Always look forward to drummers review. I was in the market for a new kit but on a limited budget. After comparing several kits In the $1000 usd range, I had settled on Tama. After watching the your review on the Mapex Armory series and seing them in person, I decided on them. I got the six piece configuration in Redwood Burst. I outfitted them with G2 coated on the toms, Genera Dry on the snare and Emad 22 on the kick. I couldn't be happier with the kit, the sound and the ease of tuning. Sure there are high end kits for $4,000 and up, but for the real world working drummer, Mapex is an excellent choice and worthy of consideration.
@@grone07 Evan's haven't been the same since they introduced the 360 technology. Great people working at Evans but the heads suck now imo. Remo can be inconsistent in quality but truly have no peers sonically when you get the right head on the right drum. That's said, Evans film will go dead more quickly but their film is definitely more durable than Remo. Mapex kits love Vintage and regular Emperor, clear and coated. Also don't sleep on using diplomats as resos. They are fantastic in that capacity and really povide a bright bottom+volume boost to my otherwise darker SVs.
Man Mapex is really getting good. I just tried the latest Saturn this weekend at a friend's house. It's sound freaking amazing. And for the price. No one does that quality.
Great sound out of those toms and kick, and I can't get over how the Ebony front head on the kick reflects the light when Nick lays into it real hard, such a sweet detail..
I simply can't tune heads very well but about 6 months ago I got a Mapex armory kit with the Soniclear bearing edges and couldn't believe how easy it was to tune them! Mapex is definitely killing it.
Just ordered myself one of these kits and now very impatiently waiting for it to arrive🙈this review was the first and last thing I needed to see/hear and that was it...I was an easy sale! Black Friday also helped with a crazy discount bagging it for £1699 here in the UK! It was a no brainer 😍
Larry Tate Love it. Phenomenal kit that sounds as good as it looks! Have only tried it with the clear Remo heads it came with so far but as you can hear from the video - it’s a beast straight out of the box
Another great video. Your channel is the best for hearing the actual character of the drums. Love the roomy sound you use in the videos. Great playing too! Keep it up!
Great review I bought one of these sets! Yes they are awesome! Phenomenal looks, phenomenal sound and outstanding build quality! I use them for metal and they sound awesome no matter how hard you it! I can't say enough about these as I have been blown away by them!! Put it this way....my Mapex set and my friends top of the line Tama Star Bubinga kit sit side by side in my house. Other than the difference in tone between the bubinga set and my maple set, you would never know one was $8000 and one was $2500 haha. Both rock solid, built like tanks, and beautiful besides! Oh....and yes I bought the Mapex Cris Adler Warbird 12 inch snare to go with my set! Haha just had to! Rock on!
I have always loved Mapex. I still have my Mapex Venus series from around 1993. I also have a Mars Pro, a Saturn series and I have an Orion classic series bass drum which i'm trying to build the rest of the kit
It sounds amazing, looks amazing, definitely better the any Drum manufacturer out there, well done Mapex ! PS, I own a Mapex Saturn IV and I always get comments on how great they sound !
Best sounding kit you've reviewed. Fat, punchy and beautiful. I have an older Black Panther NOB snare which is one of the best sounding ones I own (including Yamaha and DW).
I remember buying a used Mapex Orion kit a few years back and to this day it's still one of the nicest kits I've ever played... I was then very underwhelmed and disappointed when someone at Mapex thought that MyDentity series drums were a good idea... almost embarrassed to rep Mapex at that point.... NOW, however, Mapex looks like they've clearly gotten their shit together again and are making some awesome drums again! Great to see and hear !
These sound insane out of the box. Sounds like my Saturn V Tour after I changed the stock coated heads out. If the the 30th anniversary snare is as good as the snare it's based on (deep forest walnut) that's a scarily good drum for the price brand new.
Wow, absolutely fantastic sounding set. While I was expecting something a bit more flashy for an anniversary kit, this thing is about as classy as gets in terms of style and sound! Thankfully it doesn’t have the Black Panther badges and just the standard badges which are way better looking imo. Too bad this is a limited edition!
