Looking for Lars Ulrich's drum sizes from the 80's

[arthurk1]

Hey guys, I am having an 80's flashback and am looking to buy a white Tama kit like Lars from Metallica used when he was playing a 9 piece. Any clue on the sizes? Were they Artstars? Does anybody have one for sale? Also,I can't seem to locate my old Modern Drummer mags from that era when he was on the cover to see if anyone has asked him why he scaled his kit down. Any help would be great. Thanks, Arthur

[harryconway]

Use the force Arthur. And if that doesn't work, google might, here: http://www.encycmet.com/equipment/larseq.shtml

[PinkZepplin]

http://www.encycmet.com/equipment/larseq.shtml

crap, you beat me to the punch

[arthurk1]

Cool, Thanks! I really want one of those white kits!

[harryconway]

Tama did release a signature kit with black chrome hardware (stands and all), but good luck finding one of those. On the other hand, if "the look" is all you're after, just about any white Cortex double bass kit with ebony reso. heads will give you the look. Have some stands black chromed, or score some RMV hardware and bang, a "psuedo" Lars signature kit.

[arthurk1]

Thanks! Wow, to have a 16" last tom and two 18" floor toms is so cool. I wish he still played his big kit. I think Mike Portnoy is the only famous drummer who hasn't made his set smaller as the years progress. Sometimes maturity sucks.

[metal overlord]

Believe me, as a Metallica fanatic, and Lars is my #1 inspiration, I should know this.

Tama Lars Ulrich Signature kit
Granstar II (2)

14x8" Birch Snare Drum
Two 24x16" bass drums
10x10"
12x11"
14x13"
16x15"
two 18x16" floor toms

But correct me if I'm wrong, but according to the TDF, it's an artstar 2. The kit above which is on that encyclomet thing, is wrong.

Here

Tama Lars Ulrich Signature kit Artstar 2 (maple)
White Cortex with custom black granstar lugs
Two 24x16" bass drums
11x10"
12x11"
14x13"
15x14"
two 18x16" floor toms


The Granstar 2 kit was used ONLY in Blackened Justice tour, and ...And justice for all album. Lars used a Gretsch set in recording in the studio for The Black Album, and used an Artstar 2 (the one posted above) for live gigs.

[metal overlord]

Thanks! Wow, to have a 16" last tom and two 18" floor toms is so cool. I wish he still played his big kit. I think Mike Portnoy is the only famous drummer who hasn't made his set smaller as the years progress. Sometimes maturity sucks.

Vinnie Paul , he has and still is using 2 up, 1 down, 2 basses, and one snare.

And Mike has many kits. Sometimes during gigs he uses a double pedal!

[arthurk1]

Thanks, you guys are the best. I have cash if anybody knows of one of the white with black hardware kits for sale. I really want one!! I might even trade one of my DW kits for one but most metal guys don't play dw, but i will pay cash!

[Zalloy]

Tama did release a signature kit with black chrome hardware (stands and all), but good luck finding one of those. On the other hand, if "the look" is all you're after, just about any white Cortex double bass kit with ebony reso. heads will give you the look. Have some stands black chromed, or score some RMV hardware and bang, a "psuedo" Lars signature kit.

I did see a "stage used" Lars' kit up for sale on e-bay few months ago... pricy though. I think it went for something like 8K... Lars used and on TV but still...

Man, I remember that signature kit being advertised in MD mag during the 80's. Growing up listening to Metallica, boy did I want one.

The kit I really dug though was his gun metal gray/black kit. Awesome looking kit.

[metal overlord]

I did see a "stage used" Lars' kit up for sale on e-bay few months ago... pricy though. I think it went for something like 8K... Lars used and on TV but still...

Man, I remember that signature kit being advertised in MD mag during the 80's. Growing up listening to Metallica, boy did I want one.

The kit I really dug though was his gun metal gray/black kit. Awesome looking kit.


