This is the kit (or set) I'm playing at the moment, but without the 16" x 16" tom-tom and a couple of cymbals.  Something to do with getting older, particularly when faced with lots of steps to carry all the gear up!!  Below is a list of the equipment I use, and ask for when I need a kit to be supplied, especially abroad.  That way I can have all the gear I want without (hopefully!) having to carry the damn stuff!  (See the last paragraph.)

I have tried to make the list foolproof, to avoid any misunderstanding, but you would not believe what I sometimes get!  Being a Pearl endorsee, my drums and hardware are all Pearl, which I consider to be the best.  The hardware is very easy to set-up, tear down, and adjust, as well as being extremely reliable.  However, for a while, virtually  everywhere I went I was supplied a kit with a drum rack, which drove me crazy!!  As a working drummer, often having to climb stairs, etc., all I want is to set up my kit as quickly as possible, without carrying the equivalent of a load of iron girders around, which are very heavy!!  Drummers have had kits for years which were quick and easy to set up, and reasonably easy to carry.  These kits are still available but now manufacturers are trying to get us to carry lots of double braced stands and racks, etc., which are so heavy they make life a misery, unless you have someone to carry it all for you!  All this heavy equipment might have its place, but for gigging drummers doing one-nighters, carrying our own gear in and out of cars, trains, planes, or whatever, keeping it light and simple must be the way.  Also, I firmly believe that if stands are designed correctly, with a low centre of gravity, they will not fall over unless you push them over!  Are double-braced legs the only answer to stability?  I don't think so.

I won't attempt to get into the arguments for and against the various systems to avoid anything being mounted directly onto the shell of a drum to avoid deadening it, not to mention the extra weight this causes.  Suffice to say that manufacturers now make a big point about the merits of a 'clean' shell for a purer sound, and then proceed to screw lots of 'lugs' to it, in order to hold and adjust the heads, which you must have!  Doesn't this completely explode the 'clean' shell theory? Are they trying to tell us that all the fantastic drummers that have been around, still are, and will be, sound awful?!  Could be a ploy to sell equipment, if you ask me.  There doesn't seem to be much you can change in a drum, but with all the hardware................an engineer's dream, and sometimes a drummers nightmare!

My kit is sometimes classed as large, but doesn't take too long to set-up or tear down, depending on how I feel!  Compared to some drummers, my kit is positively miniscule.  I once heard Dave Weckl, a sensational drummer, remark how grateful he is having other people to carry all his equipment about.  It's amazing how big a kit can become when other people carry it for you!     Conversely, it's interesting how small a kit can become when you have to carry it all by yourself!

DRUM EQUIPMENT LIST FOR MARTIN DREW

1 x 20 inch BASS DRUM
with a tom-tom bracket fixed directly to the top of the Bass Drum shell,
to take 2 tom-tom arms or a double tom-tom holder for 2 toms.
PLEASE DO NOT SUPPLY A BASS DRUM WITHOUT THIS TOM-TOM BRACKET,
AS THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!
Drum sets have had this kind of fitting for many years, so no problem should be experienced
in supplying a set that meets this particular specification.

A HOLE APPROX. 6 INCHES (15-16 cms) IN DIAMETER,
CUT IN THE CENTRE OF THE FRONT HEAD (SKIN) OF THE BASS DRUM,
WITH A PILLOW, BLANKET, ETC. INSIDE, FOR DAMPING.
NO FOAM RUBBER, PLEASE!!

1 x 10 inch by 8 inch TOM-TOM FOR MOUNTING ON BASS DRUM
1 x 12 inch by 8 inch TOM-TOM FOR MOUNTING ON BASS DRUM
ONLY THE DRUM COMPANY'S CORRECT TOM-TOM ARMS
TO MOUNT TOMS ON BASS DRUM
Please do not supply stands or drum racks, etc. to mount these toms on.
The toms MUST FIT DIRECTLY on top of the Bass Drum using the tom arms.

1 x 14 inch by 14 inch FLOOR TOM-TOM WITH LEGS, OR STAND
1 x 16 inch by 16 inch FLOOR TOM-TOM WITH LEGS, OR STAND

1 x 14 inch by 5 inch SNARE DRUM

1 x SNARE DRUM STAND

1 x DOUBLE BASS DRUM PEDAL

My cymbals are Sabian, which I consider to be the finest,
but if I hear something I really like........................................!

These are cymbals that I use and swap around, according to the sound I want at the time.
I am using the ones marked * at the moment.

1 pair of 13 inch HH Hi-Hats.*
1 x 22 inch HH Mini Bell Brilliant Ride Sizzle (with rivets).*
1 x 16 inch Brilliant Medium Crash, suspended over the two hanging toms.
1 x 22 inch Original K. Zildjian.
1 x 22 inch Medium HH 'Duo' Ride.*
1 x 22 inch  HH Flat Ride. *
1 x 22 inch Thin Chinese Brilliant Swish (with rivets) or another 16 inch Light Crash instead.

I vary my drum and cymbal set-ups according to the type of gig I'm playing, and who I'm playing with.

My sticks now are Regal Nylon Tip 2B, which I find have a wonderful balance, and really work for me.  The brushes I use are Regal Black Handle Collapsible with regular wires, and some Regal Brushes with Nylon wires.

I always use Remo Heads. At the moment I have Ambassador Coated on the bass drum, and Ambassador Clear on all the other drums, top and bottom.  The only variant is an Emperor White Coated Batter on the snare drum.  I prefer the 'feel' of it, which I consider to be just as important as the sound, with very little difference in sound compared to the Ambassador.  For me the Emperor transforms any snare drum I play into "my snare drum", and enables me to be comfortable with it.

If I can be of any help with any advice on equipment, etc. please email me and I'll try to help.  But remember, all set-ups are different, and what works for me might not work for you.  Also, if you know of anyone who actually  LIKES   carrying drums, please let me know!  Cheers.

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