Metal Drumming - what kit should I use?

GuiGeek

Member
So I'm looking for the ideal drum kit for metal drumming. I know this is a subjective matter and only I know what's best for my taste but I need some advice on which type of wood or specifications I should go for.

The sound I'm looking for is obviously a powerful one with huge attack, but I do like to get a clear tone out of my drums.
To give you a simple comparison, I prefer using Remo Emperors over Pinstripes because the latter dampen too much and don't let your hear that nice tone and sustain out of the drum. (Even though it seems on some kits pinstripes have enough sustain)

So at the moment I'm considering a bubinga type of drumset (Peace has a pretty cheap one that seems pretty good) but I've been told I should go for a birch one?!
Also deeper shells are a must for the sound I'm looking for?

Any advice is welcome, thanks guys!
 
I play aggressive/metal music in a band and I have used a Tama Starclassic Maple kit for a long time. It has good sustain from the maple drums and I've always gotten compliments out of them. They might not have the exact standard metal sound you'd expect though. But I like it being a little brighter.

DW collector's kit sounds the way you describe. Sustain for days and massive amounts of articulation. I think those drums are perfect for metal.

I do expect that many high end kits would serve you though. I purchased a DW collector's kit without deep shells and I think with the way they make their shells that you can get some serious bottom end out of their drums even when they are shallow. So I'm not sure you have to have massive deep drums.

But clearly, most metal drummers have deeper shells and that sound obviously works and comes across very powerfully.
 
I use a Mapex; so does Chris Adler ;)

My configuration is made up for tech-metal and scandinavian style stuff.

Basic set up: 20B + 8, 10, 13, 16 and my 14 snare - single pedal or 2x20B.

Full set up for the tech stuff is more or less symetrical:
2x20B + 14, 13, 12, 8, 10, 13, 16 and my 14 snare.

Best thing, get to a shop, sit down and listen to what seems right.
Bands have used anything from 3pieces all the way up to 15s, 16s.

And I'd say pinstripes would make the best heads, I use them or coated ambasadors.
 
With metal drumming you do alot of single stroke rolls around the toms, you don't want sticks to get buried and you don't want to lose definition with those fast notes so I'd say go for bigger sizes but tune the heads up tight. Also go for deeper drums because they decay alot faster. I think any skin/wood will be fine but pinstripes/ec2's + bubinga/mahogony might be the better choices.
 
If you could find an old Tama Grandstar, or Artstar, they scream Metal. I was on a site were almost all the metal heads had one of these.
 
Actually I take back what I said about buying a Tama Rockstar, buy a Mapex Mars Pro - they're virtually the same kit but the Mapex looks cooler and the Mars Pro doesn't have the same sought after name that the Rockstar does. Rockstars still sell for £400 on Gumtree (like Craigslist), I picked up my Mapex Mars Pro for £110 without haggling.

Buy some cool decent size drums from the 90's, tune them well and watch the faces of all the other drummers that have turned up with these stupid "FAST" size drums made out of papier mache and tin foil as your beasty drums thunder out whilst theirs piddle out a note or two.
 
Actually I take back what I said about buying a Tama Rockstar, buy a Mapex Mars Pro - they're virtually the same kit but the Mapex looks cooler and the Mars Pro doesn't have the same sought after name that the Rockstar does. Rockstars still sell for £400 on Gumtree (like Craigslist), I picked up my Mapex Mars Pro for £110 without haggling.

Dude check my sig! ;)

Mars kits sound awesome and are brilliant with the bass reso left off. If you can get one, do it!
 
I'm not a fan of reso left off in general, but I really wouldn't with the Mars Pro as it's a shallow-ish bass drum anyway.

All in all, ignore the wood. If you start hunting down kits made of a specific wood you'll probably end up with a size configuration that's not right for you or spending way too much, and the skins are responsible for most of the character anyway!

To me modern kits are under sized and over designed, like these stupid Pearl ISS mounts which are a real pain the arse! Get an older kit with a simple construction and decent sized toms for the same reason you like Emperors over Pinstripes: you can make a big drum sound small but you can't make a small drum sound big...you can dampen down an Emperor to make it sound like a Pinstripe but you can't make a Pinstripe sound like an Emperor.
 
DW collector's kit sounds the way you describe. Sustain for days and massive amounts of articulation. I think those drums are perfect for metal.

I do expect that many high end kits would serve you though. I purchased a DW collector's kit without deep shells and I think with the way they make their shells that you can get some serious bottom end out of their drums even when they are shallow. So I'm not sure you have to have massive deep drums.

But clearly, most metal drummers have deeper shells and that sound obviously works and comes across very powerfully.

Yeah DW's sound is amazing, but if only they weren't so ugly! (In my eyes, at least). And yes, it seems deep shells are pretty common for metal. Igor Cavalera certainly agreed with this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2j5W9Iblco

Also go for deeper drums because they decay alot faster. I think any skin/wood will be fine but pinstripes/ec2's + bubinga/mahogony might be the better choices.

