Most influential drummer in terms of gear?

http://www.gel.ulaval.ca/~baribeau/DW.JPG

When I saw this pic on the ?bad hair topic?, I remembered how much Dave influenced drummers in their gear choices. In the ~1987-1993 period, I?ve seen COUNTLESS guys playing cherry wood recording customs with a brass piccolo!!

So I was wondering who do you guys think is the most influential player of all time in terms of gear?

Dave sure influenced, but Ludwig guys like Buddy, Ringo or Bonzo probably also helped sell zillions of Ludwig kits. Also, before I started playing, I remember to have seen lots of huge ?? la Neil? Tama kits.

My first guess would be the Ringo Ludwig kit... [img]graemlins/wonder.gif[/img]

Also, which player (if any) influenced your kit choice at some time?

DW indeed does look mighty relaxed in that pic...[I'm sure that is what PP was ref'g to [img]wink.gif[/img] ]...

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As to influencial kits........I always at the time dug Peart's kit and Bozzio's. But I was playing a Gretsch kit set like Jeff.
To me, back in the late 70's early 80's looking in MD and all the drum catalogs that were available for the time were so kewl, I would waste more time in school and at night looking and drawing at how I would build my kit.

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RW, now you are scarin' me...because what you said was exactly my scenario [img]eek.gif[/img] ...it's like that old ep of the orig Star Trek w the parallel universe thing...ooooWWOOOoooooo... [img]wink.gif[/img]
...& I still have my 1st set of Gretsch's [built to Harvey Mason's specs] - the 2nd kit i ever owned. [My 1st kit was a no-name piece a' schedd...& for $500; someone made a 200% profit off of my almost 18-yr-old, green a**]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 14, 2004 04:45 PM: Message edited by: FuseU1 ]</font>

LOL

Omar with weather report turned me onto yamaha 9000 RC,(his lovely blue kit), and then seeing weckl's kit later on, I just had to go and buy one. To this day, I'm also one of the yammy brass piccolo and cherrywood kit clones. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Randy and Fuse are scaring ME now; that is exactly what I did in high school. And guess what? I play a Gretschs too.(fade in Twilight Zone) [img]eek.gif[/img]

For jazz you gotta go with Elvin and Tony playing 18/12/14 Gretschs and K Istanbuls. That sound is so copied in the jazz world they should almost be treated as one instrument. Not to mention the amount of gear that comes out every year that tries to replicate that sound, Zildjian Constantinoples, Sabian Manhattens, Istanbul brand off-shoots, Tama Starclassic, any company offering small BDs, thin maple shells w/ die cast hoops etc.

For rock-Neil Peart and Bonham. Nuff' said.

In addition to the cherry RCs and the brass piccolo, I would add 8" and 10" toms on the bass drum as an influential Weckl sound. I liked that 8" sound he had on Bill Connors "Step It", Michel Camilo "Suntan", "Why Not", and CC "Electric Band". You instantly knew it was him when you heard that "doonk" sound. Then everyone had that setup for a long time.

Dave Weckl was innovative with his tom hanging to his left, second Hi-Hat next to his ride (although he was not the first one to do that), etc. He was also involved in the creation of the K Custom ride, alongside Vinnie. There is something Dave did at the time that no other did as well as he, meaning, to promote himself. I may be wrong but, I see the arrival of Weckl as a turning point in the drumming industry. Once again, he was NOT the first one to do it but I find that he pushed the promotion of drumming to another level with all his videos, CD and stuff. In that sense, he lead the way. It's not for everyone, but hey, he did it and he did it well. Business in itself can become the Art's worst enemy, but if it is kept in check and balance it can be useful.

Now looking back, I find Dave Weckl had a great business flare early on. Upon his arrival on the scene with CCEB, it didn't take too long for Zildjian and Yamaha to organise a major Clinic Tour in North America. I was there and they had free Zildjian Dave Weckl Tour T-Shirts for everyone, a big promotion was taking place. I feel t'was Dave who was pushing behind the scene (correct me if I am wrong) and Yamaha, Zildjian went with it. I guess the right people was there at the right time on all sides.

Just a thought... Off topic a bit?? Sure... But not too much... [img]wink.gif[/img]

Was weckl also the first drummer to have all that rack of sound gear next to him going back to the C.C. electric band days?

