When Nick does his review's which are always great, you get the added bonus of a masterclass in professional drumming. Nick is the man! I almost forgot to mention how great the Saturn's sound and look. Great drums.
That backing track in the intro is sweet!! Love you guys at Sweetwater. You guys have great service. Love Nick! You guys are lucky to have a drummer as good as him!!!
No matter how much I feel like I should spend more money for a great sounding kit I keep coming back to Mapex Saturn... Honestly man these Saturns are pound for pound the best drums on the market. I have owned Yamaha Absolute hybrid, DW Collectors, Ludwig classic maple and Keystones, Tama B/B, and a Premier elite and I have recently went back and bought my 2nd Saturn and feel no need to try any more expensive kits as the sound from these Saturns is either better than or equal to and much cheaper price wise than anything I have tried. Plus if you like to mount rack toms off the bass drum and still keep the BD virgin you cannot beat Mapex's mount THBM2218A.
Man, I traded my 1st saturn to Pearl masters, and now come back to 2nd set of Saturn V. still wish that I could afford another masters reserve though, 2 best sounds that I love.
@@boyna13 ha! That's funny, I just did the exact opposite, and traded my 90s edition Pearl Masters custom maple for a new Saturn V exotic deep water burl! I got the whole kit for only 300 bucks on top of trade. I had money left over to buy new cymbals too! Happy drumming!
mom: "what do you want to be when you'll complete your studies?" me: "I want to be like Nick de vargilio and play drums and sell them mom" best occupation ever!!
Dw's all have the same 45 degree bearing edge and it happens to be pretty sharp. Which means there's literally no point in getting the collectors series drums. Extra $2k for some decal stripes 😂
I absolutely agree with you. Learning how to drum, we are taught DW and Zildjian are king. As I get more educated, Im leaning more towards Mapex/DDrum kit with a MEINAL/Sabian cymbal set-up.
The problem with Nick D'Virgilio is that he makes every drum set sound amazing! Just proves that it is not always the drums, but a lot to do with the player! Great stuff, with that, I'm opting for the Yamaha Recording Custom but dang I'm not 100% convinced, stop confusing me Nick, make something sound like junk so I know what NOT to buy :)
thank you so much Nick for the awesome detail work you put in into your videos that gives us great everything we need to make sound very professional like you. Please don't stop makes your some videos in this manner.
Man Saturns are just the bomb, There Really is no neewd to spend more money on drums unless your just buying names a or prefer a different lug style. Sound wise it is on par with just about any top Of the line kit that costs triple this price.
My Saturn V deep water maple burl set performs great! The tuning range is impressive and breathes in harmony when finding that sweet spot of both heads... just beautiful to look at.
I'm liking the interesting music you play to Nick(and your versatile style). wild, swingy, sometimes samba-ish. Good review. I'm waiting on my Tama b/b shell pack and getting more anxious by the day lol.
Jordy Hanners gonna love the Tama bb bro. I used to have a DW collectors series and a pearl masters and my Tama Starclassic hyperdrive bb in the molten brown burst finish is the best kit...and for only a fraction of the cost of other high end expensive kits, better sound, better tuneability, better feel, and Definitly better hardware with the new features Tama brought down to the Starclassic line from the flagship star line. Even tama's mid level kit the superstars sound amazing for an insanely good price. Can't beat the quality you get from Tama for the price, unless it's a star kit cause those kits are pricey as hell and I think Starclassics sound better to my ears than the star drums.
I have always loved the sound of Saturn drums. I have a late 90's Orion kit with power sized toms and it really is a killer sounding set. Luckily my Orion is in mint condition and not mistreated so the heavy shells have not warped at all. The full length lugs make the drums heavy but controlled sounding. These drums have really nice hardware on them.
