Before Foo Fighters became one of the most successful rock bands of all time, Dave Grohl was a drummer. And a very good one too, with a thunderously heavy hit and a knack for creating unforgettable drum parts. Remember those flams at the start of Smells Like Teen Spirit, or the intro to Song for the Dead?
This post will show you the gear Grohl’s used throughout his drumming career, from scrappy punk-rock gigs in Virginia to some the world’s biggest stages, and show how he has created his unique and unmistakable sound.
Jump to a section:
Drums
Cymbals
Heads
Pedals
Throne
Sticks
Drums
Grohl famously learnt to play drums without a proper drum set, and spent the first part of his drumming career whacking pillows instead. As he explains in his autobiography, The Storyteller:
Our thirteen-hundred-square-foot house in Springfiled was nowhere near big enough for a full drum set (hence the ad hoc, makeshift pillow practice set in my tiny bedroom)
Dave Grohl
In a 1985 performance with one of his earliest bands, the punk-rock outfit Dain Bramage, a 16-year-old Grohl can be seen smashing the hell out of a black 5-piece Tama kit.
The band’s 1986 album I Scream Not Coming Down even came with a liner note that said “David Grohl destroys Tama Drums exclusively”.
Grohl could also be spotted playing Tama drums in his next band, Scream, including a Tama Granstar kit in ‘silky yellow’.
He played Granstar kits in Nirvana too. But Grohl’s most famous drum set was arguably the Tama Artstar that appeared on the In Utero tour.
Here’s the set up he used, including that big, deep rack tom.
| Drum | Size |
|---|---|
| Kick drum | 16 x 24″ |
| Floor tom | 16 x 18″ |
| Rack tom | 14 x 15″ |
| Snare drum | 8 x 14″ |
In 2002, during his time with Queens of the Stone Age, Grohl used Tama drums again.
When Grohl and Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme formed the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, Dave used a much bigger kit by DW drums.
In this footage from a photoshoot he plays a DW Jazz Series drum set in Laser Blue:
The full set up for their live tour was:
| Drum | Size |
|---|---|
| Kick drum | 16 x 24″ |
| Floor tom | 16 x 18″ |
| Rack tom 1 | 9 x 13″ |
| Rack tom 2 | 16 x 16″ |
| Gong drum | 16 x 20″ |
| Snare drum | 6.5 x 14″ aluminium |
According to Grohl’s then-drum tech Gersh: ‘They have a warm, open sound, with real character.’ [1]
On his metal side-project Probot, Grohl used a Tama Starclassic kit with a Ludwig Black Beauty snare [2].
Cymbals
In the early days, Grohl smashed his cymbals…
…at an alarming and painfully expensive rate, so much that I became a regular at the neighborhood music store, constantly replacing my demolished gear as the jaded employees gleefully took my money, week after week.
Dave Grohl
Later on, once fame and sponsorship deals arrived, Grohl began using Zildjian A custom cymbals.
These super-loud, bright-sounding cymbals fit perfectly with rock and grunge.
His typical set up in Nirvana was as follows:
| Cymbal | Size and type |
|---|---|
| Hi-hats | Zildjian A Custom 15″ Rock |
| Crash | Zildjian A Custom 18″ Heavy |
| Crash | Zildjian A Custom 20″ Heavy |
| Ride | Zildjian A Custom 22″ Heavy |
For other projects like Probot, Grohl has used Paiste cymbals instead, including the 2002 Heavy Hi-Hat.
Heads
Grohl hits the drums hard. So hard, it seems, that his drum techs prefer to use heavy-duty batter heads.[3]
On his snare drum, Grohl often used Aquarian Hi-Energy heads which are, according to the official website, “designed for heavy hitters”.
Otherwise, Grohl used Remo Emporer heads for his toms and kick drum.
Pedals
You’ll hardly ever see a double pedal behind Grohl’s drums. According to the man himself:
My left foot is retarded. With Probot, I discovered a way to cheat [the double kick sound]. I actually do it on the Queens record too, on the choruses of First It Giveth. Your right hand crashes on beat 4, your left hand comes down on the snare on 2 and 4, and the space in between is filled up by the floor tom and the kick drum. A big enough floor tom can sound like a second kick.
Dave Grohl
Instead, he uses a single bass pedal like the DW 5000 Turbo (also favored by Travis Barker from Blink 182).
The official blurb says this pedal offers durable construction, seamless operation, and superior grip.
Throne
Grohl is a tall guy, but he sometimes appears hidden by his drums.
That’s because he sits extremely low down when playing, pushing thrones like the DW 9100AL Air Lift Round Throne to their lowest possible setting.
By sitting very low – I sit as low as possible – I can put a lot more weight into it…
Dave Grohl
So is that why Grohl’s hi-hats always seem so high? Well… partly.
Grohl also apparently used a tall Sonor stand to get his hats as high as possible, making it easy for him to whack them with the very widest part of his sticks.
Sticks
Dave been pictured using lots of different sticks over the years, but it’s safe to say he’s a fan of his own signature Zildjian sticks, which were released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s Nevermind.
According to the official blurb:
The Dave Grohl Artist Series Drumsticks prominently feature metallic, two-color artwork of Grohl’s famous tattoos on both of his arms.
Get them here
These sticks are three-quarters of an inch longer than a typical 5B drumstick, and slightly wider too, making them a great choice for anyone who plays hard and likes a bit of extra reach.
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