DDrum Dominion vs. Mapex M Birch

[006]

Hey all, this is my first post.

I have been jamming a lot the past year or so on a couple of my friend's sets. At first I noticed I had a natural ability to play. I just jammed for a while every few days until I realized "hey, I think I want to take this a lot further" and for the past 7 months I have played more and more. Now I'm extremely interested in getting my own set, as I'm sure my friends want that as well haha.

I have narrowed it down to two sets. The Mapex M Birch is made of birch, duh, and the set includes the straight/boom/hat stands, a kick pedal and REMO heads right off the bat for $750. I would need to purchase a cymbal pack, Sabian B8 set with crash/ride/hats is what I have picked out, and a throne, which I also have picked out. The only color I like is the Trans Honey Amber, but truthfully it's not exactly satisfying compared to the finish on the DDrum. The Mapex kit is 6 pieces including the free 8" tom deal that have going, otherwise it is a 5-piece. So with the throne and cymbals that set comes to around $1,100.

The other choice, and what I really want is the DDrum Dominion Player AMX 4-piece set. It is a maple/ash blend, has all the sizes I want, but is just the shells and it is $750 on it's own. Going this route I have to get stands, cymbals, throne and a kick pedal. I have picked out a Gibralter hat stand and a single kick pedal that is the same series so they match. The cymbals are the same Sabian B8 pack, and the stands are the cheapest I could find that had all positive reviews. This set comes to $1,400 including all hardware and everything.

I have been told that getting a shell pack and the hardware separate is a better route for many reasons, one being that you only buy hardware once, usually, and then you won't have to replace it so quickly. Using the hw that comes with the sets will usually have you buying new hardware too quickly since it is subpar quality considering...

I personally play bluesy drums, breakbeat stuff, rock stuff...so I'm trying to gear my set towards that. I do play some metal beats, but I tend to stay on the lighter side. I prefer grooves and just funky beats :) I like maple for tone woods, just well balanced. Birch has too much attack to it and not enough body, especially compared to maple. So the question is not really which wood to go with. Just, in general, if any of you have experience with either kit and your take on them :)

I like the DDrum set more because of the woods used, the burst finish and the sound of course :) I have never heard the Mapex M Birch kit, but I have heard plenty of birch kits as I've recorded a few in my time. Not my cup of tea for anything but metal...and rarely even then. However, the Mapex is a better "deal" if you look at it that way. I'm torn :(



vs.


~006

Check with www.massmusic.net/Rupps drums, those guys have blowout deals on Mapex all the time.

I can't say I have messed too much with DDRUM, but I can vouch for how well the mapex is built and how it sounds.I personally prefer Mapex, they have a longer track record and you might like birch all-around more than DDRUMS maple.

The only thing that you really need to do is try a kit out first, because one may not be the sound you prefer. Whatever you buy, think a year or so down the road. Saving a few bucks on a kit that you don't like as much is no bargain.

[harryconway]

I'd go the Ddrum. 10 lug bass drum. Color and sizes YOU want. Unless you can find a better pro-level kit, "gentle used". The Mapex is a good "intermediate" level kit. Where the Ddrum Custom, Dominion, and Diode lines are their pro-level kits. Right now it's a buyers market, not a sellers, so there are used deals everywhere. I, personally, love Yamaha hardware. Replaced almost all my double braced stands with single braced 600/700 series Yamaha stuff. And everything came off eBay. Cymbals also. Read the forum. Look for deals. Welcome to Drummerworld. And post pictures of your kit when you get it.

Originally Posted by harryconway

I'd go the Ddrum. 10 lug bass drum. Color and sizes YOU want. Unless you can find a better pro-level kit, "gentle used". The Mapex is a good "intermediate" level kit. Where the Ddrum Custom, Dominion, and Diode lines are their pro-level kits. Right now it's a buyers market, not a sellers, so there are used deals everywhere. I, personally, love Yamaha hardware. Replaced almost all my double braced stands with single braced 600/700 series Yamaha stuff. And everything came off eBay. Cymbals also. Read the forum. Look for deals. Welcome to Drummerworld. And post pictures of your kit when you get it.

The dioide line has been discontinued, now that line is the Diaton. I wish our local shops had any DDRUM. They have a "pawn one" that sells ddrum, but only has the low end models.

I'd be willing to pit the mapex sonically against the dominion, I don't automatically give the edge to another company, especially since the line between intermediate and high end is getting blurry. I agree the ddrums finishes are more abundant and better looking.