I noticed when tuning my toms (I use a drum dial) that the normal settings I use can’t be used on this kit. I do believe it has to do with the SONIC bearing edges. Even with the tension rods totally loose the head has a tension of 75 lol... being I’m using a 2 ply head it has to be tuned in the 80’s to ensure all tension rods are pulling the rim down to seat the drum head properly. I’d love to know if he tuned it by ear or if they used a drum dial to tune the toms/bass drum.
The Saturn is like less than half price of the BP kits, but the overall quality is very comparable. If you've got money to burn and really want a BP set, go for it...but if not, buy a Saturn and be pretty much equally stoked. There's no right or wrong answer here really, they're both high end Mapex kits
I got the Saturn v exotic studioease kit. Same color as above only it was a 5 piece. I’m in love with this kit and was able to get it at a decent price. Cheaper than what sweetwater is asking for this 4 piece above. But I’m moving up from a Mapex Pro M so anything is really an upgrade lol
I agree. They sound fantastic. I sold one of my DW collectors kits to get these in the 5 PC configuration. I'd put them up against most high end drums. I've had Sonor SQ1, SQ2, Vintage series, Yamaha Maple Custom, Maple Custom hybrid, Birch custom absolute, Recording custom, Gretsch USA Custom and the mapex hangs with all of.them.
Great sounding kit! On a list of one of my upgraded kits I'm looking into. My ? Is this, i don't remember u mentioning it. Those cymbals compliment that set very well. What brand/sizes are u playing?
you should check out the gretsch marquee,i tried them out when i bought my b/b and sound awesome the resonance is really good and the maple are really warm.
Take the Saturn, Those wobbly mounts with the plastic levers on the tama bb's are really hit or miss and not worth the gamble. plus Mapex customer service is wayyyy better than tama's. This Saturn sounds much better IMO
I recently had a Starclassic Bubinga kit and the bass drum tuning rods constantly came loose to the point that I got rid of the kit! I heard Mapex do the same thing, does anyone know if that's true?
These kits rule. But, if you want more traditional sizes, good luck. The kick sizes are 18” deep and they will NOT make more shallower versions. I guess that’s why they introduced the “tour” version...which doesn’t really help if you want a drum to match the exotic finish.
Cost wise, I think it would be this kit vs. Gretsch Renown. Brooklyn's are about $1000 more. Renown and Saturn may be the 2 best kits for the money there are? A good match-up.
This kit doesn't have some deep low end I love about Tama kits like the bubinga or bb or even tama's maple kits have more low end then this kit. This is a nice sounding kit but not really my cup of tea. He does tune his kits little higher then I would like but overall I've found These saturns not as nice as Starclassics, hardware and sound both. Even tama's superstars have some nice lowend to them. And I know it's gotta be hard to come up with different words and different ways to describe a sound of a kit after so many reviews after so many different kits but he basically describes every kit the exact same because of course he's not gonna say the cons about these kits since sweet water is obviously trying to sell these kits so if you aren't saying the pros AND cons, every kit is described the same after watching basically all these reviews, they tune up very well, the toms have great rebound and feel and resonate beautifully, great tone interval between each tom, the bass drum is beefy and punchy, the hardware is nice and sturdy, feels good underneath the hands, this kit sounds big and huge, this kit sounds great especially on this side of the kit. The only difference is when he's explaining the different hardware from different companies but the main point of these reviews are to HEAR and SEE the drums yourself so I'm just being a nit picky little girl right now lolll but I do believe nick and sweet water have the best quality drum reviews out there.
The best was the Gretsch video w/Mike Johnston saying how the drums have a "trampoline" feel. Now there's a new one. I laughed out loud when I heard it.
Andy Ham I actually just bought this drum set a couple weeks back and one of the things the sound guy at my last gig complemented me on was how much low end and resonance it had. I also got two falcon boom stands and can definitely say there much more heavy duty than tamas lo-pro or road pro series and my toms have yet to budge even when breaking down and re setting it
These drums have much more low end than any of the drums you mentioned. Walnut's tone is almost as low as mahogany. I've played all the drums you mentioned and I can say for a fact these sound much lower than any of those. The star bubingas sound really fat and are amazing drums, but these are definitely lower overall. I'd still probably go with the bubingas for overall sound, but the low end on these sounds great in person. He definitely tuned them too high imo. The best quality of these drums is their low end attack so idk why he'd tune them up. If you get the chance you should definitely give them a try, you won't be disappointed.
