My new Mapex BP Black Widow kit

petrez

Senior Member
I tried setting up my new kit at home, though I don't have the cymbals and the rest of the hardware and snare here. Will take the kit to the practice area on monday, so I'll take some more pictures then, all included :)

So, this is a Mapex Black Panther, Black Widow kit. Finish is Transparent Black, and it's made of thin north american maple shells. Out of what I can hear by gently trying them out at home, they sound incredibly warm and resonant, quick attack. The sizes are 22x18", 10x7", 12x8", 14x12", 16x14". Also pictured with a new rack, Gibraltar curved chrome rack w/wings (only one wing pictured...).

As said, I will post more pictures soon, with my all-Meinl cymbal setup and Mapex BP maple snare :)
 

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I really like the lugs. Nothing wrong with the regular Mapex lugs but tube lugs are a nice change. Like the sizes too. Can't wait to see with cymbals!
 
Thanks! Yeah, the tube lugs definately adds a nice touch, kinda sticks out. Now I only have to save up for the Black Widow snare I think... I have a special edition Black Panther maple in a brown burl finish, very nice snare but sticks out a lot from this kit's finish. I'm considering selling it together with my Pearl VBX kit and maybe add the Widow snare and a Falcon double pedal (have 2 singles with my Sonor kit). But a diferent looking snare can be quite cool though, so we'll see :)
 
It has such a dark horse vibe about it. I love that panther logo, it's the coolest.

I find matching snares boring personally, I would get something bright and shiny on the snare stand.
 
Yeah, I kinda agree on the snare thing, it's nice to have a different look on the snare. I'm going to try out a few at least, check out the snare market... A new Falcon double is in the planning though :)
 
Some more pictures here, unfortunately not the best lightning at our practice space. Snare is a 14x5,5" Mapex Black Panther Maple, special edition (Thomann), Brown Mapa Burst. Cymbals are:
9,5" Meinl M-Series Bell
10" Meinl Soundcaster Fusion Splash
14" Meinl Soundcaster Fusion Medium Hats
16" Meinl Mb10 Medium Crash
16" Meinl Classics Custom Extreme CHina
17" Meinl Byzance Medium Thin Crash
20" Meinl M-Series Fusion Medium Ride
8" Meinl timbalito :)

Tama Iron Cobra 600 double pedal, Pearl HH2000 hihat-stand, various Pearl/Tama stands.
 

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A few more pictures of the kit here, from a show last weekend. Last picture is from a slightly earlier show, showing off the Black Panther snare as well.
Changed the heads to Evans G14 clear batter on toms, Evans GMAD clear on the bassdrum. Prefer them over the Suede Ambassadors, sounds more punchy yet still warm and resonant.
Oh, and happy new year!
 

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Sweet kit! Are you only using the single floor tom? I like the curved rack too.
 
Thanks! I just used one FT on these shows (the 16"), a little less stuff to carry and fit on stage. I like to keep it a bit simple when I can :)
This is the snare btw, special edition (only www.thomann.de sells them) maple snare, 14x5,5"
285076.jpg
 
Nice snare, I was looking at the Black Panther line before I got my snare. Mapex has some really nice gear. Yeah, leaving a piece home for a live gig makes sense.
 
I really like the Black Widow kit, it sounds very full, resonant while still punchy with the right heads and tuning. Right out of the box I thought it was tuned too high for my taste, and I couldn't find that sweet spot completely with the Suede Ambassadors that came with the kit. With the new Evans G14 though, it got more punchy while still sounding warm and resonant, kind of my ideal sound. The slightly shallower toms sounds really good, I'm looking forward to record it and see if there is a notable difference compared to standard depth toms, I struggle to hear it when playing live... The bassdrum has some real depth to it, don't really need any kind of muffling to sound great. Overall I would definately recommend the kit, it's look might be a bit more anonymous compared to the other Black Panther kits, but it is a completely pro grade kit in all regards of the word. I like the dark horse analogy, seems fitting for these drums :)

I wish to get a Saturn IV kit sometime in the future as well, selling my Pearl Vision. I'd like to have a slightly deeper sounding kit as well, both because of the maple/walnut shells and deeper toms. I might get one with 20x18" bassdrum though.
 
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Looks lovely. G14s are absolutely killer heads, too. Plus, a great selection of Meinls.

Yup, I might just have to steal this... ;) ;) ;) Seriously though, great stuff. If you like those kind of batter heads, you might check out the BP Blade (IIRC, what matt halpern uses) or the titular Panther. Or try something stave!

As for the shallower toms, you probably wouldn't notice that much difference between, say, a 1" or less deeper tom but as one gets shallower it basically gains focus and response. The 7"-8" range is IMO a very good modern balance between tone and transparency. Heck, my custom kit is 10x7.5" and 12x8" :)
 
Very nice kit! I like the finish and the lugs (cool badge too). It kind of has a Gretsch/Slingerland vibe to me. Very cool.

I like how the rack looks from the front with the two ends out like that with the curve.

Talk of an 8x12 as a "shallow" tom, and a 9x12 as a standard... I guess I'm old :)
I like (& have) both sizes, but the 8x12 just speaks more clearly through PA's for me.

Enjoy!!!
 
Hi,

Absolutely amazing ! One of the best Mapex kits on the market (for me !).
Size is just perfect and the finish is so great !
I own a Saturn IV with G14 heads too and it's so easy to tune, do not need to muffle anymore :)
 
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