MusicRadar

The VX Jazz bass drum retains the generous 18" depth.

1 of 6 » View in gallery

• Related News
• Review
• Manufacturer's Description

Buying a budget kit used to be pretty straightforward. You'd decide which brand you wanted and you'd go for either a 'fusion' or 'rock' kit. The former would run 20", 10", 12", 14", the latter 22", 12", 13", 16" - simple. But advances in low-end drum making have not only brought us better kits with more features, but also a greater choice of kit options.

Nowadays it's not uncommon to be spoilt with affordable set-ups now available with deeper bass drums and with a good range of tom sizes and snares. The new Mapex VX Series is an excellent example of just such a line. There are 'Rock' and 'Fusionease' kits available with 22"x18" kicks, but if you're after something smaller then this five-piece 'Jazz' ensemble might be right up your alley...

Sized up

The VX Jazz bass drum retains the generous 18" depth of the other kicks in the line-up, but is a slimmed down 20" in diameter - good for a punchy retort and for setting up your toms a little lower too, if that's an issue. The toms run 10"x8", 12"x9" and 14"x14", as you might expect, but it's nice to see the 14" as a 'square' floor tom as opposed to a mounted type. Not that one's inherently better than the other, it's just a nice twist that adds a bit of variety.

The drums are all constructed with basswood shells, an inexpensive but decent-sounding wood that appears on various kits, guitars and basses, and the VX range is wrapped in a maple outer ply for rather sexier looks than basswood can offer. Shells are eight-ply and 7.2mm thick and the mounted toms benefit from being suspended by Mapex's ITS cradle system to allow for greater resonance.

The general fit and finish of the VX is quite acceptable for a kit of this type. We would understand if the dark Wax Deep Coffee satin finish is a bit downbeat for you, but it's nicely done and will appeal to the less ostentatious drummers out there. In any case there are a good number of other colour choices, so there will be something to catch your eye.

As far as finishing touches are concerned, the matching wood bass drum hoops are sweet, and low-mass lugs interfere as little as possible into the visual splendidness of the shells themselves. All good so far...

Perfect Package

What's also good for budding players for whom the VX is an entry into Drumland is the fact that the kit comes with a full complement of hardware. Tom holder, cymbal, boom, snare and hi-hat stands, bass drum pedal and stool are all part of the package, and a pretty decent crop of metal it is too. Of the lot it's only the bass drum pedal that, predictably, is likely to be swapped for a more upmarket version as soon as funds allow - the rest of the set is perfectly well built for your first few years pounding the beats.