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I once heard a story from Billy Ward that he took a lesson with Elvin Jones on a trip to New York City when he was a kid. The drum studio had this beat up kit and when Elvin sat down at it and played it, the kit sounded like a million bucks. Moral? It’s NOT the kit, it’s the player. That said, a nice kit sure makes your music making experience more fun and often times, more inspiring. I love drum gear – LOVE IT. As such, I have a fair bit of it kicking around. Of course, what I use depends on the gig, but here’s a list of goodies you might see at a gig or session.
Ddrum Ash Pocket Kit
(Kevin and Terry have been great to set me up with some beautiful looking gear and also happens to sound great too. These guys are on a mission to do new and interesting things and the gear definitely reflects this ethic.)
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| Dominion Ash Pocket Kit |
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| Finish: Java Sparkle |
Sizes: |
| Bass drum |
20x16 |
| Tom Tom |
8x12 |
| Floor Toms |
12x14 and 12x16 (both with legs) |
| Snare Drum |
7x13 |
| Dios Bubinga |
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| Finish: Blue Black Burst |
Sizes: |
| Bass drum |
18x18, 20x20 |
| Tom Tom |
8x8, 8x10, 8x12 |
| Floor Toms |
12x14 and 12x16 (both with legs) |
| Snare Drum |
7x13 |
Additional drums I have available include
Drum Workshop Collectors Maple
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| Finish: Broken Glass |
Sizes: |
| Bass drum |
16x18, 18x20, 16x24 |
| Tom Toms |
7x8, 7x10, and 8x12 |
| Floor Toms |
12x14 and 14x16 (both with legs) |
| Piccolo Toms |
2x8” (x2) |
or
Yamaha Hip Gig Jr.
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| Finish: Silky Silver |
Sizes: |
| Bass drum |
16x14 |
| Tom Tom |
7x10 |
| Floor Tom |
13x13 (with legs) |
On the snare drum front, it's silly. I love snare drums. It's an addiction... there are worse to have.
Snare Drums (a very partial list):
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| Drum Workshop Craviotto |
5.5x13 |
| Drum Workshop Collectors Maple |
6x14, 5x14, 6x12 |
| Drum Workshop Collectors Birch |
5x14, 6x10 |
| Drum Workshop Cast Aluminum |
5x13 |
| Drum Workshop Copper |
5x14 |
| Brady Jarah Ply |
5.5x14, 4.5x12 |
| Dunnett Titanium |
6.5x14 |
| Yamaha Bamboo w/ Wood hoops |
6.5x14 |
| Camco Maple (LA Shell) |
6.5x15 |
| Ddrum Birdseye Maple |
7x14 |
| Gretsch New Classic |
6.5x14 |
Cymbals: Istanbul Agop
I've got a lot of cymbals too. A lot. It's another addiction that is far better than some available... anyway...
I tend to use Istanbul Agop Traditional, Sultan, Vezir, and Agop series as well as their Alchemy line in various sizes (mostly thins and medium thins for crashes, medium and regular for hi-hats, medium for rides, and thin to medium thin for splashes, trash hits, chinas, etc.) These cymbals are dark and yet have a great amount of cut to them. I have loved pretty much everything I've heard from them and am constantly amazed whenever I visit at the sheer amount of ideas in metal form they have to hit!
Heads: Attack
(Jim and Carmen and everyone at Universal are not only incredibly knowledgeable, but also very kind to have offered my first professional endorsement. I've been very pleased with the consistency of these heads from order to order and their durability is fantastic. I use a lot of their models, but below is what I tend to use on the drums for most situations)
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| Bass Drums |
Bozzio No Overtone (coated) Front and Back |
| Toms and Floors |
Bozzio coated or clear on top and clear on bottom |
| Snares |
Bozzio Coated on top and snare side (thin) on bottom |
Sticks: Vater
(10 plus years of bliss using Vater stuff. These sticks feel so natural in my hands. Below are the models I use depending on the gig, or how I feel!)
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| Recording |
| 5A’s |
| Session |
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Josh Freese’s H-220 |
Oval Cymbal Stick (maple)
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Splashsticks, mallets, brushes, jingle rings, etc.
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Factory Metal Percussion goodies
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| Celtic Bells |
(6”, 8”, 10”) |
| Cross Crasherz |
(10”) |
| Cross Benderz |
(18" with jingles) |
Percussion goodies:
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| cajon |
PO Percussion Big Bass Box |
| bongos |
Meinl Free Ride model |
| shakers |
various |
| ibo/udu drums |
Meinl Fiberglass |
| dumbeks |
various |
| log drums |
various |
| tambourines |
various |
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B-Band Drum pick-up system
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