ROGER TAYLOR DRUM KIT RUNDOWN - "The Game Tour"

Here's a deep-dive into the drum kit used by Roger Taylor during Queen's tour for their album The Game . This kit was famously seen in Queen Rock Montreal , which had a recent re-release in IMAX. It was actually my viewing of this re-release that inspired the creation of this video. I've listed the gear below for anyone who wants a comprehensive guide as to what Taylor used on this tour without having to go through the whole video. Equipment that is mostly pure guesswork is denoted by a "?" next to it.
Timestamps:
0:00 - The Game Kit
1:50 - The Drums
6:35 - The Cymbals
10:18 - The Drumheads
11:14 - The Percussion
11:35 - The Electronics
12:45 - The Drumsticks
13:00 - The Hardware
14:36 - The Microphones
16:54 - The End
ROGER TAYLOR'S SILVER SPARKLE DRUM KIT (1980 - 1981):
Drums + Timpani (Ludwig Classic 6-Ply Maple in “Sparkle Silver No. 104” w/ Blue/Olive Badges + Remo Rototoms + Ludwig Ringer Timpani in Copper Finish):
- 26” x 17” Bass Drum (custom size w/ reinforcement tube)
- 14” x 7” Rock Concert Snare (No. 403) w/ 10 Lugs and P85 Strainer (plus spare 14” x 6” and 14” x 6.5” models)
- 12” x 8” Octoplus Melodic Tom 461 (originally a 12” x 8” Chrome Yamaha Stage Custom tom with bottom head and rim removed)
- 13” x 12” Rack Tom
- 14” x 14” Rack Tom
- 16” x 16” Floor Tom
- 18” x 16” Floor Tom
- 14” Rototom
- 16” Rototom
- 28” Timpani
- 30” Timpani
Cymbals + Gong (Paiste + Wuhan + Zildjian):
- 15” Zildjian New-Beat Hi-Hats
- 18” Zildjian Avedis Medium (far-left crash)
- 18” Paiste 2002 Black Label Medium (left-of-center crash)
- 18” Zildjian Avedis Medium? (right-of-center crash)
- 20” Zildjian Avedis Medium Ride
- 22” Wuhan China (leftmost china cymbal)
- 22” Zildjian Swish (rightmost china cymbal)
- 10” Paiste 2002 Splash
- 6” - 8” Paiste 2002 Cup Chimes/Splashes
- 60” Paiste Symphonic Gong
- 18” Zildjian Avedis Medium? (timpani setup crash)
Drumheads (Ludwig Rockers):
- Medium White Coated (12” concert tom, possibly as bottom heads as well as on rototoms and bass drum batter side?)
- Heavy White Coated (rest of kit?)
- Graphic Bass Drum Head w/ Roger’s Face (bass drum resonant side)
Percussion (Ludwig):
- 9” Ludwig Timbale Cowbell (No. 2389)
Electronics (Pollard Syndrum):
- Pollard Syndrum Quad 478 Brain w/ 4 8” Pads
Drumsticks (Premier):
- 550 CC Hickory (50PR8526)
Hardware (Ludwig + Rogers + Zildjian):
- Ludwig Bass Drum Double Tom Holder (No. 781-2)
- Ludwig Speed King Bass Drum Pedal (No. 201) w/ Hard Felt Square Beater (No. 1286)
- Rogers “Big R” Supreme Hi-Hat Stand (No. 54-6001) w/ Dual-Matic Hi-Hat Clutch (Mod. 48-1801)
- Ludwig Atlas/Hercules Snare Stand (No. 1374)
- Ludwig Hercules Boom Cymbal Stands (No. 1411)
- Zildjian Cymbal Snaps (all cymbals except China and Swish)
- Ludwig Cowbell Holder (No. 133)
- Rogers Memriloc Dual Tom-Tom Stand w/ Extension Tube (No. 53-3003)
- Rogers Cymbal Arm mounted on Dual Memriloc Tom-Tom Stand
- Ludwig Atlas Sturdy Chrome Stand w/ 7-Pin Splash Bar (No. 1360-1)
Microphones:
- AKG C414 (overheads)
- AKG C451E w/ A51 swivel elbow in white x3 (overheads + snare top)
- AKG C535EB? (vocals)
- Beyerdynamic M500 x2 (bass drum in + bass drum out)
- Sennheiser MD421 x5 (toms)
- Sennheiser MD441 (timpani)
- Shure SM57 x2 (rototoms + occasionally toms)
- Shure SM81 x2 (hi-hat + snare side)
Sources for Research:
- The Drums of Roger Meddows Taylor by Dario Blues Di Nardo (found in a video by James Rundle on KZbin)
- queenconcerts.com
- rogertaylor.info
- sweetwater.com
All other sources listed with associated images/video clips

