Sputnik Music Forums - REVIEW: Mapex M Birch Fusion

[B][I][U][FONT=Verdana]Mapex M Birch Series Drumset.[/FONT][/U][/I][/B]
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[B][I][U][FONT=Verdana]Introduction[/FONT][/U][/I][/B]
[FONT=Verdana]First things first, my kit is the fusion setup (10/12/14/22) with the free 8” tom. The finish I chose was Transparent Cherry Red and it is probably one of the most beautiful red finishes I’ve seen on an intermediate kit.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][IMG]http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b379/enemytopublic/100_4598.jpg[/IMG][/FONT]

[B]Hardware[/B]

[FONT=Verdana]The Mapex M Birch comes standard with Mapex 550 series hardware and includes a double tom mount for the bass drum, two single tom mounts and two Mapex clamps. When I got the kit I decided that instead of getting the stands, and pedals I would just get some money taken off so I cannot comment on the stands though I can comment on the mounting hardware/clamps. [/FONT]
The mounting hardware is definitely top notch. It’s very versatile and very easy to use. You can get your tom in literally any position you want. The clamps included are extremely strong and will hold a 14” tom with ease. I like these clamps so much I bought two more to mount second cymbals on stands with boom arms. The lugs on this kit are small, compact, single-point lugs. They stay out of the way and let the finish shine through. While I like the lugs on the Pro M/Saturn/Orion better, these are still very nice lugs.

[B]Shells[/B]

First thing I noticed about the shells was the finish. The 8-coat hand-rubbed lacquer finish was a beautiful shade of red that made the grain pop out. The shell construction is 5 plies of Birch with an outer veneer of maple for aesthetic purposes. The edges on all of the drums were very well done. All of them were smooth and even, which made these drums a breeze to tune up.

[B]Sound[/B]

[FONT=Verdana]First thing I noticed about these drums was the how punchy they were. This is exactly what I was looking for and is the main reason I got this set. I tend to tune my drums quite low and the bass drum (22”) sounded HUGE! The 10, 12, and 14 were so easy to tune and they sounded amazing tuned high or low. The 8” took a bit of work but that was mainly because I had never had one before and didn’t know what it should sound like. After replacing the heads with clear G2’s they became even punchier. I am yet to replace the resos so I will update this review when I do that. When I got the kit I decided not to get the snare because I already had a Black Panther and wanted to save some money.[/FONT]

[B]Price[/B]

I got this kit from my local music store. It’s not a big chain so the prices were a little higher than usual, but since I didn’t get any hardware or the snare I saved some cash. Also, being a frequent customer, I got a bit of a discount as well. The total I paid for this kit before tax was $650CDN, which is a steal for a kit like this. In all honesty, I would have no problem paying over $1,000 for a kit like this.

[B][I][U]Conclusion[/U][/I][/B]
The moment I tried this kit I knew I wanted it. It has such a full-bodied sound to it that I’m surprised more people don’t own one. For the price, this kit is a 100% bargain. I recommend this kit to anyone looking for an intermediate kit.

[IMG]http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u143/enemytopublic2/100_4700.jpg[/IMG]