Sounds fine (like all the kits on here). And aside from the massive, ugly badges, it looks good too. The only downside is that I suspect that anyone who pays well over £2,000 for a Mapex may soon become acquainted with the true meaning of depreciation. I would wait and buy secondhand.
But you can't get replacement parts. Why get something you can't get spare parts for? Especially when mapex is known for having very bad track record for all of their hardware breaking?! 😡
Hi Neal. We stock spare parts for this here in the UK and certainly aren't aware of a track record of hardware breaking? Personally I look after the artists here and I don't spend my budget replacing broken bots of hardware from the guys touring with it.
@@MapexUK Do you know of anyone in USA I can contact? I have heard this from many others in USA about mapex as well as former Mapex employees. If I search anywhere online I can't find parts. That is definitely a HUGE issue with MAPEX. Pearl is known for being easy to replace parts and other brands are not too difficult. With the number of mapex sets out there you'd think parts would be easy to come by. You should be able to just look on eBay and elsewhere to easily replace parts, also the hole spacing makes it extremely difficult to switch, if desired, to aftermarket parts.
No one interesting is playing Mapex except Chris Adler. Mapex ruined their artist relations years ago and have not recouped from that poor management issue.
What. Isn't Russ Miller, Greg Hutchison and a few other famous drummers played Mapex. Unless if you're talking about metal drummer, than you're the one that's left out.
@@maqirama Greg left Mapex YEARS ago and most of their top named drummers have left, as well. You MIGHT want to do your research on shit before going out and SPEWING your IGNORANCE!! YOU ARE A MORON!!
I dont quite understand the positioning of Mapex here. I am sure this kit sounds good but why offering such a dull anniversary kit. Maple, 10,12,14,16, 22, good looking finish but not stunning. I dont see the limited edition appeal here. As a matter of fact, i dont see anything in this kit that would convert drummers using more popular brands to Mapex. I think Mapex would need to be more aggressive or daring in their positioning and artists roster to make a difference.
@@pepipavlov2375 I am afraid i cant comply with your request . Here is a tip for you though, if you see one of my comments , don´t read it and scroll down.
@@pepipavlov2375 I did not edit my comment after you published yours . It is still there in its prime glory, the way you were struck by it. You seem pretty tense on this topic as i can see you did not follow my advice above. Let me ease your pain: I believe this finish is stunning and if you bought one , i am sure you will be happy with it as i would . To answer you: Here is an example of a stunning finish in my humble opinion. ruclips.net/video/bTcb5EU-96g/видео.html
@@frozd58 I'm not tense at all im just chillin & you should do the same and stop acting like some lawyer.I would be happy with this kit for sure.. Its porn.And if see it on thoman.de or musicstore.de i will buy it for sure because there is no drum store that sells Mapex nearly me (Macedonia)
![KSI - Dirty [Official Visualiser]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VoDh1h1dPUE/mqdefault.jpg)
Mapex make great drums, I use them too and love them!!! Cheers from The Netherlands, Jeroen Simons, Independent, ex - Epica.
Always look forward to drummers review. I was in the market for a new kit but on a limited budget. After comparing several kits In the $1000 usd range, I had settled on Tama. After watching the your review on the Mapex Armory series and seing them in person, I decided on them. I got the six piece configuration in Redwood Burst. I outfitted them with G2 coated on the toms, Genera Dry on the snare and Emad 22 on the kick. I couldn't be happier with the kit, the sound and the ease of tuning. Sure there are high end kits for $4,000 and up, but for the real world working drummer, Mapex is an excellent choice and worthy of consideration.
Best sounding kit price range
George, I have an Armory as well and I-m about to change the stock heads... Do you recommend going to 2 ply heads such as G2s or EC2s?
Alejandro Quiroga I like the G2’s as they are slightly more resonant in my opinion. I have heard the 2ply EC2’s and they are slightly more focused.
@@grone07 Evan's haven't been the same since they introduced the 360 technology. Great people working at Evans but the heads suck now imo. Remo can be inconsistent in quality but truly have no peers sonically when you get the right head on the right drum. That's said, Evans film will go dead more quickly but their film is definitely more durable than Remo. Mapex kits love Vintage and regular Emperor, clear and coated. Also don't sleep on using diplomats as resos. They are fantastic in that capacity and really povide a bright bottom+volume boost to my otherwise darker SVs.
