I've put together some of the more unique sets that may inspire you to try something different with your kit.
Terry Bozzio
Some drummers have the most outrageous kits! I'm confident they wouldn't have them if they didn't have an endorsement. The main one that springs to mind is Terry Bozzio's kit. That thing would take a fortnight to put together, I know it would take a while for me to make...
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| USS Bozzio... Ian Paice I was fortunate to meet Mr. Paice at a Chad Smith/Steve White drum clinic in Reading. A true gent! He has had the same set up for many years which includes extra Toms higher up than other ones. So for example, instead of just having 2 Floor Toms, he has 4, great for a Classic Rock pioneer.   Nicko McBrain Nicko is such a solid player, perfect for Iron Maiden and the speeds he gets with his right foot is awesome. He's 58 but can play most 20 year olds under the table! He has always had his kit practically wrapping around him with everything at arms length. He's also a big fan of deep Toms, even his rack Toms are deeper than most of our Floor Toms.   Neil Peart The great Neil Peart is also partial to a wrap around kit. His incorporates electronic drums too. If you have an electronic kit, why not trying a hybrid style kit like his?   Mike Portnoy Portnoy changes his kit every time he goes out on tour. For the 'Six Degrees of Inner Turbulance' tour he took out the kit below, the 'Siamese Monster'. Great if you have an unlimited budget!   Marco Minnemann For Minnemann's set up, he places his smallest Rack Tom after the last one. So it would go 10", 12" then 8" as you go from left to right. Hey, it works for him, it might work for you too?!  Gavin Harrison Gavin uses some small Chimes just above his Hi Hats to add cool effects to his great grooves. They are custom built for him so you might have to make some yourself...  Jojo Mayer Mayer is an incredible player! Check out his performance at the 2005 Modern Drummer Festival below. Unbelievable! His set up is a really great looking kit. He also uses the China to the left of his Hats as Ride in some tracks. But the element I wanted to show you was the auxiliary Hi Hat just next to his main one. Great to have if you are a groover!  |
Bill Bruford
Bill Bruford's set up is truly unique and I think a really cool alternative. His kit is symmetrical from the middle Hi Hat so it looks almost mirrored from the top. I might give it a go trying this set...
Stanton Moore
Stanton has an extra Bass Drum to the right of his kit where he plays it using a double foot pedal without using the main right pedal. He uses that Bass Drum to create breaks in his songs. Very cool!
Ahmir Thompson
You could always try a real groovy kit where there is virtually nothing to it. Thompson's kit is all about creating a strong beat because there are no real distractions. He mainly uses a couple of Crashes, a Ride, Hats, two Snares, Bass and Floor Tom. Simple but in his case, very, very effective!
Let's finish this list with one of my very favourite players... A drummer who has really pushed the boundaries of how his kit has looked. The awesome Mr....
... Tommy Lee!!!
You could live in that Bass Drum!!!
How about being able to do this in your drum room!
I hope this post has inspired you in some way to think about changing your kit and experimenting with new ideas and options.
Cheers!
CT
