Carter Beauford has one of the largest and most diverse drum kits in the drumming industry. With its sparkling chrome hardware, rich ebony shells, and shimmering bronze cymbals, his kit lures you in as it sits on stage. If you're not drawn in by its remarkable appearance then the kit's sheer size will demand your attention. Carter's drum kit includes an array of professional drums, cymbals, hardware, and percussion equipment.
What sets Carter's kit apart from other drummer's equipment is its inclusion of so many different percussionist elements (cowbell, chimes, timbales, etc.). Carter credits Miguel Valdez as his inspiration to become the role of a percussionist behind a drum kit. Valdez played percussion with the Dave Matthews Band occasionally when the band first got started in the early ‘90s and also moonlighted as a member of the musical group the C-ville All Stars. After Miguel's unfortunate passing in 1993 Carter felt it was necessary to include in his kit more instruments that a percussionist would normally play. Carter explains that with Miguel gone he was noticing the absence of so many things, percussion-wise, which he felt that he needed to fill in.
Every year it seems that Carter's kit is growing larger and larger. One year Carter even decided to add a second bass drum to his kit. The one thing that seems to change the most is his cymbal setup. Every now and then Carter will experiment with new cymbals and sounds. It's not rare to find Carter playing different hi-hats, rides or crash cymbals each tour.
In addition to what's included in his drum kit, Carter also plays the bongos, congas, and other hand percussion on many of the band's albums. It can be said that Carter's drum kit is a continuing experiment that keeps evolving. One of the biggest thrills of being a Carter Beauford fan is waiting to see what he'll add to his drum kit next.
Much credit should be given to Carter's drum tech, Henry Luniewski. Luniewski is responsible for assembling and disassembling Carter's kit and mics before and after each show. Henry also tunes the kit to percussive perfection. He can often be seen lingering around the kit onstage while Carter's pounding away to ensure that each lugnut is tight and all of the kit's parts are stable.
I took on the task of tracking Carter’s drum kit progress and development many years ago. After finding several outdated and inaccurate diagrams I decided that an accurate layout of his kit needed to be provided for the many fans and drummers. I grew tired of not knowing what a certain item was on his kit so I set out to gather as much information as possible on what he plays.
I collected information from many sources. I spent countless hours pouring over video footage, concert photos, recordings, and interviews. I even received assistance from Ronn Dunnett (http://www.dunnett.com), Carter’s custom snare drum builder. After doing all this I feel that I have created one of if not the most comprehensive and accurate listings of Carter's equipment. Even though I don’t claim it to be perfect I feel it’s pretty close.
As always I welcome any comments or feedback you might have on this little project of mine. Please feel free to email me. I always love talking with people about Carter’s kit and his drumming in general. I find no greater joy than spreading around the passion of his drumming.
- Justin "BeaufordBuddy" Scott
4/26/09 - Much excitement is in the air as Carter and the rest of Dave Matthews Band kick off their spring/summer tour in support of their new upcoming studio album. And as tradition has proven the start of a new tour means there is potential for changes with Carter's kit. This became immediately apparent when photos came back showing him playing...brace yourself...a new snare!? See for yourself...
It's not certain the exact make and model of the snare quite yet but it looks somewhat similar to Ludwig's 100th Anniversary limited edition snare drum. Also, it's undetermined whether it's the Black Beauty model or the Black Magic. You can tell by the beaded shell and short tubular lugs that this looks awfully similar to one of these limited edition snares. The etching on the shell is hard to make out but that could be because of glare, angle, or reflection. Only 100 of these snares were produced a piece so its uniqueness and rareness definitely seems like a selling point for Carter. CORRECTION: It appears that the new snare is actually a Ludwig LB417T Black Beauty Supra-Phonic snare drum. This would explain the lack of etching on the snare in the pics linked above. The batter side seems to be fitted with a die-cast hoop whereas the snare side has a triple flange hoop. Here's a pic of a 6.5"x14" Ludwig Black Beauty Supra-Phonic snare drum...
In addition Carter is using a 19" K Custom Hybrid China as his third "auxiliary" trash above his ride cymbals. Take a look...
2/5/09 - A couple pictures have surfaced of Carter's kit in the studio for the recording of the band's new studio album set to be released June 2, 2009. Check 'em out...
Notice the collection of a few snare drums in the background of that second shot.
In other drum kit news, with the help of a fellow Carter fan of mine I believe I've been able correctly identify item #22 in the diagram below. I had previously thought it was a splash cymbal of some sort but it turns out that it's more likely to be a 7" LP Ice Bell underneath his upside down 6" Zildjian Zil Bel. You can kind of gather this by taking a look at the second studio pic above.
Archived updates can be found here.
Please be patient while the drum kit diagram image loads below, it's quite large. If it doesn't display automatically and you see a broken image icon (or a box with a red X inside) just right click on the icon and select "Show Picture." If you don't see any icon at all then right click on a blank white space immediately below and select "Show Picture."
Drum kit photos: Pic 1 | Pic 2 | Pic 3 | Pic 4
Note: The above photos of Carter's drum kit were taken prior to the band's 2004 performance at The Gorge Amphitheater. The photos do not reflect recent changes made to Carter's kit. Always refer to the diagram posted above for up-to-date and accurate information.
Carter Beauford endorses the
following products:
Yamaha Drums
|
Zildjian
Cymbals |
Pro-Mark Drumsticks||
Remo Drumheads
|
Latin
Percussion |
Drum Workshop Pedals
The above drum kit diagram and equipment listing was compiled from several sources
including many photographs, video footage, first-hand accounts from different
individuals, other older and outdated diagrams, and just plain common drum
sense.
To the best of my knowledge this listing is accurate as of
the date listed below, however, minor mistakes or misrepresentations may be
present.
The diagram is not to scale and some items might be
slightly out of place due to space limitations. Thanks to Ronn Dunnett for
his assistance, Henry Luniewski (Carter's drum tech) for doing such a great job
at keeping this massive kit tuned and maintained, the many fans and fellow
drummers who inspire me to do this, and most importantly Carter Beauford for
being the biggest inspiration behind my passion for drumming.
Page last updated: May 3, 2009
Diagram last updated: May 3, 2009
Please report broken links and questions or comments to justin@beaufordbuddy.com
