STEVE GADD'S CURRENT SET UP 2005:

1. Yamaha snare drum 14 x 5.5
ooBirch with wood Hoops
2. Yamaha small tom12 x 8
3. Yamaha small tom 13 x 9
4. Yamaha floor tom 14 x 12
5. Yamaha floor tom 16 x 14
6. Yamaha drum throne ds-840
7. Zildjian hi-hat cymbals 14" K Session
8. Zildjian crash cymbal
o 18" K Constantinople
9. Zildjian ride cymbal 18" K
ooK Session Custom      
10. Zildjian crash cymbal 16"
oo K Session Custom
11. Yamaha hi-hat stand hs-1000
12. Yamaha 22" bass drum Maple
oooor 20" depending on gig
13. Yamaha double bass pedal dfp-9310

*Depending on the gig, Steve often uses
oa third crash on the left with rivets.

Steve Gadd's drumset

DRUMS:

Steve Gadd has been playing Yamaha Drums since 1976. His name was for many years synonymous with the Recording Custom kit. Indeed the association led in no small part to the RC9000 becoming the most popular professional kit in the world during the 1980s.

Steve popularised small 10' toms and introduced floor tom-tom stands. He still likes birch tom-toms, but recently has preferred a maple bass drum. His Clapton kit comprises 22x14 Maple Custom Absolute bass, 12x8 and 13x9 hanging, and 14x12 and 16x14 floor-mounted Birch Custom Absolute toms. Othertimes he uses a small 10x7.5 tom, which he made famous in his studio days, and drops the 13 tom. For live work he prefers his steel 14x5.5 signature snare drum. There are five other Steve Gadd signature models in the series.

BEFORE YAMAHA...

Steve Gadd 1978

Before signing on with Yamaha, Steve played a sort of mish-mosh kit with a Gretsch bass drum (20") and Pearl concert toms customized by Frank Ippolito's Professional Percussion Center in New York. By adding bottom heads and using Evans hydraulic heads he was able to get a deeper richer tone that became known as his signature sound, a sound still popular 30 years later.

He also was among the first to use the chain drive pedal concieved by Mr. Ippolito, one of standards of modern pedal construction. Steve also experimented with the Zalmer double pedal while playing with L'image.

Zildjian K 18" Session Ride

Remo

STICKS:

• Vic Firth Steve Gadd Hickory
Slightly shorter than the American Classic ® 5A, Steve's signature stick features a barrel tip for a great recording sound. Available in wood or nylon tip.
L=15 3/4", Dia.=.550"


• Vic Firth Steve Gadd Signature Brushes

Steve, Luis Conte (percussion) and Scott Hoffman (drum tech) on tour with James Taylor 2005 Photo by Alex Solca

Steve Gadd Signature 30th Anniversary Drum Set!

www.yamaha.com

BUENA PARK , Calif.—For more than three decades, Steve Gadd has been one of the most influential drummers in the world—and for 30 years, Gadd has played Yamaha drums. To commemorate this special milestone, Yamaha introduced the Steve Gadd Signature 30th Anniversary Drum Set, a replica of the custom kit that he has played for almost 20 years. Manufactured in a limited edition of 50 units, each kit includes a certificate of authenticity personally signed by Gadd.

Steve Gadd 30th Anniversary Signature Kit debut at the 2006 NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA

"It's an honor to have such a strong association with an artist of Steve's stature," says David Jewell, marketing manager, Yamaha Drums. "He has personally helped Yamaha Drums improve and maintain quality throughout the line over the years. This new kit pays tribute to what he has done not only for Yamaha, but for the world of drumming." Gadd's first Yamaha kit, the Recording Custom set (model RC9000), became the most popular professional kit in the world during the 1980s. Gadd also popularized small 10" toms, introduced floor tom-tom stands, and was also one of the first drummers to use a combination of woods in one kit. Today, he favors birch toms and a maple bass drum. His choice of hardware color is a distinctive black—similar to the kit's lacquered acoustic piano-style finish that he helped Yamaha perfect. Steve Gadd by Mark Lazarski   The 30th Anniversary Drum Set consists of a 22" x 14" Maple Custom bass drum, a 14" x 5 1/2" snare, 10" x 7 1/2" and 12" x 8" hanging toms, and 14" x 12" and 16" x 14" suspended Birch Custom Absolute floor toms. All toms have chrome Maple Custom style lugs with black hoops, the snare drum with black chrome aluminum die-cast hoops. Gadd is one of the most acclaimed and accomplished drummers of his generation. He has recorded with an array of distinguished artists, including Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Paul McCartney, Al Jarreau, James Brown, Joe Cocker, Nancy Wilson, Bob James, Stanley Clarke, Al DiMeola, and George Benson. His historic recordings in the 1970s include virtuoso outings on The Leprechaun with pianist Chick Corea and Steely Dan's Aja, as well as several cuts with Paul Simon (including "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover" and "Late in the Evening"). Still in demand, Gadd has recently toured the world with Simon, Eric Clapton, and James Taylor. "This is a one-of-a-kind set that will make any Steve Gadd fan proud to play them," says Jewell. "Offering it is our way to honor Steve for playing our drums for the last 30 years." The Steve Gadd 30th Anniversary Signature Drum Set will ship around July/August 2006. For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Pro Audio & Combo Division, Drum Products, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; e-mail infostation@yamaha.com; or visit www.yamahadrums.com. Steve Gadd at Yamaha Groove Night 1.21.06

VINTAGE DRUMSETS:

Steve Gadd 1985

John Beck, Duke Gadd, & Steve Gadd