Trust me ... it's the recording and the compression used in it that is taking out ALOT of the lows and thunder one is use to from the Mapex Saturn kits.
I like the music, but wish Nick would demo just the drums like before, it puts more focus on hearing the drums..and Nick didn't mention to watchers the maple/walnut shell hybrid...what a complainer im being
I was excited when I bought a Mapex Armoury kit a few years back... instant regret. It just didn't have much depth or tone. It sadly, put me off Mapex kits for life. I do however, still have my Black Panther Blaster snare which is fantastic.
not sure about the comment of a Tama b/b having more lows. Maybe it's my ears, but I listen to same player, on a b/b.. The mapex sounds like it has more lush lows. ua-cam.com/video/o_uhZ9WL4qQ/v-deo.html
Nice set and great drumming, but... Dude, your last name is written wrong. Though you spell it correctly, it should be Di Virgilio, not D'Virgilio. In the Italian language you must use the apostrophe only when the following word starts with a vowel.
The problem is...Mapex/KHS customer support *SUCKS!!* Every time I call Mapex/KHS they either don't have an answer for me or they just hang up on me! WHY do you think a LOT of their endorsers are leaving Mapex??
So glad to see Mapex at Sweetwater!!!
When Nick does his review's which are always great, you get the added bonus of a masterclass in professional drumming. Nick is the man! I almost forgot to mention how great the Saturn's sound and look. Great drums.
That backing track in the intro is sweet!! Love you guys at Sweetwater. You guys have great service. Love Nick! You guys are lucky to have a drummer as good as him!!!
LOVE my new Saturn V MH deep water burl! Fantastic studio or stage kit! Happy drumming!
I bought this kit when it first came out. Love it and still sounds great. Only have changed the heads twice. Best investment i ever made.
No matter how much I feel like I should spend more money for a great sounding kit I keep coming back to Mapex Saturn... Honestly man these Saturns are pound for pound the best drums on the market. I have owned Yamaha Absolute hybrid, DW Collectors, Ludwig classic maple and Keystones, Tama B/B, and a Premier elite and I have recently went back and bought my 2nd Saturn and feel no need to try any more expensive kits as the sound from these Saturns is either better than or equal to and much cheaper price wise than anything I have tried. Plus if you like to mount rack toms off the bass drum and still keep the BD virgin you cannot beat Mapex's mount THBM2218A.
Man, I traded my 1st saturn to Pearl masters, and now come back to 2nd set of Saturn V. still wish that I could afford another masters reserve though, 2 best sounds that I love.
How did you like Yamaha hybrid maple? You prefer the Saturn over that?
@@boyna13 ha! That's funny, I just did the exact opposite, and traded my 90s edition Pearl Masters custom maple for a new Saturn V exotic deep water burl! I got the whole kit for only 300 bucks on top of trade. I had money left over to buy new cymbals too! Happy drumming!
mom: "what do you want to be when you'll complete your studies?"
me: "I want to be like Nick de vargilio and play drums and sell them mom" best occupation ever!!
Love mine! The most musical kit I've owned. I've owned Tama, Sonor, Ludwig, and PDP but this Saturn V sounds killer!!
This sais a lot. And the crazy part is .. I AGREE 💯👊
These drums look & sound great. Maple burl is considered "exotic" yet Mapex keeps the price reasonable unlike DW.
Had Enough lol dw could make it out of plywood and cardboard and still price it at 5 grand 😂
Nathan King And they would make it sound decent as well.
