Gear I Use

I have been playing drums for a long time now. Not well, but for a long time. In that time, I've broken my share of cymbals, sticks, and heads. I'm not sure if I've refined my style over time, or if I just don't play with the same intensity anymore, but the gear I use now tends to hold up better.

As with anything, better quality costs more up front, but requires less replacement down the road. With drums, like any musical instrument, sound is also important. There are tons of variables. Here's what I've come up with for drums over the past 15 years.

Heads

For my toms and kick drum, I use Remo Pinstripes (not coated) for the batter head. They are two-ply heads with a control ring which do not kill the sound, but rather keep it in control for most applications. They also last forever, so they're ideal for practice and gigging. I'd call them an industry standard if I were a pro.

On the bottoms of my toms, I use Remo Ebony Ambassador heads. As resonant heads, I want them to sing, so two-ply is unnecessary. I also love how the Ebony series heads look.

I have tried tons of different heads on my snare drums. I prefer a coated head with some sound control, but the two-ply Pinstripes seem to take too much away from the natural sound of the snare. I tend to hit hard, and it's easier to break a single-ply head, so I've been looking for the best mix of strength and sound.

I've had the best success with the Evans Genera HD Dry Batter Coated Snare head. For my wood snares, it lets out the tones I like, but diminishes the overtones I don't like. They're not gone, just not overtaking the sound.

I used to accomplish the same effect by cutting up old snare heads into 1-inch, arc segments (6-10 inches in length) and laying them on the snare. It's an odd fix, but it kills the overtone ring. The Genera HD Dry does this without the extra crap laying on my snare.

Sticks

I've bounced around a lot, trying to find the best feel for my level of strength and my playing style. Also, if sticks warp or break easily, they won't last long in my rotation. So, the long-standing favorite brand for me is Pro-Mark. For the sound and rebound, I also prefer nylon tips.

I used to play 808s, which were a lot like marching band sticks, but a little smaller (still huge by most standards). I switched to 707s, but both of those models have become hard to find other than online. Now I use 747s. Closest thing to what I like but readily available. The Japanese Oak costs more, but lasts a lot longer, too.

Cymbals

It's hard to be a smashmouth drummer. Expensive, really. I went through a number of cymbals early on partially based on poor form, but also using bad stands and mounts. I went to the other end of the spectrum with the elastomer, spring-loaded mounts, which over-protected the cymbals, but also absorbed most of the reverberation and sound. I now use a hybrid which is the spring-loaded part on bottom with a standard felt in place of the elastomer, then the elastomer cap/nut on top. Easy on/off, and the sound is true. Cymbals don't break anymore, either.

As for brand, I would love to have nothing but Zildjian K-series cymbals. As it stands, I have a Z-series ride, and A-series (cheapo, but sounds good) crash, and my best cymbal - the K crash. My hi-hats will be replaced by Ks as soon as they break, but unfortunately, Sabian makes super-strong gear, apparently. I've replaced the hi-hat stand, but the cymbals themselves will not die. Someday, if I end up getting a recording kit, I'll upgrade to Zildjians, but I'll probably still use the Sabians for practice and gigs.

The Rest
I use Yamaha cymbal stands, except for the right-side crash, where I got a cheapo boom stand from Gibralter. If money was no object, I'd get DW stands across the board.

My kick pedal is a DW5000 with the double chain. I had broken a few pedals in the past and wanted to upgrade to something with some fortitude. This thing has it, although my next upgrade will probably be an Iron Cobra from Tama. Just something intuitive and natural about those things.

What are you runnin'?