@@tobyvattilano7846 thanks man, I appreciate these tips.
Have a good one
Man Mapex is really getting good. I just tried the latest Saturn this weekend at a friend's house. It's sound freaking amazing. And for the price. No one does that quality.
Man do they sound phenomenal! They've got that great classic Orion sound and tone.
Great sound out of those toms and kick, and I can't get over how the Ebony front head on the kick reflects the light when Nick lays into it real hard, such a sweet detail..
Sounds exactly like my Mapex Orion!
Mapex's toms and bass drums are huge.
I also have an Orion, fantastic kit! Toms in particular sound fantastic
I simply can't tune heads very well but about 6 months ago I got a Mapex armory kit with the Soniclear bearing edges and couldn't believe how easy it was to tune them! Mapex is definitely killing it.
Thank you, I always enjoy your thoughts and videos. Beautiful kit.
Good to see Nick enjoying himself.
That's a great set of drums.
Y'all are the absolute best at this I swear
Just ordered myself one of these kits and now very impatiently waiting for it to arrive🙈this review was the first and last thing I needed to see/hear and that was it...I was an easy sale! Black Friday also helped with a crazy discount bagging it for £1699 here in the UK! It was a no brainer 😍
How do you like it?
Larry Tate Love it. Phenomenal kit that sounds as good as it looks! Have only tried it with the clear Remo heads it came with so far but as you can hear from the video - it’s a beast straight out of the box
Larry Tate there’s a couple of uploads on my channel you can check out if you want to hear more. Studio production audio and also raw iPhone audio
Another great video. Your channel is the best for hearing the actual character of the drums. Love the roomy sound you use in the videos. Great playing too! Keep it up!
Great review
I bought one of these sets!
Yes they are awesome!
Phenomenal looks, phenomenal sound and outstanding build quality!
I use them for metal and they sound awesome no matter how hard you it!
I can't say enough about these as I have been blown away by them!!
Put it this way....my Mapex set and my friends top of the line Tama Star Bubinga kit sit side by side in my house. Other than the difference in tone between the bubinga set and my maple set, you would never know one was $8000 and one was $2500 haha.
Both rock solid, built like tanks, and beautiful besides!
Oh....and yes I bought the Mapex Cris Adler Warbird 12 inch snare to go with my set!
Haha just had to!
Rock on!
Holy nutsack, I am in love with the finish.
Such a huge sounding kit!
I have always loved Mapex. I still have my Mapex Venus series from around 1993. I also have a Mars Pro, a Saturn series and I have an Orion classic series bass drum which i'm trying to build the rest of the kit
I have been waiting for a review of these - thanks!
Great sounding kit
That bass drum sounds evil without muffling lol. Plenty of tone, attack and punch though! Would love to have these set of drums for Christmas :)
It sounds amazing, looks amazing, definitely better the any Drum manufacturer out there, well done Mapex ! PS, I own a Mapex Saturn IV and I always get comments on how great they sound !
Best sounding kit you've reviewed. Fat, punchy and beautiful. I have an older Black Panther NOB snare which is one of the best sounding ones I own (including Yamaha and DW).
Only 24 kits in the UK? This kit is still on sale now, a year after this was uploaded.
Love the look and sound of this kit. Thanks guys. 👍
Stunning stunning stunning
What color are they? They look red at times, then orange at other points. They sound good too.
Sound Fabulous!
I remember buying a used Mapex Orion kit a few years back and to this day it's still one of the nicest kits I've ever played... I was then very underwhelmed and disappointed when someone at Mapex thought that MyDentity series drums were a good idea... almost embarrassed to rep Mapex at that point.... NOW, however, Mapex looks like they've clearly gotten their shit together again and are making some awesome drums again! Great to see and hear !
What mics are you using on the toms and kick? Sounds absolutely phenomenal.
These sound insane out of the box.
Sounds like my Saturn V Tour after I changed the stock coated heads out.
If the the 30th anniversary snare is as good as the snare it's based on (deep forest walnut) that's a scarily good drum for the price brand new.
So good sounding kit!
