It was official by the first week of this month, and the rumors were whispered at NAMM. He's also moved to Paiste from Zildjian, where the A Customs were his baby. Interesting...

Bermuda

Seems quite a few players switch along the way. I can understand. It's all good. Paiste has some great stuff. I'm a Z guy. Versatile drummers are probably going to be sticking with companies that provide variety...as a side note. I think Yamaha (knowing he once played those) has a nice variety but tend to lack the "vintage" style sounds...otherwise they're as good as any drums out there, and their wood snares rock...IMHO

I have never, and will never, understand people's obsession with who is endorsing what company. If you buy x cymbal or x drum set just because Player X is, you are a sucker, IMO. And you can play the whole "well, I like their sound on Album X, or when I saw them live" card, but there are just way too many variables to factor into that equation. It ain't just the gear. It's the recording space, the recording gear, the engineer, and oh yeah, the player.

I have yet to hear any drummer who plunked down thousands of dollars on big ass Ludwigs and Paiste cymbals that ended up sounding just like John Bonham.

Good points made. I agree it's not wise to choose a certain thing only due to a certain player, etc. On the other hand, it still can provide a reasonable reference for a sound that you enjoy hearing. It's okay to like a sound, realizing other factors are involved. Many guys obsess over Tony's ride sound, which is silly in my view. Anyways, the sound should be your guide...and maybe other factors like look, feel, and hardware. That being said, there are lots a great drums being made today..

Concur. I'll admit that I wanted my first kit to be Slingerland because of Bev Bevan and ELO's "New World Record," but I was 15. Once I acquired that kit, I knew enough to be sold by the quality on my own. That's the last time I've been influenced by who plays what.

Without having read any of the associated commentary, my guess is that Vinnie found better support infrastructure with Ludwig/Paiste than with Gretsch/Zildjian. Perhaps the latter placed some restrictions on his deal or perhaps one of his close friends left one of the companies (and maybe even migrated to where Vinnie is now). Vinnie has certainly earned the right to make this switch. While gear quality might have played a role in his decision, I'm not entirely convinced that it is the primary reason for it.

We all know (or should know) that Bonham (or any other great drummer) can get his or her sound on any equipment, cf. Dave Mattacks' story about Bonham doing so on Jason's toy kit.

I'm not disagreeing here, but often the gear of favorite players has an influence...whether or not someone wants to admit it. I do agree that some drummers take it too far, and go through vast efforts of getting the same drum/cymbal sound as player x or y...

Also, I think sometimes we start to get an impression of certain brands fitting into certain styles, whether it's right or wrong. For me, I think of Yamaha of being jazzy...but that has partly to do with many players that I've listened to that endorse the brand. Anyhoo, just a thought.

blah blah blah Vinny blah blah blah Bonham blah blah blah Ringo blah blah blah Weckl blah blah blah Smith blah blah

That's the sounds heard by keyboardists and guitarists. : )

Funny Post funny and true!