Since joining The Darkness in 2015, Rufus Taylor has steadily built a name for himself as a powerful, hard-hitting force in the world of rock drumming. His solid, playing-for-the-song approach is backed up by his ability to throw out arena-level chops when called for.
Here, he shows us around his equally dependable DW/Zildjian setup - the kit that he's used for years - and explains why you shouldn't assume an endorsement deal means 'free gear'.
Drum shells: DW Collectors Series
Drum shells: DW Collectors Series
"I can't remember exactly how long I’ve been playing DW, it’s been a while by now. I've had this drum kit for many years. It's a DW Collectors Series in pearlescent black, and the hardware is all matte. I stupidly ordered a massive setup, just because I thought, 'Oh, yes! I've got the deal now!'
"My mate said, 'Yeah, that means they'll make you anything you want, you know, for free! Just go nuts, because then you can have a massive kit for fun and use different sizes for different things!'
"So, in total it's seven toms, and it cost me a lot of money. I was like, "Oh shit, it's not free!" So I've had it ever since, but the toms I usually use are the 10" or the 12” [as the first rack tom] and then a 13" or 14". We've been using the 13" a lot recently and then an 18" floor tom. So the two racks and then a floor tom."
"All the toms have got their own pitches. DW like to do their own notes for each drum, and I try. Sometimes we'll do it in the studio, Dan [Hawkins] and I will do them properly. But live, I find different rooms affect the tuning a lot as well.
"You don't want a floor tom to ring too much in a massive, boomy, echoey room. The bottom head, I always find, is a good one for that on the floor tom. When it starts getting too boomy, it's usually something to do with the bottom skin.
"So we might tighten that up a bit. But yeah, I generally like the floor tom to be big - not too tight and just as big-sounding as possible. Same for all the toms really, but obviously with a nice range to them.
"I think three is all you need - or all I need - for rock music in general or even most genres. I like having two rack toms because it's you can do a lot more [than with a single rack]."
"You know what? I've always used clear skins on the toms but recently at those Taylor tribute shows and a couple of other recent things where I've had hire kits, the coated heads were really fucking great. They definitely drier in a way and shorter sustaining.
"So yeah I might change my tom skins to coated instead of clear. I've just always used the clear ones. They give a great sound and have a strong attack but there's something different about the coated."
Snare drum: DW Collectors 14"x6" VLT
Snare drum: DW Collectors 14"x6" VLT
"The snare is a 14”x 6” VLT, also from the Collector's Series. I had two of them done and they're just awesome, so reliable, and very bright sounding but at the same time really punchy and awesome.
"To be honest, it's a bit of an art, tuning. Snare drum tuning is a weird one. Usually my tech, Mick has a little look at it first and sometimes if it was a cold journey up or something it can be a bit out of whack, then it will take a little while to get it to where I want it. Sometimes you just have to take the whole head off and start over again. But it’s certainly an art, I think."
"I definitely want some rebound to it, but not crazy. I hear so many snares at a lot of small venue gigs - where it's usually not this kind of music - but they're so tight and compact and fucking high-pitched! I think this sort of music needs something drier and bigger.
"I like a snare to have a nice loud crack to it. That's why I like these snare drums because a really hard rim shot on them will cut through everything. Different drummers tune differently as well.
"There are a lot of - for want of a better word - nerds out there who have their very specific routine that they've probably learned over years and years.
"But there's a lot of listening and touch to it too. There's some old school guys that tune them brilliantly with no techniques, just 'Da-da-da, da-da-da…Okay.’ and it's all done in seconds. I think it takes a while to get to that point!"
"I'm using Remo for everything. I'm still finding my snare skin to be honest. I was on the Powerstroke 3 for years and then the Controlled Sound with the big round dot in the middle, the heavy-duty one. But yeah, to be honest, they do go, it doesn't take very many shows before I need to change them so I'm still finding my 'one'.
"I try not to muffle things too much, I don't like it. I think if there’s something weird going on and there's an uncontrollable ringing that you haven't got time to fix then, fine.
"On the snare I'll use one of those Snareweight things. It's just a little bit of material. Muffling it too much - it’s not what it's built to do. I think you want to hear a bit of [ringing]. It's meant to ring a little bit, and it helps to cut through, especially in this band. I’ve got to compete with these guys!"
"I try not to muffle things too much, I don't like it."