Hell yeah, I loved the sound and look of that one.

[KarlCrafton]

I'm not a huge Lars or Tama fan, but that white & black kit did sound really good.

I have Metallica at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert, and his drums on that just sound so good, and HUGE.

That was before Lars started using those Ahead sticks though.
Those things have done nothing good for his sound (IMO).

That concert had Matt Sorum with GNR too, and he was playing with those Aheads, but the one song he didn'tuse them on sounded way better.
You can hear a big difference.

Good luck, hope you find one of those kits!
Maybe you can score one of those banners too!

[metal overlord]

Thanks, you guys are the best. I have cash if anybody knows of one of the white with black hardware kits for sale. I really want one!! I might even trade one of my DW kits for one but most metal guys don't play dw, but i will pay cash!

For a kit like that it'd be in the range of $5k.


Or, you could just get a white Starclassic Maple with black hardware. Sure it'd be a teeny bit more expencive, but it's better than the Sig kit (Virgin bass, better shell making), and a hell of alot easier to find.

[KarlCrafton]

But then the shells wouldn't be the same, and he couldn't get the sound he wants.

Those shells were pretty beefy, and a LOT thicker than Star Classics.

You know, those (W&B) drums had mounts right on the drum, and those big toms on the bass drums without any problems.

Not tryin' to start anything, I'm just sayin'.....

[arthurk1]

Iwas looking at the Tama catalog and thinking maybe putting one together from one of their lower lines. I would NOT use starclassics because I imagine they don't sound anything like those old drums he used do? Does anyone know of any interviews with Lars where he talks about using a smaller kit? I found the 91 concert of Metallica in Russia and he was just bashing back there with his long hair and they were still Alcoholica, which was a good thing, then I watched Woodstock 99 and watched him sleep through all of the fills on Seek and Destroy! I call it " stadiumizing" because he realized that his fills got lost in the mix, so why play them, but US drummers want to know he is playing them just like the record. I shouldn't dog Lars, because I totally love him, but I just don't see his reasoning on that one. thanks

[metal overlord]

If you want thinker maple shells, I'de look at Pearl. I think one of their Masters Maple lines has a 10 ply? Not sure, but that would be big, loud, and beefy.

[arthurk1]

No, I certainly want tama, I just want to closer to what he was playing in the early days, like up until he went to the Starclassics. I am just sick of playing a 6 piece and wanted a second kit that is a big one. I might even go for a big Dave Lombardo type kit. I have seen a few older Imperialster kits on ebay here recently which would be awesome, but I really want that Black and white, 4 toms up front, with a 15 or 16" tom as the last one. It was so fxxXXXXXXX cool to barely be able to see Lars head back there when he played those. I have cash in hand!

[DaveB]

Believe me, as a Metallica fanatic, and Lars is my #1 inspiration, I should know this.

Tama Lars Ulrich Signature kit
Granstar II (2)

14x8" Birch Snare Drum
Two 24x16" bass drums
10x10"
12x11"
14x13"
16x15"
two 18x16" floor toms

But correct me if I'm wrong, but according to the TDF, it's an artstar 2. The kit above which is on that encyclomet thing, is wrong.

Here

Tama Lars Ulrich Signature kit Artstar 2 (maple)
White Cortex with custom black granstar lugs
Two 24x16" bass drums
11x10"
12x11"
14x13"
15x14"
two 18x16" floor toms


The Granstar 2 kit was used ONLY in Blackened Justice tour, and ...And justice for all album. Lars used a Gretsch set in recording in the studio for The Black Album, and used an Artstar 2 (the one posted above) for live gigs.

Unless it's a typo above, he never used an 11" tom; they were 12,13, 14 & 15 mounted toms. Phil Gould is the only person I ever saw using an 11" tom. When LU changed it was 10, 12, 14 & 16. I remember both kits well as I saw them on the Justice tour and was a fan well before that when he was still using the chrome Superstar kit with red bd hoops.

