Mapex Mars Black | Blacked-out maple kits

Mapex has blacked out its Mars Maple kit. Mars Black, announced today, wraps the same 100% maple shells in a metallic black finish, inside and out, with black-plated lugs, hoops and hardware.

The bigger news is what’s in the box. For the first time on the current Mars line, you get stands and a pedal as well as the drums. There are two configurations, and one of them has two bass drums.

So is it just a new colour, or something more? Let’s find out.

What is Mars Black?

It’s a new version of Mars Maple, the line Mapex relaunched back in October 2022. The shells haven’t changed: 100% European maple, 7-ply and 7.2mm thick, with SONIClear bearing edges and the SONIClear suspension system on the rack toms, which keeps the mount off the shell so the toms sustain.

What has changed is the look. The outside is a metallic black lacquer, and the inside of each shell is blacked out too. The lug casings and hoops are black-plated, and so is every stand in the package.

Mapex brand manager Jeff Mulvihill put it like this: Mars has been “a Mapex staple since the very beginning of the brand”, and with black plating added, “you have something especially dark to celebrate.”

The 4-piece: one up, one down

Mapex calls this one the “All-Genre” kit (LTMB4265BDH). It’s a classic rock layout:

• 22x18” bass drum
• 12x9” rack tom
• 16x16” floor tom
• 14x6.5” matching maple snare

A TH655EB single tom holder mounts the rack tom, and the black 600 Series hardware pack completes it.

The 7-piece: two up, two down, two kicks

This is the one Mapex says is for when things “need to be especially dark and rocking”. The 7-piece (LTMB7285BDH) gives you:

• 2 x 22x18” bass drums
• 10x8” and 12x9” rack toms
• 14x14” and 16x16” floor toms
• 14x6.5” matching maple snare

The rack toms sit on a TS700EB tom mount. You get the same 600 Series hardware pack plus a second P600 pedal, so both kicks are covered straight out of the box.

What hardware do you get?

Both kits come with the HP6005EB 600 Series pack, all black-plated:

• 2 x B600 boom cymbal stands, double-braced with hideaway boom arms
• H600 hi-hat stand with a direct-pull chain drive
• S600 snare stand with a multi-step basket tilter
• P600 bass drum pedal

That pack sells for around $439 on its own in the US, so it’s a decent chunk of value. There are no cymbals or throne in either package, though, so budget for those. Our cymbal buying guide and drum throne guide are good places to start.

Are the heads all black?

Not quite. Mapex’s announcement talks about all-black drumheads, but the spec sheet tells a different story:

• Toms: black Remo UT batters, clear Remo UX resonants
• Bass drum: clear Remo UT batter, black Remo UC resonant
• Snare: coated Remo UT batter, clear Remo UT resonant

So the toms look black from the throne and the kick looks black from the audience. The snare is coated, which is what most of us would want anyway. If you fancy a different sound later, our drum head buying guide covers the options.

How is it different from a black Mars Maple?

You can already get Mars Maple in Matte Black, so this is a fair question. Mars Black is more than a paint job:

• Deeper toms. 10x8” and 12x9” rather than the shallower rack toms in the Mars Maple packs.
• Square floor toms. 14x14” and 16x16”.
• A deeper snare. 14x6.5” instead of 14x5.5”.
• Black hardware. Black-plated lugs and hoops, not standard plating.
• Stands included. Mars Maple is sold as a shell pack only.
• A double-bass option. The Mars Maple range doesn’t offer one.

Put together, it’s aimed at rock and metal players who want a kit they can take to a gig, not a shell pack to build on.

Can you add drums?

Yes. Mapex lists add-on drums in Metallic Black: 8x7”, 10x8”, 12x9” and 13x10” rack toms, 14x14” and 16x16” floor toms, a 22x18” bass drum (with or without a tom mount) and the 14x6.5” snare on its own.

How much is it?

Mapex hasn’t announced a price yet, and we haven’t found a retailer listing. There’s no ship date either. Mars Black appears on both Mapex’s international and US sites, so it looks like a worldwide release.

For a rough idea of where it sits, Mars is above Mapex’s entry-level Comet, Venus and Rebel kits and below Armory, Saturn and Black Panther. We’ll update this post when prices appear.

Final thoughts

Mars Black is a smart move from Mapex. Maple shells, deeper rock sizes and a full set of matching black hardware in one box make it an easy kit to buy and gig straight away.

The only downside for now is that we don’t know what it costs, and you’ll still need cymbals and a throne. If you’re shopping at this level, it’s worth comparing it with the Pearl Export and, if hardware matters to you, Tama’s Spartan hardware kit.

Full specs are on Mapex’s Mars Black page, and the announcement is on the Mapex news page.