Mapex Mars Series

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106

| MARCH 2015 WWW.RHYTHMMAGAZINE.CO.UK

GEAR REVIEW

apex launched its Mars and

Armoury series together at

NAMM 2014, in the process

introducing the company’s

SONIClear bearing edge to the drumming

world. Though Mars has been used as a

series name by Mapex previously, it stresses

that the new drums bear no resemblance to

the former range.

Build

Four Mars shellpacks are available, all of

which are identically priced. On review is

the Rock Fusion ﬁ ve-piece kit which is

made up of a 22"x18" bass drum, 10"x7"

and 12"x8" rack toms, 16"x14" ﬂ oor tom

and a 14"x6½" snare.

The shells are all-birch and are a uniform

6-ply/7.2mm across all drums. Inside they

are sanded and lightly sealed and bear the

classic light hues of birch. A choice of four

new wrapped ﬁ nishes is available, all of

which are ribbed (so the vertical detailing

stands proud). The result is reminiscent of

artisan wallpaper, but it works and provokes

anyone in touching distance of the kit to run

their ﬁ ngers over the drums. The low mass

lugs are based on the design that was

developed for the Black Panther series while

Mapex’s elegant SONIClear tom mounts are

ﬁ tted to the toms.

Contrasting with the off-white Bonewood

ﬁ nish of the review kit is the black hardware,

which comes as standard with two of the

ﬁ nish options (the other two have chrome

hardware). Mapex employs an electro-

plating process to coat the hardware which it

claims is signiﬁ cantly more durable than

powder coating. The black coating extends

to every part of the shell hardware with the

glaring exception of the two tom arms and

the inner tubing of the bass drum spurs. It

is possible to request non-standard

£539 Birch shells, innovative ﬁ nishes and colour coded hardware

at budget level – Mapex’s Mars series means business

MAPEX

MARS SERIES KIT

WORDS: ADAM JONES

combinations of hardware and wrap, but

only as a special order which will involve a

wait of 12-16 weeks. A colour matched

hardware pack consisting of 600 Series

pedals and stands is also available.

Mapex’s SONIClear bearing edge differs to

the company’s existing edges by placing the

peak more centrally and then cutting with a

smooth rather than sharp proﬁ le. This, says

Mapex, allows the head to sit ﬂ atter –

increasing shell contact, so giving more tone

– and also makes the drums easier to tune.

The angle and cut of a drum’s bearing edges

is a science of its own and

Rhythm

could

probably publish an entire issue dedicated to

the myriad of variations and still not reach a

consensus. Whatever claims Mapex has

made for the SONIClear bearing edge, it

clearly feels that it offers an advantage,

particularly for these drums.

Hands On

In fact two different styles of SONIClear

bearing edge are found on the kit. The

smaller drums (snare and rack toms) are cut

at 45° while those on the ﬂ oor tom and bass

drum are 60°, with a slightly wider point of

contact. This inﬂ uence is immediately

apparent as it’s striking how much

bottom end is offered up by the bigger

drums, despite the relative thinness of

the Chinese-made Remo UT heads. The

bass drum, undampened and unported, is

deep, powerful and remarkably focused.

Overtones are almost non-existent and the

swift natural decay means no tweaking is

required – it’s good to go as it is. Similarly

the ﬂ oor tom produces a big punchy note

that fades as smoothly as it does quickly with

the minimum of fuss.

The two rack toms hold their own in

terms of volume and projection. If anything,

they’re a little on the belligerent side.

THE FLOOR TOM PRODUCES A BIG

PUNCHY NOTE THAT FADES AS

SMOOTHLY AS IT DOES QUICKLY

WITH THE MINIMUM OF FUSS

ADDITIONAL DRUMS

Extra drums can be

ordered from Mapex to

build a kit to your

individual speciﬁ cations

Also try…

YAMAHA STAGE

CUSTOM BIRCH

We say: “ Yamaha’s

credentials run through

this kit like the words in

a stick of rock. It’s

beautifully made and

produces a quality of

sound that deﬁ es its

price tag. ”

PDP

CONCEPT BIRCH

We say: “ The standard

of build, components,

ﬁ nish and performance

of the Concept Series is

exceptional, all the

more so considering

the pricepoint. ”

RHY239.gear_mapex.indd 106 22/01/2015 12:52

Summary of content (2 pages)

PAGE 1
GEAR REVIEW MAPEX MARS SERIES KIT £539 Birch shells, innovative finishes and colour coded hardware at budget level – Mapex’s Mars series means business WORDS: ADAM JONES M apex launched its Mars and Armoury series together at NAMM 2014, in the process introducing the company’s SONIClear bearing edge to the drumming world. Though Mars has been used as a series name by Mapex previously, it stresses that the new drums bear no resemblance to the former range.
PAGE 2
Switching the clear UT heads for coated USA Ambassadors takes the attack down a notch, allowing the note to round out without diluting the inherent feistiness of the birch. That the kit has been built to a price is apparent with the snare as the throw-off SONICLEAR TOM MOUNTS Mapex’s elegant SONIClear tom mounts – a drop down from the Saturn IV series – are fitted to the toms and butt-end are cheap and flimsy while the snare wires are unbranded and a mere 16 strands across.