Awesome! Give that BD a little extra "smack" and it would be Danny Caries next kit
Super power bass sound 🔊😮
The drums and cymbals do sound flawless. What are the cymbals in the video?
Hi Neal, the cymbals are Paiste Precision Signature Series. Many thanks for watching, DR.
MAPEX
Correct way to position your drum pieces
Just going on eBay to look for mapex Orion kits.
😍😍😍
Wow, absolutely fantastic sounding set.
While I was expecting something a bit more flashy for an anniversary kit, this thing is about as classy as gets in terms of style and sound! Thankfully it doesn’t have the Black Panther badges and just the standard badges which are way better looking imo.
Too bad this is a limited edition!
Sounds fine (like all the kits on here). And aside from the massive, ugly badges, it looks good too. The only downside is that I suspect that anyone who pays well over £2,000 for a Mapex may soon become acquainted with the true meaning of depreciation. I would wait and buy secondhand.
The best Asian made drums.
Mapex🥁🙌🏽
Damn that kit is like a sexy woman.
Insert subtitles in Portuguese-BR, please =).
But you can't get replacement parts. Why get something you can't get spare parts for? Especially when mapex is known for having very bad track record for all of their hardware breaking?! 😡
Hi Neal. We stock spare parts for this here in the UK and certainly aren't aware of a track record of hardware breaking? Personally I look after the artists here and I don't spend my budget replacing broken bots of hardware from the guys touring with it.
@@MapexUK Do you know of anyone in USA I can contact? I have heard this from many others in USA about mapex as well as former Mapex employees. If I search anywhere online I can't find parts. That is definitely a HUGE issue with MAPEX. Pearl is known for being easy to replace parts and other brands are not too difficult. With the number of mapex sets out there you'd think parts would be easy to come by. You should be able to just look on eBay and elsewhere to easily replace parts, also the hole spacing makes it extremely difficult to switch, if desired, to aftermarket parts.
They're nice, but ill take my og starclassics over these any day
No one interesting is playing Mapex except Chris Adler. Mapex ruined their artist relations years ago and have not recouped from that poor management issue.
What. Isn't Russ Miller, Greg Hutchison and a few other famous drummers played Mapex. Unless if you're talking about metal drummer, than you're the one that's left out.
@@maqirama Greg left Mapex YEARS ago and most of their top named drummers have left, as well. You MIGHT want to do your research on shit before going out and SPEWING your IGNORANCE!! YOU ARE A MORON!!
@@PowersOnDrums Greg left? I've missed on that one. But their current artists are still good tho and interesting if you may.
@@maqirama Well I told you about it, so check it out- It's been Years!
Mapex sounds great on this channel always, but they are just a bit boring. Even the name mapex sucks.
I dont quite understand the positioning of Mapex here. I am sure this kit sounds good but why offering such a dull anniversary kit. Maple, 10,12,14,16, 22, good looking finish but not stunning. I dont see the limited edition appeal here. As a matter of fact, i dont see anything in this kit that would convert drummers using more popular brands to Mapex. I think Mapex would need to be more aggressive or daring in their positioning and artists roster to make a difference.
omg.. pls dont comment anymore
@@pepipavlov2375 I am afraid i cant comply with your request . Here is a tip for you though, if you see one of my comments , don´t read it and scroll down.
@@frozd58 Now you are editing your comment but nvm.. btw this kit doesn't look stunning? what should look like? pink? tom&jarry wrap?
@@pepipavlov2375 I did not edit my comment after you published yours . It is still there in its prime glory, the way you were struck by it. You seem pretty tense on this topic as i can see you did not follow my advice above. Let me ease your pain: I believe this finish is stunning and if you bought one , i am sure you will be happy with it as i would . To answer you: Here is an example of a stunning finish in my humble opinion. ruclips.net/video/bTcb5EU-96g/видео.html
@@frozd58 I'm not tense at all im just chillin & you should do the same and stop acting like some lawyer.I would be happy with this kit for sure.. Its porn.And if see it on thoman.de or musicstore.de i will buy it for sure because there is no drum store that sells Mapex nearly me (Macedonia)
Sounds crap
Are you joking or serious?
I'm serious