Dw's all have the same 45 degree bearing edge and it happens to be pretty sharp. Which means there's literally no point in getting the collectors series drums. Extra $2k for some decal stripes 😂
Jason Marler, And which you prefer the Mapex Saturn or tama starclassic b/w
I absolutely agree with you. Learning how to drum, we are taught DW and Zildjian are king. As I get more educated, Im leaning more towards Mapex/DDrum kit with a MEINAL/Sabian cymbal set-up.
i like the shot where someone was like "Yeah grab the fog machine bro." great stuff from Nick as usual....
The problem with Nick D'Virgilio is that he makes every drum set sound amazing! Just proves that it is not always the drums, but a lot to do with the player! Great stuff, with that, I'm opting for the Yamaha Recording Custom but dang I'm not 100% convinced, stop confusing me Nick, make something sound like junk so I know what NOT to buy :)
Look into the single hit notes.
you're right, it's the drummer that adds value.
You're right. But nowadays it doesn't matter which set you buy. They're all good.
This is the most beautiful kit I have ever layed my eyes on...
thank you so much Nick for the awesome detail work you put in into your videos that gives us great everything we need to make sound very professional like you. Please don't stop makes your some videos in this manner.
Man Saturns are just the bomb, There Really is no neewd to spend more money on drums unless your just buying names a or prefer a different lug style. Sound wise it is on par with just about any top Of the line kit that costs triple this price.
My Saturn V deep water maple burl set performs great! The tuning range is impressive and breathes in harmony when finding that sweet spot of both heads... just beautiful to look at.
I love this particular kit and want to own one soon! I love the tom mounting especially.
Amazing how well he performs on a drum kit he just met.
Mapex Saturn V MH Exotic 4-piece shell pack is so beautiful and awesome Nick D'Virgilio
That kit with a matching Pegasus snare 😍😍😍😍 holy crap
Nick you're awesome brother love all of your videos !
Manny Pedregon You're one of my favorite UA-cam drummers, a big inspiration for me to start learning, man. It's really cool seeing you here.
Thanks brother much appreciate !
I find your videos very theraputic.
I'm liking the interesting music you play to Nick(and your versatile style). wild, swingy, sometimes samba-ish. Good review. I'm waiting on my Tama b/b shell pack and getting more anxious by the day lol.
Jordy Hanners gonna love the Tama bb bro. I used to have a DW collectors series and a pearl masters and my Tama Starclassic hyperdrive bb in the molten brown burst finish is the best kit...and for only a fraction of the cost of other high end expensive kits, better sound, better tuneability, better feel, and Definitly better hardware with the new features Tama brought down to the Starclassic line from the flagship star line. Even tama's mid level kit the superstars sound amazing for an insanely good price. Can't beat the quality you get from Tama for the price, unless it's a star kit cause those kits are pricey as hell and I think Starclassics sound better to my ears than the star drums.
Andy Ham
Someone said that Bubinga sounds like Birch on Steroids. Huge Attack, No Mids, Lots of Bottom End.
Can you confirm that?
When it’s done right it has the projection of maple but the attack and definition of birch.
Shell thickness plays a big role though.
I have always loved the sound of Saturn drums. I have a late 90's Orion kit with power sized toms and it really is a killer sounding set. Luckily my Orion is in mint condition and not mistreated so the heavy shells have not warped at all. The full length lugs make the drums heavy but controlled sounding. These drums have really nice hardware on them.
Saturns are fantastic drums!
I usually stay clear of hybrid wood shells but these sound AMAZING!!!!!!!!
I don't care about any of the drums. I just came to see Nick playing.
I traded my Pearl Reference for this kit. Both are great but these hum just a bit better and at a better price range.
Great kit! Nice playing!
the production and sounds are done really well obviously but sometimes I miss the simplicity of the old reviews in the auditorium
Amazing kit !!!
Mapex is like a forgotten drum company. They make great drums really especially at the top of their line. They have a very unique sound.
Just ordered one of these in the deep water burl.
Could you make a video on those Modern Essentials Cymbals too?
Nick has one of the best stank faces I've ever seen.
