Neil's
kit has changed over the years
to fit the needs of Rush's music.
Since 1996, he seems to be
favoring acoustic drums over electronics―although the
electronics remain as a satellite kit for live performances. While Neil's kit is
large, he's always used the expanded range of voices in interesting ways. On this page, you'll find his latest drum and
cymbal setups, as well as the parts
list for the 30th Anniversary Kit replicas.
At
the end of 2009, Neil Peart recorded a new version of
The Hockey Theme for TSN networks. For the recording and
song, Drum Workshop built Neil a new hockey-themed drum
kit. According to the
DW drums article:
The set is airbrushed in Lacquer Graphics with NHL logos
and ultra-custom Ice Blue hardware. DW Custom shop
Artist, Louie Garcia comments, Neil told me he wanted to
begin a new masterpiece with this kit. He really wanted
it to represent the game of hockey, incorporating center
ice and the face-off circles. And for the look of ice,
we with went with a pearlescent color called Blue Frost.
It really is a unique kit"
After the 30th anniversary tour, the guys at
Drum Workshop and I agreed that the R30 kit ought to be retired. I felt that
way because it had been a true centerpiece of that tour (sitting center
stage every night, after all), and I wanted to keep that "specialness." The
DW guys, lead by John Good ("the Wood Whisperer"), felt that way because
they thought they could do better.
In 2006, they built me a “West Coast
kit” on which I recorded a few songs for my friend Matt Scannell, as well as
Snakes and Arrows. Everybody who heard those drums was blown away
by their sound, but John continued to develop his ideas—combining different
combinations of laminates for the shells, like his “Vertical Low Timbre”
innovations. Just as the West Coast kit had eclipsed the R30 drums in
tonality and resonance, these new ones take it to what my teacher, Freddie
Gruber, would call “another place.” After I had rehearsed a couple of weeks
on the West Coast kit, my drum tech, Lorne “Gump” Wheaton, put up the new
ones, and I truly couldn’t believe how different they sounded—how much
bigger and warmer.
One of these drums is bigger—the 23” bass drum, which is another
unique innovation of John Good’s. Back in the 70’s, when Rush were opening
shows, I used to be able to go out front and listen to other drummers. I
noticed then that 24” bass drums had a particular “kick” (for once the word
is apt), but I preferred the playability and dynamics of a 22”. John
suspected that the 23” would combine the best of both, and he was right.
The
“VLT” approach was also applied to the snare drum’s shell, and it was
another revelation—the best I have ever played, for both response and sound.
The toms are 8”, 10”, 12”, 13”, two
15”, 16”, AND 18”, with DW’s Coated Clear heads. Remo supplies some of the
other heads, while the drumsticks are Pro-Mark signature models.
In an earlier Web story, I noted that “black is the new gold,” and this time
the hardware is plated in black nickel. Likewise, “red is the new black,”
the finish is Aztec Red, inset with a pair of logos Hugh Syme and I created
for the CD package. The Greek symbol ouroboros, or snaking eating
its tail, surrounds a calligraphic rendering of my favorite road sign: the
universal symbol for “winding road.” (On a motorcycle or in a fast car,
that’s the best kind of “snake and arrow” you can see.”) The repeating motif,
in gold leaf and metallic gray satin over the Aztec Red, was created by DW’s
master painter, Louie Garcia (a true artist).
The cymbals are my signature Paragons, by Sabian, with a 22” ride, 20”, 18”,
and two 16 crashes, 13” high-hats, 14” “x-hats,”8” and 10” splashes, 19” and
20” China types—plus our new innovation, the “Diamondback,” with tambourine
jingles.
DW once again provided custom shells for the Roland V-drums (the TD-20s),
and the electronic stuff includes a MalletKAT, KAT trigger pedals, and a
Dauz pad, all running through a Roland XV5080 sampler and Project X Glyph
hard drives.
Neil has a warm-up kit
backstage, where he spends 20-30 minutes getting ready for the show. This photo,
taken backstage at the Gorge, Washington, has a few interesting details. First, Neil's
using the classic DW high-hat stand design, with the flat legs. Note how this stand
doesn't fit as closely to his double-bass pedal. Also, he has a basic cymbal
set-up, including the new Paragon Diamondback cymbal (instead of a traditional
China-type). Finally, the drumsticks do not appear to be the usual Pro-Mark
747s, but a Hot Rod or maybe something new.
The diagram below was taken from the
Modern Drummer 9/2002 interview with Neil Peart, which still represents the
drum and cymbal sizes, as well as electronic set up. However, for the 30th Anniversary
Tour kit, used in 2004, the cymbal brand has now switched to
Sabian. The finish of the drums has changed, and the hardware is now
gold plated.
Neil says of his new kit in the 30th Anniversary
Tour Book, "The drums are also brand, spanking new, a special '30th
anniversary'
kit created for me by the good people at DW. As we worked together on the
design, we aimed to create the drum-set equivalent of the 'dream cars' displayed
at auto shows, a showpiece that was also the ultimate expression of
craftsmanship."
