My new M Birch in mmm green!

[rhydianjlewis]

Got this about 2 days ago...

The second from last picture shows the finish best.

The toms sound great but im still getting the kick and snare sorted out.

The specs are:

Mapex M Birch:
8x7" hanging tom
10x8" hanging tom
12x10" hanging tom
14x14" floor tom
14x5" snare
22x18" kick drum

All mapex hardware except for one CB boom stand for the splash.

Sabian Pro (not sonix) cymbals and a 12" wuhan splash.

Thanks for any comments :D

[Mapex589]

Yes!! That is a great kit. I own the same one, same finish with an extra 16" floor tom. You will be happy you bought that kit. I really like the hardware that comes with it too. Good luck and enjoy the sound of that birch. Congrats!!!

[JAHdrumming]

Same here! That kit will bring you nothig but JOY. I love the birch sound.

[drummerchick435]

Nice kit. I'm thinking about getting that exact same kit but with an extra 16in floor tom.
Does the kick sound punchy?
do the toms have deep tones?
is there any ring in the snare? I hate the ring.
I've been trying to get some audio on it but there doesn't seem to be any. So if you could post some audio that'd be nice. Thanks

[parser]

Great kit, love the green fade! I'm not so sure about all the moongels though. I'd also be missing the 16" floor tom, but all in all, really great kit!

[rhydianjlewis]

I cant get the amount of dampening right in the kick yet, to get right amount of punch and low end. I will put a small pillow in it soon. The toms have deep tones, however there is a lot of ring on the snare right through the tuning range, i will probably get a remo powerstroke 3 or other pre-dampened head soon. As i have only had the kit 2 days i dont have everything tuned how i like it yet but i will get sound clips up sometime.

You do need the moongel a bit because the heads are cheap and thin but only really on the larger toms.

Also, I was really close to buying a 16" floor tom to go with it but i found out it was £159 ($300) so I decided against it but i might well buy one at some time in the future as the option is always open. Hope that answers all questions and thanks for the replies!

[fusssion]

New heads could all but eliminate any moongel depending on the EXACT sound you're looking for.

For your bass drum....Aquarian SuperKick II ....cut a small hole in the reso and you're set! No muffling needed!

[morbius25]

I love green. Thats a nice kit. I could have the same thing, but went with the PDP mx emerald fade. The funny thing is there were the same price, but you get more goodies with the Mapex.

[parser]

My bad, I didn't look close enough to see the UT stock heads on it. I definitely understand the gels now.

Either way, this is by far my favorite finish of the M-birch line!!!

[drummerchick435]

I cant get the amount of dampening right in the kick yet, to get right amount of punch and low end. I will put a small pillow in it soon. The toms have deep tones, however there is a lot of ring on the snare right through the tuning range, i will probably get a remo powerstroke 3 or other pre-dampened head soon. As i have only had the kit 2 days i dont have everything tuned how i like it yet but i will get sound clips up sometime.

You do need the moongel a bit because the heads are cheap and thin but only really on the larger toms.

Also, I was really close to buying a 16" floor tom to go with it but i found out it was £159 ($300) so I decided against it but i might well buy one at some time in the future as the option is always open. Hope that answers all questions and thanks for the replies!

Well that confirms which kit I'm going to buy. I was a little hesitant about buying it. I going to go for it. My parents might even buy it for me!

[secondXheartbeat]

Hey I have those cymbals!

The ride and crash are real tinny sounding, but for some reason I really dig the hats.

I'm keeping the hats for a while but I think Santa is helping me out with the others :)

[Salicete]

NICE!

That green fade is outstanding! Mapex has always made nice gear.

[joeybeats]

Great looking kit! Love the finish. Green is a fab color. Enjoy your new set. Joey

[rhydianjlewis]

Thanks for all your nice comments!



The ride and crash are real tinny sounding, but for some reason I really dig the hats.



I actually really like the ride, put a few strips of tape on the underside and it sounds real nice.

Im not so keen on the hats, they're a bit clangy and the 'chick' isnt loud enough, but its all about preference.

[Zildjian 242]

Wow I love that finish. Those kits look great for the cash

How do they sound though?

[maddrummr]

GREEN!! That finesh is rockin! Change the heads. But the kit still rocks.

[rhydianjlewis]

Wow I love that finish. Those kits look great for the cash

How do they sound though?

Well the toms have quite a balanced clean tone with very few overtones, very easy to tune (especially the smaller drums) and some good punch.

The snare is very dry. It has a lot of ring, and is quite sharp but i have it tuned quite high.

