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Brant proudly endorses and/or uses:
Drums:
I happy to now be using Yamaha Drums. The sound of the drums, the look, the colours, the hardware, craftsmanship, it’s all just superior - all across the series.
The Studio Student Set:
Yamaha Stage Custom Nouveau.
This kit is Brown Amber fade in 10", 12" toms, 16" floor tom, Evans Coated G2s. A 22" bass with Evans EQ4 & 14" snare drum with Evans Coated G1. The
toms sound full - the snare has a crack & woody tone - the bass is just so punchy. This Stage Custom set has a unique configuration of a
16" floor tom instead of a typical 14" tom. This allows me to get a thunderous sound out of the bottom end, which you can’t get out from
a 14' tom. I just dig it.
My Studio Set:
Yamaha Absolute Nouveau
This kit is made up of a unique blend of woods. A Maple bass drum (22 x16), a Birch snare drum (14 x 5½) & Beech toms (8 x8, 10 x 8, 12 x 9, 14 x
12, 16 x 14). Why did I choose a drum set in this way? Why not? I was looking for certain sounds from my drums. So the drum specialist from
Yamaha Canada suggested this wood configuration to me, and I couldn’t be any happier. With a combination of Evans drum heads & the
craftsmanship of Yamaha drums, I finally have the sonic sound qualities that I havve been looking for.
- The Maple bass drum (7 ply) produces a strong warm, clear, full punchy tone. I use an Evans Coated E-Mad with small foam ring.
- The Birch snare 14" x 5 ½ " - has a sound unlike any other I’ve played. It’s warm & sensitive with a sharp, crisp & edgy tone with
cracking rim shots. Evans HD snare.
- The Beech toms are simply amazing. They are the easiest toms I’ve ever had the pleasure to tune & they stayed in tune as well. Beech
wood that has the attack & projection of maple and the punch and low end of Birch. This unique wood is also very simular to maple with
the sustain being slightly. It has great dynamic range & great versatility. The toms produces a full sound with more focus & clearer pitch
than maple. This is the tom sound I’ve been seeking- It’s Just great. I use Evans Coated G1 or the new Coated EC2s with Clear G1s on
bottoms.
The Aluminum Die Cast rims that are on these the toms and snare are not as heavy as die cast steel rims, but equally as strong. It is
because of the wood and the rims that the toms have focus, hold their tuning really well, while still allowing the drums to maintain
warmth & sustain that just sings. When playing other drums I found that when I’d lay into the toms it would go out of tune easily. Now
I never have to worry about that again these toms are just amazing. To learn more about rims etc go to the Techniques section on this
site and check out in the Drum Knowledge section.
The Nouveau lug are a drummers dream. Their design, small & sleek, easy to tune & change drum heads has never been so easy. Great Yamaha
drum technology.
Snare Drums:
I have several Yamaha snare drums that promote certain sounds, colours, feels & characteristics that I was seeking.
The 14 x 6½ Yamaha Bamboo Snare
I replaced the hoops with customized Hickory hoops made by Stanbridge Drums
here in Newfoundland. The hoops compliment the colour and the grain of the shell beautifully. The drum is not only a pleasure to look at
but also to play. It has as a very unique and distinct low end, warm funky tone. The wooden hoops give me the loudest rim clicks & shots
I’ve ever heard. I also finished the drum with the Puresound Super 30 Custom snare wires. Using the Evans Coated G1 & 300 Hazy helps to
give me a great open warm sound that completes the drum's sound. Hey..... did you know that Neil Peart used Yamaha snare drums on 10 out
of the 13 tracks on RUSH's 'Vapor Trails' album??
Stanbridge Custom Snare
This snare is made by Pete Stanbridge for Stanbridge Drums. It is a 10 x 4 Bubinga shell with maple hoops!