Again, I'd decide by playing them.

I don't know, I don't find any of the DDrum lines to be particularly "pro". They may market them as such but the kits I have touched in person have all had one set of issues or another and none of them sounded particularly impressive.

The Mapex kit is damn good but don't take my opinion, I own one and can't help but be a little biased. The Yamaha kits in that price range are nice as are the Sonor kits. I like the CX series from PDP as well, but again I own it so confirm that opinion elsewhere for unbiased review

What are your plans for cymbals? The B8's are about as good as it gets for starter packs but you may want to consider arranging your budget to put more money towards cymbals. You can do a lot of things with head choice, tuning and muffling to get the sound you want from a drum but cymbals are either right or they are not. Some careful searching on ebay could net you some quality Zildjian or Sabian cymbals for not much more than the B8 pack and would put you well ahead of the game in that department.

[006]

First off, thanks for the quick responses, really appreciate that guys :)

Now on to the responses to your responses, haha. I have played a similar DDrum kit before and really liked everything about it. The tone, the feel, etc. I have played on a very high-end Mapex kit that my friend Lyle (The Faceless) has, and I liked that as well - BUT, his is a high-end kit (a couple thousand $) and he said that generally he felt that the sub-$1k Mapex kits aren't all that great. But then again, he is biased to his expensive kit, so that could go either way. I hear mixed things about DDrum, but like I said I have played on one before and liked it a LOT. A guy I know through a friend plays DDrum and held out for endorsements with a bunch of other companies until DDrum penned a deal, he plays in DevilDriver. Another guy I know is an independent but swears by his DDrum kit after years of going through every other company out there including completely custom shells and just hasn't found a reason to switch yet.

I'm not trying to defend my choice, but rather this is the info I have to work with on making the decision. In the end I want to make sure that I am still happy with whatever drums I go with 6 months from now, yanno? Mapex is well-known and been around for quite a while, DDrum is rather new to the industry with their acoustic drums, but there has a been a surge of artists switching to them lately. Not saying that should influence a decision, just interesting to think about. Like I said I will be doing bluesy/breakbeat stuff, think of players like Steve Jordan and Benny Greb, along those lines. I just don't think birch would cut it, but I will have to play on a birch set to find out...preferably the Mapex one I am looking, haha. There is a local drum shop that is a Mapex and DDrum dealer...there is no way they would order either of these just for me to try them out, and asking the sales dudes (who are die-hard drum fanatics and really great players) only gives me more biased opinions :( Seems like every other person I talk to says the opposite of the last. Right now what I've got is the fact that I have played a similar DDrum set and really liked it, and I have played a high-end Mapex kit and liked it but according to the owner the lower end ones (such as what I'm looking at) may not be anything close to the set he has. So it looks like I need to play the M Birch or a similar Mapex set to get an idea of what I'm working with.

~006

Originally Posted by 006

First off, thanks for the quick responses, really appreciate that guys :)

Now on to the responses to your responses, haha. I have played a similar DDrum kit before and really liked everything about it. The tone, the feel, etc. I have played on a very high-end Mapex kit that my friend Lyle (The Faceless) has, and I liked that as well - BUT, his is a high-end kit (a couple thousand $) and he said that generally he felt that the sub-$1k Mapex kits aren't all that great. But then again, he is biased to his expensive kit, so that could go either way. I hear mixed things about DDrum, but like I said I have played on one before and liked it a LOT. A guy I know through a friend plays DDrum and held out for endorsements with a bunch of other companies until DDrum penned a deal, he plays in DevilDriver. Another guy I know is an independent but swears by his DDrum kit after years of going through every other company out there including completely custom shells and just hasn't found a reason to switch yet.

I'm not trying to defend my choice, but rather this is the info I have to work with on making the decision. In the end I want to make sure that I am still happy with whatever drums I go with 6 months from now, yanno? Mapex is well-known and been around for quite a while, DDrum is rather new to the industry with their acoustic drums, but there has a been a surge of artists switching to them lately. Not saying that should influence a decision, just interesting to think about. Like I said I will be doing bluesy/breakbeat stuff, think of players like Steve Jordan and Benny Greb, along those lines. I just don't think birch would cut it, but I will have to play on a birch set to find out...preferably the Mapex one I am looking, haha. There is a local drum shop that is a Mapex and DDrum dealer...there is no way they would order either of these just for me to try them out, and asking the sales dudes (who are die-hard drum fanatics and really great players) only gives me more biased opinions :( Seems like every other person I talk to says the opposite of the last. Right now what I've got is the fact that I have played a similar DDrum set and really liked it, and I have played a high-end Mapex kit and liked it but according to the owner the lower end ones (such as what I'm looking at) may not be anything close to the set he has. So it looks like I need to play the M Birch or a similar Mapex set to get an idea of what I'm working with.

