Pearl Forum Rock or Mapex M Birch? Which would you choose?

cpl_hicks

cpl_hicks

Member
I am looking to buy a kit for use in a rock band. It needs to have a really punchy solid sound to cut through heavy guitar. I have been able to borrow a Pearl Export kit, which I really liked.

I've found two kits for sale locally and I would appreciate any opinions on these. The first is a Pearl Forum Rock (22" bass) and the seller wants £320 for this.

The other is a Mapex M Birch, with 3 high mounted toms, which I like. This kit looks amazing, and my understanding is it would be better quality than the Pearl. It comes with Sabian B8 cymbal set. The seller is asking for at least £550 for this one.

Any thoughts on which to go for, or opinions on relative merits of each kit would be much appreciated. Bear in mind I'm not massively experienced as a drummer - intermediate level, but very keen about playing in the band.

Cheers
Andy
 
This should really be a no brainer..
The Mapex is the superior kit! The Pearl Forum is geared more toward the beginning drummer. The Mapex is made from 100% Asian birch and covered in a stunning lacqer finish. All in all a better appointed drum.
I dont want to minimize the Pearl kit too much here. If the Forum is more in your price range than the Mapex, then it could be made to sound pretty darn good given proper heas selection and good tuning skills.
It depends on you here. What can you afford? What sound characteristics are you looking for in a drum? The Mapex; being an all birch kit is going to give you a nice initial snap and a throaty fat low end. My personal choice for tone woods.
The Forums, depending on when they were made are going to be made from cheap Luan magogany or poplar. The "mahogany" shells are going to produce alot of bottom end and remain on the flat side in the high and mid frequencies. The poplar are going to give you a more rounded tone.
I would say that if you can afford it, go for the Mbirch. I love my Mbirch kit!
 
pearlygates said:
This should really be a no brainer..
The Mapex is the superior kit! The Pearl Forum is geared more toward the beginning drummer. The Mapex is made from 100% Asian birch and covered in a stunning lacqer finish. All in all a better appointed drum.
I dont want to minimize the Pearl kit too much here. If the Forum is more in your price range than the Mapex, then it could be made to sound pretty darn good given proper heas selection and good tuning skills.
It depends on you here. What can you afford? What sound characteristics are you looking for in a drum? The Mapex; being an all birch kit is going to give you a nice initial snap and a throaty fat low end. My personal choice for tone woods.
The Forums, depending on when they were made are going to be made from cheap Luan magogany or poplar. The "mahogany" shells are going to produce alot of bottom end and remain on the flat side in the high and mid frequencies. The poplar are going to give you a more rounded tone.
I would say that if you can afford it, go for the Mbirch. I love my Mbirch kit!
Click to expand...


Thanks. I was looking for some confirmation that the Mapex is worth the extra money. It really does look the business with the Hermosa Fade finish.
I can afford to buy it, but whether my talent justifies the expense is another question :)
 
Hi man,

Like pearlygates said, you're comparing a entry-level kit to a mid-line kit. The Mapex is a much superior kit in almost every way.

Look, I had Forums for about 5 years. I learned a lot on them, I gigged and even recorded them, never had an issue.

Last year I upgraded to a Mapex Meridian Birch (the sucessor of the MBirch, they're almost the same), and the difference is night and day.

Basically:

Birch vs Poplar
ITS Suspension Tom Mounts vs drilled shells (or ISS, which is awful)
Better shells
Better craftmanship
Better hardware
Better finishes
..

However, I must add.. If you can, ask the seller if he can keep those B8's and lower the price. Then you can get used pro-cymbals.

You can make almost any drumkit sound pretty damn good with good heads and tuning, but you can't make bad cymbals sound good.

Cheers!
 
diegobxr said:
Hi man,

Like pearlygates said, you're comparing a entry-level kit to a mid-line kit. The Mapex is a much superior kit in almost every way.

Look, I had Forums for about 5 years. I learned a lot on them, I gigged and even recorded them, never had an issue.

Last year I upgraded to a Mapex Meridian Birch (the sucessor of the MBirch, they're almost the same), and the difference is night and day.

Basically:

Birch vs Poplar
ITS Suspension Tom Mounts vs drilled shells (or ISS, which is awful)
Better shells
Better craftmanship
Better hardware
Better finishes
..

