Mapex Armory Review

Studioease Kit Configuration

This is a 6 piece kit in a Studioease configuration. This means you get an undrilled bass drum as well as 10, 12, 14 and 16 toms with ‘Fast’ tom sizes, which essentially means they’re shallower. This is my preference for tom depths anyways, so it’s perfect for me. 

The birch and maple hybrid shells produce this clean, pure tone that’s tight and modern. And the Tomahawk steel snare sounds great and cuts through really well.

In my configuration we have 10 x 7 and 12 x 8 inch rack toms, and 14×12 and 16×14 inch floor toms with legs. Then we have a 22x 18 inch kick drum, and of course the 14×5.5 inch tomahawk snare. 

The Ocean Sunset fade on this kit is absolutely gorgeous. You’ve got this clean birch grain that comes through the lacquer beautifully, and for a kit at this price point, the quality of the finish really impressed me. 

The lug design also complements the shells nicely – it’s a sharp looking kit in any setting, and looks especially nice in this studio.

Sounds

The birch/ maple hybrid shells are 6 plies in total, and the maple is sandwiched by a birch inner and outer ply. The drums sound fantastic. Each of the toms has really nice tonal definition and a satisfying musical pitch. 

I am very impressed by the sound these drums deliver in terms of their attack, responsiveness, and projection, especially for their price. The rack toms are punchy and full-bodied, and the two floor toms have this deep, satisfying low end. All of them are just really fun to play.

I actually swapped out the included tom heads for Evans HD Drys, just to see how they’d sound – and they really suit this kit. I’ve tuned everything to about medium tension, and it all sits nicely tonally, with no dampening whatsoever.

Tuning the drums was really easy, and I think that’s helped by the SONIClear bearing edges. They’re designed to let the head sit nice and flat against the shell, so the whole tuning process felt smooth, it was easy to get a great tone from each of the drums.

I did also spend a bit of time with the stock heads before swapping those out, and I got those sounding decent without having much fuss tuning them.

The kick drum is nice too — I’ve still got the stock batter head on there. It’s not the standout here, but it’s definitely solid and punchy. I’d probably throw an EMAD on it to level it up and get that extra bit of control and low-end focus.

Tomahawk Steel Snare

The 14×5.5″ Tomahawk steel snare is awesome. I love that it comes with beefy 2.3mm power hoops — that instantly makes it feel more premium. The throw-off is smooth and feels well made. 

Sound-wise, it’s got that sharp, bold, cutting tone you’d expect from a steel snare. It’s got great projection, and it works well for a range of styles.

It’s bright and articulate and explodes to life when played loud. It has a penetrating cut and a good level of sensitivity for buzz rolls and ghost notes as well as loud backbeats.

I would argue this is the best snare drum you’ll find included with any intermediate-level 5- or 6-piece shell pack.

Build Quality & Hardware

The build quality overall is excellent. The whole kit arrived nestled inside itself (like Russian dolls) with the heads off, which meant I could get a proper look at the bearing edges. And they’re really well cut. That’s something I’ve noticed with Mapex even on their lower-end kits like the Venus.

And for a drum set at this price point, the drum shell construction is superior to many in its class. The considered approach to blend these two types of hand-selected wood shells results in a superior tone to its competitor’s offerings.

And the shell hardware is very good too, with durable hoops and robust feeling lugs adorned to each drum. 

The external tom clamps are my only slight drawback here. Compared to the Yamaha YESS system on the Stage Custom I just reviewed, these feel slightly less refined. They drop slightly after you find your position, so you’ve got to counteract that during setup. But once you’ve got your settings in place, it won’t move. 

That said, the mounting hardware on the drum itself is actually excellent, and a step up from the Stage Custom in that regard. On the Yamaha, the tom mount is drilled directly into the shell, but on the Armory, the mount is isolated, which means the shell is suspended and can resonate more freely. 

Playability

This kit is truly a complete workhorse. I’ve had it set up in my studio for several weeks and I love sitting behind it and playing it. It feels, looks, and sounds like a premium drum set.

The shell construction works beautifully, delivering a warm, rounded sound with rich woody resonance and strong projection.

The ‘Studioease’ sizes and SoniClear bearing edges help to produce a desirable, modern, and punchy sound so many drummers look for.

These drums are simply a lot of fun to play. The drums offer a satisfying attack with a punchy tone. What I like most about the rack toms and floor toms is that they produce a clean note, with minimal overtones for a ‘mix ready’ sound.

Verdict

In terms of value, the Mapex Armory has to be right up there. I was just raving about the Yamaha Stage Custom, which I still think is one of the best kits for the money – but this competes for sure. 

At the time of filming, the whole 6-piece kit is under a thousand bucks — and for what you’re getting in terms of quality, sound, and looks, I think it’s a total steal.

This is a very capable drum set that can handle any musical style or application. I’ve absolutely loved playing it in the studio- these birch and maple hybrid shells offer some amazing tones, and I look forward to featuring this kit in more upcoming content too.