By Contributing Author Dango
Read our comprehensive Sonor Martini review to find out if this drum set is a good fit for you!
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Sonor is a high-end brand from Germany that has made a strong impact in the drumming world by always making superb drums.
With the Martini kit, they jump into the market of mini drum setups that are conducive to smaller gigs with limited space.
This drum set may be tiny but it still packs a punch and holds its own with bigger kits.
Sonor does a great job with their quality and sound, and this will be a great kit for the gigging drummer looking for a compact setup that’s easy to travel with and leaves a very small footprint.
- SONOR AQ2 MAPLE MARTINI SET
- Snare Drum: 12" x 5"
- Tom Tom: 8" x 7"
Quick Overview of the Sonor Martini Kit
The Sonor Martini is a 4-piece kit that comes without hardware, but is otherwise ready to play shows on immediately.
It packs up nicely and is ideal for coffee houses, small clubs and bars, as well as being easy to transport on a dolly for the subway.
The 9-ply poplar shells are punchy and surprisingly warm for the sizes.
This is definitely not a toy setup and it’s not a beginner kit.
At a Glance: Key Features of the Kits
- Kick drum: 14×12 with a riser /pedal mount, as well as detachable legs.
- Toms: 8×8 rack / 13×10 floor tom with legs
- Snare: 12×5 Steel Shell
- Remo Heads (Made in China)
- Tom mount off of the kick drum
- Maple hoops on the kick drum
The Pros OF A Sonor Martini KIT:
Let’s take a look at the aspects that bring the biggest value with this kit.
- This is an extremely well built kit with much stronger hardware than most of the mini kits on the market.
- The finishes are really nice, more impressive than some.
- The steel snare sounds killer and would be a nice side snare to add to any kit.
- The toms tune up nicely and overall sound warm and relatively big.
- The bass drum riser is far better than the Ludwig version.
The Cons of a Martini Kit:
With the reasonable price of the kit comes a few tradeoffs, so let’s take a look at those.
- The stock heads aren’t great, but that’s an easy fix. I’d recommend switching them out right away.
- Hardware isn’t included, which isn’t a huge deal, but you would want to add low profile, lightweight hardware to this kit for easy transport.
- The Martini Kit isn’t super easy to find anymore. Sonor has somewhat replaced this line with the slightly more expensive AQ2 series. But you can still find the Safari kit on Amazon and I’d suggest getting on it sooner than later.
Who is the Kit Best Suited For?
There are two main benefits of the Sonor Martini kit being so small.
The first is its small footprint, which makes it easy to setup and travel with. Anyone who needs a smaller kit or who is transporting it quite a bit would benefit from the Martini.
The second market this kit will appeal to is kids or smaller players who want a nicer kit than a beginners kit.
These drums are far nicer than any entry level kit or toy kit, yet small enough that any young student would love how easily they fit behind these drums.
But these aren’t at the price point of a toy kit or a beginner kit, so it would take twice the money as most of those, plus you’d need to add hardware and cymbals.
This is a real kit and it’s gig worthy. It’s not going to sound like Bonham sizes, but it still sounds great live or under a mic.
Sonor Martini Drum Set Pricing
The Martini kit is around $600, which is the least expensive of any Sonor drums.
It’s more expensive than most of the mini kits out there today, but I would argue it’s quite a bit nicer and worth the cost.
Alternatives to The Sonor Martini Kit
The most popular competing options to this kit are: the Ludwig Breakbeat, the PDP New Yorker, the Pearl Midtown, and the Tama Club Jam.
The Sonor is the most expensive option here and for good reason. The drums and the hardware included are all higher quality than most.
The Ludwig is the most popular due to the Questlove’s endorsement, however I would personally argue it’s the lowest quality of all of these options. You can read my full Ludwig Breakbeats review to explore that option.
For the money, I would get the Sonor. The snare alone stands out far more than any other stock snare on a mini kit.
Final Verdict: Are these Drums Worth It?
I believe this kit is a solid build, great look, and quality sound. I think it’s an awesome option in the world of mini drum kits.
You will still end up spending probably close to 1K to add hardware and a throne. But assuming you already own some of those, as well as cymbals, this is a great addition.
Does it sound $250 better than the Questlove kit? In my opinion, yes, it does.
If you aren’t that worried about the sound, or you’re going to use a snare you already own, then skip this kit and get the PDP or the Pearl.
Sonor always does their own thing, and it’s never the cheapest option, but it’s always worth considering.
- SONOR AQ2 MAPLE MARTINI SET
- Snare Drum: 12" x 5"
- Tom Tom: 8" x 7"
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