What do you mean by decay? And emperor aren't solid enough?

If you could find an old Tama Grandstar, or Artstar, they scream Metal. I was on a site were almost all the metal heads had one of these.

They certainly look good! If they sound as good, I'm selling my right nut to get one today.

Buy some cool decent size drums from the 90's, tune them well and watch the faces of all the other drummers that have turned up with these stupid "FAST" size drums made out of papier mache and tin foil as your beasty drums thunder out whilst theirs piddle out a note or two.

That certainly sounds like a good plan! I also don't like those fast size drums, plus they look stupid imo. Thunder size drums are way cooler we agree!

Thanks a lot guys! Precious advice has been given :)

I think I'm going to check some old kits out. But the 'problem' is that my brother owns a music store and can get me almost any NEW drum kit I want for the purchase price (not sure if this expression is correct, I'm from Belgium btw).

So I can afford a high end kit, but only new. And I guess oldies but goodies for metal are sought after and should be expensive. But I'll look for it, those oldschool Tama kits look SO good.

Edit: Oh and also, can every metal drummer here confirm that tight tuning is better for the toms? Because I certainly don't tune them THAT tight!
 
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Yeah DW's sound is amazing, but if only they weren't so ugly! (In my eyes, at least). And yes, it seems deep shells are pretty common for metal. Igor Cavalera certainly agreed with this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2j5W9Iblco

Edit: Oh and also, can every metal drummer here confirm that tight tuning is better for the toms? Because I certainly don't tune them THAT tight!

First, I want to say I'm a huge Sepultura, soulfly and Cavalera conspiracy fan (two of which Igor plays) so I'm a big Cavalera fan. So good stuff having him here. But I have no idea how he can play rack toms that high (because of the depth). Man, that is amazing!

Man, I must doing things a little bit differently. I just try to make my drums sound their best and then play the snot out of them :) I realize if the heads are tighter you could get some better rebound for fast playing. But I don't worry about that. Plus my logic there might be flawed.

I like the feel of a tight head better for some things and a looser head for others. I tend to have the floor toms tuned rather loosely and the racks tighter. I tune for sound over feel though but I don't argue against those that tune for feel over sound. I guess it comes down to what you want to pull off.

I do crank the snare drum pretty good though...especially the snare side head. And the batter side head for the bass drum is pretty loose as that feels best for aggressive playing (at least for me).

I'm one of those that goes against the grain and plays metal with the drums you don't like, so my advice might not be the best for you :)
 
A little cheaper kit might be the Yamaha Rock Tour kits. Made of mahogany and have some beautiful finishes. Made to take a pounding!
 
I think I'm going to check some old kits out. But the 'problem' is that my brother owns a music store and can get me almost any NEW drum kit I want for the purchase price (not sure if this expression is correct, I'm from Belgium btw).

So I can afford a high end kit, but only new. And I guess oldies but goodies for metal are sought after and should be expensive. But I'll look for it, those oldschool Tama kits look SO good.

Edit: Oh and also, can every metal drummer here confirm that tight tuning is better for the toms? Because I certainly don't tune them THAT tight!

I'm kinda biased (cause I just ordered one..), but if you can afford a high end kit why not go with a Sonor sq2?
It sounds amazing, and you can design it to make it sound and look exactly the way you want.

Btw, I'm also a metal drummer (most of the time) and I tune my drums as low as it can go. Never had any problems getting good rebound from my drums at speed, you just need good technique.
Derek Roddy which I'm sure we can all agree is a very fast metal drummer also tunes his drums barely finger tight. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWsnTX9zkHI

I hope this helps.
 
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No doubt, it is all about technique. So, because mine isn't as good as Mr. Roddy's, then I have to tun my drums a little tighter :) But I don't crank my toms by any means. And those Sonor's are sweet.

BTW, from that video, you'll see he's playing DW collector's and those rack toms are not big (deep). So maybe I'm not that far away from the norm.
 
What do you mean by decay? And emperor aren't solid enough?

Edit: Oh and also, can every metal drummer here confirm that tight tuning is better for the toms? Because I certainly don't tune them THAT tight!

More decay = less ring/faster. Emperors are fine, hell anything works.

When I say tight I don't mean cranked, just a little tighter to give yourself more rebound, and not so tight that you don't like the sound! It's not cheating it's just using a little common sense, who cares what Derek does. Look at the way Virgil Donati gets around his kit (although some will say he tunes a little too tight).

I have fusion sizes (8, 10, 12 and 14" toms) with a 3 rack tom setup like Gavin Harrison/Akira Jimbo. In my metal years I tuned them as low as they would go without choking and got along fine but ideally I would have had 10, 12, 14 and 16" tuned a little higher to get the same notes but with more rebound. I got on fine, but it just would have helped. And, being honest, the 8" didn't get used much unless it was a softer section or if I was doing a funky little fill, it just didn't have the volume to be heard with guitars chugging away.

If you can get a new kit at cost price, do it.
 
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