John Bonham

I really think Moby Dick is the greatest solo of all time, and Fool in the Rain is the greatest shuffle.

Does anyone know the exact setup that he used for the tours? Any one of them would work.
 
http://www.griptoad.com/JBKITS.html

all his kits are on that page


he used ludwig obviously

mostly

26" bass
14" Snare
14" rack tom (sometimes 13 and sometimes 15)
16" floor tom
18" floor tom

(sometimes instead of the 16 and 18 floor toms he would use 18 and 20 inch floor toms...at least thats wut ive heard.)
 
You are DEFINETLY right about that. John Bohnam had a signature sound and style that was unique, original, entertaining and a joy to listen to. It's why I , among MANY others (including yourselves) gravitate to him so much for rock drumming. I don't think I ever called into question his greatness. You shouldn't feel a need to defend him. Just because I said that Elvin and Buddy were harder to imitate doesn't mean that Bohnam isn't awesome too. For another example, Tony Williams, Dennis Chambers and Billy Cobham are easier to imitate than Elvin Jones or Buddy. Elvin for his time concept, Buddy for pure fire. You'll notice my favorite drummer in the whole wide world is Tony Williams. In other words, this is no strike against John Bohnam. In terms of style, look at the company that he's in, in terms of learning difficulty, right? Get what I'm saying?

yes, i do get what your saying. Its just your first few posts, they struck me like you were saying Bonham could be easily imitated. I am a big bonham fan, but i dont think of myself as a fan thats blind to reality, i know that Bonham didnt have the best licks of all time, and i do know that he will be upstaged, but hes my personal favorite because of his originality, and in his time he could lay down a groove harder than anybody, plus the guys he was playing with helped a bit too. Im not going to argue anymore about people sounding exactly like him, but to my knowledge i havent heard anyone do what he did.
 
BTTM,

but to my knowledge I haven’t heard anyone do what he did.

I agree, the man had something special and to those who loved his playing he was definably the master of his rock and roll domain, second to none. JOHN BONHAM, JOHN HENRY BONHAM, MOBY DICK DICK DICK DICK, ta ta ta datdatdat tatdatdat ta dadadada
Sorry I got carried away.
 
Two Words: Moby Dick. Bonham influenced many drummers throughout the ages and is a drum god, Bonham stands alone with onlythe likes of Keith Moon and Neil Peart.
 
Wormsrock said:
Two Words: Moby Dick. Bonham influenced many drummers throughout the ages and is a drum god, Bonham stands alone with onlythe likes of Keith Moon and Neil Peart.
the live version of moby dick is good (if far too long) but the cd version really seemed like a waste to me. the guitar riff is so good, and it seems like the drums had no structure, no rhythm and not very much feeling to it.
don't get me wrong, bonham is incredible in all zepplin songs, but i reall think that on the album, moby dick was his worst moment.
it's my style though. i prefer more musical solos, like ginger bakers toad at the (fairly) recent royal albert hall gigs, or keith carlock, or steve gadd. the solo on the videos page for moby dick is incredible, but again it's too long on the dvd and it feels repeated.
 
finnhiggins said:
I just think you kids are hyping him more relentlessly than there is any factual basis for.

i agree with this....kids that come onto here that idolize bonham and worship him as god have not seen any critizism towards him ever before (this probably being the first time) Theduke said a while back that these "worshippers" see that not 100% thinking upon bonham as a god is wrong. You can compare bonham to the beatles. Beatles were probably the biggest band (as is bonham one of the biggest drummers in rock)....the beatles werent nearly the most technical band at all (just like there are many many more drummers more technical and that have more chops than bonham) but both in their own respect have opened new doors for later musicians that have taken inspiration from them and created new heights in the music business. Yes im a bonham fan. But to utterly (i think wayy misspelled) put him up on a pedalstule (also misspelled) and worship him as a100% god material is just hurting yourself in drumming and here in the forum.
And in no way is theduke and finnhiggins "trolling". Not at all. Just because they critize bonham and look at bonham asless of a god rather than a 100% god (as theduke said before) doesnt mean theyre trolling. If we all came to this forum praising bonham for being a god this wouldnt be a "discussion forum" (as it says on the drummerworld banner)....it would more like be a admiring forum for a drummer that is great but alot of his skill level has been surpassed. but dont get me wrong....he will always be the grandfather of rock drumming because he opened so many new doors for rock drummers but dont come on here saying theduke and figghiggins are trolling because they are giving bonham critizism. Thats just rediculious
 
alrite, i dont wanna get off subject here, but i cant not say something. Having good chops isnt about who is faster, but how fills are applied to the song. Sure people can play faster than Bonham, but IMO no one has touched Bonham in applying amazing fills to every song he plays. Sure someone can listen to Moby Dick and figure out how to play it, but it was him who created it in his mind and layed it down on the record. Lots of artists can paint Starry Night, or the Mona Lisa, but the fact is, is that Da Vinci and Van Gogh are the ones who created them originally, thats why their famous. It sounds like you guys are putting down bonham because his speed can be duplicated. The same goes with Hendrix. Please find me a guitarist that has surpassed him in creating amazing riffs and solos, come on man.
 