Rufus Taylor
Bass drum: DW Collectors 24"x22"
Bass drum: DW Collectors 24"x22"
"The bass drum is a 24" by 22", it's huge! It also has a woofer that goes on the end of it, like a sub. It extends the drum by eight inches or something. These rods come out and it just attaches onto the rods. So it's the same diameter as the drum and it has an inbuilt mic. When you stand in front of it, it's…yeah, you feel your guts shake.
"I don't know why I don't have that here, actually, we're playing in fucking arenas! But we love it, even without the woofer because it's such a nice, huge drum. If you tighten the front head a little bit then you've got some punch to it as well.
"So it's got some response if you want to do some faster stuff. But with hardly any padding in it, it's just beastly, sounds like a cannon."
Obviously, it's nice to have a nice, er…bell. There's no way of making saying that sound normal!"
Rufus Taylor
Cymbals: Zildjian
Cymbals: Zildjian
- Hi-Hat: Zildjian 15" K Sweet Hi-Hats
- Crashes: Zildjian 17" K Thin Dark Crash, Zildjian 18" K Custom Dark Crash
Zildjian 20" A Custom Crash - Ride: Zildjian 23" K Sweet Ride
- FX/other: Zildjian 18" A Custom EFX Crash
"My cymbals are all Zildjian, I love them. I use the K range, mostly. And then I've just started using…I used to have a medium size China on the right. But now I've changed it to this one that my buddy from Chicago suggested. It's an 18" A Custom EFX, effects cymbal. It's got some slots and then a load of holes drilled out of it.
"It sounds fucking awesome. It's like a China but with a slightly longer ring to it, it's so good. It's just perfect for that kind of accent thing, at the same time as the snare. Really trashy. So I'm finding it's really working."
"For my regular crashes, I usually have a smaller one on the far left, above the hi-hat which is a 17" K Dark Crash and then an 18" K Custom Dark Crash next to that. Then above the ride I usually have a 20", at the moment it’s an A Custom.
"The ride is a K Sweet Ride at the moment, I like a big ride cymbal, and this one is 23". I crash on the ride a lot. I use it for really big parts, going into a chorus or at the end of a big chorus, or just for really loud sections. I love it.
"I think you should use it in that way, you know? I mean, it's the big one! Why not use it like that, it can be the loudest if you want it to be. Then obviously, it's nice to have a nice, er…bell. There's no way of making saying that sound normal!"
"For the hi-hats, I was using 14” hats for a while. But usually it’s 15”s and that’s what I’m playing at the moment. 15” K Sweet Hi-Hats.
"The Zildjian K range, all of them are so nice. I find they can be really versatile and musical, depending on how you use the stick and how you hit them. Especially the ride, the way it builds up over time. It can be like a huge gong."
Hardware, sticks and accessories: DW/Vic Firth/Protection Racket
"My hardware is all DW. I just think they're so, just properly sturdy. On tour our gear goes through hell and these are all still alive. They're just really sturdy and they've got memory lock bolts for everything so you can keep everything exactly how it was and it's really easy to set up the next day.
"I used the 5000 bass drum pedal forever, but more recently I've been using the 9000. There was one being used at the Taylor tributes, I think Dave was using it.
"It's like a Collectors Series or a special. It's chrome with a load of holes in the foot plate. That was fucking rock solid, awesome. I'd love to get one of those. It felt really, really strong. He had it in rehearsals and I was like, 'Ooh, I like that.'
"The throne is a DW, one of the Air Lift ones, which makes life loads easier than screwing it up and down every day. I use the round seat, but I sit right on the edge of it. I don't know why but I've always done that.
“I just push the base back and then I sit right on the edge of the seat. I've never been a fan of the throne thumpers, I never got into those. I've been told so many times that they're a game changer, but I think a lot of people who use them probably use in-ears. I prefer using subs and monitor speakers.”
“My sticks are Vic Firth 5Bs. I'm really picky about the weight of my sticks. I find that lighter woods just snap in seconds, so these are hickory. They're quite top-weighted as well, so you can get a really good whip out of them without having to work too hard.
“I use Protection Racket cases too, I love Protection Racket. They make the best fucking drum cases, and the best drum mats, best everything - and Dean [Bowdery, Protection Racket owner] is a lovely guy.
"Then on my mat I use these little hooves by JK Drum Systems for your drum stands. You can just set up your mat and then stick these things on the ground so you know exactly where everything goes each night, and nothing will move, ever."
