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Carter Beauford, Photo: MBFreakNo41 (Wikimedia Commons)

Photo: MBFreakNo41 (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY 2.0

Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Carter Beauford. Every item links to its public source.
20 items · Last checked

What drums does Carter Beauford play?

Carter Beauford has said he has played Yamaha since 1978 and still plays a black Recording Custom kit because of Steve Gadd. Yamaha lists his Recording Custom and PHX drums on a HexRack II, and Sweetwater has described mostly Zildjian K and A Custom cymbals above his crescent-shaped kit.

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What drums Carter Beauford uses: a sourced gear guide

Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.

Drums

9 items

Cymbals and snares

4 items

Hardware

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Questions

About Carter Beauford's gear.

What drum kit does Carter Beauford play?

Yamaha. He told Yamaha All Access he got his first Yamaha kit in 1978 because Steve Gadd played them and still played a black Recording Custom kit. Yamaha's artist page lists Recording Custom and PHX drums, with a PHX 22 x 18 bass drum on recent tours.

What cymbals does Carter Beauford use?

Zildjian. Sweetwater's 2024 feature says mostly Zildjian K and A Custom cymbals hang above his kit, along with blocks, bells and wind chimes.

What snare drum does Carter Beauford use?

His 2003 Yamaha kit list shows an SD-655RH 14 x 5.5 Roy Haynes Signature Copper snare. Sweetwater's 2024 feature says he credits his early Jeff Ocheltree cymbal bronze snares for his recorded sound.

What drum sizes does Carter Beauford use?

His 2003 Yamaha list: a 22 x 18 bass drum, toms of 8 x 8, 10 x 9, 12 x 10, 13 x 11 and 14 x 12, and an 18 x 16 floor tom. He said the multi-tom layout came from Harvey Mason, Billy Cobham and Lenny White.

CB
Carter Beauford
About this guide · Last checked

Carter Beauford is the founding drummer of Dave Matthews Band. This guide covers his Yamaha Recording Custom and PHX drums, Yamaha hardware, Zildjian cymbals and snares, from Yamaha's own artist page and kit list, his Yamaha All Access interview and a 2024 Sweetwater feature.

truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Carter Beauford didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.

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