Mom Looking for Suggestions on a Mapex Kit for Son

mhaigh

My husband and I are looking to buy a kit for our son's 16th birthday. He has been playing since he was a toddler, now for church and a rock band. We want to spend $400-$500. My husband has done a lot of research. He has found a 2003 Closeout special. It is a Mapex M Series kit for $499. It is an intermediate set with a wood snare, lacquered finish, all the hardware and a throne. No cymbals. Also it is a caramel color. My son has his heart set on black or red. We have placed a hold on this set until Monday. We found it at massmusic.net. It sounds like a good deal, but I wanted to check with some drummers. What do you think? Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Note: Our son will use the drums to play rock. I figured he could save for a good cymbal pack or ask for one for Christmas. Thanks.

Jonesie67 · Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 7:13 am Post subject:

The Mapex Pro M is a very nice kit, and for that price is a steal. up until the new model was introduced (around January) that kit was selling from $700-800. So I'd say get it. He'll be very happy.
_________________
Yamaha SCA
9x10, 10x12, 12x14, 16x16, 17x22
6x14 Pork Pie Snare
Zildjian: A Custom 19" Crash, A 14" New Beat Hats, A 16" Medium Thin Crash, A 10" Splash, A 20" Medium Ride
Sabian: AAX 18" Studio CrashHHX 20" Stage Ride
18" Wuhan China

TRIB · Lion King Joined: 18 Jan 2004 Posts: 1242 Location: AZ

i have a MAPEX M series. its an awsome kit. and, like jonesie said, thats a really good price.

LengoPataPata · Ferret Joined: 27 May 2004 Posts: 104

The M series does not have isolated toms. I would not consider M series to be a mid range kit. This kit is comparable to Pearl's Export kit, another entry level set. Since the kit does not have isolated tom suspension, it does not have good resale value

If you already have stands and hardware, consider a used shell pack of Yamaha's Stage Custom Advantage. These come with isolated tom suspension and the pack will sell for about the same price.

If you do not already have hardware, consider Yamaha's Stage Custom Advantage or DW Pacific's CX kit at aprox $899.

You are wise to invest money in good cymbals. You cannot cut costs here without sacrificing good sound. Drums can be fitted with new heads and tuned, but you can do nothing to cymbals to make them sound good. If money is tight, get less expensive drums, not less expensive cymbals! The M series will do. Better is Yamaha's Stage Custom Advantage. Buy whichever that allows you to get good cymbals.

paintballer687 · Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 1:15 pm Post subject:

ya go with the mapexkit and get better cymbals. altho getting the drums with no cymbals is like buying a car with no engine. the cymbals provide are for the most part the constant of the set while the drums are for the most part the variable. i would get the set and try for the cymbals asap
_________________
"Let he who is free of sin throw the first rock and I shall smoketh it."

"Do you want to know what dog food tastes like? Do you? Well it tastes just like it smells... delicious! - Tyrone Biggums

Jonesie67 · Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 2:45 pm Post subject:

actually the Pro M's are isolated toms. You're thinking of The V's.
_________________
Yamaha SCA
9x10, 10x12, 12x14, 16x16, 17x22
6x14 Pork Pie Snare
Zildjian: A Custom 19" Crash, A 14" New Beat Hats, A 16" Medium Thin Crash, A 10" Splash, A 20" Medium Ride
Sabian: AAX 18" Studio CrashHHX 20" Stage Ride
18" Wuhan China

pearlplayer · Ferret Joined: 03 Mar 2004 Posts: 120

Man, I feal a tear soming to my eye. Someones parent buying a kit for them. Wish I was so lucky at that age! You guys rock.

LengoPataPata · Ferret Joined: 27 May 2004 Posts: 104

Nibbles · Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 10:33 pm Post subject:

i think thats a sweet deal, go for it. finish is never a huge deal, as long as it isnt butt ugly.
_________________
Help, Friends! the Hamster tricked me!

RedRandanoRocket · Posted: Sat Jul 17, 2004 10:55 pm Post subject:

Snag it up... you wont find a set that cheap with stands and a throne.

It is probably last years model.. I have the model before that one and I love it.

Get it, its a good midrange kit... it should last you son a while... as long as he takes care of it. If you think he will beat on it badly I would say go for something cheaper, if he was like me and just wants to beat the crap out of something, then realize how badly stuff falls apart when you dont take care of it he will try to save the set then it will eventualy fall apart Laughing

Then you buy him a good kit like that and he will appriceate it.
_________________
Mapex Mars 6 piece - Pert Paragon Cymbals

PyTHo · Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 8:32 am Post subject: Go For It

I just bought a mapex Pro M and i love it. It was in the carmal fade finish. Im sure he'll like it. I love the sound and the harware. I love everything about the drums. I dont know if you can still get it, but i would go for it. Happy Hunting.

Note: a good cymbal pack will really add to the drums, but sometimes can cost you about the same price you wanted to spend on the kit. Just shop around. I like to shop at www.musiciansfriend.com or www.music123.com, and somtimes ebay. Those seem to be the cheapest places.

PyTHo.

retardED · Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 11:13 pm Post subject:

Yeah that is a great deal!
You could check out the pacific FS range kit(i have 1 and i love it).
I dunno what the prices are like but you could get the finish he wanted in that, and its a solid birch kit...im not sure what wood the M series is!
Thats REALLY REALLY cool of u guys to buy him a kit!!im on my 3rd kit and my parents havent helped me @ all with any of them!!

mhaigh · Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 2:52 am Post subject: Now I Need Cymbals

Thanks for all the great advice. I have really enjoyed checking in daily for all the comments. We decided to go with the Mapex thanks to all your advice, however, the day before we planned to buy the Mapex kit, my husband stumbled on what we felt was a better deal. We found a used black Tama Rockstar in good condition. The owner had upgraded the heads and hardware. It also included a new throne and practice pads for snare and the 3 toms. The price was $250. When we saw the kit, we knew it would be perfect for our son. We are now pricing a cymbal pack. We are considering Zildjian and Sabian. I'm hoping we can stay in the $150 price range. We are looking on-line at Musician's Friend, Music123, Mass Music, and Woodwind and Brasswind. If you have a place for us to check out, let me know ASAP. We are giving Neil (yes, named after Neil Peart) his drum set this weekend. I look foward to introducing him to this site and discussion board. Thanks again. Neil's Mom

random white person · Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 7:45 am Post subject:

if you definitely want to stay under $150, then the cheapest option is the Sabian B8 "first pack"... it only has a 16" crash, and 14" hihats, but no ride. around $100. they have a step above that which includes a crash/ride for like $165.

i think a better bet, in terms of value, would be the Zildjian ZBT basic set up. Music123.com just dropped their price on it to $155. includes 13" hats, 14" crash, 18" crash ride. the cymbals are a bit small, but theyll get the job done.

i can personally vouch for the B8 starter pack. it actually sounds fairly decent for only $100. you may want to look into buying an inexpensive or used ride cymbal at some point, though. the hihats are heavy enough, and the crash can actually crash without sounding like a tin can. ive been playing with these 2 cymbals for 5 years now, and theyre still in good condition. lots of stick marks, but no cracking or keyholing at all.
_________________

007david · Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 7:56 am Post subject:

I'm not too familiar with the B8 line, but much ot my chagrin I am well familiar with the ZBT line--stay away from it.