Mapex Armory 6-piece Studioease Fast Tom Shell Pack - Ocean Sunset Demo

[@nickreza641]

Mapex honestly kills it with finishes in the Armory line

[@alefejamarino]

The armory finishes are much better than the Saturn V finishes. (In my profile photo I’m playing my Armory Redwood Burst)

[@nickreza641]

@@alefejamarino Right? I'm a Tama guy, and they even beat out (in my humble opinion) the finishes of Tamas W/B kits. The Redwood Burst is absolutely gorgeous

[@alefejamarino]

@@nickreza641 yeah bro. The armory finishes can easily beat out some of the Tama Starclassic´s finishes, but for me, there´s no finish more stunnig than the Tama starclassic Bubinga Natural Finish.

[@johncollins5552]

My only issue with mapex kits is the lack of a 14 inch deep bass drum. 18 is not as punchy, it rings on after impact for ages. It's also a pain to fit through a doorway or carry in a small car.

[@DRUMSandBUBS]

I have the nights sky burst order right now.

[@futur_sunds]

This is the most aesthetically pleasing, most amazing sounding, and most advanced drum kit I have ever seen for only $1000!

[@vibes..585]

Hi, What's it like in comparison to a dw collectors ?....tone as deep & warm ?

[@futur_sunds]

@@vibes..585 honestly I would ask someone else because I haven’t personally used or heard the kit in person so I can’t say first hand. I don’t want to give you information that I’m not 100% confident in.

[@stevenfederico2594]

U can’t possibly compare a DW collectors to a 1000 dollar maypex kit More like the design series

[@sticksbass]

@@stevenfederico2594 come now, its all in the heads and tuning.

[@souloutcast]

@@stevenfederico2594 90% of the sound is coming from the heads & tuning, not the shells/finish/hardware. So yes you can and should compare the two.

[@iopsyc15]

Nick's product demos are an incredible insight into his amazing musicianship. His playing represents the best any instrument has to offer. This kit sounds amazing and looks beautiful (even though I usually go for the solid black finish...I may be turned around on fades). The quality of build and sound at this price is amazing. Well done Nick!

[@sweetwater]

🙌🙌

[@Yellowcard7572]

I’ve never clicked on a video so fast till right now. I loveeee love loveeeee that Nick is wearing a floral button up to match the kit’s vibe 😉😉 as always great playing!

[@sweetwater]

🤙🌺

[@Yellowcard7572]

@@sweetwater PS. I also love floral shirts 😉

[@sweetwater]

Thanks for checking out this stunning Mapex Armory Studioease Fast Tom Shell pack with us! For more awesome Sweetwater exclusives and the latest on the best gear make sure you like, comment, and subscribe!

[@vernonbowers4355]

Just ordered the new night sky kit. Absolutely can’t wait for it

[@UnderdogOfficial_tv]

Well, Mapex nailed it! I play Armory for over three years now - very happy. And new colors are top! Well done Mapex!

[@kurtis4572]

Love Nicks playing. He sounds the same on every kit he has tested. doesn't matter the make of the drum. he's going to tune it to his ears and his touch. the one thing most care about is amazing hardware. doesn't matter what drum you play. your going to sound like you.

[@masongregory278]

That drumset's finish is gorgeous. The color design is perfect. Perfect.

[@davshaw5]

But it’s fake wood outer ply!

[@RVGPCOCHA]

Hi Nick, I have been playing since 1969,at age 4. My uncle was Billy Powell from Lynyrd Skynyrd. Rip. I have to say, your drumming has inspired me back from the Mr, Big days... And I have been a Mapex fan for 15 yrs. ❤ My first kit was a Rogers... Awesome sounds...

[@mountainhobbit1971]

I personally LOVE that snare drum...reminds me so much of the 90's Rogers steel snare I play as my main snare. Kit sounds great for what it is, especially when played with those Hot Rods. The hardware seems really great also...all-around great deal.

[@anthonysilva5312]

Dude. I play guitar , bass, keys, banjo, dobro, slide, mandolin.... Now you make me wanna buy a kit!!! Damn you!!

[@Ylojaketz]

Your drum demos are the best sounding demos online.