Hey Nicky, when are you launching a CD with those compositions? Sounds vvveerryyy gooodd!
Mapex is one of the best drum in the United States of America so cool Mapex is such a sexy drum set
I noticed when tuning my toms (I use a drum dial) that the normal settings I use can’t be used on this kit. I do believe it has to do with the SONIC bearing edges. Even with the tension rods totally loose the head has a tension of 75 lol... being I’m using a 2 ply head it has to be tuned in the 80’s to ensure all tension rods are pulling the rim down to seat the drum head properly. I’d love to know if he tuned it by ear or if they used a drum dial to tune the toms/bass drum.
What is the title of the ending song?
How does this compare to the armory series
Man! You are great!
Would you suggest the Mapex Black Panther Design kit or this Saturn kit?
The Saturn is like less than half price of the BP kits, but the overall quality is very comparable.
If you've got money to burn and really want a BP set, go for it...but if not, buy a Saturn and be pretty much equally stoked. There's no right or wrong answer here really, they're both high end Mapex kits
I got the Saturn v exotic studioease kit. Same color as above only it was a 5 piece. I’m in love with this kit and was able to get it at a decent price. Cheaper than what sweetwater is asking for this 4 piece above. But I’m moving up from a Mapex Pro M so anything is really an upgrade lol
Sounding very well...!
Nevermind, he did mention the maple/walnut..need to open my ears
Mapex are amazing value for money, I just wish they would make deeper toms.
i think you could have tuned the toms better because i’ve heard them in other videos and sound a bit more warm and powerful
I agree. They sound fantastic. I sold one of my DW collectors kits to get these in the 5 PC configuration. I'd put them up against most high end drums. I've had Sonor SQ1, SQ2, Vintage series, Yamaha Maple Custom, Maple Custom hybrid, Birch custom absolute, Recording custom, Gretsch USA Custom and the mapex hangs with all of.them.
The 12in tom sounds wet or out of tune. I can't put my finger on it. Anyone else hear it?
Great sounding kit! On a list of one of my upgraded kits I'm looking into. My ? Is this, i don't remember u mentioning it. Those cymbals compliment that set very well. What brand/sizes are u playing?
Пайстэ Мастерс ..вроде видно было
I can't decide wether to get these or the new Tama Starclassic Birch/Walnut...
Tama
Love all Drums they all sound different just like guitars Fender, Gibson Ibenez Etc
I can't choose between this drum and the tama performer b/b can anyone give me some recommendations
you should check out the gretsch marquee,i tried them out when i bought my b/b and sound awesome the resonance is really good and the maple are really warm.
Mapex all the way
Jobwong2cheng I'm in the same spot
vince wilson you can’t go wrong with the Mapex good price good sound they look good everything about them are amazing
Take the Saturn, Those wobbly mounts with the plastic levers on the tama bb's are really hit or miss and not worth the gamble. plus Mapex customer service is wayyyy better than tama's. This Saturn sounds much better IMO
I recently had a Starclassic Bubinga kit and the bass drum tuning rods constantly came loose to the point that I got rid of the kit! I heard Mapex do the same thing, does anyone know if that's true?
came loose? Man, I play my kit for few months and I havent touched drum key to tune again.
These kits rule. But, if you want more traditional sizes, good luck. The kick sizes are 18” deep and they will NOT make more shallower versions. I guess that’s why they introduced the “tour” version...which doesn’t really help if you want a drum to match the exotic finish.
Hope Sweetwater gives employee discounts, because I would love to work there.
nice sound.
TENHO UMA SATURNO PRIMEIRA GERAÇÃO...
TOP DE LINHA DA MARCA MAPEX... A MINHA 1995
This or Gretsch Brooklyn?
Cost wise, I think it would be this kit vs. Gretsch Renown. Brooklyn's are about $1000 more. Renown and Saturn may be the 2 best kits for the money there are? A good match-up.
Isn't Nick a mapex & paiste sponosred player- this video must've felt 'right' to him.