The kick drum makes a rumbly low tone, with no overtones but isnt very defined without muffling. With a pillow it is better but the volume is reduced and there is a lot of ring from the toms. When i have thicker skins on the toms there should be less ring, and i will get either an EMAD or superkick to define the kick without losing volume.

This is the best description of the sound i can give.

Hope this helps

[Mr. Pasquini]

I have an M Birch snare... I love it. Best 95 dollar purchase EVAR.

wasn't that a new pic that you posted in that show your kit thread?

[dry_water]

thats a really classy looking kit. i love mapex kits, but the only downside for me is the hardware. especially the pedals are too bulky for me, and are hard to play imo. is it working out 4 u?

[fijjibo]

Mmmmmm.....Mapex.

I love it.


May I reccomend some Aquarian Super two's for the toms - they are what I use and they work really well for me.

[Norske]

New heads could all but eliminate any moongel depending on the EXACT sound you're looking for.

For your bass drum....Aquarian SuperKick II ....cut a small hole in the reso and you're set! No muffling needed!

Exactly what I use on my M Birch kick....excellent punch! And I use Studio X's on the toms.

Gorgeous kit, congrats!!

[Ironcobra]

These green M-Birch's are popping up everywhere, so pretty!

[Class A Drummer]

Looks great, i love the color. Are the pedals any good?

[AlexM]

Can anyone beat Mapex finishes at that price? Not sure, but it all good!

[rhydianjlewis]

OK

I havent been on DW forums for...
what is it 5 months about.

ITS BAD I KNOW :D

More up to date pics, now i'v had the kit a year-ish...



Somehow, I found a tom arm clamp in my band practise room, not mine but I'm not using it to hold my 12" tom :)

[rhydianjlewis]

They've been serving me really nicely this last year.

Remo emperors on the toms, mainly because they are cheaper than G2's.

To fijjibo: I didn't know about the Super 2's when i bought the Emps but it was already going to be my choice for next set of heads.

Im gonna get an aquarian power centre for the snare as well soon.

To dry_water and Class A Drummer: I found the Mapex kick pedal a bit heavy, and it didn't go loose enough for my me. I use my Pdp pedals and i really like them, even though i'v heard nothing but bad things about Pdp pedals :S

[thumper]

Nice kit bro-I love that finish!
Is your ride a Pro as well? Or is it a Hand Hammered? I used to own a 20" Pro ride, and it had more of a lathed (smooth) finish....no hammer marks at all, if I recall correctly.

[NIMBY]

i wish i had a green kit, it looks amazing

[metal overlord]

My god! I love that color! Nice kit.

[Norske]

SWEET looking kit!

I own two M Birch kits, and every time I see one in a different finish, I wonder if I chose the right ones.....I guess I just love all the finishes on the M Birch!

Nice choice of heads too. I have G2's on one kit, and Studio X's on the other. There's quite a bit of difference in the sound between the two. I use Super Kick II's on both kicks. I use the stock Mapex pedals on both, but that's just personal taste. I have Elims, but just haven't the time to get accustomed to them, but they are awesomely smooth!

Great update, thanks! Man, I love drum porn!!

[rhydianjlewis]

Nice kit bro-I love that finish!
Is your ride a Pro as well? Or is it a Hand Hammered? I used to own a 20" Pro ride, and it had more of a lathed (smooth) finish....no hammer marks at all, if I recall correctly.

Yeah it is a pro ride. Its very smooth, almost no lathing, but the hammer marks are pretty obvious.

I really need a 16" crash as my next purchase.

Thanks for the comments everyone.
:)

[mikei]

Beautiful Kit!!

I love the color. Bet it looks even better in person.

Congrats!!!

[Marshmallow Jones]

Have the same kit - loving it. I put some EC2s on the toms.

Can't say I'd think of using your set up but if it works for you - more power!

[rhydianjlewis]

Have the same kit - loving it. I put some EC2s on the toms.

Can't say I'd think of using your set up but if it works for you - more power!

I found with the 3 toms in front of me, I felt the urge to use them too often. It actually limited me in creative ideas.

This set-up is really good for me. I can just think of it as a four piece, with extra drums on either end. I can also now use the 12" tom for metally floor tom + snare bits.


EDIT: seen your kit, and it looks awesome with those EC2's, nice choice of cymbals as well.

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

Mmm green...

Delicious.

[lewisn27]

taht colour is sweet and so are the cymbals SABIAN!

[The Keith Moon]

thats a sweet one!
I wish I had one of those, instead I have a 4 piece used Gretch.