[@rkaylor5769]

Mapex is criminally underrated. A name change would put them at the big brand table.

[@henrikostensson1160]

I think a less bloated logo would change a lot of attitudes. I mourned when they started using that abomination. It's the little things, you know..?

[@vapeguy3625]

I always keep a bottle of MAPEX handy for all my household cleaning. LOL

[@rkaylor5769]

@@vapeguy3625 I’m trying not to laugh. I think their kits are awesome, but the name just doesn’t jive with me.

[@totic1998]

I never thought there was a problem with mapex or the logo

[@craigjohnchronicles2504]

​@@henrikostensson1160 - this. 100% This. The fat 'M' badge makes their sets look so cheap and unrefined. Such an eyesore. Their drums beg for a more refined understated visual statement - something to match their finishes. Literally - just remove the fat M from their badge, and it's a 200% visual improvement.

[@frogeater9030]

Not going to lie, I thought you were going to break into The Ventures and do a little Hawaii 5-0 at the beginning. I received my Armory kit about a month ago in the Redwood Burst. Wonderful kit with a great sound. Sweetwater is even helping me get the 8" tom from Mapex so I will have the 3 up 2 down that I've always wanted. The Tomahawk snare is great and I use it as an auxiliary snare to the left of my Pork Pie Big Black Brass (BOB) snare. You really can't go wrong with this kit.

[@manuellujan5625]

Nice! I have the same kit and color as yours ive had it for 2 months ....sounds great!🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼

[@alexhill_79]

awesome, i have had the same kit, same colour for about a month too! awesome kit!

[@BEElaine1008]

Yup... I thought the same

[@sp1ne674]

Did your set come with heads?

[@frogeater9030]

@@sp1ne674 Yes it did. They come with Remo coated on the batter and Remo clear on the resonant side. They all have the Mapex logo on the heads too. Not bad sounding stock heads either. I did swap mine out for Evans clear G2 and G1 combo eventually though. That combo gave the drums even more punch.

[@marclewism]

Birch + maple = masterpiece

[@TheTrooper424]

I just picked up a used Mapex Armory kit yesterday because of your previous videos. Look forward to starting this journey on learning to drum! Now I just need a sick Hawaiian shirt to match 🤙

[@sweetwater]

We should start including Hawaiian shirts in our orders, good luck on your drumming journey! 😎🤘

[@teltub1968]

A drummer walks into a Tiki bar… 🤓 (I was kind of expecting the „Hawaii Five-0“ theme…) Awesome as always 😎

[@rubenaugusto95]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Thunderstixx77]

Let it be written in the halls of the great book !!! Teltub wins the Interwebz on this day !!!

[@jcdrums2798]

hello Nick...very beautiful kit and sound...i am a TAMA guy, but i love it.

[@sweetwater]

😁👍

[@luvmedrums4057]

I owned this kit(Black matte) When I left the praise band I was playing in,I donated it to the church.Highly recommend this kit

[@NikkoNikko98]

That’s so nice of you to donate such a good kit, God bless you! ✌🏼

[@luvmedrums4057]

@@NikkoNikko98 Praise God, I would give all my worthy possessions if he asked me 2.

[@karmanwilson1196]

That drum set is going to be mine

[@stevenwest158]

Oh man that snare sound… so distinct and beautiful

[@artpena72]

i bought an Armory last year, and it's by far the best set value i have ever seen, i definitely recommend it.

[@poynor21]

That snare sounds super nice!!! This drumset has a groovy sound and the ombre colors are really 😎

[@sweetwater]

😁🙌

[@timgohrick]

Mapex for life! The Armory series is killer!!🤘🏻🔥

[@sweetwater]

😁🤘

[@maxwellgordon9868]

Can't beat the price! Mapex knows what they're doing.

[@keithpratt1849]

I put clear Emperor's on top and a remo clear p3 power stroke on the bass drum. They sound great. No muffling and sound wonderful recorded. Plus the emerald burst looks amazing.

[@timcloutier3729]

With the colors of the kit, and vibe of the shirt. Along with the beginning drum beat. First thing that came to my mind waaaassss.....1970's t.v. series Hawaii Five O. 🤘🏼🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🤘🏼

[@ReignJeffersonCTria]

That snare sounds so good!

