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Phil Collins, Photo: Will Ireland, Concord (Wikimedia Commons)

Photo: Will Ireland, Concord (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Phil Collins. Every item links to its public source.
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What drums does Phil Collins play?

Phil Collins has been seen using a Gretsch USA Custom kit with single-headed concert toms, a Phil Collins Special snare and Sabian cymbals. He has said he wrote In the Air Tonight on a Roland CR-78 drum machine, a Prophet-5 and a Fender Rhodes, recorded at home to tape.

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What drums Phil Collins uses: a sourced gear guide

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

Drums

9 items

In the Air Tonight

3 items

Home studio

2 items

Recording

1 item
Questions

About Phil Collins's gear.

What drums does Phil Collins play?

Gretsch lists him on a USA Custom kit with single-headed concert toms from 8 to 18 inches, a 20 inch bass drum and a 14 inch Phil Collins Special snare. He has played Gretsch since 1983, after a Premier kit and one Pearl DLX kit in 1982 and 1983.

What drum machine did Phil Collins use on In the Air Tonight?

A Roland CR-78. He has said the song started as a pattern he took off that drum machine, with a bass drum part he programmed himself.

What synth did Phil Collins use on In the Air Tonight?

A Sequential Prophet-5, along with a Fender Rhodes. He has said one sound on the Prophet-5 became the sound of the song.

What cymbals does Phil Collins use?

Sabian lists Phil Collins as a SABIAN drumset artist.

What bass drum pedal does Phil Collins use?

Rhythm magazine's look at his 1982 Pearl kit names the Ludwig Speed King pedal, with a Slingerland hi-hat stand and Remo Clear Ambassador and Diplomat tom heads.

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Phil Collins
About this guide · Last checked

Phil Collins is the English drummer, singer and songwriter of Genesis and a long solo career. This guide covers his Gretsch concert tom kits, his early Pearl kit and hardware, and the drum machine, synth and home recording gear behind In the Air Tonight.

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

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