[@andredizon5805]

I've been Dying to see content of Roger Taylor's iconic drum kit but always struggled to find reliable sources. This detailed breakdown of his drum kit down to the hardware and what sticks he use is what I've been waiting for, so long

[@_alex_merrick_]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@jonathanplanner3270]

I saw this kit in December 1980 at Wembley, it inspired us to form a band and I spent the next two decades building that exact same kit... I still have it today athough sadly the silver sparkle turned gold due to UV light over the years so the kit was re-covered in Black about 10 years ago, great video well done.

[@mgdrummer77]

Just FYI, Ludwig drums from this era were still a combination of maple and poplar. Ludwig didn't make a 100% maple shell until sometime in the mid 90's when the Classic and Super Classic lines were phased out and replaced with Classic Maple.

[@_alex_merrick_]

I can’t believe I missed that. Guess I got the timeline confused. I’ll make sure to correct that in an update video. Thanks!

[@eldiablo3794]

I love the fast version of We Will Rock You Tonight that they opened the Montreal concert with. Im a drummer too and I taught myself how to drum and sing playing along to Queens records. Also you could totally tell taylor hawkins was inspired by roger.. as a singer and as a drummer. Esp Taylor Hawkin's drum configurations he used towards the end of his life/career with the foo fighters. Using roto toms, concert toms, and timpanis.🥁❤️

[@_alex_merrick_]

I learned almost every Queen song during my first few years drumming seriously. They taught me a lot about song form and different styles (rock, metal, prog, funk, gospel, pop, etc.). Hawkins was another big influence on me since my parents are massive Foo Fighters fans. I was fortunate enough to see him live with the band in 2018 before he passed. Every interview I've seen with him shows how huge of an influence Queen was on him in all aspects. Hawkins and Dave Grohl inducted Roger Taylor and Queen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for crying out loud! What an honor that must've been.

[@eldiablo3794]

@@_alex_merrick_ Dude, that's awesome. I'm glad we had cool parents who encouraged creativity, lol. My drum "teachers" lol were Lars Ulrich, Dave Grohl, Roger Taylor, Bill Ward, Brad Wilk, and David Silveria. Before, I really knew anything about metal drumming, jazz, or any other genres that I eventually got into.. those were the guys I was playing along to, and my dad turned me onto when I was in elementary school. Especially Roger and Bill Ward. I can specifically remember being in 5th grade, my dad sitting me down and showing me Queen montreal vhs and Black Sabbath live in Paris 1970 vhs tapes. I was blown away by both guys and played my drums along to those movies every day after school. Esp back then before youtube, for me to actually see up close live shots of Roger playing and being able to see his drum kit was the best feeling. That's why I appreciate your video so much. Your visual references and attention to detail are amazing.

[@tbx59]

Saw it twice in Imax - what a killer show

[@_alex_merrick_]

I only had time to see it once but it was unbelievable! I almost went twice but I had other commitments. I also saw Rush's "Cinema Strangiato" in theaters, a great look into their final tour.

[@thesteef77]

Great video. Lot of dedication

[@NCSavageDrummer2112]

This kit is exactly why I became a drummer

[@daveylatter9317]

Absolutely enjoyed watching that. So amazing!!!!

[@wonderdrummer]

Excellent job on this episode! Love the inserts when you are describing the instruments! Very creative! Subscribed!

[@martinlaporte2112]

Awesome job!!!

[@eamonahern7495]

Speaking of Paiste 2002, one of my favourite drummers, Clive Burr of Iron Maiden used to use Paiste red label 2002s in his kit.

[@_alex_merrick_]

I’m a huge fan of Clive Burr too! Nicko is amazing (met him twice) but I’ve always felt Clive was very underrated. I might do rundown for him at some point, I’ve been doing research on his kits with Maiden for a while.

