Pearl or Mapex ???

[invasion]

HI, I have recently started to play drums at the age of 33 and I am really enjoying it so far!

I have a Pearl export kIt that I got off Ebay not sure how old it is but the guy I got it from had it for 5 years or so and he got it second hand from what I can gather

http://www.pbase.com/invasion/image/80564242/medium.jpg

I recently upgraded the Cymbals from the pearl ones that came with it to some Meinl MCS and Classics

Now I would like to get a new kit as it is my birthday soon and the wife said i could get a new one if I wanted :)

Question is do I go for a Mapex M BIRCH 22 Rock or Pearl EX Export 22 Rock the Mapex is £500 and the Pearl £550

I am kinda thinking Pearl isnt as good as the Mapex ?? and you are paying for the name with Pearl am I correct with this ??

also if I do get new kit will I notice a big improvment given the age of my kit now things must of moved on somewhat ??

Anything else I should consider in the £500 price range maybe Yamaha

any help advice much appreciated

Regards
A J

[komodo]

I would 100% go with mapex and you wont be disappointed :D amazing drums for the prices,and especially in my opinion (although its debatable) they are better than the exports. Of course you might like to try the kits out yourself if your near a shop as it often comes to personal preference. As for will they sound better,chances are they will :p

[drumbuddy105133]

do they come with hardware?

aside from that, I would go with the Mapex M Birch. Much better value. The M Birch's have..well....BIRCH shells. Exports have poplar shells, which they claim is light and durable, although not so sure on tonal qualities.

;)

[invasion]

Yes they both come with hardware the mapex has the following:

P550A Pedal
S550A Snare Stand
H550A Hi-Hat Stand
C550A Straight Stand
B550A Boom Stand

and the pearl has:

S-800W snare stand
BC-800W boom stand
C-800W cymbal stand
H-820W hi-hat
P-120P pedal

also both come with free additional 10" tom

Regards
A J

[DamoSyzygy]

Question is do I go for a Mapex M BIRCH 22 Rock or Pearl EX Export 22 Rock the Mapex is £500 and the Pearl £550

I am kinda thinking Pearl isnt as good as the Mapex ?? and you are paying for the name with Pearl am I correct with this ??

Yes Id say in this case you are correct in your assumption- And believe me people WILL pay for that name.

However, people who do their research will realize that the Mapex is hands-down a better value kit when paired up against the Export.

That being said, I count for only one personal opinion. Ultimately, youll want to go try both kits out. Which kit is louder, which is easier to tune, which has the more common-sense hardware? All of these things can be tested, even if you claim to not have much knowledge of drums.

Good Luck!

[Class A Drummer]

I consider the Mapex M to be just under the quality of a pearl Session and above the quality of a pearl. Although the export is an amazing set, I just think the M is better. Also mapex's prices are not ridiculous. Pearl makes amazing drums, but they are expensive.

[harryconway]

You mentioned Yamaha, the Tour Customs might be in your budget, if you're gonna hold onto your old hardware.

[invasion]

They look to be just out of my price range..I think I am going to go with the Mapex...or maybe the pearl ..no its the Mapex...Ahhhhhhh Decisions decisions!!, got to decide on a colour for the kit as well.

Regards
AJ

[invasion]

Well I made my decision and I ordered a Mapex Mbirch in Transparent sapphire got a good price as well £439:00 + £20 delivery. Choosing colour was major thing in itself quite a stressfull thing, this ordring new kits :)

will be with me on thursday I will post some pictures when it arrives I cant wait :)

Regards
A J

[voldak]

excellent decision! I plan on getting a new Mapex kit asap. Please dont' forget the pics :)

[-tarek-]

I'd go with the Mapex over an Export. I play a Pearl Masters birch and it is better quality and in my opinion better sounding than all of the Mapexs I tried, including Saturns and Orions, but the Export sucks. That was my first kit. Personally, I'd try to put together a little more money because you can't get much for that kind of price. And I wouldn't bother with Yamaha unless you get into the high end kits.