[@sweetwater]

You need it! 😉

[@chrisjohnzo5235]

wow , great drummer , awesome demo!!

[@BrianTCarter]

Loving the sound and, I agree with a few others here. Shallow 20” kick goes best with these sizes. Offer it up Mapex!

[@brianshaut1484]

They offer it now, but only with fusion toms in 10,12,14, but not with a 6pc, and 16" floor tom 😢.. I want that option so bad!!

[@daltonidaho]

The drums sound incredible, I especially liked them when played with rods. The veneer and finishes in the Armory line make them look twice as expensive as they really are. I wish lower level drums were this kind of quality when i was getting started in drums 😀 And great shirt Nick!

[@Thunderstixx77]

I used to think that Joe Morello was the greatest drummer ever... Now, there's Nick, I would play heck trying to compare the tune. He is truly one of the best drummers ever when you compare him to the old greats. I gave a set of Mapex drums to my Grandson and now I am giving him lessons on it via fakebook facetime. They have great sounding drums, well made and definitely something to pass on to your heirs. Thank you Nick, I use you in a lot of my lessons.

[@josephmezzina2142]

Great looking and sounding kit! Nick is the best.

[@carlupthegrove262]

BEEEUTIFUL finish... and the drums sound good too :-)

[@shivaumesh1129]

Am I the only one who's happy that Nick's awesome Hawaiian shirt suits the ocean sunset wrap of the drums?

[@sweetwater]

We love it too! 🤣

[@donvaughn4748]

Love it Nick, tasty chops! Very cool!

[@sweetwater]

🤘🤘🤘

[@catman6089]

beautiful look, beautiful sound, beautiful price

[@mikemaroney6688]

Nick I have been enjoying your drum set and other product demos for at least 5 years. Very tasteful playing as always. It seems like you really were enjoying and inspired by This Mapex Armory drum set. I was thinking originally about upgrading my Sonor Force 3000 kit to the Tama Superstar 7 piece based on your demo, but now I am leaning much more towards Mapex Armory 6-7 piece drum set after viewing this demo. These drum sound so rich and full. Thanks.

[@KevinMartin1028]

These armory kits sound incredible.

[@sweetwater]

🙌🙌🙌

[@undergroundtruth]

Hell Yeah! My Armory fast shell kit is just amazing! Best decision I made after coming from Tama.

[@rachelcox4010]

If I may ask,why did you leave Tama? I play Pearl and was thinking about switching to Tama,but these caught my eye.

[@rkaylor5769]

@@rachelcox4010 Tama has great QC and rock solid hardware (DW and Yamaha as well), and their lineup is outstanding. Their SLP line is incredible. Tama doesn’t slouch on anything. But this kit is a great value…

[@Flawliet93]

one of most gorgeous kit finish i've ever seen.. btw love Nick plays as usual

[@DRUMSandBUBS]

The stock heads sound amazing eeven

[@alessandrocanal6184]

That drum is tuned amazingly!

[@ohrid59mk76]

to high for my taste !

[@LIXOSonidoyDiscos]

Nice sound with this Mapex Armory drum kit. I ❤️ it. Recording with beyerdynamic mics is great, too. My favourite bran in mics

[@4stringz.]

absolutely love this kit

[@drumfanatik316]

Mapex kills it with the Armory kits!!! I just wish they would have a 4 and 5 pc. configuration! Like a one up two down or one up and one down? Would give players more options. I would love to have one for my gigging kit but I don’t want to buy a 6 piece and just have the 10” sit at home!!!

[@DrumRoody]

Sound great for stock heads

[@petegarciajr2601]

Just ordered a set of the redwood burst😁😁 Nick is a great salesman 😅

[@yvesf5355]

Great set of Drum Nick ,and great great Drummer Thanks

[@sweetwater]

😁👍

[@henriquerita1723]

❤ very Nice photos

[@Landon_Dyer]

You should do a video on the best intermediate level drum sets on the market for those ready to take the next step, like myself, but just don’t know what to buy because everything seems good. I’ve been looking at the SJC pathfinder, Gretsch Renown, and Pearl decade maple. Just a suggestion, but I’m sure I wouldn’t be the only one who would greatly appreciate this kind of video.

