Top 5SponsoredUses
c
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Chad Smith. Every item links to its public source.
40 items · Last checked What drums does Chad Smith play?
Chad Smith uses Paiste cymbals, including a 24 inch 2002 Ride and 2002 Extreme Crashes, his Vater Funk Blaster sticks and Remo heads. He is a DW artist: in 2022 he said DW built him a Maple Mahogany kit, and DW's 2026 9000X hardware launch showed him playing it.
In stores now
Shop Chad Smith's setup.
Top 5
Where to start with Chad Smith's gear.
01
02
Top 5SponsoredUses
Said in Paiste: Chad Smith, Paiste artist setup, October 2026
03
Top 5SponsoredUses
04
Top 5SponsoredUses
Said in Paiste: Chad Smith, Paiste artist setup, October 2026
05
Top 5SponsoredUses
Paiste
10" PST X Pure BellSaid in Paiste: Chad Smith, Paiste artist setup, October 2026
What drums Chad Smith uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Paiste cymbals
SponsoredUses
SponsoredUses
Said in Paiste: Chad Smith, Paiste artist setup, October 2026
SponsoredUses
SponsoredUses
Said in Paiste: Chad Smith, Paiste artist setup, October 2026
SponsoredUses
Paiste
10" PST X Pure BellSaid in Paiste: Chad Smith, Paiste artist setup, October 2026
SponsoredUses
Paiste
12" Signature SplashSaid in Paiste: Chad Smith, Paiste artist setup, October 2026
SponsoredUses
Said in Paiste: Chad Smith, Paiste artist setup, October 2026
SponsoredUses
Said in Paiste: Chad Smith, Paiste artist setup, October 2026
Sticks
SponsoredUses
“For over 30 years, I've been using the same perfectly designed stick.”
Said in Vater Percussion: Chad Smith, artist page, October 2026
Drums and heads
SponsoredUses
SponsoredUses
Said in Remo: Chad Smith, #teamremo artist page (his gear), October 2026
SponsoredUses
Remo
Pinstripe ClearSaid in Remo: Chad Smith, #teamremo artist page (his gear), October 2026
SponsoredUses
Said in Remo: Chad Smith, #teamremo artist page (his gear), October 2026
SponsoredUses
Said in Remo: Chad Smith, #teamremo artist page (his gear), October 2026
SponsoredUses
Said in Remo: Chad Smith, #teamremo artist page (his gear), October 2026
SponsoredUses
Said in Remo: Chad Smith, #teamremo artist page (his gear), October 2026
Records that shaped him
Has said they love
Deep Purple
Machine Head“The musicianship on that album is incredible and the arrangements are so subtle and clever.”
Said in Louder (Classic Rock): Chad Smith on Deep Purple, May 2024
Has said they love
Deep Purple
Burn“But Burn was such a great album too.”
Said in Louder (Classic Rock): Chad Smith on Deep Purple, May 2024
Has said they love
Queen
Queen II“It didn't have any hits but it's a really good record.”
Said in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith on the records that influenced him as a young drummer, August 2011
Has said they love
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Smash Hits“But I loved Jimi's Smash Hits record.”
Said in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith on the records that influenced him as a young drummer, August 2011
Has said they love
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Street Survivors“Street Survivors is a good drumming record.”
Said in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith on the records that influenced him as a young drummer, August 2011
Has said they love
Robin Trower
Bridge of SighsSaid in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith on the records that influenced him as a young drummer, August 2011
Has said they love
The Rolling Stones
Sticky FingersSaid in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith on the records that influenced him as a young drummer, August 2011
Has said they love
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Cosmo's FactorySaid in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith on the records that influenced him as a young drummer, August 2011
Has said they love
Kiss
Alive!“I was a big Kiss fan at this time.”
Said in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith on the records that influenced him as a young drummer, August 2011
Drum kit
DW
Maple Mahogany drum set (16x24 kick, 8x12 tom, 14x14 and 16x16 floor toms)
SponsoredHas said they use
“For the Eddie Vedder tour, DW made me a killer new drumset. They are the Maple-Mahogany blend.”
Said in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith, Chad's Gear These Days (April 2022), April 2022
No store page for this one.
Seen in Drumming News Network: DW Drums to Display Chad Smith's 2022 Silver Drum Set at NAMM, January 2026
No store page for this one.
Snares
DW
Heavy gauge cast steel snare (6x14)
Seen using
Seen in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith, Chad's Gear These Days (April 2022), April 2022
No store page for this one.
PDP
Chad Smith Signature acrylic snare (14x6, 13x7, 12x6)
SponsoredSeen using
Seen in MusicRadar: PDP Chad Smith Signature Snare Drums review, January 2019
No store page for this one.
Hardware
DW
9000X Series hardware
SponsoredSeen using
Percussion
LP
Chad Smith Signature Ridge Rider Cowbell
SponsoredSeen using
Seen in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith, Chad's Gear These Days (April 2022), April 2022
No store page for this one.