[@kevindohn6776]

I was at that show, and I'm a drummer, so this was fun and interesting to me !

[@andylow5966]

Syn drums are used at the start of Under Pressure.

[@jimmuo9286]

Excellent run down! Thx

[@benbarletta2927]

Nice! Thanks for this! Always love drum gear shows!!

[@raythackston1960]

The hardware is all Atlas stands...I have looked at your video and even photos of this time period and all I see is Atlas Cymbal stands by Ludwig. The two Rogers atands you mention are correct. The stand used with the copper kettle drums is also an Atlas. The Roto Toms are mounted on an older Atlas stand. I will say that from all the angles of the kit I would say the bass drum is a 24 inch X 16 inch...due to the height of the floor toms and the Atlas stands bottom section used for comparison. I also set my Atlas stand next to my 24 inch bass drum and it looks closer than a 26 inch would. But only Roger knows for sure. I like you found so much conflicting info on other sights. Great video none the less. But I agree with another commenter...try more footage of Roger and less of the other guys. Start with them all but then go Roger alone. I will add this note: I played on the road using Atlas and Hercules stands in the early to mid 80's and they are structually super strong...the plastic T-handles were a joke. They would break a LOT !!!! I swapped thm with the older metal ones Ludwig had in the very beginning of the Atlas stands. When I sold them only 4 or 5 of the black plastic T-handles/screws were left on the 10 stands. The Hercules stands top tilter piece had crappy chrome that had cracked and some peeling had happened. I was not hard on my gear compared to most people but it just happens. In 1987 I swapped over to Pearl kit and hardware. By 87 I had a full Gibraltar cage and never looked back. I still have the Pearl stands and they look like they are a year old at best. Great video.

[@jasonpp1973]

Great overview!

[@ClavixusProducer]

Man great video 🔥🔥🔥

[@Clominee]

Saw the show at Richfield Coliseum September 21, 1980. Two memories: Roger Taylor was spitting into the air A LOT. Ice, water, loogies, whatever. Very rock. Also, one of the best stage raps ever from Freddie Mercury: "Do you like my mustache? People tell me it makes me look like Burt Reynolds, but I don't give a fuck."

[@_alex_merrick_]

That’s rock and roll 🤟

[@keaganearly8955]

Awesome Vid 🤘

[@dubbct1589]

Great video. I'm the same in that I always loved this kit and would spend hours looking at it in videos and magazines - whatever you could get back then.

[@antoniotrovato9188]

Very good video!!! I've been a fan since late '77 when I found out my cousin was their lighting director. I actually had a pair of those drumsticks when he came back from one of those tours but they're long gone by now. I have more stuff from him and the collection has grown for over 46 years. The electronic drum you mentioned not only were used during "Get Down Make Love" but also at the start of "Death On Two Legs."

[@alanmikkelsen400]

Dude. Thanks for this video! You should talk to Roger Takahashi, he knows EVERYTHING about Taylor's gear and owns replicas of all of his drum sets.

[@mrz5]

Great video! You should make more on the rest of Roger’s kits particularly the 1976-1977 one with all the concert toms

[@sappermade6012]

Dude, the best part of that kick is that he took the rims on the bottom and put them back on. That’s fucking kick ass.

[@eatsleepdrums]

Great video, Roger is my drumming hero and I've been fortunate to meet him a couple of times over the years. I've also had his poor drum tech tortured over the years asking questions about his gear. The only thing I'd point out here is that the cymbal sizes you've cited are somewhat incorrect. The 15" hats and the 18" crash above the hats are correct - But i believe that the black label Paiste crash is a 20", not an 18". Likewise, the crash at the other side of the kit is also a 20" and the ride is a 22".

[@Arthur-ke9vz]

Unfortunately, it’s extremely hard to get deep toms on new kits, or square sizes like Nikko uses, even though deep Tom’s sound a million times better than a short stack kit.

[@carlosalbertogomez1391]

nowadays,if someone hears you talking about a big sized drumkit,they look at you like you're talking about some horror stories

[@mathewshaw2772]

Absolutely loved this..Real great drum geek info..Could you please think about doing one on Stewart Copeland and his iconic x3 up x1 down Tama Swingstar and Superstar era..There's video's of the new reunion kit but that's not what I'm interested in..Just a thought from one drum geet to another..Cheers mate..

