Mapex Armory 6-Piece Studioease Fast Tom Shell Pack Review (Please See Description for Updated Info)

[@eliasfigueroa3324]

When I was 14 and only had a little electric kit, this was my dream kit. Well, at 19 years old I finally bought the entire pack but it was used and was being sold with a Black Panther snare. Definitely never looking back. They are perfect.

[@Spladoinkal]

That's awesome! I have one of the original black panther maple snares with the black chrome rims and lugs. LOVE the drum!

[@FreedomforAfricans]

0:27 Anyone else taken up by the 14'' flow tom looking fiery when he hit it.

[@mineheadX1]

pretty slick. good eye.

[@W4RD1N8ER]

Sounds bloody fantastic eh? I just bought a Mapex daisy cutter thing sounds awesome!

[@robertprest638]

Henry-E I was gonna use that w a red or orange lite shining down.

[@gigihondrums]

Uuwww

[@stevenfederico2594]

I think they sound better than the evolution

[@paulshumate2904]

Hands down for the money you cannot beat a Mapex drum kit! Been playing them now for about 5 yrs and wish i had started with them sooner!

[@MrShaggrock]

3: 58: "Really musical these drums are" - Nick IS the Yoda of drums!

[@callanharvey6264]

im amazed by how cheap this pack is, very good quality and a rather easy price to meet, im beginning to like mapex more and more

[@bbfoto7248]

+Scotty P Yeah it's a fantastic kit for the price! I got the same configuration in the Transparent Walnut finish (sadly no longer available) at an even better deal on sale! I love Sweetwater, but keep an eye out at Cascio Interstate Music Online. If you sign up for their email promos they have regular Promotional Code Sales for up to *20%-22% OFF* every 2 months or so. So I waited a bit for a 22% OFF Sale and got this 6-piece $899 Armory kit brand new for just over $700! Also check out the review of this kit on the *DRUMMER'S REVIEW* KZbin channel. ;)

[@jermss_]

What the guy above me said. I got the same exact kit in the vid for 670 on reverb so check there too. They are amazing drums

[@mjm5081]

@@bbfoto7248 What a deal for these drums!

[@frankieray2873]

Bought these 3 years ago and I still smile when I play. Tone is unbelievably

[@qlqnen]

3:58 went kinda Yoda there huh, Nick.

[@lemo_manda6076]

LMAO xD

[@1life2pono]

Mmm, yes...really musical these drums are. Mmmm.

[@vinnieveneziano2751]

ROTFLMAO!!! Good one!

[@judsonl8990]

haha dude I thought the exact same thing when he said that!

[@rogierdancona8462]

Hahaha about to comment that I just was

[@maxwellgordon9868]

Mapex drums are simply the best drums on the market today!

[@pideuhweuh8459]

Nick D is the only guy on youtube that can make advertisement video where he clearly says what he was told to say and not giving any objectives thoughts (yeah, that's his job) without getting any bashing from the viewers. That's how you spot talented musician on the internet !

[@mfbomber]

Love the Armory series for all of it's qualities: sound, features, looks and price point! You made those sound spectacular!

[@briang6040]

I love the armory series. I play the drums at my church, and we're about to order this same exact kit, with the black chrome hardware pack and the Sabian AAX performance set. Can't wait!

[@mmaskery]

Nick always makes his fills seem so effortless 👍🤟

[@thedrummingrange7625]

I opened the video expecting a nice calm video, but I got him rocking out on this kit and was in shock. Never could play like that.

[@scotthanson9563]

Outstanding drumming Nick. You have motivated me to get one these cool sounding beauties. I love the info and demonstration of this kit .

[@IcanWinBig]

Thank you so much for all of your videos. Giving myself a year to practice and you certainly have convinced me on this particular line. This will be my first purchase on a brand new set. Please continue to be so inspiring to old drummers who have been out of music too long=) like me. I'll be purchasing the Exterminator not to replace but to add to the set.

[@Redoubt9000]

Seriously Nick is just the best! I'll never tire hearing him demo & review a kit, ever.

[@user-wh6sp6st8s]

Mapex kickdrums always have sounded great. Super powerful

[@Jetty-me6cw]

I've been playing drums for over two and a half decades. I'm not a big fan of mapex, but this new bearing edge that they're using coupled with blending Birch and Maple makes these toms sound absolutely amazing and I don't say that often or at all. Like you said the interval between each Tom to my ear sounds perfect or as close to perfect as you can get. Now I see why you have a soft spot in your heart for them. I've been a Ludwig endorser for most of my career. So I haven't actually purchased a drum kit in forever I can't remember how long it's been. With that I have been seriously considering purchasing a mapex kit. And as always you're playing is spot-on.

