Darling - Drum Kit
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For those of you who care about such things, allow me to write a few paragraphs about drums, cymbals, hardware and the requisite paraphernalia of my percussive life.
In my experience it seems that most musicians believe to some degree at least, that their playing would dramatically improve if they could somehow acquire the "perfect" instrument. I certainly felt that way. In fact, I was probably in my early twenties before I realized that these instruments don't even exist. Ability stems from decades of dedication to the musical craft, your head, your heart and your hands. I'm not suggesting that the instruments themselves are not important - they are. But it is very likely that if a drum is round and its bearing edges are flat, it will probably hold its tuning and if properly tuned, make a musical sound. Today most of the major drum manufacturers are capable of meeting these essential criteria, and consequently I have no particular allegiance to any single company. That being said, I am a bit partial to seventies era metal snare drums made by the Ludwig Drum Company. A psychological attachment I suppose, because I've been using them since I was a kid.
My first call snare is a Ludwig Black Beauty 5" x 14" brass shell super sensitve with the internal muffler removed and the original triple flanged hoops replaced by die cast hoops. It was made in the early seventies.
My collection of snares includes a variety of models in brass, steel, maple and fiberglass shells. I've conducted critical listening tests in my studio comparing how various snares sound when recorded to hard disc. The ancient brass Ludwig always wins, even in direct competition with many current models. No real surprise then that it has become the old reliable. I use an Evans Power Center Reverse Dot on top, and an Evans Hazy 200 on the snare side.
My bass drum is a Ludwig 24" x 16" from 1980. The batter head is an Evans Emad utilizing the smaller of the two muffling rings provided. The front head is an Evans EQ 3 Resonant Black with a pre-cut hole to put the mic through. I use no internal muffling at all.
My toms are Tama Starclassics from Y2K. Their 9 ply maple shells are very thin, rigid and strong. My toms do not have the optional sound focus rings. Tama has implemented a brilliantly effective mounting system that isolates the shells from their hardware, allowing unhindered resonance. Sizes are 8" x 10", 9" x 12", 12" x 14", and 14" x 16". All toms are equipped with clear Evans Genera G1 heads on both sides. I also play an 8" Remo roto-tom just above my 16" tom, and a Toca mini timbale between my snare and 10" tom.
I have a passion for Paiste cymbals. My normal set up is large (read: ridiculously large), and I own many more than I actually play. My basic set stays pretty much the same unless a change is dictated by the requirements of a given track. Here it is.
- 14" Sound Edge Hi-hats, Signature Series
- 10" Micro Hats, Sound Formula
- 20" Full Ride Signature Series
- 15" Thin Crash Formula 602
- 16" Crash 2002
- 17" Thin Crash 2002
- 18" Paperthin Formula 602
- 12" Wuhan China
- 14" Han Chi China
- 16" China Type 2002
- 18" China Type 2002
- 12" on top of 16" Trash Set
- 10" Thin Splash Zildjian on top of 11" Splash 2002
- 9" Splash Traditional
- 8" Splash Rude
- 6" Zilbell Zildjian
That covers it. I hope I didn't bore you too badly...
HD
Video of Hal playing drums:
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