Pearl or Mapex

Pearl Export or Mapex Mars???? and why you choose em ???

  • Pearl Export Exx

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  • Mapex Mars

    Votes: 0 0.0%

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Finally got myself some enough money to buy a new drum kit. Been looking around with pearl and mapex since they are the only ones that are in my price range and they are the only drums that the shop sells. got mixed feeling about them maybe you guys can help me out.87201
 
I would get the Mapex Mars. It's the more modern of the two kits. They have the Soniclear bearing edges (it's fancy marketing) but I know they'll tune up nice. And they're 100% birch shells which is a plus.

The Pearl Export has poplar/mahogany shells, but its mostly poplar which isn't so good. And I hate the tom mount arms. I had an early 80s Export with the same tom arms and hated them. At least the newer arms don't protrude through the shell like mine did.
 
here are a couple of things to consider:
Are you sure you want a virgin bass drum? I personally don't like a stand mounted tom. the stand is either always fighting for floor space with the hi hat legs or the the tom is too far away.
Birch is a very bright tone when it comes to drum shells. you wont get a warm tune out of it. Which one sounds good to you?
 
I like both of them, but I would go with the Mapex Mars due to the hardware. Peace and goodwill.
 
Unlike Jasta 11, I prefer the virgin bass drum. The rack tom hangs off a cymbal stand (Yamaha hardware and RIMS), so that stand is doing double duty. And I usually get another cymbal stand in between that and the hi-hat, so I have no issues with the stands fighting for floor space. Pictured is my largest bass drum (26x14), so when I'm running a 22x14, the kit is much tighter.

Of the two, I'd go Mapex.
 

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here are a couple of things to consider:
Are you sure you want a virgin bass drum? I personally don't like a stand mounted tom. the stand is either always fighting for floor space with the hi hat legs or the the tom is too far away.

That is just not the case.

I have a virgin bass drum, and have the toms on cymbal stands, and everything is exactly where I want it with no problems with real estate.
 
Between those two, I'd choose the Mapex Mars - IF you can find one with chrome hardware. The black stuff is downright ugly.

GeeDeeEmm

Products917847-1200x1200-1387116912.jpg
 
That is just not the case.

I have a virgin bass drum, and have the toms on cymbal stands, and everything is exactly where I want it with no problems with real estate.

Matter of personal choice, of course. I agree with Jasta. When I play two-up I'm forced to use a tom stand and I hate the ergonomics. Toms feel out of place, and hi-hat placement is the pits. But this doesn't bother some guys. I'm just one of those that it annoys.

GeeDeeEmm
 
Personal choice is fine, and if somebody doesn't like toms on a cymbal stand that's all good. But ergonomics and real estate are irrelevant
 
Matter of personal choice, of course. I agree with Jasta. When I play two-up I'm forced to use a tom stand and I hate the ergonomics.
Or ..... you hang the right tom off a right cymbal stand. Just like the left tom is hung off the left cymbal stand. While you may choose to hang both your toms off a tom stand, you're certainly not forced to.
 

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I have put together and tuned a pearl export at a shop I used to teach at... I just couldn't get the floor tom to tune up with the stock heads, I felt like maybe that drum wasn't perfectly in round or the bearing edge was dodgy, or perhaps it was the head? It was otherwise ok, the snare was excellent in my opinion. The planet Z (or S?) cymbals aren't too horrible as far as beginner cymbals go.

I haven't had any experience with the mars but I did own an armory which has similar fittings, I would say the mapex might be a bit nicer but I'm only guessing.

As far as setups/sizes I would prefer the pearl you've pictured as I prefer the classic 2 up 1 down config.
 
Or ..... you hang the right tom off a right cymbal stand. Just like the left tom is hung off the left cymbal stand. While you may choose to hang both your toms off a tom stand, you're certainly not forced to.
Understand. But in my case, I'm forced to use a dbl tom stand if I choose to go two-up. I've been playing the ride cymbal over the right side of the bass drum (what used to be the "normal" position) for over fifty years, and it feels perfect there. The only way for me to play two-up and retain this ride cymbal configuration, requires that the toms must be suspended on the left side of the bass drum - no space on the right.

GeeDeeEmm
 
... ergonomics and real estate are irrelevant

Don't understand your logic here, James. Ergonomics "is the study of how equipment and furniture can be arranged in order that people can do work or other activities more efficiently and comfortably." (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/ergonomics) How is ergonomics, then, "irrelevant" to the arrangement of a drum set? A good portion of the advice sought on this board concerns arranging a set "efficiently and comfortably." It takes most of us about a nanosecond to realize that we are either comfortable or not. That's when the "arrangement" part comes in . . . .

Real estate? Unless you're accustomed to playing coliseums, I don't know how real estate (the space we are allowed to accomodate our kit) doesn't rank as a prime issue in gigging. The typical stage forces most of us to get to know our bandmates more intimately than we'd like. Lots of "real estate" is a luxury I'll take any day; cramped conditions simply suck.

GeeDeeEmm
 
Well you're like me on ride cymbal placement. I like mine really low over the right side of the bass drum. Pretty much makes 1 up, two down my default set up.
 
Well you're like me on ride cymbal placement. I like mine really low over the right side of the bass drum. Pretty much makes 1 up, two down my default set up.
Exactly. And, you know, I really like having two toms up. But by the time I've moved the hihat far enough to the left to allow it to function without hitting the tom, I feel like I'm sitting in the gynecologist's chair!

I wonder if switching from 14" to 12" hihats would allow enough space to accommodate the extra tom? Hmmm....

GeeDeeEmm
 
I've always played two up one down with mounted toms-till I got this Pearl Decade-mainly to try a 24 in virgin kick. I actually like mounting the toms on cymbal stands better because of ergonomics-I have more plasticity to move toms around (like away from snare to help reduce buzz, etc). I can mount over my kick -just like mounted on them, or any position I desire. I carry two cymbal stands anyways and the kick is light as a feather with little hardware on it. So it's seems a win win to me-but I guess everybody's mechanics can vary some. The fact Pearl is still making Exports attest to their demand and utility-I've never tried the Mars but they look like decent kits.
 
The fact Pearl is still making Exports attest to their demand and utility-I've never tried the Mars but they look like decent kits.

Oh, man! I'd totally forgotten what this thread was all about. Thanks for swinging it back to subject, G.A.!

Pearl Export VS. Mapex Mars.

I think that my judgment was that he should get the Mapex If he can get the hardware in chrome rather than black.

Sorry, OP!

GeeDeeEmm
 
I was looking at the Mapex Mars Rock kit-cause it had a 24 in kick. Looked like a great value, but I went with the Pearl. I was also looking at a Mapex Meridian kit at the time (Amazon had these unbelievable sales at the time). I like the Pearl Decade alright but sometimes I wish I'd bought the Meridian it was a 22 in kick but a new kit -and on Amazon for dirt cheap.
 
I really liked the virgin bass drum. But somehow the shop carrying the Mapex drums only offer the rock set or the 2 up 1 down kit. I guess Mapex Mars is way ahead on the topic =D
 
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