Mapex VXB Kit Review

There have been a few rumblings recently at Mapex Towers with regards to new kits and make overs. Firstly there is the new Meridian series in both maple and birch options (to be reviewed soon). Then there is a new entry level Q series, upgrades for the Saturn series, new colours for the Orion and the lower end QR, and the finally there is the VXB, which has entered around or just below the same level as the former Pro M, which is the kit we have here to review.

As I said, the VXB series fills the gap vacated by the Pro M. To begin with, this kits target audience (in my humble opinion) is the upper entry (budget wise) to first upgrade. However, for the occasional gig or rehearsal band usage it’s more than adequate. A multi gig touring kit it is not, but, then I am sure that was not Mapex’s intentions with its launch. The "B" in the VBX is to inform us that the drums have birch wood within its shell construction. Sounds good already! I have had the pleasure of reviewing three Mapex kits over the past few years (the Orion, the Saturn - a particular favourite of mine - and the Pro M kit), so was I going to be impressed yet again? Let’s take a look and see…

The kit that arrived for this review was the five piece fusion kit (sexily named the VXB6245TK-CY), which included a free (yes, free) 8" tom along with a clamp and arm to mount it. I wanted to find out a little more regarding the kit, so off to the mapex.co.uk website I went. However, there was no reference to the VXB series that I could fine. So off I went to have a look at mapex.com site, where there are a number of country specific sites. I went into each one and found absolutely nothing - no mention of the VXB anywhere. I have since found out that we got the kit so far in advance that Mapex hadn''t put the info up, and I''m pleased that you can now find out everything you might need to.

My kit was sized as follows 22"x18" bass drum, 8"x7" (the free drum), 10"x8" 12"x9" mounted toms, a 14"x14" floor tom and matching 14"x5.5" snare, all in a glorious Transparent Cherry wood lacquered finish. Before we go any further, I would like to make a special reference to this finish. It was a gorgeous cherry red stain applied to the outer ply then coated on top with a deep clear lacquer, which really bought out the wood grain and made it very eye catching. It really reminded me of a 1980’s Cherrywood Yamaha 9000. Here we are talking about a lower end of the scale kit, with such a high standard stunning finish – amazing!

The free 8" tom, clamp and L arm and really does make the package appear as very good value for money, but how long this offer will last for I have no idea. The kit comes with a full complement of double braced hardware including snare, hi-hat and a couple of boom/straight cymbal stands, plus a basic, but very usable lightweight stool. Each item was both sturdy and very functional. I would be more than happy to use this hardware pack for general gigging and I must admit I have always been impressed with Mapex hardware.

Moving onto the drums, I started out by inspecting each of the six shells for any faults or imperfections but there were absolutely none, I am pleased to report. Each shell was perfectly round and the bearing edges (all 45°) were spot on. One point I was not so impressed with however, was the snare bed or almost total lack of it in this case. This did not do the drum any favours sound wise but more on this a little later in the review. Inside, the shells were well sanded, very smooth and clean. Each internal air vent had a small black plinth under the eyelet which referenced a serial number (useful for insurance purposes) and "Made in China".

Hardware wise, there are no real changes from the former VX series - low mass lugs top and bottom, with a thin black protective gasket between lug and shell for protection. Isolated tom mounting brackets were fitted to the 8", 10" and 12" toms. This bracket fits beneath two of the lugs so there is no tom mount directly attached to the drums shell. The tom mount itself was a little disappointing as there was always a bit of movement in the drum unless the tightening bolt was done up really tightly. This was because the tom mount itself is a chromed metal box to which the L arm passes vertically through. However the eye bolt inside the box has a circular hole in it and the tom L arm is hexagonal so it not a snug fit and I have to say that cast metal does not like being over tightened – something to be aware of! I know, it’s a minor point, but one I felt worthy of a mention.

One plus point I did like was the use for metal washes under the tension bolts and not plastic, for me these are much more practical as they do not spay out under pressure and become squashed over time. Overall the chrome work on the whole kit was superb - nice and bright - which in turn bought out that Cherrywood lacquerer a treat.