[@vapeguy3625]

I would take the Armory over any of those for the price. Plus the finish. Other than that not much difference in any of them.

[@MrAkash66]

It is .yes GORGEOUS! ❤️ And ofcourse regarding sound MAPEX doesn't let you down 😉 I am still using a Decade old HORIZON/Daisycutter Snare still roaring .

[@davidlanier7006]

Wow, that's a really nice color! I hope you have them in the sizes I use.

[@Videogameguy74]

diggin the shirt nick 🥁🥁🥁

[@3L3V3NDRUMS]

Thanks for this amazing demo. This helped me a lot by looking for some acoustic drum kits. Since a few weeks, I got a Mapex Armory in Black Dawn with an extra bass drum. The sound of the snare is amazing for Power Metal!!

[@genpeg2048]

How long did it take to get your 2nd bass drum? I ordered 1 too

[@3L3V3NDRUMS]

@@genpeg2048 When I ordered it (The kit with an extra kick), everything was in stock and came together. About 3 weeks it took for me

[@carlosdiaz5486]

I find it funny how Nick was playing with Innovative’s, but Sweetwater doesn’t sell those (at least they didn’t the last time i checked lol)

[@Boosty_Boost]

@9:17 WOW XD JUST WOW. That tone is touching my brains xD

[@DRUMSandBUBS]

I just ordered the same kit but in night sky burst...it's a purple . I cant wait.. I don't know what heads I'm going to get.. I do know I will emad the bass. And stay with coated Tom's. I added the 8" Tom too. I might try HD dry on the tomahawk. And I'm maybe gonna go with double ply Tom heads idk

[@marekweglarczyk5096]

What a playing

[@litin5564]

Love my Armory kit. What is that china cymbal near the 16” floor tom, please?

[@jaghall47]

Sabian hhx China 18"

[@DRUMSandBUBS]

I was wondering too. I'm sad to find out what it is.. lol. I went to demo it out in another video and its not what I thought here

[@aboutthemetal8783]

For the money mapex are well worth the money and way more competitively priced than the majority of other brands. And talk about quality hardware and pedals, I've had a m birch double bass kit ,2 X 22 bass drums,8,10,12,13,( floor Tom's I converted the 14 to a mounted Tom )14,16, and custom 18 floor Tom, I played that for ten years,then I got a meridian birch (custom order kit ) 8,10,12,13, rack Tom's,14 floor Tom again converted to a Tom, and 16 ,18 floor Tom's, 1, 22/ 20 bass drum ( I used double pedal on that kit) plus a brilliant 20 inch gong bass drum , and a matching 14/7.5 inch snare (birch/ maple) . It was a beauty, I wanted to order something similar again, but for whatever reason the mapex representative said that mapex will no longer make any custom order Tom's deeper than what they are selling in their current models,I was gutted, so I ended up going second hand.

[@jonathanbormann5077]

Great kit for the money it would seem. Really wish they offered a shallower bass drum to match the toms. A 20x14 would be awesome!

[@aboutthemetal8783]

I just wish I could get mapex to make the Tom's slightly deeper,not exactly square sizes,but maybe another inch on each Tom, if they did that I'd be buying a 9 piece shell pack tomorrow.

[@yellow5c]

That finish... 😍

[@sweetwater]

🤩🥰

[@ghiblinerd6196]

I see a lot of marketing hype in the bearing edge claims on this kit. From my experience, it doesn’t matter if you have a 60 degree round over, west coast 32 degree or single 45 degree angle. The only thing that makes a difference is how much or how little edge is touching the head. In other words, how sharp or rounded the edge is.

[@laffoonrt]

Looks fantastic

[@sweetwater]

🤩🤩🤩

[@laffoonrt]

Sounds fantastic too

[@JulianFernandez]

nice kit!

[@mrshiney2]

bought my Saturn Special kit back in 2008 and have never looked back

[@mikedaknight8854]

I keep swinging between wanting to get this and the Catalina Maple... But that finish is glorious

[@sweetwater]

😎🤘

[@BillDiMarco]

I'll watch anything with Nick just playing whatever

[@BEElaine1008]

Me too

[@bendailey6070]

I bought it and also an 8" tom to match the set.