No, that was the thing in the 80's. Triggering your acoustic drums was so big back then, I had a huge rack myself while working with different acts. He chose to do it and incorporate it into the fusion scene.

I wish I never posted that pic with Dave and that...black T-shirt! He looks so...smooth [img]eek.gif[/img]

He looks smooth? OK, Pocket, your scaring me. [img]rolleyes.gif[/img]
As to influencial kits........I always at the time dug Pearts kit and Bozzio. But I was playing a Gretsch kit set like Jeff.
To me, back in the late 70's early 80's looking in MD and all the drum catalogs that were available for the time were so kewl, I would waste more time in school and at night looking and drawing at how I would build my kit.

Gadd and Yamaha Recording Customs....

Personnally, I was influenced by Weckl/Brochu's kits when I changed for Maple Customs. I found these drums to be of outmost beauty when they came out (small golden lugs on the charcoal lacker finish [img]tongue.gif[/img] ). I was sold when I heard them in a Brochu's clinic sometime in 92. Best live drum sound I had ever heard at this time. MUST HAVE THESE, but they were VERY expensive. I think they were quite the most expensive drums at the time. The kick only was worth my older setup! I was fortunate enough to win a Yamaha Music Quest contest soon after with a band. The prize was ~4000$ worth of Yamaha gear. After splitting, it allowed me to give a good cash down on my kit. I aslo needed drum mics, so I bought that new line of yam MZ drum mics that Paul had also demonstrated (I thought it could have something to do with the sound he achieved; they never deceived me).

I think it's safe to say Weckl was responsible for selling a ton of Recording Customs. I had a friend in high school who got the Weckl kit for a graduation present, complete with brass piccolo snare (lucky bastard). He, of course, also had the K Custom and K/Z hats.

The only reason he got that kit (besides the fact they sound great) was because he worshipped Weckl.

My influences are all over the place.

Tris Imboden and his BIG Tama kit (Kenny Logins days).
Steven Price (Pablo Cruis) with his percussion setup
Jeff Porcaro with his 10" tom raised up
Steve Smith with his black gaffers tape on the snare
Alex Van Halen and his KILLER ride on the 1st record
Bonzo for his open tuning
Stewart Copland for learning how to use a splash

That's it for now.

Oh, I thought Vinnie came up with the K/Z hihat combination?

Danny

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 16, 2004 01:45 AM: Message edited by: ladanny ]</font>

Everyone was ragging on Tomym Aldrige for looking like an old guy on that other thread, but there's probably a guy who is on par with Peart for influencing rock drumming gear.

That's where Tommy Lee got his setup and that guy influenced thousands of drummers as lacking in the grey matter department.

I had to play on one of those sets and I couldn't help but twirl my drumsticks and do the roll down the toms ending with a big snare flam.

Tommy, as a rock drummer, was not quite as "bad as one might think"...altho nowhere near the VC/DW/VD/DC/GN/WK/SG/SS etc level, the guy wasn't a brainless rocker either...he turned in 1 of his best perfs on Tony MacAlpine's Maximum Secutiry, AWA Pat Travers Live [w Boom Boom Out Go the Lights]; & Crash & Burn, etc], AWA the live Ozzy stuff...he, along w his contemporaries Bonzo, Paice, Baker, etc influenced tons of drummers in the rock field...& was an influence on Scott Travis, no doubt, who came along & took the Aldridge thing a couple of steps further...after Aldridge, & then Peart, I hadn't heard a rock drum solo as killin' as Scott's on Racer X's Live Extreme Volume release, incorporating the DB...i think he "even puts the hurt" on TA & NP...& until Bozzio & then of course Virgil, I hadn't heard one that rivaled it...go back & check it out..of course, it's more of a chopsfest* than a phrasing solo, altho he does a killer DB groove in it...but what a fine CF* it is...i had it on disc/mp3 around here somewhere, maybe i couild dig it up & have someone post it....

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 16, 2004 08:34 AM: Message edited by: FuseU1 ]</font>

Ah Steve Price, that guy ruled in my book ( still does,i love that band ). saw him live and was just blown away at the time and he had such a beautiful Camco kit with perc set up to the left of him.
Tris and his big kit( jukanoo holiday) were definetly in my eye as kewl, Steve Smith and his early days of Journey floored me. Of course who could forget listening to Copeland on the first 3 Police records? Ska and punk fused to the max.