[@kevinbuttry8135]

Funny.... I have been auditioning drums from all companies for a year trying to find a replacement for MY Ludwigs. (1980 Maple Classics), which are about to be retired from "the road" and employed in my studio only. They have certainly earned their weight in gold and it is time for a new, more road-worthy kit. I believe I have found it right here!

[@michaeleagle2]

@@kevinbuttry8135 Love mine... I looked at many... You have to hear these live with good double ply heads to really appreciate these drums!!

[@davebags4576]

Thanks to Nicks video on this set I had to pull the trigger on this kit in Rainforest Burst from Sweetwater. It looks and sounds beautiful even with the stock heads on them. I hope Sweetwater appreciates how many kits Nick has sold over the years.

[@No_Transitory]

I swear Nick can make any drum sound amazing lol

[@joedoherty1062]

Man I wish they were still doing the snare trade program, such a cool idea

[@lucalaurino2743]

I bought this exact shell pack in transparent walnut finish just a couple of weeks ago! Killer sound for the money! It's really a good instrument! And Nick is a wonderful player and reviewer! Greetings from Italy!

[@SafeNebula11644]

i could listen to this man play these drums all day.

[@marcoaguillon1987]

I purchased this kit last year, but the "Transparent Walnut" model. Sadly, no longer available, but I am glad I got it. Really, great sounding kit and wonderful design. The "Tomahawk" snare, but with a REMO "Controlled sound" head, is just killer. Seriously, great prize. I have loved MAPEX since I was a kid. I made my dream come true

[@jroc6166]

Do you know if the finish is laquer or a wrap?

[@bohardy1]

I saw this kit at a local store. Was not previously considering Mapex, but I am now.

[@billyrhythm]

Thanks Nickk and Sweetwater for these great videos. Two things... 1) As always, thanks for the snare wires on/off tom tone demo. It's a nice touch. 2) Resonant floor tom feet make a HUGE difference. I have a '58 WFL kit with straight legs I could never get to sound good. It had one spot where the drum would resonate, and it was way up high. I put some resonant feet on the legs, and man oh man the difference is huge.

[@bbfoto7248]

@Billy Rhythm Yup, these Armory Floor Tom legs have simple "hollow cushion" rubber feet...it's like an extra long rubber foot with a large lateral hole drilled out of the middle of it. Doesn't seem like it would do much but it works. 👍

[@evymatthew9385]

You always have some killer tracks before each review man. Thanks a mil!

[@samuelbekley3984]

Probably the best sounding drums in 2021

[@gan_the_white]

Nicky D! The legend!

[@TrackStepstudios]

10 dislikes are the people who bought the hyperdrive

[@cesaralejandrohernandezbez6554]

hyperdrive its better than this shell

[@georgeb6300]

@@cesaralejandrohernandezbez6554 Nah its not

[@oldowl4290]

You are probably right. I have the Tama HD supes and they are great but ultimately are just a little too shallow and quite literally short in sound and I find them hard to tune. I like ..ok love.. the 10 x 7, 12 x 8 combo on these Mapex. And I don't know if it's the lighter hoops and or heads in contrast to the die-cast hoops on the supes, but I have to say these sound absolutely fantastic. (and I also happen to be the admin for the supes FB page).

[@georgeb6300]

@@oldowl4290 that's what I would think if I had them tbh just a tad too shallow but still cool drums

[@ABreadlessDuck]

Or PDP Concept

[@Motleymick]

I ordered this kit in ultra marine 4 days ago. Can't wait for it the get here.

[@knowntalmbout]

Me too. Got a good deal on reverb.

[@oldmanhendo7183]

Motley Mick how do you like the kit?

[@Motleymick]

@@oldmanhendo7183 I love it.

[@johntheyank88]

I have the ultramarine and night sky burst and love both kits. Was a teen in the 80's and couldn't touch this type of quality of for $1000. That was about $400 back then. Unreal what you get for the money in 2021.

[@alessandrogambino420]

Wow. What a sound. I need to hear it LIVE cause sometimes mics alter the true sound but if it does sound like this...My VENUS KIT will be upgraded.

[@martyhenderson1995]

The color of the mapax drum set is phenomenal I think it's the color I'm getting when I'm ready to buy

[@roybeckerman9253]

Loved the Mapex Black Panther Black Widow kit...better than a lot of more expensive drums.

