Mapex Armory Series Kit
94
| MARCH 2014 WWW.RHYTHMMAGAZINE.CO.UK
GEAR REVIEW
W
e are making strides in
developing our drums and
the technology and craft
used to produce them. We
don’t want to be caught resting.”
So says Korg/Mapex’s Pete Havard, and
there is no danger of that with this wholly
new series which makes strong claims on
the vibrant semi-pro gigging market.
Mapex’s Tornado, Voyager and Horizon
starter series are all good value with decent
specs, while the Meridian Birch/Maple
bridged the gap with the professional Saturn
IV and Black Panther Collection. “In as much
as the Meridians will no longer exist, the
Armory and Mars series will take over,” says
Pete. But, he confi des, “I don’t like to say
they’re replacements as they don’t share any
previous elements.”
Build
Armory is completely new then, with new
shells and fi nishes, bearing edges, lugs and
suspension mounts. Armory goes the
increasingly popular hybrid route with six-ply
7.2mm-thick shells comprising a birch outer
and inner with a maple core. The shells have
angled butt seams and blemish-free
interiors, lightly sealed as per usual. The
bass drum was ¼" out of round, which is
pushing acceptability, even for a budget
drum. The other shells were all within 1/8th",
which is normal at this price point.
Aside from the hybrid lay-up, there’s the
profi le of the bearing edge. Whereas this is
commonly a 45° slope-up from the inside
wall to a sharp-ish edge on the outer plies,
the Armory’s SoniClear edge has a 45° slope
up to the maple mid-point, with a rather
bigger round-over to the outer wall.
You’ll have noticed the striking fi nish, a
rich and glittering Magma Red lacquer
fading from deep red to black. Then there’s
the complementary black hardware. This is
one of six combinations that Korg UK is
promoting. The other fi ve are Transparent
Black with black hardware, Transparent
Walnut with chrome, Mantis Green with
black, Photon Blue with chrome and
Cordovan Red with chrome hardware.
The Magma Red is gloriously rich,
£849 Brand new mid-range series from the ever inventive,
forward looking Mapex, the Armory will surely prove a big hit
MAPEX ARMORY
SERIES KIT
WORDS: GEOFF NICHOLLS
superbly glassy, and the black hardware is
also impressive. All fi ttings have a thick,
satin-polished, plastic-like black coating.
Mapex explains this is an electro-plating
process with signifi cantly increased
durability compared with powder coatings. I
can’t vouch for that, but I’ve known powder
coating to chip almost immediately, whereas
this fi nish certainly looks to be of
exceptional quality. And, moreover, the black
fi nish extends to the tension bolts, washers
and gaskets, etc, which is often the sort of
detail that others annoyingly
overlook. Although the hardware
and stands are not included in
this shell pack, it’s worth noting
that they too have been redesigned and are
available in a choice of chrome, black or
chrome and black.
What is included in the package though is
the snare – an impressive 14"x5½"
steel-shelled brute called Tomahawk. It has
a mirror black-chrome 1mm shell, with
chrome fi ttings. The black hardware is not
carried through as the Tomahawk needs to
SHELLS
Shells are 6-ply,
7.2mm-thick hybrid
of maple and birch
sit comfortably with all six sets. Any inner
welded join is completely hidden and there
are 10 double-ended bridge tube lugs with
swivel inserts and 2.3mm Super Hoops.
Hauling up the 20-strand coiled-steel
snare wires via their brass end-plates and
black tape is Mapex’s neat strainer which
operates via a double-hinged pull-away
lever. It’s not the smoothest, but is fi rm and
the tension knob is easy enough to operate.
The SoniClear Tom Suspension System
RHY226.gear_mapex.indd 94 1/23/14 11:25 AM