~006

Artist endorsements are generally a function of money and not gear. I don't see many highly successful players on those rosters. I see drummers from bands still struggling and need to make the rent next month. Judge the drums on their own merir, not who is getting paid to play them

[006]

Originally Posted by 006

...DDrum is rather new to the industry with their acoustic drums, but there has a been a surge of artists switching to them lately. Not saying that should influence a decision, just interesting to think about.

I fully understand that. I'm not saying I want to go with DDrum because some other people have...it was just an observation.

I don't buy things based on what artists are using them...I'm a guitar player and audio engineer...I have yet to buy anything for myself based on the fact that an artist in the spotlight is using..I buy stuff because I like it and want it for various reasons. I really like Bloodbath's guitar sound, but I'm not going to buy the guitar, amp and cabinet that he uses, I want my own sound, my own tone, etc. In the same breath, what works for one person doesn't always work for another. Same with drums, so far I have played a similar DDrum set and it was great, I liked it. I haven't played a comparable Mapex kit yet so that is what I'm rolling with unless I get the chance to play an M Birch or similar and I like it. People that buy things just because their favorite player uses it are not searching for their sound...they are searching for that artist's sound, which is like cheating yourself.

~006

The first thing I get when asking about any kit, is that the GC staff will immediately attempt to steer me towards what they have in stock. Not long ago, I asked if they had any pearl or mapex birch kits in stock.

The sales guy went on for 15 minutes how wood doesn't matter at all and there is hardly a difference. I know better than that, and I said "Nevermind, I didn't come here to try a maple kit, I wanted to try birch." I ended up in Seattle a couple weeks later, and they did have what I wanted to try. I liked oak better than maple or birch. Oops. I guess there *was* a difference in woods.

Moral of the story: try before you buy and don't let anyone steer you away from doing just that. "Word of mouth " and "endorsers" are not the same thing as testing a kit yourself. Those guys playing DDRUM will likely jump ship to Ludwig, Pearl, Yamaha, Tama, Sonor or DW if they get big anyway.

[Mikey Dangerous]

Buy used, my friend, buy used. If you have $1000 - $1500 to play with then you can get yourself something that's easily superior to both kits - or you can get one of the two kits you're debating on for less money. The other great thing about buying used is that most kits come as packages with cymbals and hardware included. As harryconway mentioned, look for something that's gently used and I'll add *be selective* to that. There's tons of good stuff out there so all you have to do is find it. I prefer local classifieds over ebay because you can go try them yourself to make sure you like them and check to make sure they are in good condition. Also, you can negotiate and knock a few bucks off the asking price and avoid shipping fees.

Regarding cymbals, if you really have been bitten by the "drum bug" then you will outgrow the B8's by Christmas, so I wouldn't waste any money on them, especially if you're buying them new.

Hope that helps,

Mike

[006]

What would you recommend for cymbals then? I need a crash, ride and a pair of hats. I like Sabian's sizzle and overall tone, not a fan of Zildjian really. Haven't played anything by Meinl, so I have no idea about their stuff.

~006

[TenPastTen]

Originally Posted by Mikey Dangerous

Buy used, my friend, buy used. If you have $1000 - $1500 to play with then you can get yourself something that's easily superior to both kits - or you can get one of the two kits you're debating on for less money. The other great thing about buying used is that most kits come as packages with cymbals and hardware included. As harryconway mentioned, look for something that's gently used and I'll add *be selective* to that. There's tons of good stuff out there so all you have to do is find it. I prefer local classifieds over ebay because you can go try them yourself to make sure you like them and check to make sure they are in good condition. Also, you can negotiate and knock a few bucks off the asking price and avoid shipping fees.

Regarding cymbals, if you really have been bitten by the "drum bug" then you will outgrow the B8's by Christmas, so I wouldn't waste any money on them, especially if you're buying them new.

