Mapex Pro M Classic

In the spotlight this month is this Mapex Pro M Classic kit — a pretty apt name, for this is indeed a 'classic' four-drum configuration of two toms, a snare and a bass drum. All Pro M drums employ exactly the same methods of construction as the company's top-of-the-range Orion kits. It's difficult to categorise this series given the varied range of Mapex models, but placing them somewhere between the Saturn and the VX models should give you a reasonable idea how the range fares. The kit comes complete with a comprehensive selection of hardware, and a full set of soft cases too. Should you decide that this is not exactly the configuration or size you prefer, Mapex offer several kit combinations, including Fusion, Rock, Jazz and Standard (all comprising three toms, bass drum and snare) and, of course, any of the kits may be added to (by special order) from their large range and variety of drum sizes.

Prior to this year's NAMM, basswood was the choice of materials for the shells. Now though, as part of a significant upgrade, the new Pro M kits are made out of 100 percent rock maple from North America. Even though there are seven plies of maple, thanks to significant advancements in manufacturing techniques, Mapex have managed to keep the shell thickness down to 6mm — these are extremely thin plies, and designed to give maximum resonance. The kit on review here consists of a 12 x 9-inch suspended tom, a 16 x 16-inch floor tom, a beefy 14 x 7-inch snare and, last but not least, an even beefier 22 x 20-inch bass drum. The chromed-steel hardware consists of a hi-hat stand, a snare drum stand, two boom stands, one multi-purpose stand and a bass drum pedal.

This kit is finished in Boston Pewter Fade — a light grey colour that fades to black, giving a nice metallic effect when viewed from a few paces away. The high standard of finish is achieved by applying no less than eight coats of lacquer, which are then given a nice rub down by hand for that extraordinary sheen. Although there is a choice of 12 wraps and lacquers on the Mapex UK website, some will only be available by special order. If you don't want to wait though, the following finishes are available from stock: Midnight Black, Red Wood Fade, Bermuda Sparkle, Cherry Fade and a tasty-sounding (and amazing-looking!) Vanilla Cream Pear. The classy brushed-aluminium badges (each one stamped with an individual serial number) are the finishing touch to these striking-looking drums.

A set of four soft cases (each one bearing the Mapex logo in white) has been thoughtfully included with the kit. These are made from woven black nylon and have zipped lids, together with a convenient carrying handle. The amount of protection on offer is reasonable, but padding is only sufficient for careful handling and transportation. Still, these will certainly protect against accidental scuffs, and keep the drums from knocking into each other in the car — you'll want to keep that precious lacquer looking good!

As with all the drums on review here, the lacquer on the exterior surface is simply stunning. Not only that, but the interior is equally well finished and absolutely flawless. Having both heads off (prior to assembly) it is possible to check over that 45-degree bearing edge, which I'm happy to say is perfectly smooth, blemish free and beautifully cut. Possibly the only thing lacking on this model of portly proportions is the usual tom-mounting hardware and other incumbent metal work — just the bare-naked, un-drilled maple with those miniscule, low-mass 'one-point-of-penetration' nut boxes lost to either end. As far as I can see, the only drawback to showing off the lacquer in this way is that it leaves a vast expanse open to the elements (see the 'Protect your investment' box).

A set of Chinese-made Remo UT heads (with built-in damping) is supplied — a shiny black one to the front, sporting a rather small (when compared to many of the kits I have reviewed) white Mapex logo, and a clear head to the rear. Each head is held in place by a wooden counter hoop and accompanied by eight chromed-steel claws, all of which have nylon washers for extra-smooth tensioning. A welcome inclusion here is the rim protector, to help stop the bass drum pedal chomping into the rear rim. I would like to have seen a Falam pad (or similar) included, however, as this would have protected the batter against the very likely pummeling from the bass drum beater. Possibly the only subtle feature of this 'super gun' kick is the choice of colour for the counter hoops — black for the hoop that sits at the batter end (where the black is most prominent) and pewter grey to the front — that's colour matching for you!

From taking the bass drum out of the packaging and fitting all the necessary bits and pieces, to attaining that nice, highly sought-after sub-sonic pulse, takes just a few minutes. I can hear the room rattling around me as this makes a canon-like statement with its authoritative thump. The toms take a little longer to sort out, as I have to fit the heads on the floor tom, and drop the tension on the 12-inch model — this is pre-assembled at the factory, and requires some slackening off to achieve a decent pitch. That done, this drum now emits a rich and warm maple tone, and I am quite surprised at the amount of sustain it has to offer — this little gem is going to project right to the back of the venue!

Time for the chunky legs to go onto the floor tom, and to fit the heads — after some initial stretching this drum comes up to pitch fairly well. The heads only require a couple of turns of the key — just enough for wrinkle removal, and then one more turn. Now this drum sounds terrific, with a nice, rich maple thump and some wonderful sustain, without any annoying overtones. Of all the drums here, the snare proves to be the most difficult to get up to pitch, requiring a lot of effort to get it to sound like anything other than an overgrown tom with a rattle coming from the underside. The batter is taken up to a playable tension, and I have to turn the drum over and wind up the snare head too — not so much that it chokes the snare wires, but enough to get a decent response from the snares. After some liberal tweaking and playing for a while, both heads settle down and I have a nice-sounding snare at last! It's certainly fat and very deep, but also surprisingly responsive considering the relatively low pitch.