[joey]

i own a mapex m-birch n trust me u will not be disappionted there great n i got it in the mod set up (thats the english name for the retro set) and the hardware i was told n believe was from the pro-m but im not sure if that was just the deal the shop owner was doin

but get the mapex there sound

i got mine for about £559 but that was with a premium finish and was the retro/mod set

[aceman]

I have to disagree that its better to leave yamaha alone except for their high end kits. In my opinion, (which isnt worth much these days), Yamaha makes the best semi-pro kits out there especially when you combine them with their hardware. Anyway, If I were in your shoes, I'd keep banging away at the export kit that you have for now and save another $500 or so and then get a good semi-pro kit. Going from one export to a newer export or other entry level kit wont be much of an upgrade in my opinion. But going to a pearl session, Yamaha stage custom ect. would be.

[invasion]

My export kit is like 20 years old or somthing.. and looks as if the shells are some sort of man made fibre board ??

The mapex on the other hand is 6ply birch shells which I am told is tonally superior I am hoping and think there will be a vast difference in qulaity in all areas! also the improvments in manufacturing techniques over the years it must make a difference? things must of moved on in 20-25 years ???

Also would you not say that this is on the same level as a Session for spec ?

Regards
A J

[Drumalltheway]

MAPEX is probably the worest possible choice you can make out of big name brands. Although many has said that mapex has improved its quality a lot, but that's not true at all. Sure the factory has been in China for a long time, but the quality of its drum did not improve a lot! (espeically on its finish on drum or hardware, if you look closer, I am sure you can find some orange peel looking thing). After looking at so many drums before purchasing my Dixon drum, you are really better off with Pearl, Tama or any other brand!

[invasion]

That is helpfull now I have placed an order lol..I take it from your comments you dont like Mapex!!

well I will have to see when mine arrives tomorrow so lets hope I like it!!

I think it is like all things made today, yes you can get some duff ones if unlucky and some good ones alike ..I have a Sony TV which I love.. but I was talking to somone else who is on his third in 2 months because of faults just the way it goes I guess???

I think maybe you are being a tad harsh saying any other kit would be a better choice as I have heard people say so many good things about them.

I see also you dont like customer service from Mapex what Mapex product are you having trouble with ???


Regards
AJ

[AlexM]

Dude - You made a great decision. At the price point there simply is not a nicer kit. I have an M-Birch in the same Transparent Sapphire and I love it.

Go here (http://www.myspace.com/listen2three) and listen to the tracks there. The two with drums where recorded on my M Birch kit in Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta GA. The snares used weren't the stock snare though.

I have three Mapex kits, knock me if you want. They work great for me, they look beautiful, and if you listen to the recording you'll hear that they sound pretty good too!

[invasion]

Thanks Alex...I have had a listen to your recordings and they do sound good nice work !!

really looking forward to tomorrow any advice on what heads to replace stock ones with ??

Regards
A J

[-tarek-]

Thanks Alex...I have had a listen to your recordings and they do sound good nice work !!

really looking forward to tomorrow any advice on what heads to replace stock ones with ??

Regards
A J

Being birch, your toms won't be as resonant as maple, so i would definitely steer clear of pinstripes or EC2 or some other dampening head. Let them sing! I'd try some Evans G2s over G1s, that's the combo I use on my birch Pearl kit and it sounds great. Coated G2s sound pretty good, too. Remo Emperors over Ambassadors are a good combo for birch as well, if you're a Remo guy. If you want a brighter, slightly tinnier sound, try single ply batters, like Ambassadors on top and bottom or G1s over either G1's or Genera Glass. When I bought my last kit, I bought a different set of heads for each tom and played them for about a week with different tuning and such, got them nice and broken in, then bought a full set of the ones I decided on, which happened to be G2s over G1s. I would definitely go for an EMAD or Superkick on the bass drum. The M birch doesn't have much resonance in the kick drum, and although the EMAD has a dampener, it actually projects more low end boom and body than any other head I've tried, you just have to tune it a little high and tune the reso to the same pitch. Snare heads, personally, I've never tried a snare head that I didn't like. They've all sounded so different, but everything I tried sounded great. I just stay away from anything dampened. Evans so far are my favorite. So if you have the money for it, try everything out, if not, give me an idea of what kind of sound you're looking for and I may be able to help because I've tried many many heads in the search for the perfect ones.

[invasion]

Thanks for the advice much appreciated...I love the sound of Tre cools drumming from Greenday thats what got me wanting a kit in the first place I think he uses Remo Coated emperors on the tops of his toms, clear ambassadors on the bottoms on his kit would that be a good choice for mine ?