Hope that helps,

Mike

DITTO. Especially with the cymbals. You can spend equal amounts on cymbals and a drumset. If you go used, you will maximize your dollar. I own a Mapex M Birch and have nothing but great things to say. I like the tuning I have with the Aquarian heads I picked out and think it sounds great. However, I would recommend you but used rather than either if these kits new. Even one like I got. Much like the guitar world you are familiar with, there are lots of ancillary costs you'll find down the road. Heads and pedals come to mind. So spend wisely and for $1500 in the used market you can find a dream setup you'll want for a lifetime - drums, hardware, cymbals, pedal, everything.

[timmdrum]

The Ddrum seems like the better buy, although I have no personal experience with them. The store I used to manage was a Mapex dealer. I'm somewhat surprised at all the praise heaped on the M Birch series here. I like Mapex Orions, Saturns, and Pro M's. All great quality. (The Pro M's sounded as good as the Tama Starclassic Maple kits we had.) However, it dips greatly with the M Birch. I'd hesitate to even call them intermediate- it's like a nicer beginner's quality series. Shells are thicker than the other higher series. All the hoops are thin 1.6 mm. Only 6 lugs on the larger toms, even 16" (never saw an 18"). Same lug casings as on the lower series (VX, etc.) Pedals & stands, if you get them, also drop in quality but they're not junk; the pedals resembled what came with the modern Tama Swingstars (which have been replaced by Imperialstars and I haven't seen the pedals that come with those). In summary, when personally checking them out up close, they more closely resembled the lower series they offer. Quite a large jump in quality from M Birch to Pro M. I think Mapex would like consumers to believe that they're squarely in the middle of their range quality-wise as well as in price, but with my own eyes and ears I know that's not the case. If you want new birch drums at a reasonable price go with Sonor 2007, a higher Ludwig Accent series (I love the "Blue Ice" finish!), Pacific FS, etc.

Originally Posted by 006

What would you recommend for cymbals then? I need a crash, ride and a pair of hats. I like Sabian's sizzle and overall tone, not a fan of Zildjian really. Haven't played anything by Meinl, so I have no idea about their stuff.

~006

If you like Sabian, an AA 20 or 22" medium ride, an AA 16" or 18" medium crash and 14" AA Hats are very good pro level general purpose cymbals. They should be readily available on ebay for a good price although playingthem in person is always a good idea. Even the best cymbals vary from one to the next

[thewill]

for cymbals how about
aax stage hats 14" very versatile
aaxplosion crashes 16" and 18" very good as well quite loud but ok for quite stuff
hh raw bell dry ride or aa raw bell dry ride hh if you can

or diffent sounding crashes for your genres look at aa darks or aax stages

[pearlygates]

I can vouch again for the Mbirchs. I am playing an M birch kit that I borrowed from my bud til I get my Yamaha SC birch kit in. I have to say that I disagree with the previous post by timmdrum and will say that when tuned properly and with the right heads (Emporer smooth whites) this M birch is a fabulous sounding kit for the small outlay and they are indeed intermediate in price and if tuned properly sound pro. I do agree, however that 6 lugs on a 16" floor tom is questionable. I assume a cost cutting measure.?
Check out Yamaha's new Stage Custom birch.. now those tubs are the shizzle dizzle yo!
Just my opinion,, Everyone has their own faves. Mine happens to be Yamaha and Gretsch.

[timmdrum]

Originally Posted by Yamahammer

I have to say that I disagree with the previous post by timmdrum and will say that when tuned properly and with the right heads (Emporer smooth whites) this M birch is a fabulous sounding kit for the small outlay and they are indeed intermediate in price and if tuned properly sound pro. I do agree, however that 6 lugs on a 16" floor tom is questionable. I assume a cost cutting measure.?

I didn't mean to imply that the M Birch drums don't sound good; any drum that's mfg'd decently and had good heads and someone who knows how to tune a drum, it'll sound pretty good. The M Birch drums we had at the store sounded ok. So did the lower series- VX, QR, etc. I'm just saying that in construction, hardware choice, etc. they're built more like their lower series yet they market them as just a birch version of their upper series. Not true.

[pearlygates]

Originally Posted by timmdrum

I didn't mean to imply that the M Birch drums don't sound good; any drum that's mfg'd decently and had good heads and someone who knows how to tune a drum, it'll sound pretty good. The M Birch drums we had at the store sounded ok. So did the lower series- VX, QR, etc. I'm just saying that in construction, hardware choice, etc. they're built more like their lower series yet they market them as just a birch version of their upper series. Not true.

