Quote
duke richardson
[www.kingsmusicusa.com]

glad to know about the Richard King place. Thanks, Carnaby!

Quote
Carnaby
OK, here we go-

Round badge Gretsch from about 1960 or so. Charlie or news releases will sometimes state earlier, but the hardware on the kit belie that. Sizes are 8x12, 16 floor tom, 22 bass. Standard size for a kit is 13 16 22. So there sometimes can be a challenge to get the 12. Heads are black dot on white Control Sound, top and bottom on toms. Charlie has changed bass drum heads over the years, but for awhile had Evans on the batter side. Charlie uses a Ludwig Speed King bass drum pedal. The drum seat is a vintage Atlas Ludwig. Snare stand is an old Atlas snare stand. Cymbal stands are 1980's Gretsch. Cymbals are old Zild hi hats, 18 China Ufip, an old Ufip 18 flat top ride, and a vintage 17 crash zild. He uses the old Rogers "Buck Rogers" hi hat stand. Drumsticks for years were Ludwig hickory 11A. He now uses the Vic Firth Charlie Watts sig sticks. Snare is now a DW 5x14 wood. The Classic albums were with a metal 400 Ludwig 5x14. In the 80's Charlie played a Ludwig 6x14 Super Sensitive. Voodoo Lounge period was a Pearl wood 8x14. Then came the Arnie Lang 4x14 wood. Richard King in Annapolis is an excellent source for putting together vintage drums, and at reasonable prices; he's a fan.

Quote
Mathijs

Quote
Carnaby

Just for my own understanding -what is the difference in snare of the black nitro kit and the maple kit? Further to this, there seems to be something awry with the dates. On the Kings Music site it is stated that Charlie got his maple kit from SIR during tour rehearsals in '78 (that then would be late May, early June 1978). But he already had that set during part of the Pathe Marconi sessions, late '77 and/or early 78, and can be heard on much of Some Girls.

Or can only be the snare heard on Some Girls, and did he use the snare from the black nitro kit with the maple kit as well? Any idea when he started using the China UFIP for the first time? It is on 2 or 3 tracks from Some Girls, so he must have gotten it before the '78 tour rehearsals.

Mathijs

Hi. Yes, I know, the dates are awry, but coming from Rich, the story is true even if the dates are off. Rich got his info from Chuch. I had first heard that Charlie got the maple kit from a kid out on Long Island, a story which I now no longer have credence in. The black kit had a matching black wood snare 5x14, but it was rarely seen. Almost exclusively, Charlie used the mainstay 5x14 Ludwig. However, that said, on the 73 European tour, he used a 5x14 Gretsch chrome over brass with die cast hoops; that snare may have resurfaced for a bit on the 75 tour. Interestingly, that Gretsch snare Charlie has been using with his old Slingerland set with the ABC&D Boogie band. When he first recently started using the Slingy kit, he used the Radio King matching snare. The natural maple kit has no matching snare, just the two toms and bass drum. Charlie has used a 5x14, a 6.5x14 Ludwig snare with the maple kit, then the 6.5x14 SuperSensitive. After that, the others mentioned. Some Girls sessions is indeed the Ludwig 400 5x14, as are all the Classic albums. After Emotional Rescue, we get into the deeper snare drums; BTB is the 4x14. The China UFIP was first a 20" (seen in the LSTNT movie) then the 18" Classic Series by UFIP, but that cymbal cracked and was replaced by other 18" UFIP Chinas. It is my understanding the big ol' China with rivets used on the B stage kit (that kit put together by Rich and refinished by the Kansas City Drum shop) is a Zild. Call Rich, he'll tell you all about it. Rich is cool as a moose.

Quote
duke richardson
this is great info, thanks. I thought Charlie mentioned playing Ludwig Supraphonic snare drums, is that right? I thought he used them in the late sixties?

Quote
Carnaby

Quote
Mathijs

Quote
Carnaby

Just for my own understanding -what is the difference in snare of the black nitro kit and the maple kit? Further to this, there seems to be something awry with the dates. On the Kings Music site it is stated that Charlie got his maple kit from SIR during tour rehearsals in '78 (that then would be late May, early June 1978). But he already had that set during part of the Pathe Marconi sessions, late '77 and/or early 78, and can be heard on much of Some Girls.

Or can only be the snare heard on Some Girls, and did he use the snare from the black nitro kit with the maple kit as well? Any idea when he started using the China UFIP for the first time? It is on 2 or 3 tracks from Some Girls, so he must have gotten it before the '78 tour rehearsals.

Mathijs

Hi. Yes, I know, the dates are awry, but coming from Rich, the story is true even if the dates are off. Rich got his info from Chuch. I had first heard that Charlie got the maple kit from a kid out on Long Island, a story which I now no longer have credence in. The black kit had a matching black wood snare 5x14, but it was rarely seen. Almost exclusively, Charlie used the mainstay 5x14 Ludwig. However, that said, on the 73 European tour, he used a 5x14 Gretsch chrome over brass with die cast hoops; that snare may have resurfaced for a bit on the 75 tour. Interestingly, that Gretsch snare Charlie has been using with his old Slingerland set with the ABC&D Boogie band. When he first recently started using the Slingy kit, he used the Radio King matching snare. The natural maple kit has no matching snare, just the two toms and bass drum. Charlie has used a 5x14, a 6.5x14 Ludwig snare with the maple kit, then the 6.5x14 SuperSensitive. After that, the others mentioned. Some Girls sessions is indeed the Ludwig 400 5x14, as are all the Classic albums. After Emotional Rescue, we get into the deeper snare drums; BTB is the 4x14. The China UFIP was first a 20" (seen in the LSTNT movie) then the 18" Classic Series by UFIP, but that cymbal cracked and was replaced by other 18" UFIP Chinas. It is my understanding the big ol' China with rivets used on the B stage kit (that kit put together by Rich and refinished by the Kansas City Drum shop) is a Zild. Call Rich, he'll tell you all about it. Rich is cool as a moose.

Wow, very detailed information, thanks a lot!

Mathijs

Quote
chrismusic
I was looking at pictures of how Charlie (obviously one of my favorite drummers) & I notice that uses only one Tom ...??

Thanks...