[@TonyGellaDrums]

Mapex legendary tone! In each price range- Top sound! Wow

[@TylerKohlslaugh]

I know the video is about the drums but those cymbals steal the show! The hhx evolution crashes are the sexiest cymbals I have ever heard! Nicks set up is pretty much identical to mine. Cymbals and all. Such amazing sounds.

[@georgeb6300]

Probably just the processing effects but this sounds like one of the best drum kits I've ever heard - wow!

[@michaeleagle2]

No they sound amazing live too!! I have this exact kit outfitted with Ambassador Suede Batters and Ebony Resos.. It friggen sings!!!

[@jacobjappe8477]

Nice looking drums! And Nick is playing sick as always xD

[@sweetwater]

😎🤘

[@maximuslongrod6361]

Just bought mine in Caribbean burst two days ago, so stoked, just gotta wait another week for band practice lol

[@Bwopthedrumminator2291]

Just got this kit for Christmas. It's amazing

[@atomicslam1589]

WOW...those things sound great. GREAT recording kit. Punchy with a controlled sustain. Great video.

[@marcus_mayhem]

I have a top end Tama bubinga kit and I like these better to tell you the truth. So easy to tune and well made. Great bearing edges. I use a Mapex Warith and have never found a better snare. Nick, I love your drumming and you are a legend.........

[@michaeleagle2]

I use the Hawk snare as an aux.. Went with the Cherry Bomb.. AMAZING Snare for that Copeland Police sound!!

[@marcus_mayhem]

@@michaeleagle2 are you referring to the tomahawk snare? Pardon me for my ignorance. Cheers

[@ViciousDeliciousIV]

I've been shopping around for my next kit and pulling my hair out all the while. Finding this video has helped me out of this river of anxiety!

[@stevenfederico2594]

Isn’t it unbelievable I can never remember a point in my life until now with all of these demo videos that trying to decide on a new drum kit went from the most exciting thing to something I lose sleepover not having any loyalty to one brand every brand but a fewmaking an amazing kit and an unbelievable price point

[@ViciousDeliciousIV]

@@stevenfederico2594 the main thing for me at that time was finding something good for a reasonable price. Now if I had to upgrade, I'd make sure its a bigger investment as I'm starting to understand the sound I want out of a kit

[@Rider-mz4pm]

I have the Mapex armory kit and it's simply amazing for the cost. These drums could sell for almost double the price and I still think they would be worth it. I put Evans g2 heads on the Toms and the emad on the kick. Sounds truly like a professional kit. Great job Mapex !!!!! Love it !!!!

[@anthony22bob]

Nick D is a drumming God. Period.

[@robgracia509]

awesome drums and drumming nick

[@XxExoNine]

I cant believe how much you get for how much you're paying, honestly. Thats a great deal.

[@InsomniakDrums]

would love to see a video with the purple haze satin finish being showed off. it seems to have a much more unique look than the other finishes, but i can't find a good quality video showing it off and no local retailers have any to see in person.

[@drumboyadvance]

there is no one better at reviews of kits overall than Nick, damn fine!

[@johnsandlin7474]

I have a late 90's Mapex Orion in antique ivory over birdseye maple. The toms are power tom sized 10x10 12x10 13x11 and 16x16 floor. 22x18 bass. They sound absolutely amazing and look killer.apex makes nice stuffd

[@andyman2462]

Dude your so good ! I've never heard a bad mapex kit

[@CountrySingerWannabe]

I did not think I was gonna like a metal snare but I put a wooden PDP maple snare and tried to play it with the rest of the kit. I clearly didn't work and then I realized I just need to get a good tuning on the Tomahawk. I did and now it sounds great and meshes with the kit nicely.

[@jairocerritos3213]

7:22 "The Sin and The Sentence" intro by Trivium haha. Great review! I was looking into this kit but decided to go with the Saturn V Exotic Maple Burl!

[@TheOneTrueAJ]

I really love this video! Very informative and beyond excellent demonstration! Awesome playing too!

[@sweetwater]

🙂👍

[@drumphil1879]

Mapex delivered on this kit 100%

[@mrpositronia]

Top stuff as always! I like to call these videos "Entertisement videos".

[@larrydicus7822]

My first kit was a Mapex Mars Pro. I still miss that kit. Mapex is a great set , any series that you get, it’s always a great buy.

[@anotheryoutubed]

Every Mapex kit I have ever played on impressed the hell out of me.

[@jroc6166]

Drummer I'm jamming with currently has a older Mars Pro he found for a steal....

[@gabedestellano]

Dude you're such an amazing drummer.

