Top 5Has said they use
Said in Stephen Perkins on Jane's Addiction's Twenty-Fifth-Anniversary Ritual De Lo Habitual Shows (Modern Drummer), July 2016
No store page for this one.
s
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Stephen Perkins. Every item links to its public source.
15 items · Last checked What drums does Stephen Perkins play?
Stephen Perkins has said he moved from a Ludwig kit to DW in 1988 and has played custom DW kits since, including the 1992 Porno for Pyros kit, a 1997 Short Stack and a 2006 Jimmy Page-inspired kit. He has said he used Remo coated Ambassadors and cracked Zildjians in early Jane's Addiction.
Top 5
Where to start with Stephen Perkins's gear.
01
02
DW
1992 Porno for Pyros kit (Orange Flame)
Top 5Has said they use
“When I play that kit, I play differently”
Said in The Drum Kit That Gave Stephen Perkins a New Voice (Modern Drummer), September 2026
No store page for this one.
03
DW
1997 Short Stack kit (Champagne Sparkle)
Top 5Has said they use
“They just kind of, like, zip by like a bird flying by your vision.”
Said in The Rebirth of Jane's Addiction: Stephen Perkins' 1997 Relapse Tour Kit (Modern Drummer), September 2026
No store page for this one.
04
DW
2006 Jimmy Page-inspired maple kit (The Panic Channel)
Top 5Has said they use
“These are just cannons.”
Said in Big, Loud and Muscular: Stephen Perkins' Return to '70s Rock (Modern Drummer), September 2026
No store page for this one.
05
DW
1988 kit (8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 inch toms)
Top 5Has said they use
Said in Stephen Perkins on Jane's Addiction's Twenty-Fifth-Anniversary Ritual De Lo Habitual Shows (Modern Drummer), July 2016
No store page for this one.
What drums Stephen Perkins uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Kits
DW
1992 Porno for Pyros kit (Orange Flame)
Has said they use
“When I play that kit, I play differently”
Said in The Drum Kit That Gave Stephen Perkins a New Voice (Modern Drummer), September 2026
No store page for this one.
DW
1997 Short Stack kit (Champagne Sparkle)
Has said they use
“They just kind of, like, zip by like a bird flying by your vision.”
Said in The Rebirth of Jane's Addiction: Stephen Perkins' 1997 Relapse Tour Kit (Modern Drummer), September 2026
No store page for this one.
DW
2006 Jimmy Page-inspired maple kit (The Panic Channel)
Has said they use
“These are just cannons.”
Said in Big, Loud and Muscular: Stephen Perkins' Return to '70s Rock (Modern Drummer), September 2026
No store page for this one.
DW
1988 kit (8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 inch toms)
Has said they use
Said in Stephen Perkins on Jane's Addiction's Twenty-Fifth-Anniversary Ritual De Lo Habitual Shows (Modern Drummer), July 2016
No store page for this one.
DW
Cherry shell kit with two cherry timbales
Has said they use
Said in Stephen Perkins on Jane's Addiction's Twenty-Fifth-Anniversary Ritual De Lo Habitual Shows (Modern Drummer), July 2016
No store page for this one.
Ludwig
Kit with 12, 13 and 16 inch toms
Has said they use
Said in Stephen Perkins on Jane's Addiction's Twenty-Fifth-Anniversary Ritual De Lo Habitual Shows (Modern Drummer), July 2016
No store page for this one.
DW
2008 Tribes Kit (Exotic Series)
Seen using
Seen in Stephen Perkins Opens His Personal Drum Archive for a Special ArtistFirst Auction (Modern Drummer), August 2026
No store page for this one.
DW
2010 Jazz Series kit (Titanium Satin)
Seen using
Seen in Stephen Perkins Opens His Personal Drum Archive for a Special ArtistFirst Auction (Modern Drummer), August 2026
No store page for this one.
Seen in Stephen Perkins Opens His Personal Drum Archive for a Special ArtistFirst Auction (Modern Drummer), August 2026
No store page for this one.
DW
Trashcan Raw Kit
Seen using
Seen in Stephen Perkins Opens His Personal Drum Archive for a Special ArtistFirst Auction (Modern Drummer), August 2026
No store page for this one.
Heads and cymbals
Has said they use
Said in Stephen Perkins on Jane's Addiction's Twenty-Fifth-Anniversary Ritual De Lo Habitual Shows (Modern Drummer), July 2016
No store page for this one.
Remo
Clear Emperor drumheads
Has said they use
Said in Stephen Perkins on Jane's Addiction's Twenty-Fifth-Anniversary Ritual De Lo Habitual Shows (Modern Drummer), July 2016
No store page for this one.
Zildjian
Cymbals (early Jane's Addiction)
Has said they use
Zildjian
Cymbals (early Jane's Addiction)Said in Stephen Perkins on Jane's Addiction's Twenty-Fifth-Anniversary Ritual De Lo Habitual Shows (Modern Drummer), July 2016
No store page for this one.
Percussion
Meinl
1993 Marathon Congas
Seen using
Meinl
1993 Marathon CongasSeen in Stephen Perkins Opens His Personal Drum Archive for a Special ArtistFirst Auction (Modern Drummer), August 2026
No store page for this one.
Remo
Mondo Conga Snare
Seen using
Seen in Stephen Perkins Opens His Personal Drum Archive for a Special ArtistFirst Auction (Modern Drummer), August 2026
No store page for this one.
Questions
About Stephen Perkins's gear.
What drums does Stephen Perkins play?
He has said he played a Ludwig kit before switching to DW in 1988. Modern Drummer's 2026 features cover his one-of-one 1992 DW Porno for Pyros kit, a 1997 DW Champagne Sparkle Short Stack and a 2006 DW maple kit built for The Panic Channel.
What drum kit did Stephen Perkins use on Ritual de lo Habitual?
He told Modern Drummer in 2016 that it was a 1988 Drum Workshop kit with 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 inch toms, and that it was his first DW kit.
What drumheads does Stephen Perkins use?
For the 2016 Ritual anniversary shows he said he went to Remo coated Ambassadors, in place of the clear Emperors he had on the previous tour.
What cymbals did Stephen Perkins use in Jane's Addiction?
He has said he had a set of cracked Zildjians in the early days of Jane's Addiction.
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Named in this guide
SP
Stephen Perkins
About this guide · Last checked
Stephen Perkins is the founding drummer of Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros, also known for The Panic Channel. This guide covers the DW kits, heads, cymbals and percussion he described to Modern Drummer from 2016 to 2026.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Stephen Perkins didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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