Members DoubleA007 Posted January 17, 2015 Members Posted January 17, 2015 Hey guys, I'm in the process of buying a new acoustic drum, I have been playing on a Roland TD drum for the last couple of years, but after seeing the new Mapex Mars & Armory, I have decide to sell the Roland and get one of the Mapex. I have been reading and checking website, reviews, video and what not for the last couple of months. I'm ready to buy but I cant seem to decide wether I go with the Mars or the Armory. There is a 300$ difference between the two but the Armory come with the Tomahawk snare drum which I kind of like. So far I have only seen good review on the Mars and similar one for the Armory. To me it seem that the Armory is a little higher end than the Mars but what do I know ? Something is telling me to get the Armory, I want a 6 pieces kit in transparent black, along with the cymbal stand and the double BD pedal in black chrome. As for the cymbals I'll probably get the Sabian basement kit. I'm an amateur drummer and drumming is my passion, i have bee playing for over 25 years and this kit might the last one, who know I'm 53... Some of you might think I should shut up, buy whatever I want and call it a day, but still I though I could step in and see if anyone has already purchase one of the two and perhaps get some more opinion. Thanks for any comments, I'm sure I will appreciate it. Cheers AA
Members Drummer44 Posted January 18, 2015 Members Posted January 18, 2015 I think maybe you have to hear them/feel them to decide... -D44
Members 1001gear Posted January 18, 2015 Members Posted January 18, 2015 So you're a minor league secret agent with a license to kill?
Members DoubleA007 Posted January 18, 2015 Author Members Posted January 18, 2015 My nick name has always been DoubleA which stand for my name André Allaire, but whenever I create a user name, it seem this pseudonym is largely used, therefore I had to add some number, it's no secret that I have always enjoy James Bond movie. As for my personality I'm a very pacific guys, I don't own guns. Back to the drum, I have checked Mapex website to find the local dealer but ironically none of them has one or the other in demo, so I could try it, said so my best bet is to ask other drummers and listen to youtube video. I'm going to take the plunge for the Armory I prefer the finish on this model, the double BD pedal sold with the cymbal stand for the Armory look a little more quality.
Members 1001gear Posted January 18, 2015 Members Posted January 18, 2015 Fair enough. 1001 represents eyeglasses and gear is self explanatory. The Armory drums have the new edges so you should get big drum tone right out the box. Dendy Jarrett Admo and Mod here knows a thing or two about Mapex and can probably answer any questions you might have.
Members twosticks Posted January 19, 2015 Members Posted January 19, 2015 Welcome to the group Double!! I'm 45 and have been playing since I was 16 or so or around 1985. I've had a new B-line Pearl Copy set, a pure junk set and a now a Yamaha Stage Custom and a Roland TD-4 for home practice. First off the the Armory is a little bit more "Pro-ish" and is inner ply of Maple with outer plys of Birch and the Mars is All plys Birch, both are Great drum woods. Birch is a little bit more "biting" (think Phil Collins toms on In the Air Tonight) Maple is a tad bit "warmer" sounding (Think of Steve Gadd playing on Paul Simon's 50 Ways to leave your lover) BUT these sounds can totally changed by tuning, heads and sizes and so on. NO Drummer can tell the wood of a drums shell just by listening to it. What type of music to you normally play?? if you play more rock to heavy rock, get the bigger drum sizes, if not you may go with more of a fusion size drum kit. Again, this too can be changed with different heads and tuning. Whichever kit you get may come with "generic" heads and it may be difficult to tune easily until you get heads that are more to your choosing. The Armory hardware seems to be a little more stout than the Mars Hardware, especially on the high hat stand, but either one has nice decent hardware, In fact most drum makers today make decent kits and good hardware on entry to pro level kits so it's not so much like it was 30 years ago when you had to hunt for good hardware, true drum edges and in round shells. So you have had acoustic sets before?? If so then you understand that an acoustic set is a totally different animal than an Electronic kit right?? You know that room size, furnishings in the room, head choice, tuning, muffling will all come into play with an acoustic kit?? Real cymbals are A LOT different too, but better! But I would really shop around on your cymbals. Getting all entry level cymbals may work better on your pocket book but you will hate the sound after awhile. I would go and play EVERY CYMBAL I could in person and then look on Craigslist, E-bay and the like for that cymbal used, then you will have the cymbals you want without the high price. At least on the ride and hats. I would also look for whichever drum set you want used. If it's just a hobby and the drums sound good, what do you care how they look per se?? Just saying this because finding a used set in the color and finish you want may be really hard. From the Mapex website, both the Armory and Mars kits are mid-line or intermediate drum sets with the Armory being one step up from the Mars. I would say to go with the Armory too, if you can. The easier drums are to tune and play, the more creative and enjoyable your playing will be and the Armory set seems to be easier to set up, tune and play, BUT is NOTHING wrong with the Mars kit. I would also at least try to get drum bags for whichever set when you can so if you do have to store them. Also remember with a real kit, sound travels and some of your neighbors might not enjoy your playing as much. Hope this helps and once again, Welcome. :-)
Members FitchFY Posted January 20, 2015 Members Posted January 20, 2015 Hey AA! Welcome to the forum. The above questions and insight from Twosticks should be taken to heart, and congrats on moving back to real drums. I prefer the Armory series of the Mars series, personally, but drums can be such a personal choice. With that being said, sometimes we just like things because we like them, and from your posts, I think in your heart of hearts you want the Armory. And hey, like you said, at 53.... get what YOU want!
Members DoubleA007 Posted January 25, 2015 Author Members Posted January 25, 2015 Good morning everyone, thanks for all your responses, I appreciate advice from experienced people. I have though a lot about which drum to get so what I did is build a specific set-up with both drum. I want a 6 pieces set-up, meaning a snare, 2 x toms, 1 x BD and 2 x tom floor, a double base drum pedal, 14'' high ha cymbalst, 2 crash cymbals (16'' & 18'') and a ride (20''-22'') I'll probably add some more cymbals down the road. I called a local dealer Longue Mcade, they have store across canada and will match the best price. The Mars kit come with a 4 or 5 shell pack so I would have to buy an additional tom, While comparing the quote between the Armory and the Mars kit, the Armory ended costing less than 300$ more that the Mars kit. It didin't take long for me to decide, so I'm going for the Armory kit, I also felt that the double bass drum pedal seem a little more robust, I also prefer to not have mounted tom on the bass drum, I think it give a better set-up option, The finish on the Armory is a no brainer but the Mars kit is also very nice, the fact that the Armory come with the Tomahawk snare drum is a big plus so when you compare the price of both kit,you pay a little more for the Armory but the overall value speak for itself. If the price difference would have been like a 500$+ than I would perhaps choose the Mars kit. If my budget would have aloud I would have made the same comparison with the Armory and Saturn kit but it's not the case. One last thing, there is another kit that was in the loop, the Mapex Meridien Black Raven, but it has been discontinued and very hard to find in 6 pieces shell pack so my final decision is to go with the Armory. I'll post some pics as soon as I'll have it. Thanks a bunch.
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