On 2005-05-30, sabianrules07 gave this Mapex Drum a 5


Purchase: I got 'em off of eBay for about $450 as a gift.
Pros: Okay, these are the discontinued models. However, for their sound and construction, they are excellent. Great attack with a good amount of overtones. This old model comes with the ultra-rare transparent lacquer finish (from the extra maple ply; mine is transparent purple...cherry red, amber and greenish-blue are also available on rarer models). Snare has a little ring, but can be muffled. Toms have good low end (standard configuration) and bass has a lot of low-end punch to it.
Cons: The factory "Remo" heads it came with suck. I suggest Remo Clear Pinstripes on toms, Remo Coated Powerstroke 3 on the snare, Remo Hazy Ambassadors on the tom and snare bottoms, and an Evans EMAD on the bass drum.
Quality: These are the old models, so they are made out of 8 ply Maple/Basswood. The newer ones are made out of 9 ply 100% maple. THese, however, are good sounding for their construction (Maple=great attack and beautiful finish; Basswood=good mid-end overtones and projection). Hardware is sturdy and takes beating.

Summary: Try either the new or older models. Both are great. Even though mine's out-dated, it's rare and it sounds killer. I never knew a company like Mapex can produce such a good product.

On 2001-10-18, Sandro del Greco gave this Mapex Drum a 5


Purchase: I bought this kit from the Newcastle Drum Centre in England. After looking for months at mid range kits I found this great kit, it was a bargain at £520. I had looked at other kits like the Pearl Export but it doesn't look as good as the mapex kit and the Tama Rockstar, but this was too expensive for me (im a poor boy :)).
Pros: The first thing that caught my eye was the colour, transparent amber and the raw hoops on the bass drum. I'm not sure about the mapex hardware as I got Pearl stuff with my kit. Also you get Remo heads with the drums as standard, which really sold me the kit, for £520 that is amazing. Also I don't really like the idea of big toms so I got the fusion sizes as you get a "normal" sized bass drum with them. And one more thing is that the toms don't get pierced by the tom arms, which improves the sound of the drums.
Cons: There isn't really anything I don't like, it probably would of been better if the bass drum wasn't pierced but its only 1 hole so that's ok :). That's all that I don't like.
Quality: They are great quality, I have had my drums for 2 months now and there has been no problems at all, not even the smallest thing.

Summary: These drums are possible the best drums I have ever played in my 3 years drumming, with the shells being maple on the inside and the bass wood on the out side they look great as well as sounding great. If you are looking to buy a mid range kit this is the one you should be buying!!!!

On 2001-09-16, Marvin R. gave this Mapex Drum a 5


Purchase: I obtained this kit from a good source, at an outstanding price. This kit is definitely the best in its class.
Pros: Well, it is obvious that Mapex did their R & D; extensively. To sum it up, they pretty much did everything in their manufacturing and quality control areas, to avoid all the flaws & negatives that are found in every other company's kits. ((Ex. Their mounted toms rods do not strip, as others... consistency in their shells versus others... hardware of every level is exceptional... ))
Cons: I don't have any dislikes of the kit itself. The only one, the only one flaw that they do happen to share with other companies kits of the same level, is of course: The shitty factory heads. (All you need to do is get some Evans heads on, you'll be allright...)
Quality: Very sturdy, easy to set up, comfortable, flexible. This kit has the I.T.S. Mounts - Ed.

Summary: As a younger company among all those over-priced big boys that boast of maple this, maple that (those are the companies that make consumers pay extra so that their endorsers can have kits...) Mapex should be thankful to them; they have shown what not to do in drum manufacturing; they've had obvious flaws, thank goodness for good research, and listening to the drummer first, not "the market".

On 2001-07-07, Mike gave this Mapex Drum a 5


Purchase: I aquired this kit after researching Pearl, Sonor, Gretsch, Tama, Ludwig, Yamaha, and Mapex. I tried the Pearl Export, but it looked and cheap. I also come very close to getting the Tama Rockstar Custom but the price was slightly too high. I got the Mapex M-Series after finding a very cheap price,$840, for a 6-piece set at 2112percussion.com This drum set is the best in its price range !!
Pros: I like almost everything about this set. The finish is amazing (transparent laquer), especially for the price. Similarly priced sets come with crappy wrapped finishes that not only look bad, but kill the sound. The sound is very nice; definatly better than a standard Pearl Export. The Fusion tom sizes are a little deeper than most sets and therefore sound deeper. The 22" kick has a deep punch, literally some nice "bang for the buck." THIS SET DOES COME WITH ITS TOM MOUNTS I was a little confused...there was no mention of it on the web site for some reason. The ITS monts do make it sound better. The double-braced hardware is good, although not incredible, and the hi-hat stand is better than Pearl's. ...And the best part: this set is 100% louder than the 5-lugged "drumset" I used to play.
Cons: The Bass pedal doesn't complement the bass drum at all. It's just not powerful enough to get the full potential of the bass drum. The snare rings a little, but if its tight enough it's much less noticable. The factory heads are a little cheap, but you can't expect much.
Quality: Very high quality set, bright finish, strong hardware, low-mass split lugs make it sound and look better. To sum the quality up in one word: Flawless.

Summary: I have to admit I have had the set for less than a week, but I found it very hard to find a review on this set so I'm helping out buyers who want to know some thing about this set before purchasing it. I can tell you that it is the best in its price range and that it blows the standard Pearl Export away. The Mapex M-Series looks good, sounds good, and is worth the money you pay for it.