Equipment-ASSASSINS
Here is a detail of the setup I used for the 5 time Tony Award winning
Studio 54 Broadway
production: ASSASSINS. (Full details to
come soon... thanks for your patience!)
Feel free to email me about gear related issues; I'm always
happy to share my insight and experiences.
"ASSASSINS"
PIT SETUP
Here is a photo of the PASIC clinic recreation of the setup I used in
the Broadway pit of "ASSASSINS"
Drums: ALL YAMAHA
14 x 5.5 Yamaha Steel Shell Snare drum
10 x 8 Yamaha Recording Custom Tom
14 x 14 Yamaha
Recording Custom Floor
Tom
20 x 16 Yamaha
Beech Custom Bass drum
Concert
Percussion: ALL YAMAHA
13 x 10 Yamaha Powerlite Marching Snare drum
29" Yamaha Hammered Timpani
28 x 16 Yamaha
Concert Bass drum
Cymbals: ALL SABIAN
(from left to right
on the kit)
---
Sabian Light & Heavy Finger Cymbals
---
Sabian 4" HH triangle
---
Sabian 6" HH triangle
14"
Sabian HHX Evolution HiHats
10"
Sabian HH Splash
15"
Sabian HH Sound Control Crash
20" Sabian Artisan Medium Ride
16" Sabian HHX Crash
18" Sabian HH Duo Ride (not
pictured)
28" Sabian Chinese Gong
Latin Percussion: LP Bell Tree, LP Red Jam Block, LP Blue Jam
Block, LP Rock Cowbell, LP Granite Blocks,
LP 24 double row bar chimes (not pictured), LP Cyclops Tamborine.
Heads: All Remo Coated Ambassadors on
top of snare and 10" tom. Coated Emperor on 14" tom. Clear
Ambassadors on
resonant side of all toms. Coated Pinstripe on kick batter.
Smooth white Ambassador (Yamaha Logo) on resonant side of kick
drum. Hazy Ambassador snare side. Fiberskyn 3 Ambassadors
on Concert Bass Drum. Renaissance Ambassadors on marching snare
and timpani.
Sticks: Vic
Firth
American Custom SD9 maple
wood tip sticks, SD6 Swizzle
malletsticks, HB Heritage wire brushes, M25 Gary Burton Mallets. T1 General Timpani
mallets. Vic Firth SBAG2 Stick bag.
Other: Roc N Soc Drum Throne
(round nitro model with back rest),
Puresound Custom 20 snare wires. All
hardware by
Yamaha including the chain drive Flying Dragon Foot Pedal
FP-9310. Vic Firth PAD12
12" practice pad for warming up. ACME police whistles and siren.
This is the basic kit I
used at ASSASSINS (written
by Stephen Sondheim/ John Weidman) I
went with the good old Recording Customs. Sondheim wanted a
controlled tone coming from the drums (since I was up in the air, built
right into the roller coaster that was the set!) and a more
"traditional" look, (piano black with the long lugs) and they were the
perfect choice. See the photo of this crazy setup
in my photo
gallery. I will
sometimes make slight adjustments
based on a variety of issues. For instance, when it's really
humid in the theatre and the sound isn't moving through the air very
well, I will sometimes use a Yamaha Manu Katche Brass snare for a bit
of extra projection. Also, at times
when I know that I will be in playing the show a lot, I will use Remo
Suede Ambassadors on the tom batters, simply because I love the mellow
tone that they produce. They are reminiscent of skin heads
of the era, yet with modern day projection, durability and
consistency. But, when I'll be out of the
show a lot, I put the coated Ambassadors back on, simply because they
are
more durable, and are easier for all of my different drum subs to come
in and get a consistent tone, which is important for the sound
department.
Take note of the
creative use of multi-clamps throughout the setup. LP Mount All
Brackets are INDISPENSABLE in the pit! They allow me to get many
different types of percussion mounted all around my kit, in the
smallest and most convenient places.
For a detailed spec list and photo of the setup that I used for the 12
time Tony Award winning show "THE PRODUCERS", click here.
A NOTE ON SNARES; I have been using Puresound Snare Wires for
many years, and can't say enough good stuff about them.
Simply...they will improve the sound of ANY snare drum. Do
yourself a favor and go get a set of them, and throw them on one of
your snares. You will be AMAZED at the difference. They are
so consistent and allow you much better control over your snare sound,
articulation and dynamics of the drum. Give 'em a shot. And
when I'm playing rock gigs... I will usually use the new BLASTERS
model. They are LOUD yet still remain musical and
sensitive. I just love 'em!
Now go out there and
MAKE SOME MUSIC!! And check out the excellent websites of all the
companies that I'm so proud to be affiliated with, on my LINKS page.