Recording
Gretsch
1970s drum kit (natural finish, 24, 13, 14, 16)
Has said they use
“I used an old 70’s Gretsch kit.”
Said in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith, Chad's Gear These Days (April 2022), April 2022
No store page for this one.
Zildjian
A Avedis ride cymbals
Has said they use
Zildjian
A Avedis ride cymbals“I used some of the newer Zildjian Avedis cymbals.”
Said in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith, Chad's Gear These Days (April 2022), April 2022
No store page for this one.
Sabian cymbals (2022)
Sabian
19" AA Rock Crash
Seen using
Sabian
19" AA Rock CrashSeen in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith, Chad's Gear These Days (April 2022), April 2022
No store page for this one.
Sabian
21" Rock Ride
Seen using
Sabian
21" Rock RideSeen in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith, Chad's Gear These Days (April 2022), April 2022
No store page for this one.
Sabian
20" Rock Crash
Seen using
Sabian
20" Rock CrashSeen in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith, Chad's Gear These Days (April 2022), April 2022
No store page for this one.
Sabian
10" AA Splash
Seen using
Sabian
10" AA SplashSeen in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith, Chad's Gear These Days (April 2022), April 2022
No store page for this one.
Sabian
Holy China
Seen using
Sabian
Holy ChinaSeen in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith, Chad's Gear These Days (April 2022), April 2022
No store page for this one.
Sabian
Spinbal
Seen using
Sabian
SpinbalSeen in Modern Drummer: Chad Smith, Chad's Gear These Days (April 2022), April 2022
No store page for this one.
Drum kit (Pearl years)
“You need to pimp my drums!”
Seen in MusicRadar: Chad Smith's Pearl drumkit gets a tattoo, June 2008
No store page for this one.
Questions
About Chad Smith's gear.
What cymbals does Chad Smith use?
Paiste lists a 20 inch 2002 Ride Spiral (custom), 10 inch PST X Pure Bell, 15 inch Signature Power Hi-Hat top over a 2002 Sound Edge bottom, 12 inch Signature Splash, 19 and 20 inch 2002 Extreme Crashes, 24 inch 2002 Ride, 24 inch 2002 Crash and a 20 inch PST X Swiss Medium Crash.
Why did Chad Smith switch from Sabian to Paiste?
He told Mixdown he wanted a change after 35 years on Sabian. He had used Paiste on Blood Sugar Sex Magik, but the thinner cymbals broke on tour, and Paiste has since made them more durable.
What drumsticks does Chad Smith use?
Chad Smith uses Vater's Chad Smith's Funk Blaster. Vater quotes him saying he has used the same stick for over 30 years.
What drums does Chad Smith play?
He has been a DW artist since 2016. In 2022 he said DW built him a Maple Mahogany kit (16x24 kick, 8x12 tom, 14 and 16 inch floor toms), and his 2022 silver DW kit had two 16x24 bass drums and four rata toms. Before DW he was seen on a Pearl Masters Series kit.
What is Chad Smith's drum setup?
Paiste lists his cymbals, Vater makes his Funk Blaster stick and Remo lists his heads and Rototoms. His 2022 DW kit had a 6x14 cast steel main snare, four rata toms and his LP signature cowbell, and PDP makes his signature acrylic snares. DW's 2026 9000X hardware launch showed him on it.
What records influenced Chad Smith?
He has named Deep Purple's Machine Head and Burn, Queen II, Jimi Hendrix's Smash Hits, Robin Trower's Bridge of Sighs, Lynyrd Skynyrd's Street Survivors, Sticky Fingers, Cosmo's Factory and Kiss Alive.
Related gear guides
Setups that share gear with Chad Smith.
Mike Portnoy
27 itemsSee Mike Portnoy's gear →
Lars Ulrich
24 itemsSee Lars Ulrich's gear →
Kaz Rodriguez
Jazz fusion
37 itemsSee Kaz Rodriguez's gear →
Matt Garstka
Progressive metal
33 itemsSee Matt Garstka's gear →
Sarah Thawer
Jazz fusion
33 itemsSee Sarah Thawer's gear →
Mark Guiliana
Jazz
28 itemsSee Mark Guiliana's gear →
Named in this guide
CS
Chad Smith
About this guide · Last checked
Chad Smith has been the drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988 and also plays in Chickenfoot. This guide covers his DW and earlier Pearl drum kits, his signature snares, the Paiste cymbals he switched to in 2022 and the Sabian setup before them, his Vater stick, his Remo heads and the records that shaped him.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Chad Smith didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
Report an error or ask for removal. We fix or remove within 72 hours. You don't need to sign up.
Are you Chad Smith?
Claim this page to make it yours: verify with your Instagram, TikTok or YouTube, keep what's right, drop what isn't, and add your own.
Claim this pagetruerecs gear guides are independent research from public sources, not made or approved by the artist. Store buttons on this page may be affiliate links: truerecs may earn a commission when you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Chad Smith isn't paid for them. Report an error or ask for removal. Full disclosure.