Regards

A J

[-tarek-]

Thanks for the advice much appreciated...I love the sound of Tre cools drumming from Greenday thats what got me wanting a kit in the first place I think he uses Remo Coated emperors on the tops of his toms, clear ambassadors on the bottoms on his kit would that be a good choice for mine ?

Regards

A J


Yeah, I'd say those would sound good. I've tried that combination and liked it, but the coated heads choked the sound a little too much for me. But also, my kit has diecast hoops, your's I believe does not, and those diecasts choke the sound a bit. So yeah, coated Emperors would probably sound great on your new kit. They're easy to tune, as well, from my experience.

Happy drumming!

[spartacus1989]

Although I don't own an acoustic kit -YET- I have played on Mapexs and Pearls numerous times. I prefer the Mapex's for there amazingly warm sound and VALUE!!

When you pay about £1000 for a decent pearl kit, you can pay about £550 for a Mapex of the same standard!

(This is just my opinion)

[Drumalltheway]

That is helpfull now I have placed an order lol..I take it from your comments you dont like Mapex!!

well I will have to see when mine arrives tomorrow so lets hope I like it!!

I think it is like all things made today, yes you can get some duff ones if unlucky and some good ones alike ..I have a Sony TV which I love.. but I was talking to somone else who is on his third in 2 months because of faults just the way it goes I guess???

I think maybe you are being a tad harsh saying any other kit would be a better choice as I have heard people say so many good things about them.

I see also you dont like customer service from Mapex what Mapex product are you having trouble with ???


Regards
AJ

You are right, I guess I just happend to have bad luck with the brand .haha that's life I guess. The problem I had was the steel hoop that they put on for QR series. The hoop wasn't round, so it didn't fit the shell well. I went to the store, then the dealer told me to contact Mapex directly...then the whole thing started...waiting..waiting and mroe waiting.
Anyhow, I guess I am just one of the few that had the experience.

[chenjc1979]

You are right, I guess I just happend to have bad luck with the brand .haha that's life I guess. The problem I had was the steel hoop that they put on for QR series. The hoop wasn't round, so it didn't fit the shell well. I went to the store, then the dealer told me to contact Mapex directly...then the whole thing started...waiting..waiting and mroe waiting.
Anyhow, I guess I am just one of the few that had the experience.

I guess that makes two of us that has bad experience..........

[drum.lad]

hey cant wait to see ur pics of ur new kit man im kinda lookin for a new semi pro kit and wondering how the mapex look and if they sound good but im still saving me money up over the summer probaly through christmas and on to my birthday in april then i will be able to get a pretty nice kit............i hope

[BCains]

Dude - You made a great decision. At the price point there simply is not a nicer kit. I have an M-Birch in the same Transparent Sapphire and I love it.

Go here (http://www.myspace.com/listen2three) and listen to the tracks there. The two with drums where recorded on my M Birch kit in Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta GA. The snares used weren't the stock snare though.

I have three Mapex kits, knock me if you want. They work great for me, they look beautiful, and if you listen to the recording you'll hear that they sound pretty good too!

You guys have a nice sound, enjoyed the tracks.

I have the same kit M Birch Studio - link to thread (http://drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26973&highlight=Mapex+Birch)

I tried a range of kits all in a similar price range, e.g Exports, Accents, PDPs, Cabria...etc
Didn't get a chance to try the Sonors, coudn't find them in any of the stores. =(
IMO it was the best sounding and the fact i got a great deal + a free tom.

[invasion]

Well my kit arrived on thursday and I have to say it is amazing love it!! not one fault on it the finish is perfect and evrything as it should be.

I didn't like the sound of the stock heads so I have chyanged those today for some clear pinstripes..and what a difference cant belive it sounds great!

will post some pictures later today

Regards
A J

[invasion]

And here she is:

http://www.pbase.com/invasion/image/81017594.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/invasion/image/81017604.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/invasion/image/81017612.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/invasion/image/81017713.jpg

Regards
A J

[dharma bum]

VERY cool kit. How are the pinstripe heads on it? I just got a Pro M kit, am debating which heads to put on it to replace the stocks...

[invasion]

Well all I can say is they are amazing transformed the kit!! it sounds great now gave me a silly grin on my face hearing the difference just like a kid. Mapex really should put some decent ones on these kits, such a shame to send them out sounding so bad. I left the stock reso head on I was going to change both but didn't need to in the end.

Regards
A J