Phil Collins cymbals with Genesis

Pinning down the specifics of Phil's cymbals is tough. He seems to have liked to clean off logos, especially early on, and most logos were already small to begin with.

The early stuff (71 - 74 or so) was probably mostly all Formula 602, maybe with some 2002's mixed in. I've heard he started to use Zildjian Brilliant cymbals around '77, but seemed to continue endorsing Paiste.

His cymbal sounds around Face Value/Abacab/Three Sides Live seem to be mostly 2002.

Phil switched to Sabian in 1983, mostly playing the HH line, but he used whatever he liked the sound of. Even as late as his 1997 tour I spotted a Sound Edge hi hat in his set up.
 
Pinning down the specifics of Phil's cymbals is tough. He seems to have liked to clean off logos, especially early on, and most logos were already small to begin with.

The early stuff (71 - 74 or so) was probably mostly all Formula 602, maybe with some 2002's mixed in. I've heard he started to use Zildjian Brilliant cymbals around '77, but seemed to continue endorsing Paiste.

His cymbal sounds around Face Value/Abacab/Three Sides Live seem to be mostly 2002.

Phil switched to Sabian in 1983, mostly playing the HH line, but he used whatever he liked the sound of. Even as late as his 1997 tour I spotted a Sound Edge hi hat in his set up.

i listed a site just above your post. it lists his cymbal brands too, tour by tour ...no 2002s. lots of Genesis freaks out there follow this stuff.
 
Still trying to figure out which China he used during 76/77 for brand x, any clue other than a YouTube commenter suggesting it's a tiny wuhan?
 
i listed a site just above your post. it lists his cymbal brands too, tour by tour ...no 2002s. lots of Genesis freaks out there follow this stuff.

I'm familiar with the site, but it isn't complete and has some inaccuracies here and there. And while it mentions cymbal brands, it doesn't list any cymbal models unfortunately.

According to Paiste themselves, Phil's set up around the Duke/ Abacab era included a 2002 china type and hi hat, with Formula 602 crashes and ride.

I think he often used a Zildjian Swish as his Chinas most of the time, in spite of his endorsements.
 
I'm familiar with the site, but it isn't complete and has some inaccuracies here and there. And while it mentions cymbal brands, it doesn't list any cymbal models unfortunately.

According to Paiste themselves, Phil's set up around the Duke/ Abacab era included a 2002 china type and hi hat, with Formula 602 crashes and ride.

I think he often used a Zildjian Swish as his Chinas most of the time, in spite of his endorsements.

Yup - I built from scratch a replica kit of Phil's that he used around that time (all drums, hardware, and cymbals are period specific) and the Paiste reference is the most "official."

Noting that he had hundreds of cymbals to pick from and would constantly move cymbals in/out of the rotation.
 

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Yup - I built from scratch a replica kit of Phil's that he used around that time (all drums, hardware, and cymbals are period specific) and the Paiste reference is the most "official."

Noting that he had hundreds of cymbals to pick from and would constantly move cymbals in/out of the rotation.
What does it mean extras?
 
I think the ad is implying Phil had a "normal" set and an assortment of different "extra" cymbals he might substitute in for a specific purpose.

While there's no guarantee it's actually his own gear, a Sound Creation Short Crash shows up in the No Reply At All music video.
 
Always wondered what he used on Foxtrot, Selling England by the Pound and Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.

From what I've seen on pics and videos there's a mix of Paiste and Zildjian. There might even be some Super Zyn in there too.

Drumming on those albums is phenomenal.
 
Phil also had the tendency to scrub down the labels on his cymbals so there are many pics with no easier identifiers.

Even when he was formally endorsed by Sabian (and had a published set-up) he would constantly switch-in models across the Sabian family, as well as stuff by Zildjian and Paiste.
 
I heard he has about 150 cymbals and choose them based on the occasion. That'd be a LOT to track down!
 
Phil also had the tendency to scrub down the labels on his cymbals so there are many pics with no easier identifiers.
Unless you know your gear intimately, how the heck do you tell them all apart when you do that - at least the most similar ones?

This, for me, is one of the best arguments for leaving logos intact.
 
Anyone know what cymbals (brand/series/sizes) he used with RP(Robert Plant)?.

At that time ('81-to-'83-ish) Phil seemed to be using A. Zildjian Brilliants. My best guesses are:

14",16", and 18" crashes
20" and 22" Swish
20" Ping ride

When he made Plant's second album he was officially with Sabian, but he may or may not have been using them. And his Sabian's from that time period were essentially the same as the Zildjians, and he continued using Zildjian Swishes through the rest of the 80s alongside his Sabians.

Phil's playing, and his drum sound were really great on those two Robert Plant albums.
 
EDIT:

I just looked up a couple of live Robert Plant clips from '82 and '83. In the '82 clip he was playing his black Premier concert tom kit best known and seen on the Three Sides Live Genesis video, and at that time he was playing a cymbal setup like what I was describing above.
In the 1983 clip he was playing his white Gretsch concert tom kit best known and seen in both the Genesis Mama Tour video and Phil's 1985 No Jacket Required solo tour. By then he seems to have changed his cymbal setup a little bit.

Once again, as best as I can tell I think he's playing

17", 18", and 20" crashes, with a small (12") splash or crash
20" and 22" Swishes with rivets
20" Rock or Ping ride
I didn't mention his hi hat, but I think he's playing a Paiste 602 hi hat. His hi hat sound from that time never quite sounded like Zildjian or Sabian to my ears, but does sound just like his 70s hi hat sound, and he was playing a lot of 602s back then.

I can't see any logos in the Mama Tour or No Jacket Tour videos, and it's hard to tell the difference between brilliant finish Sabians or Zildjians. Again, he was endorsing Sabian, but he has always just used what he wants to. I think medium thin brilliant B20 cymbals will get you the sound he had then, whichever brand you choose.
 
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