[@mogwix]

This is a fantastic review. Thanks for mentioning the stock heads and the hoop specs. I love that there's no hole on the kick drum for the tom mount, but I will pick up the tom mount anyway because it nests into the cymbal stands. You can mount both toms + a cymbal boom onto one stand that way. I wasn't really sold on the wood combination but I saw one of these kits in the music shop the other day. I'll definitely be picking it up.

[@mineheadX1]

very impressive kit and top-notch demo as always from Nick. I'd love to see a Pacific/DW & TAMA maple kits demoed with this close mic'd set-up...

[@alexanderjamieson7971]

This is Mapex's answer to Tama's Superstar Hyperdrive. Tama does have the better, more reliable hardware, but that kit needs to come down in price a bit, otherwise, I'll be buying these.

[@georgeb6300]

The shorter toms on the hyperdrive look and sound worse imo but they're both still great kits

[@Drewp06]

Nailed it. Tama hardware is much better in this price range but that’s about it. If they added hardware from the Saturn series and priced them right under the hyperdrive it would be goodnight for that Tama series.

[@EphICanIMite]

Oh... and regarding Moon gel... I've switched to Drum Tacs... and am glad I did.

[@MrSiah007]

Value for money nobody even comes close to mapex. It’s insane

[@W4RD1N8ER]

My Mars kit is fantastic! Mapex had no problem making me the sizes of drum I wanted when I asked them. And a representative kept me in the loop as to what was going on with my drums. Compared to the old Coronet drum set I had and the old Yamaha I had after. The Mars entry level kit is one of the finest I have played for sound for that price ridiculous! If you don’t mind the fake wood wrap mine are blood wood other than that there is not one other thing I would change. I was a Tama guy through and through but Mapex has peaked a lot of my interest lately I had no Idea who they were until the last 2 years

[@cobra1995xx]

The mix on damien Schmitts mapex kit on "let's go crazy" for his vic firth spotlight performance is one if the best sounding kits I've ever heard.. his kit sounds awesome on all his vids. And it looks good with white/black hardware

[@turbo7757]

Yeah, Nick. Thanks

[@kennethwinkler8394]

Any other videos on you tube that have this black dawn color kit, can’t even find it from Sweetwater?

[@dylanhardman]

This "Nick" fella could make a plane crash sound good! Serious licks man! Can't wait to add this exact kit to my man-cave.

[@harrisonsmith5825]

It only this finish was available in the Saturn V!

[@ajmonstern2009drmboy]

Hey Nick thanks for everything and I mean everything at sweet water your videos on the Instruments and Equipment is just great I’m so inspired on the new journey I am heading concerning adding more to our small church group to sound better and bigger I will be contacting you soon for advice and experience in the areas I’m trying to improve on. God Bless my man you are a Beast

[@aaronmichaels8347]

Nicky .... another great video !!! I was wondering what type of resos you're using on the tome , snare , bass etc . ??? Thanks

[@vonbeaver99]

thanks for all the info! Stay snappy

[@marcelomagliano2790]

Hola. Soy de Aegentina . Tengo una Armory , que parches me aconsejas poner ? Thanks

[@trenthogan4212]

Those Sabian HHX are what blew me away,,, damn

[@franktherabbit42]

I had a 6 piece Armory Rock Shell kit in Walnut. They are incredible. Absolutely worth every penny. I had the 22x20 Bass drum and I think Mapex makes the best sounding Bass drum, especially for metal. This one is gorgeous. It's quite funny actually, this is nearly identical to how I had mine laid out.

[@jroc6166]

Do you know if the finish is laquer or a wrap?

[@franktherabbit42]

@@jroc6166 I'm pretty sure it's a Laquer.

[@douggoble9695]

Sounds great Nick. 🖤🎵

[@nestorivan112]

I can’t find this kit anywhere anymore 😭😭😭

[@michaeleagle2]

I have this exact it,, Friggen gorgeous.. Remo Suedes batters Remo Ebony Reso's all around...Makes it SING!!!

[@St_Mindless]

So so beautiful 😍 looks really nice in Redwood burst 👌👌

[@DeaganZ3488]

I’m curious to know what type of kit this legend has at his home.

[@michaeleagle2]

Probably a Mapex.. He played them for decades...

[@Travissmith-nc9ms]

Nick could you go over how you have this particular rig tuned.. its sounds flawless!!

[@HonestPercentage38]

I wish Mapex would make some more of these already. My set has been on backorder from Sweetwater for over a month. Hopefully doesn’t take that long to swap the snare out.

[@RoeShamBoe]

this is the track from Nick's instagram where he was shredding the guitar

[@markkeneson6806]

It sounds great.

[@fur10usal50]

Oh boy! I need these in my life! Price is super reasonable also!