[@Bradwick1]

Snare tone was not very maple or birch sounding. 5:08 Oh I see. Great surf rock tone! I see this on a nice beach somewhere with sand and blue water matching the tom colors. 10:47 Oh nice! Yup!

[@johnrobinson8323]

Lately a lot of bass drums are being made shallow. 22 x 14 seems to be popular these days. But I really love the sound of the 22 x 18. It's bulky to carry around but I just love the sound. 🥁❤

[@sweetwater]

Worth the extra bulk! 🥁

[@nathan_m]

that colour wooooooo!

[@krenchi319]

1:43 you get the what?

[@aikidragonpiper71]

I wonder what happened to the 13” Tom ? My kit has 12,13,16,14,& 22 kick drum.

[@jeffhelmlinger7914]

What would be a good replacement head combo for this kit, including the snare, both batter and reso on all drums

[@joelmarquez4629]

I don’t know what is better the shirt, the drum finish or the playing lol

[@demonicsweaters]

Sweet shirt Nick

[@sweetwater]

😁👍

[@joncatuccio5810]

What mics? I’m new to recording and interested in mixing pairs of toms with one mic. Also which Remo bass head is that with the large port. Amazing break down, thanks

[@worldrummer]

Jeez I've owned my armory for four years and I've never played with brushes. I've been missing out. 😱

[@alanpaola5266]

Esta perrota 👍👍👍

[@jhardy0786]

Very nice dude

[@sweetwater]

🤘🥁

[@cj13teorema83]

Does it comes with the cymbals??

[@cschovajsa]

Got that Hawaii Five-O thing going here .

[@hailmaryrecordings8255]

Oh - those are nice. 🙂

[@weirdnout]

No one demos a kit like Nick

[@gadda-da-vida]

Nick is the goat

[@skinfiddler]

available with 20 in kick???

[@fernandobelone3876]

Good looking drum set...what's the price for that kit...love the color...👍

[@MrSiah007]

“I’m wearing this FESTIVE beach style shirt” R.I.P headphones and ears 👂 😂

[@demonicsweaters]

It's a very cool finish. I just wish all these drum companies would stop making such long kick drums, 18 is just too long. 22x16, or even 14 is fine. They should at least offer the option.

[@bassdrumcreep7884]

Yup, I'm considering this, but if I do it's getting cut down to 14".

[@Lesserthannone]

Dude comes to a review with a matching shirt. Ok here's a like MAPEX. Worst thing I ever did was sell my MAPEX SATURN

[@gustafm8422]

What china is that? Can you post a list of the cymbals used in this video?

[@paulysci925]

That could be easily customized to look like a beach scene just paint foam and beach dwellers or you can paint the reverse with seagull silhouettes a horizen line and a reddish sun setting.

[@AZ-pp5qs]

The one I ordered don't have hole on the back of the kick drum for mic, can I cut out one? Will it change the sound ?

[@sweetwater]

Hello, AZ! By all means, you can add a port hole to your resonant kick drum head. We sell a tool here to do it: www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SC-GPHCUT--gibraltar-sc-gphcut-bass-drum-head-port-hole-cutter Doing so will give you a slightly brighter tone and more attack. Thanks for the interest! Cody Kraus, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1766, [e-mail]

[@Githianki]

What ride cymbal is that??

[@Mowgl_Drums]

When is drumeo going to get nick !

[@Jonesin_Jonesy]

I have to ask: is there much of a difference in the sound profile of the "fast tom" configuration vs the standard configuration of the studioeases?

[@sweetwater]

Hey, Will. Thanks for reaching out. There is a minimal difference. Shallower toms tend to have more attack and a little less sustain. It all depends on tuning and head choice, as well. I hope this helps. Jason Thiele, Senior Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1391, [e-mail]

[@Jonesin_Jonesy]

@@sweetwater thanks for the response! I kind of figured that, if there was a difference, it would be minute. I just ordered a set but it was the standard studioease pack. Either way I'm stoked for it. Love the content!