Mapex Drums
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Mapex Drums is a drum brand manufactured by KHS Musical Instrument Company of Taiwan. Mapex has been in the drum making industry for over 15 years, and caters for every level of talent and cost that are required.
Mapex's main competitors are manufacturers such as Tama, Pearl, Ludwig and DW. Mapex is considered one of the leading brand of drum manufacturers, and this is reflected in their popularity within the drumming community.
Mapex produces seven different lines of drums: the introductory Q and QR series, the VX, the intermediate M Birch, the basic studio levelPro M, the Saturn, and the Orion. In years past the V and Pro M series were called the Venus and Mars series, in keeping with the tradition of naming the kits after planets. For a short time Mapex also offered the "Deep Forest" line of drums, built entirely out of Walnut plies.
The Q, QR, and VX series are made with basswood plies and are available with maple outer veneers. They come in limited configurations suitable for beginners but are widely considered quality kits.
The Pro M series is available in Birch and Maple, and offers many more options to the player. The Pro M is considered Mapex's most popular line because of its balance of quality, price, and options.
The Saturn line is constructed of Maple and Walnut. The kit is constructed of 6 plies of wood for a shell thickness of 5.1 millimeters. It shares a number of options with both the Mars and Orion line, but is not available with birdseye maple plies.
The Orion Series is an all maple 6.1 millimeter 7 ply setup with an outer layer of Birdseye maple as an option. It is the most versatile kit available from Mapex as each kit can only be ordered by components. No preconfigured kits are available. It is available with black or chrome-plated hardware.
Mapex is also associated with Janus pedals, and Black Panther snare drums.