Maybe DW and meinl
Yes of course Nick is a Mapex endoserment
He currently plays with cirque du soleil, and check the mapex web, you will see that
Mapex & Meinl !
This kit doesn't have some deep low end I love about Tama kits like the bubinga or bb or even tama's maple kits have more low end then this kit. This is a nice sounding kit but not really my cup of tea. He does tune his kits little higher then I would like but overall I've found These saturns not as nice as Starclassics, hardware and sound both. Even tama's superstars have some nice lowend to them.
And I know it's gotta be hard to come up with different words and different ways to describe a sound of a kit after so many reviews after so many different kits but he basically describes every kit the exact same because of course he's not gonna say the cons about these kits since sweet water is obviously trying to sell these kits so if you aren't saying the pros AND cons, every kit is described the same after watching basically all these reviews, they tune up very well, the toms have great rebound and feel and resonate beautifully, great tone interval between each tom, the bass drum is beefy and punchy, the hardware is nice and sturdy, feels good underneath the hands, this kit sounds big and huge, this kit sounds great especially on this side of the kit. The only difference is when he's explaining the different hardware from different companies but the main point of these reviews are to HEAR and SEE the drums yourself so I'm just being a nit picky little girl right now lolll but I do believe nick and sweet water have the best quality drum reviews out there.
The best was the Gretsch video w/Mike Johnston saying how the drums have a "trampoline" feel. Now there's a new one. I laughed out loud when I heard it.
He is a bit of a wazzock..
Andy Ham I actually just bought this drum set a couple weeks back and one of the things the sound guy at my last gig complemented me on was how much low end and resonance it had. I also got two falcon boom stands and can definitely say there much more heavy duty than tamas lo-pro or road pro series and my toms have yet to budge even when breaking down and re setting it
These drums have much more low end than any of the drums you mentioned. Walnut's tone is almost as low as mahogany. I've played all the drums you mentioned and I can say for a fact these sound much lower than any of those. The star bubingas sound really fat and are amazing drums, but these are definitely lower overall. I'd still probably go with the bubingas for overall sound, but the low end on these sounds great in person. He definitely tuned them too high imo. The best quality of these drums is their low end attack so idk why he'd tune them up. If you get the chance you should definitely give them a try, you won't be disappointed.
Trust me ... it's the recording and the compression used in it that is taking out ALOT of the lows and thunder one is use to from the Mapex Saturn kits.
How you doing everybody
They sound great but you gota get into them a bit harder to get the true sound but that could just be the emperor in this vid sounds greats tho!
I like the music, but wish Nick would demo just the drums like before, it puts more focus on hearing the drums..and Nick didn't mention to watchers the maple/walnut shell hybrid...what a complainer im being
Drum kit shell pack did not come with a snare drum at all
1:28
I was excited when I bought a Mapex Armoury kit a few years back... instant regret. It just didn't have much depth or tone. It sadly, put me off Mapex kits for life.
I do however, still have my Black Panther Blaster snare which is fantastic.
Mapex Armoury : maple & birch kits doesn't have the low end punch like the maple & walnut shell does ...
Can't really call it "big and beefy" if it's a mere 22" wide. But oh well. lol
not sure about the comment of a Tama b/b having more lows. Maybe it's my ears, but I listen to same player, on a b/b.. The mapex sounds like it has more lush lows. ua-cam.com/video/o_uhZ9WL4qQ/v-deo.html
Nice set and great drumming, but... Dude, your last name is written wrong. Though you spell it correctly, it should be Di Virgilio, not D'Virgilio. In the Italian language you must use the apostrophe only when the following word starts with a vowel.
The problem is...Mapex/KHS customer support *SUCKS!!* Every time I call Mapex/KHS they either don't have an answer for me or they just hang up on me!
WHY do you think a LOT of their endorsers are leaving Mapex??
sounds like a wet sandwich to me
Exactly why I'll be playing them!