sell those (at least they didn’t the last time i checked lol)
You should do a video on the best intermediate level drum sets on the market for those ready to take the next step, like myself, but just don’t know what to buy because everything seems good. I’ve been looking at the SJC pathfinder, Gretsch Renown, and Pearl decade maple. Just a suggestion, but I’m sure I wouldn’t be the only one who would greatly appreciate this kind of video.
I would take the Armory over any of those for the price. Plus the finish. Other than that not much difference in any of them.
Great set of Drum Nick ,and great great Drummer Thanks
😁👍
❤ very Nice photos
bought my Saturn Special kit back in 2008 and have never looked back
@9:17 WOW XD JUST WOW. That tone is touching my brains xD
What a playing
For the money mapex are well worth the money and way more competitively priced than the majority of other brands.
And talk about quality hardware and pedals, I've had a m birch double bass kit ,2 X 22 bass drums,8,10,12,13,( floor Tom's I converted the 14 to a mounted Tom )14,16, and custom 18 floor Tom,
I played that for ten years,then I got a meridian birch (custom order kit )
8,10,12,13, rack Tom's,14 floor Tom again converted to a Tom, and 16 ,18 floor Tom's, 1, 22/ 20 bass drum ( I used double pedal on that kit) plus a brilliant 20 inch gong bass drum , and a matching 14/7.5 inch snare (birch/ maple) .
It was a beauty, I wanted to order something similar again, but for whatever reason the mapex representative said that mapex will no longer make any custom order Tom's deeper than what they are selling in their current models,I was gutted, so I ended up going second hand.
That finish... 😍
🤩🥰
I'll watch anything with Nick just playing whatever
Me too
Wow, that's a really nice color! I hope you have them in the sizes I use.
Thanks for this amazing demo. This helped me a lot by looking for some acoustic drum kits. Since a few weeks, I got a Mapex Armory in Black Dawn with an extra bass drum. The sound of the snare is amazing for Power Metal!!
How long did it take to get your 2nd bass drum? I ordered 1 too
@@genpeg2048 When I ordered it (The kit with an extra kick), everything was in stock and came together. About 3 weeks it took for me
I keep swinging between wanting to get this and the Catalina Maple... But that finish is glorious
😎🤘
diggin the shirt nick 🥁🥁🥁
Great kit for the money it would seem. Really wish they offered a shallower bass drum to match the toms. A 20x14 would be awesome!
I don’t know what is better the shirt, the drum finish or the playing lol
Looks fantastic
🤩🤩🤩
Sounds fantastic too
that colour wooooooo!
Jeez I've owned my armory for four years and I've never played with brushes. I've been missing out. 😱
I just wish I could get mapex to make the Tom's slightly deeper,not exactly square sizes,but maybe another inch on each Tom, if they did that I'd be buying a 9 piece shell pack tomorrow.
“I’m wearing this FESTIVE beach style shirt”
R.I.P headphones and ears 👂 😂
I bought it and also an 8" tom to match the set.
nice kit!
I just ordered the same kit but in night sky burst...it's a purple . I cant wait.. I don't know what heads I'm going to get.. I do know I will emad the bass. And stay with coated Tom's. I added the 8" Tom too. I might try HD dry on the tomahawk. And I'm maybe gonna go with double ply Tom heads idk
I see a lot of marketing hype in the bearing edge claims on this kit. From my experience, it doesn’t matter if you have a 60 degree round over, west coast 32 degree or single 45 degree angle. The only thing that makes a difference is how much or how little edge is touching the head. In other words, how sharp or rounded the edge is.
Esta perrota 👍👍👍
No one demos a kit like Nick
Got that Hawaii Five-O thing going here .
Nick is the goat
Sweet shirt Nick
😁👍
1:43 you get the what?
some Evans uv1 and a better snare and youre golden!! great kit
Love my Armory kit. What is that china cymbal near the 16” floor tom, please?
Sabian hhx China 18"
I was wondering too. I'm sad to find out what it is.. lol. I went to demo it out in another video and its not what I thought here
Very nice dude
🤘🥁
Oh - those are nice. 🙂
Snare tone was not very maple or birch sounding.
5:08 Oh I see.
Great surf rock tone!
I see this on a nice beach somewhere with sand and blue water matching the tom colors.
10:47 Oh nice! Yup!
Dude comes to a review with a matching shirt. Ok here's a like MAPEX.
Worst thing I ever did was sell my MAPEX SATURN
That could be easily customized to look like a beach scene just paint foam and beach dwellers or you can paint the reverse with seagull silhouettes a horizen line and a reddish sun setting.
What would be a good replacement head combo for this kit, including the snare, both batter and reso on all drums
It's a very cool finish. I just wish all these drum companies would stop making such long kick drums, 18 is just too long. 22x16, or even 14 is fine. They should at least offer the option.
Yup, I'm considering this, but if I do it's getting cut down to 14".
Tropical island drums
Good looking drum set...what's the price for that kit...love the color...👍
Nice
I wonder what happened to the 13” Tom ? My kit has 12,13,16,14,& 22 kick drum.
When is drumeo going to get nick !
Guys Sweetwater Video's are free drum lesson.
Free shirt included :)
@ 8:20 I was hearing some zztop
What mics? I’m new to recording and interested in mixing pairs of toms with one mic. Also which Remo bass head is that with the large port. Amazing break down, thanks
I’d buy one today if it were available in a 20” kick
Ask Sweetwater... maybe you can custom order a 20
22" is a better all around size for rock & any type of music. 20" can be a little too small for certain situations.