General
Meet the Mapex Black Panther Design Lab Versatus 6-part shell set in Peach Burl Burst finish. That's quite a mouthful and with goodreason. For their Design Lab Series, Mapex have gathered a group of drummers, designers and engineers to match musicality with modern technology. The result is a fantastic sounding kit, partly thanks to the use of maple and mahogany but also due to the many technological additions, like a magnetic mount system and the special SONIClear Attenuation System (SAS). This 6-piece shell set consists of a 22x16 inch bass drum, 10x7 and 12x7.5 inch toms, 14x13 and 16x15 inch floor toms and a 18x12 inch Aux Drum. Because of the inclusion of the Aux Drum, this professional kit is able to take your playing style anywhere.
SONIClear Attenuation System
The SAS system was implemented to make the most out of the selected wood types. Each drum has been carefully tested to make sure it delivers optimal sound. In some cases that meant installing a reinforcement ring around the drumhead, the resonant drumhead, or both. This very much depends on the shell thickness. After all, the larger the shell, the more layers of wood are needed. Bearing edges also differ per shell for optimal vibrational transmission and even the ventilation hole locations have a custom design on each drum. The Master Tune lugs are small but boast a smart design ensuring continuous, equal tension. The floor tom legs have received a special treatment as well, as spring-fitted feet and two 90-degree corners prevent vibrations from being passed to the floor. Each floor tom comes with an extra, adjustable leg that lets you determine the perfect amount of sustain.
Magnetic Air Adjustment Tom Suspension (MAATS-A)
The Design Lab Series is the first to introduce a magnetic mounting system for the toms. The remarkable thing about this system is that it lets you tweak your sound and sustain. Increased magnetic force results in a more open drum sound while adjusting tom height lets you set the right amount of sustain. The tuning of your resonant drumhead can be easily adjusted too because the toms can freely rotate 360 degrees while inside the holder.
Auxiliary Drum
Is it a floor tom? A gong? Or maybe it's a bass drum? Well, that's entirely up to you! The 18x12 inch Auxiliary Drum features a 3-in-1 design. It comes with three floor tom legs so you can simply place it next to the other floor toms. But you're also getting two bass drum legs and a lift to suspend a pedal from the drum with. The third option is to suspend the drum itself and use it as a gong. This does require two TH800 tom arms that you need to mount to two cymbal stands. You could even split this 6-piece kit into two compact kits, each with a tom, floor tom and bass drum!
Tips or comments about this product
- Please note: the stands, cymbals, snare drum and drum stool shown in the images serve illustrative purposes only and are not included.
