Mapex Review: SW6225 Saturn Studio

History: I've been playing drums as a hobby and in various bands for 40 years. I'm into good/classic rock, blues and intelligent pop. My preivous equipment was a 65 era Appolo set with a 67 Ludwig Supraphonic snare.

Purchase: I was interested in upgrading and had heard a lot of good things about Mapex from some classic drum collectors and so decided to consdier them. Mapex offered kits in the sizes I was interested that were reasonably priced. After an extensive search, I found Massmusic out of Tempe AZ. They offer outstanding personal service and the best prices ( on any drum equipment ) I could find. Please contact Reade, Andrea or Andy for any question or issue; they are professionals! I paid $1699 for a Saturn transparent cherry 6 peice set ( 5.5x14, 10x8, 12x9, 14x11, 16x13 and 18x22 ) with free 8x7 tom w/mount and free shipping - no one could touch their price!

What I Like About This Mapex SW6225 Saturn Studio: Great value, great sound. The drums when tuned high really resonate; when tuned low give a great warm sound with great bottom end. The hardware is heavy duty, well thought out and high quality. The heads are Remo; better than what is provided on most kits. You'll probably want to relace them with higher quality heads (Other Remo, Evans or Aquairian ) eventually but these come out of the box sounding good.

What I Do NOT Like About The Mapex SW6225 Saturn Studio: The P580 bass drum pedal is difficult to find a good adjustment ( I'm used to a Ludwig SpeedKing ).

Mapex SW6225 Saturn Studio Quality Rating: 5.1mm thick tom shells; 4 ply maple with 2 inner plies of walnut. The bearing edges are smooth and flat. The shells are concentric within +/-1/16 of an inch. The finish is top notch. Bass and Snare thickness are 7.2 mm I believe. Hardware has MANY memory lock and adjusts easily and securely.

Review Summary: Great set for a great price. If the Saurn ( or Orion ) is too pricey, try the maple pro or birch series. Mapex ( and Massmusic! ) care about their quality and customer satisfaction

Rating of this Mapex product: 5

This Mapex SW6225 Saturn Studio Drums Percussion Review Submitted By: Larry

Review Date: 2006-03-25