I see where you are coming from.... I still will say that I am impressed by the finish and ease of tuning. I think these kits are a good value. I'm diggin' it.

[klopee]

if your heart is set on those 2 kits, it seems like you've already made up your mind ("I have heard plenty of birch kits as I've recorded a few in my time. Not my cup of tea for anything but metal...and rarely even then") simply put, drums are an expensive endeavor, to go with a wood that you yourself have stated doesnt sound good (to you) is just asking for trouble. spend the extra money on the kit you actually want and you'll be happy for a long time. as for cymbals, B8's are fine, i started on B8's and played them as a whole for a few years, then slowly replaced a cymbal at a time with ONE i really wanted/liked at a time.. its way easier on the budget... and now, around 8 years after i got my B8's i have EVERY cymbal i want, my kit is 100% want i want, cymbal wise. and my B8 ride i loved up until 8 months ago when i cracked it.. or else i would still be rocking it.

if your still open to new ideas, look used, in your price range, you can get a wicked used kit at long and mcquade (or guitar center for you americans)

just my $0.02

[Mastershake16]

Well you could buy the shell pack, then use the DW motto, buy used, so you buy the shell pack, you could maybe buy a new hardware set two, then you could use Ebay, cragilist etc and get a nice set of A customs or something of that sort (AAx or HHX K's) what ever you perfer for basically the same price of the new B8's. you could probably find a nice pedal real cheap 2

[Ainulindale]

My .02$
- for drums, id reccomend mapex, but go with what sounds best to your own ear!
- if you like sabians and a funk sound try 13"hhx manhattan jazz hats, 21"hhx groove ride and 16"hh duo crash or 18"hhx evoloution crash!
Good hunting!

[orangeBooBs]

006, do u like orange?
cz i really, really like orange.
thought maybe u'd like dominion ash pocket in anaheim orange.
also thought you (yes YOU! the one reading this post) could comment a lil on the above kit.

pls & denk yu!

[reggierocksputen]

Hello,

I don't really have any experience with mapex but I do own a ddrum maple dorian kit. I bought the entire kit with the stock hardware and I would recommend it to anyone. The hardware is actually decent and I use the kick pedal more than my yamaha pro model. The drums sound great in my opinion. The band I use them for is kind of a black crowes-ish blues/rock band so I need big sounding drums. The kick is 24" so it has a lot of low end on it but also a nice punch when dampened slightly. The toms are 8x13", 14x14", and 14x16". They sound big but have really nice articulation. The tuning holds up really well. The drums came with die cast hoops which is really nice. They feel solid and sound great. I know the ddrum kit you are looking at is slightly different but for the amount of money I spent on mine (around $1100 with the hardware), I think it is a really great deal and I plan on using this kit for a long time recording/gigging. The ddrum stock heads mine came with kind of suck but I heard they may have a deal worked out with remo or some other company these days. I have coated emperors and ambassadors top and bottom respectively on my toms, evans emad on the bass. I think ddrum makes solid drums that sound great but still don't cost too much. I would recommend them to anyone. I am looking into getting an ash pocket kit but I would like to try one out first just to make sure I like it.

For cymbals in my rock set up I have paiste 2002 high hats, paiste 20" crash, and zildjan k custom 22" ride. I would recommend trying cymbals before you buy them and skipping the cymbal pack. There are lots of great used deals and I think cymbals generally sound better with age anyway. But just as everyone has said, play them both and see which sounds better to you. Good luck.

[Cottontop]

like people have been saying, buy uses cymbals. id you like sabian than the AAs are really nice and versitile.

i would also reccommend getting a semi-pro set off of ebay. ive been seeing pro shell packs go for around 600-900 dollars

right now your probaby thinking "Do these guys think im made of money?" but it will be well worth it in the long run

[Fox622003]

As for the kit, I recommend you check out Sonor kits. Both 2007 (Birch) and 3007 (Maple) go along that price, *with* hardware, and I think both the hardware and drums are very much superior to the Mapex or Ddrum kits. In fact, Many recently endorsed artists from Sonor are given this kits, so with proper sound gear, they can sound professional.
Cymbals...maybe you should check out what smaller companies have to offer, you can get B20 Bronze, hand-hammered cymbals from Stagg, for example, for almost 2/5 of what you'd be paying for that in any of the big brands. In other words, you can get professional cymbals that will sound very nice for the same money you'd be paying for, at most, low-intermediate level cymbals on the other companies. Stagg, Dream, Wuhan, there are several more.


Fox.