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Mapex is keen to stress the new range kit is more than a re-badging exercise

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Launched at the 2009 NAMM show, the Meridian series replaces two previous Mapex ranges, Pro M and M Birch. As such, the Meridian series is split into a selection of all-maple and all-birch kits.

Mapex is keen to stress the new range of kits is more than a re-badging exercise, with plenty of new features and designs incorporated into the drums.

"The kick delivered impressive slabs of bottom end rumble, while the snare cut brightly through figures with ease"

Though both types of Meridian kits are positioned in the mid-range sector, a sizeable price difference separates the two wood options (birch being cheaper to procure than maple). A recent winner of the MIPA award for Best Acoustic Drum Kit, the first Meridian kit to reach us was of the more expensive maple variety.

Build

The supplied Meridian maple kit is one of four options currently available and, along with three of the four choices, is a five-piece set up. It is comprised of a 22"x18" bass drum, 14"x5 1/2" snare, 10"x8" and 12"x9" rack toms and a 14"x14" floor tom. All mounting hardware is included along with a 700 series hardware pack, which features a snare stand, hi-hat stand, a boom cymbal stand and also includes a bass drum pedal.

There are immediate visual differences to the drums that distinguish them from the old Pro M series. Easiest to spot are the new lugs which have been designed to have a smaller footprint on the shell.

The familiar Mapex oval-shaped design has been remodelled to something more along the lines of a curved, bullet-style lug. Each lug is attached to the shell by a single screw and metal-on-wood contact is prevented by the provision of moulded rubber grommets. These new lugs feature exclusively on the Meridian Series.

The shells themselves are, in the main, unchanged from those found on the previous Pro M series, with one critical difference: an additional back cut has been applied to the bearing edges in order to create more contact surface between the head and shell. The angle of the bearing edges remains the same at 4 degrees; the effect of the back cut is to move the bearing edge fractionally inwards towards a flatter area of head.