Bonham to the moon- As I said before, you couldn't be more right. That's why despite Bonham's lack of sheer complete technical virtuosity he is one of my favorite drummers ever. I say this with guarded tone, because to give him credit he had very good and clean technique and chops- he had some cool fast patterns worked out that are actually pretty difficult to learn at first.
The reason that sets him apart is how good and original his part selection was. I don't think we're putting him down. Faster is NOT better.
I think maybe you're thinking about what we're saying too much- I know Finn and I have the same opinion on chops- they're not even important to the strength of a musician. They are amusical factors. Someone can play fast and loud and shred and be perfectly musical or play very sparse and quiet and be perfectly musical and awesome as well. Look at who some of my favorite drummers are- Tony Williams, Elvin Jones, Vinnie Colautia, Paul Motian, Ahmir Thompson and John Bonham. At least on recordings, the last three don't really play much chops. However, they're STILL some of my favorite drummers in the whole world. Those three drummers are all incredible mindblowing musicians because they have great musical ideas. Chops have NOTHING to do with it. Sometimes I like to listen to the "drum porn" like a fusion Vinnie or Weckl, but they're still both musical.
http://www.keithcronin.com/licks/dyer_maker.mp3
I frickin' love this drum fill. It's one of my favorite fills in history. Technically speaking, most drummers on this site could probably learn to play this fill fairly quickly. To play it like Bonzo? I don't know if there's many. Maybe like Joe Morris or Gary Husband or Billy Ward out of the dudes on here right off the top of my head. What a great fill. I love everything he's ever been a part of- great conviction and sound. I could care less about a person's technique. I like to work technique a lot, maybe too much, but it's not a musical thing.B Bonham clearly had enough technique to pull off whatever he wanted extremely well. Finn or I have never claimed that Bonham was anything less than a legendary drummer. I think you're reading into it because chops don't matter for me.
 
Can we discuss things without ever using the words best or better?
Can we discuss things and people for what they are instead of always comparing it to something else as being better? Drum Sets, Players, Cymbals, Brands, anything?
Anyone?

So if someone brings up how apples are their favorite fruit, should we always have to respond the the orange is actually better? The orange has more vitamins, has a brighter color, and is right leaning politically? But we still like the apples, but the oranges are still better!
 
John Bonham Fans

Does anyone know what size this mounted tom is pictured here?

JB_Royal_Albert_Hall_9_jan_1970.jpg


Please answer quick, I need to know! Thanks. (Please make sure you're 100% positive)
 
Re: John Bonham Fans

i'm pretty sure it's either a 10x14, or a 12x14, but i'm not really sure. a 12x14 just kind of seems too big.
 
Re: John Bonham Fans

too big for bonham thats a good one! its almost definitely a 10x14 there's almost no way to be 100% sure but i think he usually used a 10x14
 
Re: John Bonham Fans

^ No no, I ment too big for what was in the picture, lol. so you're pretty sure it's a 10x14?
 
Re: John Bonham Fans

Wikipedia says:

Ludwig endorsement kit, Ludwig Thermo Gloss Natural Maple, 14"x26" Bass Drum, 2nd Bass Drum used for some U.S 69"tour, 16"x18" & 16"x16" Floor Toms, 12"x14" Rack Tom (Mounted on snare stand), 6.5"x14" Chrome Supraphonic Snare, Two 12" Ludwig Congas, Ludwig Gold Tone Cowbell.
 
Re: John Bonham Fans

jangus said:
Wikipedia says:

12"x14" Rack Tom (Mounted on snare stand).

ya but theres no snare stand....its mounted on the bass....im thinking its a 14X12.....bonham didnt use a 15 inch until later in the zeppelin days
 
Re: John Bonham Fans

So whats the general thought? It's definatly not 10 deep and 14 wide, but could be 12 deep and 14 wide?
 
Back
Top