Pretty much every drummer worth their salt knows who Neil Peart is, the drummer of Rush has topped musician polls for over 2 decades now. I’ve been into Neil Peart’s drumming and Rush for a while now, but recently I picked up a vinyl copy of their classic “Moving Pictures” album and it stands out even more to me now.

I don’t know if it’s because I have a really nice turntable and speakers, but his drumming and drum sound is pretty much perfect on this album, at least to my ears. Now, maybe a lot of other drummers out there are thinking “duh” but I’m a younger guy and didn’t have the chance to get into the album when it was first released (as I was one year away from being born).

I’ve heard almost every Rush release, and while they all have something unique to offer, I’d consider their best work to be either “Moving Pictures” or “2112″. It’s a hard decision to make, but I’m going to go out on a limb and put my vote in for “Moving Pictures” just because of the strength and hooks so many of the songs possess. I did some digging around online and found a great picture of the band in the studio from this era (above). If anyone reading this knows, around what era did Neil Peart start using roland drums? I know he is a roland drums endorser and used Simmons early on.

While not really newsworthy, I found a page over at DW Drums‘ site that contains a setup diagram for almost all of their artists/drummers.

All you have to do is click their name on the left and it will reveal all the details of their drum kit setup. DW’s roster has got everyone from session greats like Josh Freese to Brain, to Billy Ward. Seems like a no brainier to look at DW Drums site to get drum setups, only I never did until now. Good to know if you’re hunting for your favorite drummers setup.

DW Drummer Setups Page.

I posted earlier this week about famed session drummer Josh Freese. This guy has officially played drums on over 200 records, and not just small unknown bands either. He’s appeared on albums ranging from Jewel, A Perfect Circle, Chris Daughtry, Nine Inch Nails, Puddle of Mudd, Evanesence, Filter, Fuel, 3 Doors Down, Staind, Avril Lavigne…the list goes on and on.

Josh Freese is so sought-after as a session drummer that even bands with their own drummers sometimes swap them out for Freese, so he can record drums on the albums! Unless he is a member of the band (like he was with A Perfect Circle), he is usually uncredited, so as not to offend the bands own drummer even further, one would assume.

His style is very straightforward most of the time, although he can play very complicated fills and beats as well. Anyone who’s heard his work can of course attest to this. He is known for his rock-solid beats and ability to master a songs drum parts instantly. He has even stated in several interviews that he has just gone into the studio and played drums to something without even knowing what it is, then he’ll be listening to the radio, the song will come on and he’ll say to himself “oh, so thats what that was for!”

Freese is currently recording and touring with Nine Inch Nails. He plays DW Drums, he was playing Zildjian cymbals, but switched to Paiste a few years ago. Here are the specifics of his drum setup…

Drum Workshop Drums, Pedals, and Hardware
Paiste cymbals
Remo drumheads
Vater H220 drumsticks

Drum Workshop Drums

1. 18″ x 22″ DW Bass Drum
2. 6″ x 14″ Paiste Spirit of 2002 Snare
3. 5″ x 14″ DW Aluminum Shell Snare
4. 8″ x 10″ DW Tom
5. 10″ x 13″ DW Tom
6. 14″ x 16″ DW Tom
7. 16″ x 18″ DW Floor Tom

Paiste Signature Series Cymbals

A. 14″ Dark Crisp Hi-Hats
B. 18″ Full Crash
C. 18″ Power Crash
D. 21″ Dry Heavy Ride
E. 19″ Full Crash
F. 20″ Dry Crisp Ride
G. 20″ Power Crash
H. 18″ Sound Formula Thin China 20″ (top), inverted Full Ride w/rivets (bottom)

Sources.