[@bgnPrinceton]

Would it be wrong to have two of these kits? I bought the 'normal tom size' version of this kit a couple of years ago, and now I'm thinking of buying the Redwood Burst in the fast tom sizes. Really nice finishes by Mapex, and imo unmatched in value. I'd trade the snare on the second kit though. :D

[@johntheyank88]

I have two sets in different colors (ultramarine and night sky burst) and the drums are the same sizes. I can tune them to sound about anyway I want depending on the heads as long as the sonic clear bearing edge is there.

[@tiedupsmurf]

I just bought a Noble and Cooley snare piccolo ....okay well I'm paying it off, should take me about 6 weeks....then Mapex here I come

[@jesuss7365]

1 Pdp concept maple 2 Yamaha stage custom 3 Mapex armony Which one ?

[@doesntmatter9098]

I almost bought this kit.. I instead went with the Pdp Cm7 by DW.. and I love it. However, I would cheat on her for an evening to do a little playing with an armory if ever given the chance

[@buddyparrot1]

They are very "musical" drums, they are great for playing music, as opposed to what I would argue! That aside, I love my set of MAPEX drums, witch I had never heard of before, and Id been playing since I was 5, I'm 55 now. Inexpensive, yet high quality, very rare, a quality I found in my last kit, a ROGERS. Not quite the hardware of the MAPEX, but they really sounded great.

[@ricohorton]

Nice sounding drums.

[@Stephenhaake]

Would be cool if they made the bass drum a bit more shallow along with the toms. This kit would appeal to me a lot more with a 16" or maybe even 14" deep bass drum...

[@bbfoto7248]

+Stephen Haake Agree. I bought this exact kit (in the Transparent Walnut finish) when it was first released a few years ago. I found a brand new matching 18" x 22" kick drum on eBay at a decent deal and proceeded to cut it down to an 8.5" deep kick drum! Yes, 8.5" x 22"! :-O I have a full wood shop with large table saw and router table, so it was easy to cut the shell and redo the bearing edges on the router table. I added an old school rail-mount type rack tom mount and cymbal arm mount to the 8.5" x 22" kick drum shell. Now I have a compact kick drum to use at small venues as a 1-up/1-down "Bop" kit, and the kick drum includes the cymbal arm mount for my main ride cymbal which I also use as a crash (either the 18" or 22" Sabian AAX OMNI which I like better than the HHX versions!). I don't even need to bring a separate cymbal stand unless I want a separate crash cymbal. :-) I think a lot of people would be surprised how good this 8.5" x 22" kick drum sounds. FANTASTIC! :-) I use the Remo Diplomat Fiberskyn heads on both sides of this shallow kick drum and couldn't be happier. Bonus: the shallow depth improved the kick pedal response/rebound and articulation a bit.

[@BerlinStold]

At first I was totally convinced the first floor tom caught fire. *lol*

[@1life2pono]

This kit sounds amazing!

[@AceOfSpades1920]

Yo, where do you Get the background music from for the drums

[@ramm8196]

I have this kit but mine doesn't sound as good :(. Skins maybe....?

[@michaeleagle2]

if you're still using the stock heads change those out immediately.. They are OK for learning, but this kit really shines with 2 ply heads.. Made a huge difference when I switched over to Emperor Suede Batters I went with the Ebony Resos. First cause it was a cool look and just trying new heads.. This kid with Black heads looks INCREDIBLE and the sound.. IT SINGS!!! Very Musical Kit..

[@lancevaughan6359]

Hey Nick really great job on this video thx. Can you play the same, skell pack with all the snares please and in the same studio conditions please.

[@eddymason-pooley8837]

3:58 he sounded like yoda😂😂😁

[@ScrambledLamb]

There are so many way over rated kits out there 3 to 4 times the price that this kit will keep up with in every way, every day. This kit sounds waaaaaay better than any other branded kit at the price point hands down.

[@SixDrums]

Does anyone know if you can just pick which snare you want from the beginning? I already know I prefer another to the stock Tomahawk, but am I able to select a different drum before I buy instead of having to send it back and waiting to receive another?

[@mbratchie1]

This dude playing buckets, pots, and pans: Me: Eh, I'd pay $1,200 for that kit!

[@joelcapelmorales8924]

I only paid 877€

[@drumfanatik316]

I don’t know why other drum companies don’t do the same thing with their bearing edges like this. I have never had a kit that was so easy to tune up or sound this good!!! I really miss this kit and wish I didn’t sell it? 😢😢😢

[@michaeleagle2]

Throw heads on finger tighten and it's almost already in tune...