Current drum sets, percussion rig, restoration projects, and drum sets from the past!
Drums sets and percussion setup
My recording & live kit
Ludwig Keystones (Maple shells)
Bass drum - 24” x 16”
Snare drum - 14” x 9.5”
Mounted tom - 13” x 9”
Floor tom - 16” x 16”
Floor tom - 18” x 16”
Sabian Hand hammered 21” ride cymbal
Zildjian Custom A 19” Medium crash cymbal
Zildjian Custom 17” Medium crash cymba
TRX BRT - 15” crash cymbal
Zildjian Custom A 16” Medium crash cymbal
Paiste 2002 14” hi-hats cymbals
Pearl Bass drum pedal & Pearl Hi-hat stand
Evans EMAD (BD) & EC-2 drum heads (batter)
Vic Firth 7A nylon tip drumsticks
Percussion rig
Latin Percussion Congas
Latin Percussion Timbales
Sonor bongos
Bodhran, Tabla, and other percussion
My MACALAS live kit
Shine birch drums:
Bass drum - 22” x 22”
Snare drum - 14” x 9.5”
Mounted tom - 10” x 8”
Mounted tom - 12” x 10”
Mounted tom - 13” x 12”
Floor tom - 14” x 14”
Floor Toim - 16” x 16”
Sabian Hand hammered 21” ride cymbal
Zildjian Custom A 19” Medium crash cymbal
Zildjian Custom 17” Medium crash cymbal
TRX BRT - 15” crash cymbal
Zildjian Custom A 16” Medium crash cymbal
Zildjian 20” China Boy
Paiste 2002 14” hi-hats cymbals
Pearl Bass drum pedal & Pearl Hi-hat stand
Evans EMAD (BD) & EC-2 drum heads (batter & reso)
Vic Firth 7A nylon tip drumsticks
My custom set of Tamas
I still use this great sounding set in our band Capricorn!
My Tama set today
This kit has a very interesting history. I got the set from a friend in Albany, NY. He was a childhood friend of Tony Thompson, drummer extraordinaire for Madonna, Mick Jagger, Debbie Harry, Diana Ross, Rod Stewart, Duran Duran and Robert Palmer. Tony endorsed Tama drums at that time and this was just another of the many drum sets that Tama provided to him. Thankfully this set ended up with me.
Before pic. These drums were in rough shape when they arrived here.
The set prior to restoration
This was my labor of love. Over the course of an entire winter I restored this set fully by stripping each drum down to its bare shell and rewrapping them with a new yellow finish. (Thanks to the great folks at Precision Drum Company) I had all the hardware powder coated black and restored each piece of the set by hand.
Finished drum sizes:
Bass drum - 22” x 16”
Mounted Tom - 14” x 10”
Floor tom - 16” x 16”
Gibraltar rack
My vintage 1973 Rogers kit
Fully restored and looking amazing!
My 1973 Rogers kit today
I’ve owned this Rogers drum set since 1974. I recently restored the kit by stripping the drums down to the shell, buffing out the finish, and polishing all the hardware. I think they look great for being 50 years old! These drums look and sound great! This set was much larger back in the day.
My ‘73 Rogers back then
This was my Rogers’ set back in the ‘70s. Thankfully I had an amazing drum tech (Art Pirelli - R.I.P. brother) that loaded in, set up, broke down, and packed out this monster kit every night. This picture was taken in a concert club called the Cellar in Fayetteville, NC.
My 1986 Pearl Maple restoration project (2023)
Before pic. Old finish removed. Set prepped for refinishing & restoration
My 1986 Pearl Professional Maple kit
I received this set of 1986 Pearl Maples from a good friend and great guy, John Soltanas, who happens to be another crazy drum enthusiast. The shells and bearing edges were all intact. However the original finish on the drums were cracked and coming undone. The set had seen better days and was definitely needed some TLC.
Working with the amazing staff at Precision Drum Company
new finish wraps were ordered. A beautiful and old school WHITE PEARL FINISH was chosen and the restoration project begun.
The complete project took about 50 hours and was a labor of love watching these beautiful drums come to life again.
Look at these beauties now! They look, play and sound great!
I dread selling these beauties, but need to make room for new projects!
1986 Restored Pearl Maples (shell sizes)
8” x 10” rack tom
10” x 12” rack tom
12” x 14” mounted floor tom
16” x 16” Floor tom
16” x 22” Bass drum
A few beautiful drum sets from my past…
My DW Customs - Aztec Gold to Black fade
Never
Rule #1 for drummers
Unless you have no choice, never sell a drum set that you love. You will regret it - especially if the set is DW Custom Maples. I really wish I didn’t sell these drums. By the way, these DW sounded even better than they looked!
My original Ludwig Keystones circa 1973
sell your
Again, the same as my DWs, I should have never sold my original Ludwig Keystones. I bought these beautiful drums at Manny’s Music in NYC in 1971. These drums were cannons and a very rare color indeed - Silver mist. I can’t even imagine what a pristine set of these drums would be worth today.
My 1995 Tama Grandstars
old drums!
I bought this beautiful set of Tama Grandstar drums in 1995. I played this kit on a ton of gigs and recording sessions and they always sounded amazing. Although the shells were constructed of birch, they were a very heavy ply and so they had a deep, full sound.
Great finish too!