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)