hi boys and girls not posted on here for a while, but its coming to that time when i need to upgrade my kit. had the mapex m birch for a couple of years now and things are getting serious with my band, so i want a kit that looks good, sounds good and will perform both live and studio.
ive had my eye on the saturn series for a while, after seeing someone play the apple burst kit at a gig, and the sound was unbelievable, that bass drum was phenomenal!! BUT now ive seen the starclassic birch/bubinga kit, similar to the saturn with that inner layer to give the low end punch, but i cant chose the difference!! anyone with experience of the two? many thanks
alex

Mapex Saturns have more size options, and more finish options.








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_...:::/ Jimbob2020 agrees \:::..._

I will go with mapex

TAMA... you can always custom order the sizes you want for tama, so the size options are almost limitless.








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"Would you rather listen to something that starts with a T or an L? The T is for Tom Petty, the L is for Led Zeppelin, YEAH"

I like the features on the Tama sets better and I like the finishes better than Mapex. Both are nice products but I like the suspention mounts and hardware that Tama offers. I've never really cared for Mapex's colors or their hardware. Both are nice, so it's really a matter of preference.

tama has this scorched copper sparkle finish that looks amazing








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my saturn kit is extreamly well built. with good care it will last me a life time. i love the finnish on my saturn (apple burst) as it is hand rubbed on. sometimes a wrap can either choke the sound of the drum or peel off. ive even heard of some dw wraps peeling. you seriously have to check out how solid the mapex mounts are. the fact that the floor toms and bass drums have suspension mounts for legs/spurs on the saturn/orion helps preserve the shell over the years from the pressure of being played on. the tunning range on the saturn is fansatic too, giving you lots of options. the drums stay in tune very well too, very rarely do i need to retune my drums and im a freak for that!

i think mapex undercut almost every other company compared with what others offer for the same money. you would be hard pushed to find a better set of drums than the mapex saturn and imho i dont think there is a drum set at the same retail price anywhere near as good quality as the saturn and as ive said before im not biased just because i own 1, i had enough money to buy a dw, pearl reference, starclassic but after playing the saturn i knew it was the kit for me.


oh yeah and mapex usually have most sizes in stock or if not you dont usually have to wait long.








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mapex saturn
mapex 950 hardware
dw 5000 pedal
zildjian z custom, a custom, K cymbals
protection racket cases
roland td3

saturns are beautiful drums, but so are the starclassics, personally i like tamas hardware options more and they both have great finishes, so i would say either choice here would be a good one








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dw collector series maple
zildjian and saluda cymbals
dw and yamaha snares
dw hardware

I prefer my Saturns than the Starclassics's I used to own. But my Starclassic's were all birch however.

how about the sound? does the walnut and bubinga differ much? i can imagine the bubinga having a sweeter sound than the walnut

I'd go try both kits out and let my ears decide.

Everyone will give you a different opinion because their ears are not yours - my ears ring!

A different set of heads and you get another sound from those shells. People forget the names of Walnut & Bubinga, then....

Next time someone tells me they heard the wanut/Bubinga frequency on a track i'll have a heart attack.

yeah to be honest its personal pref but if you dont get the saturn you'll regret it haha








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Mapex Saturn Series Drums
Sabian Cymbals
Eliminator Pedals
Pearl Rack
Vic Firth Sticks
Remo Heads

www.bebo.com/kevlarakadev
www.myspace.com/devilspain
www.myspace.com/whywalter
www.johnshellyandthecreatures.com

hmm the saturns are amazing drums although the starclassic b/b are beutiful as well. i'd play em both and see which you like more








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www.myspace.com/sjmrecords