[@_alex_merrick_]

Thank you! And I’d love to take a look at Copeland’s kits! I was influenced by him a lot growing up too. I’m not too familiar with his old setups but I definitely want to take a deeper look into them. I think I know which kit you’re referring to, but just to clarify, is it the one from the Zenyatta Mondatta period? Were those the mahogany superstars?

[@mathewshaw2772]

@_alex_merrick_ hi mate..Yes that's the period I was most interested in..Zenyatta,Ghost in the machine and Synchronicity..There's some great close up too on the Live Atlanta show...Big thanks for the reply..

[@fredrikottosson3427]

Nice

[@oyashirosamabrasileiro]

while it has some incorrect info, this video is a really enterteining explanation of Roger's most iconic kit

[@user-nh1ig2if7e]

The greatest Drummer of all time🤘🏻

[@MichaelSouhoka]

How about Jeff Porcaro's drum kit and equipment next time?

[@_alex_merrick_]

Would love to tackle that one!

[@meanmetalmike666]

Phil Rudds 1979 Let There Be Rock Sonor Kit Overview video

[@scottlowell493]

His one sparkle 8" concert tom seems to be mounted on a pearl or rogers tube arm.

[@Motherloadrocks]

ludwig drums sound amazing.rogers best work for queen was done using ludwig drums.

[@_alex_merrick_]

I love his live sound with the Ludwigs especially. The BBC Session for “See What a Fool I’ve Been” has one of my favorite drum sounds of all time too.

Amazing video! In your research for this, did you watch other concert films/videos from the same tour, like the ones in Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, and Caracas (all in 1981)? I find their lack of screen time suspicious.

[@_alex_merrick_]

Thank you! While I mostly focused on the Montreal performances in this video, I have seen some of their other shows from this tour and there are some differences in equipment. I mentioned the Yamaha concert tom in the video, and from looking at the Buenos Aires footage, it looks like Taylor was using an SM58 for his vocals that night. Interesting that they changed it out, maybe they liked the sound of the other mic later on in the tour.

[@user-fg4jb8sm9t]

Great video. Thanks for doing the research and putting it together. I saw this show in NY a few weeks before @clominee and can confirm the spitting. Fred seemed to relish it. From my distant seat I could barely make out the never-before seen (at the time) sparkle silver. Friends leaned over and screamed in my ear, “Is that a face?” 😐 I own an exact replica I spec’d from Ludwig in the early 80s, even down to the ratchet tom holder (which I recently had to replace). I thought these toms were 13x12 and 14x13 (I didn’t know Ludwig made a 14x14?), and the matching snare 8x14 (not 7”). Though, your video does look like Rog’s snare is less deep than my 8”. The weight of the large toms on the ratchet is a problem, but it allows for nothing to be inside the shell. I also feel the kick on this kit is a 24”, as mentioned. My kit has mostly been in storage in disintegrating Humes and Berg foam cases as I’ve moved over the years, so it has not faded to yellow, as mentioned. Still looks great and sounds great. Thanks again for the video.

[@Sneaky_Raptor_]

This is an amazing video thank you for making this. Could you do a kit breakdown of Johnathan Moffet, Michael Jackson’s drummer, for the history tour?

[@callejarvholm]

You should do a Taylor series, (for mathematicians, that was a pun), I’d love to see the yamaha kit from 86

[@mannybravo237]

What brand mallets does he use here 6:13, when I play hard w mallets, they always break, it's a given

[@joeybrogna8072]

You forgot the AKG D190s on the toms and vocal! Great video. Earlier shows though.

[@eatsleepdrums]

It's actually Sennheiser 421's on the toms, not AKG D190s

[@joeybrogna8072]

@@eatsleepdrums You are correct, but on earlier tours they were AKG D190s on toms, snare , hat and his vocal.