The bass drum claws were a bit too wide for the size of wooden hoop used and they just do not sit snug against the hoop which could mark the hoop over time. I noticed that they were the same ones as used on the new Meridian kits, however those ones have a rubber protector inserted, and the ones on the VBX did not, hence the fit issue. The hoops themselves were lacquered, cherry stained on the outside to match the kit and natural on the inside.

On top of the drum is the tom mount bracket, it penetrates the shell to accept the round tom holder tube, is very sturdy and does the job well. The securing floor spurs were functional, chunky, but not bulky with the option of rubber or metal spikes.

I found trying to secure the 8" tom on its mount to be a tad tricky too. The L arm is too small in circumference for the clamp bracket to grip properly, you could tighten it up as far as it would go, but under the weight of the tom it gradually slips. It’s just about tight enough for light playing on the 8" but it would never take the weight of the 10" or the 12" tom if you ever thought about changing the set up round. It’s all well and good it being free, but it does need to be functional as well - perhaps this is something Mapex will look into?

Ok, now let’s look at the performance of the kit. As I explained earlier this kit is aimed towards entry level beginners/intermediates, therefore I am going to keep this in mind. I used the kit to practice on for a week so I didn’t record it or take it out on a gig.

The heads are all clear single ply Chinese made Remo UX series, apart from the snare batter which was white coated and the front bass drum head that was black with a white Mapex logo at the top. The China produced heads are not great in both terms of quality or durability compared to American Remo heads but they do keep the price of the kit down, and would probably be replaced as soon as possible in most cases.

I set all the kit up in my practice room and once tuned up they sounded really nice, with plenty of attack before the heads lost their tone. I cranked the 8" tom up to sound like a high tuned timbale and this enabled me to get a nice cadence between all the toms. I have to say the 14" floor tom stood out from the rest for me as it is an amazing sounding drum - it produced bottom end more akin to a 16" floor tom and projected very well too. It did not lose any tuning even when turned down really low just before the top head started to flap – excellent!

The bass drum packed a good bottom end punch. I didn’t cut a hole into the front head or put in any dampening as both the resonant and batter head incorporated a 2" internal dampening ring, which controlled the sound a little, but it was an open sound. If I were keeping the kit I would have cut a hole in the front and dampened it down with an internal pillow or towel for home use purposes. As an open bass drum player I have got used to taming un-ported un-dampened bass drums over the years, but for the less experienced amongst us the hole and pillow may be the simple solution to the perfect sound and keeping the neighbours happy at the same time!

As I mentioned earlier, I was less happy with the snare drum which was the most disappointing drum in the kit for me. I just could not get this drum to sound how I wanted it too, no matter what I did with the tuning. I must admit I even tried changing the batter head, but with little improvement. The drum is an 8 lug with a simple, but really functional strainer and triple flanged hoops, so I don’t know why it would not perform for me in the way I wanted it to. Please don’t get me wrong it was fine as an "OK" snare and for practice use.

Overall the kit performed very well in terms of sound, it was definitely a kit full of attack and presence, the inclusion of birch in the shells would have something to do with this.

So to summarise, overall the package on offer here is good. Yes there are a couple of "areas for improvement" but overall what you get for your money is good value. The finish is top class and there are a lot of drums for you to bash around on. Cost wise, the retail price for the review kit package was quoted at £688. I contacted a couple of shops who were offering a deal price of around £600. Now, not too long ago you would have been looking somewhere nearer to £400 for a kit package of this type, but with recent material cost rises coupled with exchange rate differences against the pound its taken its toll and the net result I am afraid, is it’s going to cost you more today. But, it’s all relative as the semi pro and pro range kits have also shot up in price here in the UK for the same reasons.

Taking everything into consideration I still think the Mapex VXB kit package is definitely one well worth checking out and represents good value for money at this end of the market.

John Griffin – April 2009