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Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Steve Smith. Every item links to its public source.
28 items · Last checked

What drums does Steve Smith play?

Steve Smith has said he played Sonor drums, an SQ2 Maple kit and his 14x5.5 Signature steel snare, with a 22 inch K Renaissance as his main ride. He has said he set up his toms with Remo Black Dot heads and played Vic Firth Signature sticks and a DW 9000 Titanium double pedal.

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What drum kit Steve Smith uses: a sourced gear guide

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

Drums

5 items

Cymbals

10 items

Heads

6 items

Sticks

2 items

Hardware

2 items

Practice

1 item

Accessories

2 items
Questions

About Steve Smith's gear.

What drums does Steve Smith play?

His site said in 2023 that he had played Sonor since 1977, naming a Maple SQ2 kit in Silky Oak, his 30th Anniversary beech signature kit and his 14x5.5 Steve Smith Signature cast steel snare. Modern Drummer also covered his 1980 Sonor Phonic kit from Journey's Departure tour.

What cymbals does Steve Smith play?

Zildjian. He has said his main ride was a 22 inch K Renaissance, with a 19 inch Armand Beautiful Baby ride, a 22 inch K Complex II, two 18 inch A Thin Crashes and 14 inch New Beat Hi Hats.

What drumsticks does Steve Smith use?

His Vic Firth Steve Smith Signature model, based on a 5A with an elongated tip, plus his Vic Firth Tala Wands in birch and bamboo for low volume playing.

What bass drum pedal does Steve Smith use?

He has said his main pedal was the DW 9000 Titanium double pedal, and he also ran a DW double pedal with a 5000 Delta chain pedal and heavy footboard on the left side.

What drumheads does Steve Smith use?

Remo: Clear CS Black Dot heads on tom tops and bottoms, Powerstroke 3 Black Dot bass drum heads, and a Fyberskyn 3 Diplomat on his 14 inch snares.

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Steve Smith
About this guide · Last checked

Steve Smith is the American drummer of Journey and the leader of the jazz fusion band Vital Information. This guide covers the Sonor kits, Zildjian cymbals, Remo heads, Vic Firth sticks and DW pedals he describes on his official site, plus his 1980 Journey kit.

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

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