Natal Maple Drums: Bullet Review After One Year

For a little more than a year I was the proud owner of a Natal Maple US Fusion X. This was the first Natal kit sold in Hungary, so I had no idea what to expect when it arrived. I was not disappointed.

Recently I decided to sell my Natal to a friend. But that does mean I don't love it. It really is a fine kit. If you see one for the right price and you need a modern kit, do not hesitate to consider it!!! Natal's pro kits are as good as anything I've seen from the production lines of Asia, Europe, or the Americas.



Lots of big tom runs in this track. Really a good example of the lively sound I was getting.


Sizes 
Short stack sizes, as follows:

• 10 x 6.5" 
• 12 x 7" 
• 16 x 14" 
• 22 x 18"

 Wood and shells

• Maple, nice and thin, and smooooth
• Fantastic edges coated with thin wax to make a nice bond with the skin
• Flawless -- Natal quality control seems to be working

Sound, tuning

• Lively, resonant, with a full, round tone
• Tons of attack thanks to the 45 degree bearing edges
• They tune up in a flash, and hold their tuning very well thanks to special nylon-dipped tuning rods 
• Very sensitive to smallest turns of the key

Lugs
Some friends really disliked the large round lugs, each emblazoned with a big Aztec-style sun. I kinda like them, but I admit they are a bit extreme.  I recently saw the new Natal Spirit mid-level kit and actually prefer the Spirit's smaller lug.  Still, they are well-made and do the job well. All lugs are well insulated with rubber gaskets, as you would expect these days.

Tom mount
The tom mount is probably my favorite part of the Natal solution. They really nailed an elegant mount, with the "RIMS-like" suspension system attached to two of the lugs.

Finish
The White Metallic lacquer finish was nice, but not amazing. I also saw a Silver Sparkle kit recently and also found it less-than overwhelming. The natural finishes I've seen are more impressive. For example, the Natal Bubinga with a natural finish is truly lovely (much more so in person than in photos).  I should note that the Natal Spirit kit I saw also had a fantastic vintage natural finish. For a mid-level kit, it impressed me as much as any of the natural Yamaha Absolute finishes I've seen!


(This is an updated version of an older post about my Natal kit, originally published in June 2012)

Natal Aluminum Snare

Some quick comments on my Natal 5.5 x 14 aluminum snare.

• Solid build
• Nice matte finish
• Full bodied sound for a 5.5" drum

My buddy has a 6.5 Supra in the same practice space. Clearly the 6.5 has extra body and that typical Supra "crunch", but the Natal totally holds it's own. It's not a Supra clone, but it has that characteristic alu sound.

I used it for an unamplified gig the other day and it provided the perfect mixture of cutting high end with plenty of body. I actually chose it over my beloved George Way Indy Bronze for this gig. I can also note that it stayed in perfect tune together with the help of a few Gibraltar nylon lug locks.

I can also directly compare it to my 5" Beverley Cosmic 21. The Cosmic, like the Supra, has more of that crunchy sound, but lacks some of the roundness of the Natal. The Natal feels louder, you might say. I should really try to do a head-to-head comparison and post it to YouTube!

In short, it's a fine drum and a totally valid option for anyone looking for a solid aluminum snare.

Update: I just found this video. It's very important to note that the factory Aquarian (Taiwanese) head featured in the video is a beastly thick monster. I changed to an Evans HD Dry to get the sound I wanted. Compared to the drum in this video, mine is more open, with a much sharper crack. Just so you realize what a beast the head featured in this video really is, I put it on my 1982 Tama Imperialstar 6.5" and the Aquarian turned my ringy loud roaring steel drum into a tame super-dry puppy dog.  To put it another way, the Evans HD Dry is dry, but this factory Aquarian is far drier than any head I've heard. It really dampens the drum.

I'm not familiar with the standard Aquarian line, so I'm not sure which Aquarian USA-made head this Aquarian Taiwanese head is copying.  Again, it's a strange choice for a stock head by the folks at Natal. But whatever. Not a deal breaker by any means.

Short Stack? Yes!

Perfect Positioning

I'm loving the short stack toms on my new Natal Maple kit. I'm a small guy (5' 7" / 170cm) and the short stack toms are like a dream. I'm thinking "why didn't I make this move earlier?" because I've simply never been more comfortable behind a drum kit. I'm able to get totally perfect positioning. If you're small, you might want to try short stack.


Sound sample. Rough mix, unmastered....

Natal Maple "US Fusion X" short stack kit - rough mix - unmastered by aaronburrconspiracy

But are they loud enough?

When I first unpacked the kit, I admit I was thinking "look at the eeny weeny little baby drums" (cutesy voice optional). But when I gave the ten inch a solid whack, my fears were put to rest. True these toms are not as loud as "normal" sized toms, that's almost certain. For example, when I put my 1983 Tama Imperialstar monster steel snare with the kit it does somewhat overpower the toms. But "not as loud" does not mean "not loud enough". During a very loud rehearsal the cute little toms came through with a nice punch that one of the guys called "focused", which I think is a perfect adjective in this case. 

The stock snare that came with the kit blends best in terms of volume, but I haven't made really found a characteristic sound for it yet. It's my first 5.5" maple snare, and I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it. More on that in another post.

In early August we'll head into the studio, so soon I'll be able to post some audio samples. Stay tuned.... errr... update: see above!