[@ajconstantine3593]

Well done, and I have a question only an RT fan can answer-I hope you can/will: The drum break in “Dragon Attack,” while stellar on the studio track w the snare rolls w arcing accents, I had an eerie feeling (as my playing progressed across the whole of the ‘80s) that Roger _may not have_ played that part. 🤔 Why? Because it was clearly the most kickass expression of chops in his career (that **I** ever heard at least), yet he NEVER played that awesome snare riff LIVE-just shortcut around it. 🤷‍♂️ Can you set me straight here, dude? 🙏🤟✌️👍

[@_alex_merrick_]

Hey! Thanks for watching! I don’t see anything proving he didn’t play that part in the studio. It was recorded over the main drum part so that’s likely why it was never performed live. It would’ve disrupted the groove if he’d done it in concert since he can only play one of those parts at a time. I have no doubts that he was capable of such playing since his drum solos from around that time show he could pull off something like what’s heard on that song. There will surely be some doubters based on a few people calling Taylor a bad player in these comments, but I hope this clears things up regardless. I know I don’t have the power to completely change minds, but I at least hope I can get people to reconsider their view on Taylor’s abilities.

[@ajconstantine3593]

@@_alex_merrick_ Great answer. I appreciate your reply. I was obsessed w Bozzio growing up way back (until his stupid kit swallowed him whole), so I get your passion for his style of playing. I dig what you did here. 🤟🤘

[@KARROLL1S]

So the hi-hats in the Montreal concert are 15" New Beats? And not Paiste Formula 602s or 2oo2s?

[@Kungfumaster69s]

Could you cover his kit from the magic tour (idk why i but i really want it)

[@pjb4653]

❤🤘

[@Tristanrgreene11]

That 12 inch tom tom likely wasn’t a Yamaha stage custom since they didn’t come out til the mid 90s… before that though that level Yamaha kit was called a Power Five kit, same ish level kit, but had a little better hardware on them like the recording customs….the long lug stretching from screw to screw on the shells. Most likely those chinas on that tour were prob Paiste, not sure exactly when wuhan came out, and they got popular cus they were so dang cheap 🤓 as well queen being in Germany a lot especially from this time and though hot space, cus they paid way less taxes than in England and Germany was known for their great electronics, mics and recording equipment and engineering. Drummer from softcell used to play a cymbal upside down sort of as a china type accenting cymbal, yet that prob wasn’t near as trashy sounding cymbal quite like a china, way way deader sound. Charlie watts used a china cymbal in the early 70s but that Mostly prob came from seeing jazz drummers starting to use stuff like that at the end of the big band era even with buddy rich at Times or even up into now days with Bernard Purdie playing a china dome side up and usuing it as another style ride cymbal. Nice video brother and big queen fan here as well. I’m 40 and started liking them when Freddie passed away In ‘91 and falling in love with them during the Wayne’s world move, I’m so glad I had bought the brand new classic queen tape instead of the Wayne’s world soundtrack…changed my life forever. I was only 9 or 10 but seeing the spliced Wayne’s world clip mixed within the old bohemian rhapsody video really intrigued me cus of how strange contrast mid 70s Freddie spliced with early 90s Wayne’s world footage. Freddie always kind of freaked me out in looks and even more so when i loooked the through the classic queen tape sleeve and seeing what Freddie looked like right before he passed with one of his last promo photos from the innuendo album….I remember thinking to myself why does he look so strange and skinny as gaunt. I was a confused kid cus I knew he had just passed away too from a disease I had no clue about just knowing at that point it was a death sentence. Ya know when things scare ya and freak ya out at a young age it makes you want to know everything about it or the person? Well that’s what it did for me as well and trying to obtain all the tapes at a time where it wasn’t nearly as easy to get them and I had to learn 20 years of music and the different looks Freddie’s facial features changed and looked so different over those 20 years and at such young age with far less information and so much stigma Change over the years about aids etc. also I’m a drummer and started playing drumset at the same young age, being fortunate that my dad was a drummer and singer and I was able to get on a kit so young and learn interesting music such as plethora of variety of queens music had to offer. I remember it being hard to find another band I could get into like i did with queen with so much stimulating music spannig all genres. queen has always stayed in my life weaving in in and out . anyway i think u get mypoints and glad you did a deep dive of roger taylor.

[@sappermade6012]

Do this those bottom heads are cut or off?

[@_alex_merrick_]

If you look carefully you can see an outline of a drumhead on the bottom. The hoop won’t go on properly without the rim of the drumhead to support it so they basically cut away 90% of the bottom head to convert them into concert toms.

