Last summer, we paid a visit to the headquarters of the MW-Vintage company, which is known to quite a number of drummers in Poland and Europe not only from beatit.tv publications and can boast an increasingly growing range of drum kits of a slightly older date. On a beautiful and sunny day, company owner Mateusz Wysocki opened his show room for us to set up several vintage sets “tap” on. Once again, Max Psuja, agreed to be the ’lab tester’. Max is an utter vintage drum maniac, a former employee of a drum shop, and a great drummer, who has collaborated with a host of popular acts in Poland, such as Kumka Olik, Holak, Lilly Hates Roses or Yoachim.
We’re testing a Remo Mondo drum kit
1. Product
Currently, Remo Mondo is primarily a djembe line made of a material called Acousticon (obtained from very thin layers of wood and fiber, which are pressed together under high pressure) and equipped with special Skyndeep heads. These are professional, high-end precussion instruments from Remo. However, more or less in the mid-2000s, this manufacturer of drum heads also offered drum kits in various configurations as well as snare drums, in which Mondo series solutions were applied. According to Mateusz Wysocki, our kit was produced in the late 90s. The instrument was made in the USA. The finish is Natural Satin.
2. Basic specs of the kit:
- Producer: Remo
- Model: Mondo
- Configuration: 10” x 9”, 12″ x 10″, 14″ x 14″, 20″ x 18″
- Material: Acousticon
- Heads: Remo Mondo (batter heads on the toms), Remo Fiberskyn Diplomat (resonant heads on the toms), the other way round on the bass drum
- Finish: Natural Satin
- Estimated year of production: 1999
3. Basic specs of the snare drum:
- Producer: Remo
- Model: Mondo
- Size: 14” x 7.5” (shell + Mondo head)
- Material: Acousticon
- Hoops: Conga style, 8 tension rods
- Strainer: Quick Release + adjustable buttend
- Lugs: Remo Quick Release (allows for quick head replacement)
- Snares: German Brass 20 strand
- Heads: Remo Fiberskyn (batter), Remo Ambassador (resonant)
- Finish: Natural Satin
4. Test and sound
When testing the Remo Mondo drum kit, we also used Impression cymbals: Leon Collection 15″ hats, a 17″ Hollister Crash and a 22″ Leon Collection Ride.
Max first presented the sound of the bass drum, then played a rhythm with his hands, mallets, and drumsticks to finish off by using the whole set including the cymbals.
The Remo Mondo set is a perfect instrument for all drummers playing ethno / world music, as well as those giving acoustic performances. The sound of Mondo heads combined with the Acousticon shells is round, warm, very natural and truly ethnic, regardless of whether you’re playing with your hands, mallets or sticks. In the latter case, care should be taken because attempts to bash on Mondo heads may result in damage. We would also like to draw your attention to the bass drum sound, which surprises with depth and juiciness, and provides considerable dynamic possibilities.
This is what Max Psuja had to say about this kit: “Playing this kit, as well as the snare, was a sheer pleasure. The drums immediately invited me to discover them through improvising. The sound is incredibly warm, the shells are very sensitive to different kinds of expression – great for playing with your hands, rods, brushes, mallets and regular sticks.”
The drum set and the snare drum are available for purchase at MW-Vinage Internet store under the following links:
https://mw-vintage.pl/remo-perkusja-mondo-20-10-12-14/
https://mw-vintage.pl/remo-mondo-snare-14-x-75/
Drummers and Drummerettes! It’s time to put the 20″, 10″, 12″, 14″ Remo Mondo drum kit, along with the matching 14″ x 7.5 snare drum, to the most important test of all, i. e. the en.beatit.tv viewers’ test! Exclusively for you, we give you Max Psuja!