The Yamaha Birch Custom Snare with Nouveau lugs & Yamaha Vintage Maple Hoops
The 13 x 6½ Steve Jordan Signature Snare Drum with Stanbridge Beech Hoops
Well, this drum is one of the most amazing snares I’ve ever played. It is a Maple snare comprised of a 4 ply shell with 6 ply rings. It has
presence & punch in lower tunings with powerful rim shots that crack like a timbale in the higher registers. It’s a versatile, strong,
powerful snare drum that has more depth & body than other 14" x 3" drums I have used. It works great as main snare drum or a high pitched
pic snare & is just a pleasure to play. I also outfitted this drum with Stanbridge Beech wood hoops. This gives the drum an added sharper,
open rim shot sound. I use Evans Coated G1 or the new EC Snare head.
The Yamaha School at Reid Music Ltd.
The students use Yamaha snare and bass practice pads as well as a Yamaha Rydeen set & 2 Yamaha DTXPress III electronic drums sets.
Yamaha Rydeen in Racing Green
10", 12" and 14" floor tom in Coated G2s. The 22" bass EQ4 & 14" x1/2 snare with Evans HD. Simply the best
sounding entry level set I’ve played. Great hardware, Great sounds & Cool colours.
Yamaha DTXPress III Electronic Drumset
This also has an extra crash cymbal pad and stand. I’ve used this set on numerous gigs, practise sessions, in my Drum Camp and with Eastern
Music Camp for the last 2 years. I even used this model on several gigs and it was so easy to set up, change sound ideas around and use. I
must say, It’s great fun to practice and play with, easy to use, the sounds are great & it has never let me down.
Cymbals:
I’ve been using Sabian Cymbals over 17 years. I like
mixing up different sounding series of cymbals together to get different colours & textures. I tend to go for the darker side of the HH rides. I
prefer to go for 13" hi hats (I love my 13" prototypes). I aquired them from the Sabian factory in 2001 & they have been proven to be great in
versatility. I really enjoy the Paragon 19" China, it’s mean, thin, dark & trashy... just what I wanted! The Portnoy splashes are thin and
airy sounding. My set up is very controllable, from a soft cymbal roll - from a whisper to a roar - I enjoy being able to express my ideas
with my Sabians.
Mike Portnoy Signature Splash Set
10" HH China Kang x 2
11" B8 Pro Custom Ride w/ Chain
12" AAX Mini China x 2
19" Neil Peart Paragon China
7 ½" Custom Sabian "Ice Bell"
6" 8" 12"AA Splashes
Assorted Paiste accents & cup chimes
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13" HH/HHX Prototype Hi Hats
14" & 12" AA Regular Hats
16" Vault Crash
16"HH Med. Crash
18" AA Thin Crash
18" AA Med Thin Crash
20" HH Heavy Ride or 22" AA Heavy Ride
20" HH Med Ride or 21" HH Raw Bell Dry Ride
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Drum Heads:
Evans Drumheads have the leading edge in today’s
drum head industry. I’ve been happily using Evans drum heads for over 14 years now. These heads give me the sound, durability, consistency
and feel that I want to get out of my drums. Each year the company reaches new heights with drum accessories and designing new drum head
products like the EC2s clear & coated - the EC snare heads, the E-Mad bass heads & the diverse array of snare drum heads. With such a wide
variety & so many choices, you can most certainly find your own sound with Evans Drumheads. Check them out.....
Drum Sticks:
Vic Firth provide me with the best pair of sticks I’ve
ever used. I use different Vic Firth sticks for various feels, sounds & functions. The Maple SD9 Driver is a personal favourite of mine for
several years now as a general purpose stick. It’s light in weight with just enough thickness for durability. I often use a wide selection
of hickory sticks such as the 55A, 5A, Matt Cameron, John Dolmayan, Dave Weckl Evolution and the Tony Royster Jr. models to get that
different feel, colour, power & articulation on my drums and cymbals. To shade the colours of sound, I use different sticks & brushes like
the Heritage Brush, Blades, DreadLocks, Rude 202s and 505s.
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