[@kellyb0279]

That crash above the hi hat is definitely a paiste not a zildjian

[@Ale.Candido]

To me both left crashes look like paiste 2002s, same with the more forward china to his right. The other two crashes look they are both 20", maybe a 22 on the far right. Same for the crash by the tympani, to me it looks like a bigger zildjian.

[@strettoasino9006]

Do Carl Palmer....(Roadie Nightmare)

[@_alex_merrick_]

The British Steel kit I assume. One of my favorites, played it in person actually

[@robburgess4556]

I'm wondering if the kick drum mics aren't Beyerdynamic M88's rather than M500's. The M88 was a popular choice for kick drums, especially among European acts. I don't know if I would want to trust a fragile ribbon mic on a kick for a tour like that.

[@_alex_merrick_]

I was skeptical of this myself too. The source I found that info from seems to be correct about the remaining microphones so I took that as what he actually used. I thought they may have been M88s but I couldn’t confirm or deny that claim based on the angles shown of them. I’m not claiming everything in this video to be 100% correct, so I’m open to corrections or suggestions like this.

[@jergervasi3331]

That does NOT look like a 26” kick drum…..?

[@PabloJ1968]

Show the drums. I dgafk about Mercury, which is your main focus in your video.

[@jeandm7308]

What happened to this drum kut? Once, I don't remember where, I read or heard from Roger Taylor that it was stored in a warehouse, not to say that he was abandoned but I don't remember exactly what he said

[@_alex_merrick_]

Unfortunately, I'm not aware of where any of Taylor's past drum kits are currently stored. What I've heard from a few people is that famous drummers didn't see much value in their kits beyond a tour or recording session. This was probably a combination of them having really good endorsement deals and also not seeing how important their instruments were to music history. I've heard from a very reliable source (the man's own son) that John Bonham rarely kept any drum kit he played most likely for the same reasons just mentioned. It just wasn't something people did back in the day. They either sold them to close friends or left them to collect dust. I couldn't see myself doing something like that today, but everyone's different. I've had the pleasure of playing a few famous drum kits in an interactive museum which sadly no longer exists. These sets were special not just because they were played by some of the biggest names in drumming (Buddy Rich, Hal Blaine, Alex Van Halen, Carmine Appice, Eric Singer, Peter Criss, Carl Palmer, and way too many more to list here), but also because they were taken care of and seen as worthy of preservation by both the original drummers and the collectors whose hands they fell into. Taylor and his roadcrew are probably the only ones who truly know what happened to this kit. I'd love for it to be recovered one day if possible, but the chances of that happening are slim.

[@bassplate]

Eight-lug 13" tom?

[@crodale]

Yes. Ludwigs 13"X12" Power Toms had eight lugs, the 14"x13" had ten lugs.

[@bassplate]

@@crodale Any idea why Ludwig rack toms had so many lugs during this era? Eight on the 12s and 13s, ten on the 14s. But then floor toms seemed to be normal --- with eight lugs. It wasn't cost-saving, that's for sure.

[@crodale]

@@bassplate Typical 80s: The bigger/more, the better!

[@bassplate]

@@crodale kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqnKqWehbZitsMU

[@bassplate]

@@crodale kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqnKqWehbZitsMU

[@sappermade6012]

Alex let’s get in touch w roger somehow ?

[@ReneAlexisPenalozaMunoz]

The man has enough dosh to buy the companies that make his drums and cymbals Lol

[@markrichardson3566]

They get the drums and guitars for free, and a pile of $$$$$ 🎉

[@NedKellyIreland]

Very average Drummer , Matter of fact garbage ...But Great vocalist and song writer

[@user-to5zr2pu6m]

Hear Hear!. Also sick of all this Charlie Watts, RIng Starr bullshit

[@user-pk5jf4hp5b]

So what kind of guy is a good drummer, regarding to your comment? And why?

[@rodmac8358]

I don't think so. Perhaps technically Roger wasn't up there with the Bonhams of the time, BUT he had a tremendous feel, an extraordinary sound and an immaculate TASTE, which most drummers do not have.

[@cockers6682]

Him and ringo god awful drummers

[@jasonpp1973]

Corrected, GREAT DRUMMERS!