[metal overlord]

Unless it's a typo above, he never used an 11" tom; they were 12,13, 14 & 15 mounted toms. Phil Gould is the only person I ever saw using an 11" tom. When LU changed it was 10, 12, 14 & 16. I remember both kits well as I saw them on the Justice tour and was a fan well before that when he was still using the chrome Superstar kit with red bd hoops.

Oh it was a typo, sorry. I didn't realize that. And I messed up, I didn't know it was 12,13,14,15. Thanks for correcting me.

[lufthansa]

hey hello I want to know is you sell this kits Tama Lars Ulrich let me know how much you sell you durms think you

Lombardo type? Well, now it depends on how much you want to spend.
You can get some nice big kits like that if you know how to search. But you have to be willing to pay.

This is pretty much what it'll look like If you go Lars.

[xLarsUlrichx]

Alright, I know this by heart because I am actually hunting down the entire thing. Lars' touring kit from 89-93 before being scaled down was a Tama Granstar, 2x 24x16 Bass Drums, 2x 18x16 Floor Toms, 12x11, 13x12, 14x13, and 15x14 Tom Toms, and a 8x14 Birch Snare. He had 2 sets of Hi-Hats at that time for the ease of playing ...And Justice For All, and One. Those were 14" Z Dyno Beat Hi-Hats, and 13" Z Dyno Beat Hi-Hats. The cymbal sizes I have written down somewhere but don't know them by heart yet.

[Owens]

When LU changed it was 10, 12, 14 & 16.


If your referring to his current Starclassic Maple kit, his floor toms are (Dia/Depth): 16"x14" and 16"x16"


And I messed up, I didn't know it was 12,13,14,15.

It's funny how everybody claims their isn't enough pitch difference between a rack tom set up like that. You know how we hear all those overtones and sustain while we drum, but the audience doesn't? I think it is the other way around when it comes to pitch difference, and of course tuning will make a huge difference. If you go on youtube and watch Lars Ulrich and Dave Lombardo, you might just see how much pitch difference you can get.

One of the big drum manufactures need to mass produce 9", 11", 17", 19", and 20" toms! If one of the major ones start, the head companies will have to as well; simply because if Remo did and Evans didn't, Evans wouldn't be able to sell heads to someone who has the sizes they don't make (Domino Affect). Most likely, the hype over the new trend would cause other drum manufacturers to start as well.

I'd personally prefer these sizes over anything else:
Rack Toms (Diameter x Depth)
12"x7"
13"x8"
14"x9"
15"x10"
Floor Toms
17"x15"
19"x16"
Bass Drum (x2)
24"x15"

[militia814]

I'm a Lars fanatic and I always thought he used 12x11 13x12 14x13 16x15 18x16 18x16 24x16 24x16. I know he used tama's imperial star (mahogany) on kill em all. In later 80s he used a tama white granstar (birch) with black hardware. Known as the black Album kit. There's a web site with all this info on it. Just go to google and type in Lars drum kit sizes and it should be the first website that pops up. If you can't find it... You can pretty much find this information on any website.

[harryconway]

I'm a Lars fanatic ..... You can pretty much find this information on any website.
Or ...... you could simply look at the 2nd and 3rd post to this thread. The link still works.

[omcd]

Google The Artstar II , Im about to buy a blue one, and theres a white one with black hardware for sale for a great price.

[paistemage]

I remember seeingt he "Lars Ulrich signature kit" in modern drummer in 1992. It was the Granstar. I remember thinking , why not a wider second floor tom? I always loved the sound of his snare!

I remember seeing it advertised for $10,000! Black hardware, Black bottom heads, if i won the lottery back then, I would have bought it.

Yes, as discussed by previous poster , seeing him not do "seek and destroy" fills, seemed like a half a**ed attempt at playing the song.

The "monsters of rock" live video from russia, with pantera is an excellent example of Harvestor of Sorrow, in my opinion.