BY ANDY DOERSCHUK

Mike Mangini took a page out of Billy Cobham’s drum setup strategy by designing a symmetrical kit in which the left side looks remarkably like the right side.

“It has to do with the shapes that I see,” he told the Australian magazine Drumscene. “The design of the kit has a certain geometry to it, with triangular shapes, circles, squares, whatever built in. I mean, here that I see these shapes on my kit in terms of the motions that I can utilize. It helps me come up with new patterns all the time, and it helps me play a cohesive solo where I don’t mix too many sounds and ostinatos that can clutter up the music. The shapes that I ’see’ and ’hear’ on my kit keep me playing more musically.”

Let’s take a closer look.

DETAILS

Drums: Pearl MMP Masters Series
22″ x 18″ Bass Drum
10″ x 8″ Tom
12″ x 9″ Tom
14″ x 14″ Floor Tom
18″ x 16″ Floor Tom
10″ x 6″ Popcorn Snare Drum
14″ x 5.5″ Snare Drum

Cymbals: Zildjian
14″ A Custom Hi-Hats
13″ A Custom Hi-Hats
14″ ZHT Hi-Hats
13″ Mastersound Hi-Hats
21″ Rock Ride
20″ Oriental Crash of Doom
18″ A Custom Crash
17″ A Custom Crash
22″ Oriental China Trash
18″ Oriental China Trash
14″ Oriental China Trash
14 ZXT Trashformer (x3)
6″ A Custom Splash
6″ A Zilbel

Hardware: Pearl
DR501C ICON Rack x 2
DR501E ICON Extension x 2
PCX100 Clamp x 5
PCX200 Clamp x 4
CH2000S Cymbal Holder x 4
P2002B Eliminator Belt-Drive Double Pedal (Red Cams)
S2000 Snare Stand
CH2000 Cymbal Holder x 2
RH2000 Remote Hi-Hat (Red Cam) x 2
CLH1000 Closed Hi-Hat x 2
D1000 Throne
DCL300P Drop Clutch
TH2000S Tom Arms x 2
TH2000I Tom Rrm x 3
AX25L Adapter x 2
AX25 Revolving Adapter x 4
PS85 Pedal Stabilizer
CH70 Cymbal Holder x 2 IS08N/C with BT3 mount
UX80 Universal Mount x 2

Drumheads: Remo
Toms: (10″, 12″, 14″, 18″) Clear Emperors (top), Clear Ambassadors (bottom)
Bass Drum: (24″) Clear Powerstroke 3 with Falam Slam Patch (back), Standard Pearl Ebony (front)
Snares: (14″, 10″) Coated CS Controlled Sound or Coated Ambassadors (top), Clear Ambassadors (bottom)

Percussion: Pearl
Primero 6″ Cowbell
Mid-Pitched Clave Block

VIDEO TUTORIALS

Drumhead Selection

Drum Setup