However, I must add.. If you can, ask the seller if he can keep those B8's and lower the price. Then you can get used pro-cymbals.

You can make almost any drumkit sound pretty damn good with good heads and tuning, but you can't make bad cymbals sound good.

Cheers!
Click to expand...
Well said. Love my Mapex!!
 
diegobxr said:
However, I must add.. If you can, ask the seller if he can keep those B8's and lower the price. Then you can get used pro-cymbals.

You can make almost any drumkit sound pretty damn good with good heads and tuning, but you can't make bad cymbals sound good.

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Thanks mate. Are the B8 cymbals not very good then?
 
diegobxr said:
Last year I upgraded to a Mapex Meridian Birch (the sucessor of the MBirch, they're almost the same), and the difference is night and day.
Click to expand...

Do they sound better? To my untrained ear there is little difference between any of the kits I try. Ok some toms sound louder, but I'm not sure exactly what I should be listening for.

I can understand build quality i.e. how substantial are the stands, do they rattle etc. And I can appreciate that different kits are made from different types of wood which has an imact on the overall sound.

But as to what constitutes a 'better' sound from a drum, I'm not too sure how to evaluate this.
 
Having played a birch Mapex kit recently, I can happily say that would be the best buy here. Mapex make decent drums and the low-end Pearl kits have a couple of problems (the mounting system, essentially). Although I'm not sold on the Mapex tom mounting hardware it is still good.

I would ask the seller to drop the B8 cymbals and lower the price too. I used to have a set of B8 cymbals and they were reasonable but there are much better cymbals out there. Getting used professional cymbals will be a slightly more expensive option (the drop in price on the Mapex won't cover the cost) but it's definitely the best option for you here.
 
Go for the Mapex over the Forums for sure. The b8 are an entry deal just like the Forums are. Keep an eye open for quality used cymbals, start by getting a Quality ride and hi hats then add the crashes. Do you know an experienced drummer who could mentor you inregards to cymbals?? Is there a local music store that can offer you advise on cymbal brands? Doc
 
Another vote for the Mapex. The Pearl is an entry/intermediate level kit ... the Mapex is a high end intermediate/almost pro level kit.​
I agree, also, with dumping the cymbals ... to discount the kit.​
 
cpl_hicks said:
Do they sound better? To my untrained ear there is little difference between any of the kits I try. Ok some toms sound louder, but I'm not sure exactly what I should be listening for.

I can understand build quality i.e. how substantial are the stands, do they rattle etc. And I can appreciate that different kits are made from different types of wood which has an imact on the overall sound.

But as to what constitutes a 'better' sound from a drum, I'm not too sure how to evaluate this.
Click to expand...

No problem, man.

B8's are made of B8 Bronze, hence the name, and are made by cutting and molding sheets of metal. Pro cymbals are made of B20 Bronze and are cast cymbals. That's mainly what explains their price difference.

From all the entry-level cymbals I've played, I think B8's are OK.. I mean, they're not horrible and unplayable like some others are.. but yeah, there are much better cymbals out there.

Don't panic because of that "not knowing the difference". It's normal. As you start playing more and more, your ear starts beggining to tell the difference more and more too.
However, it's a fact that all drums "sound like drums".. so yeah, it's difficult. Recently a user here posted a blind test of three snares made of three different materials (birch, maple and brass) and almost nobody got right which was what.

What makes drums "good" are the next things:

* Shells must be perfectly round. An out-of-round shell is a pain in the ass to tune.

* Bearing edges (the part of the shell that's in contact with the drumhead) must be flat, smooth and well cut. Again, a defective bearing edge will make tuning a nightmare, will kill resonance and overall make the drum sound bad.

* Drum hardware, like lugs, gaskets, hoops, tension rods and rods receiver have an impact on the drum's sound and ease of tune too.

So that's basically it... The more expensive a drumkit is, the more likely it is to have round shells, perfect bearing edges and quality hardware. The least expensive, the more likely some of this things will suffer.

Anyway, just a bit of info so you can start getting the hang of what makes drums good and "why the %&$% are some drums so expensive if they all look the same!!". lol.

Cheers!
 
