The Mapex Armory 6-Piece Acoustic Drum Kit Transparent Black is a 6-piece drum kit, featuring a 22"x20" Bass Drum, 10"x7" + 12"x8" Tom Tom, 14"x12" + 16"x14" Floor Tom, and a 14"x5.5" Snare Drum, with birch/maple/birch hybrid shells, 6-ply, and a transparent black finish. The naming of the Armory series from Mapex is no accident, because the Armory drum sets are truly armed with professional features making these sets a real companion on stage and in the studio. With the Armory series Mapex once again proves that quality does not need to be expensive. The base of the Armory series is formed by hybrid shells composed of birch and maple. The arrangement of the woods (outer and inner layers of birch, maple between them) allows the Armory drums develop an exceptional resonance and a strong punch. The shells possess a very fast and sensitive address allowing for a very dynamic playing style.
The "SONIClear" shell bearing edge adds to the list of new features on the Armory drums. The highly rounded bearing ensures for more head to shell contact, giving the shell more tonal responsibility and highlights the natural sound of the wooden shells. The tuning of the Armory shells is also easier due to this shell bearing edge. The Tom mounting system of the Armory drums originates from the much more expensive Saturn IV series and ensure for an unrestricted resonance development of the shells. Additionally the power, created by striking the head, flows through the shell and isn't dampened by the hardware. The same job is done by the suspended legs of the Armory drums.
The main features of the Mapex Armory 6-Piece Acoustic Drum Kit Transparent Black include:
Buying a new drum kit is not something you do very often and there are a million things to consider. I did a lot of studying, visited many drumshops and tested many kits before i tried the Armory kit. The kit i tried was not the setup i was looking for but Music store had it so i was only testing the sound.
It plays really well and the sound is perfect for me and the music i play, powerful. The finish is excellent and the only thing on the negative side was the lack of assembly notes. Doesn´t really matter, its not rocket sience to put it together.
After trying out several different kits in a wide pricerange I think this kit is the best in its class. don´t let the relatively low price fool you, i´ve tried much more expensive kits that doesn´t even come close to this kit. I really recommend the Armory kit. And...it´s all BLACK, even the HW.
But in the end it´s really a question of heart. I fell for Armory and it´s big sound and in that moment the competition died :)