B8's are made of B8 Bronze, hence the name, and are made by cutting and molding sheets of metal. Pro cymbals are made of B20 Bronze and are cast cymbals. That's mainly what explains their price difference.
Click to expand...

Have to correct you on a couple of points here.

Not all B8 cymbals are 'entry-level'. Paiste's 2oo2 series are B8 alloy and they are fully professional. It all comes down to manufacturing. Most B8 cymbals are 'entry-level' but that is more co-incidence and tradition than anything else. B20 is the 'traditional' professional alloy but that doesn't mean it is the only 'professional' alloy. Paiste use B8, and B18 as well as B20. Meinl use all kinds of different alloys for their cymbals.

As for being cheaper? The material in and of itself isn't cheaper. With the increase in the price of copper, B8 (with its higher proportion of copper to tin. The 'number' denotes the tin percentage in the alloy) is roughly equivalent in material terms to B20. The only difference is the 'rolling' process that allows B8 bronze to be made in larger quantities with a cheaper process. After all, casting is laborious.

Sabian B8's are entry level. But that's just the name. B8 alloy in itself is not inherently a lower-grade alloy. It sounds a bit brighter and can be produced at a faster rate than B20 bronze but B8 is used in professional cymbal lines as well. It just so happens that a lot of cheaper cymbals are made of B8 but that doesn't make it inferior.
 
Gotta add another vote for the Mapex. Also, must agree to ditch the cymbals and go for used pro. Good luck!
 
diegobxr said:
No problem, man.

B8's are made of B8 Bronze, hence the name, and are made by cutting and molding sheets of metal. Pro cymbals are made of B20 Bronze and are cast cymbals. That's mainly what explains their price difference.

From all the entry-level cymbals I've played, I think B8's are OK.. I mean, they're not horrible and unplayable like some others are.. but yeah, there are much better cymbals out there.

Don't panic because of that "not knowing the difference". It's normal. As you start playing more and more, your ear starts beggining to tell the difference more and more too.
However, it's a fact that all drums "sound like drums".. so yeah, it's difficult. Recently a user here posted a blind test of three snares made of three different materials (birch, maple and brass) and almost nobody got right which was what.

What makes drums "good" are the next things:

* Shells must be perfectly round. An out-of-round shell is a pain in the ass to tune.

* Bearing edges (the part of the shell that's in contact with the drumhead) must be flat, smooth and well cut. Again, a defective bearing edge will make tuning a nightmare, will kill resonance and overall make the drum sound bad.

* Drum hardware, like lugs, gaskets, hoops, tension rods and rods receiver have an impact on the drum's sound and ease of tune too.

So that's basically it... The more expensive a drumkit is, the more likely it is to have round shells, perfect bearing edges and quality hardware. The least expensive, the more likely some of this things will suffer.

Anyway, just a bit of info so you can start getting the hang of what makes drums good and "why the %&$% are some drums so expensive if they all look the same!!". lol.

Cheers!
Click to expand...


Thanks, great advice there. It's clear I have a lot to learn.

If I think back to my last gig though, one comment afterwards from someone in the audience was, we couldn't hear the drums much. What's the point in having an expensive kit if the balance is wrong and it can't be heard?
 
Am not really an advocate of some Mapex products, but with the choices that are given, I'd have to go with the Mapex. Although I've never played these particular Mapex drums, I have heard good reports concerning them.

Dennis
 
Like keepitsimple said, the forum really just doesn't hang with the exports (although, IMO neither compare to the mapex Mbirch)... I wonder why Pearl didn't keep the exports instead of the forum...? Hmmm...thought for the day
 
Comparing apples to oranges. Mapex is the way to go hands down here.
 
Thanks for all the comments. I bought the Mapex kit, and I'm well pleased with it. Completely blows away my old kit. Impressed with the build quality of the hardware, stands etc very substantial. Feels like a quality kit all round. Looks beautiful too, kind of sunburst colour, very striking.

You were right about them cymbals :)
 
cpl_hicks said:
Thanks for all the comments. I bought the Mapex kit, and I'm well pleased with it. Completely blows away my old kit. Impressed with the build quality of the hardware, stands etc very substantial. Feels like a quality kit all round. Looks beautiful too, kind of sunburst colour, very striking.

You were right about them cymbals :)
Click to expand...

Can't be believed until pics prove otherwise.
 
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