Keith Moon’s Drumkits: Early Kits
Table of contents: Kits by year of use
Navigate to an era or just scroll through
1961 – First kit
Keith’s first kit was a Premier Outfit “55” kit (Premier used to use numeric names) in Blue Pearl finish, £75 on HP.
Specs
- Finish:
- blue pearl.
Sizes (Depth x head)
- Bassdrum:
- 14″x20″
- Rack tom:
- 8″x 12″
- Floor tom:
- 20″x 16″
Timeline
- Last known use:
- Saturday, 2 May, 1964
John (about Keith’s first gig with the Who):
“He got his little blue drum kit up and then got this huge coil of rope and tied it all together. We couldn’t understand why until he went into a drum solo, and everything started to sway backwards and forwards.”
Keith, ca. 1963 with the Beachcombers, playing Premier Outfit 55 kit.
Click to view larger version. Premier Outfit “55” kit from Premier catalogue.
1964–1965 – Ludwig Super Classic kit
Same kit used on the UK TV programme Ready Steady Go, though Moon added an 14″ floor tom.
Specs
Drums:
Ludwig Super Classic kit in blue or black Oyster Pearl
- One 22″ bass drum
- One 16″ floor tom
- One 13″ mounted tom
- 14″ metal 400 snare drum
Cymbals:
Avedis Zildjian
- 20″ ride
- 18″ crash
- 14″ hi-hats
Timeline
- First known date of use:
- 22 July, 1964, Scene Club
- Laast known date of use:
- 23 May, 1965, “Thanks Your Lucky Stars” concert.
Ca. 1964, photo session with Ludwig oyster black pearl kit.
Ca. April 1965, Ludwig oyster black pearl kit with arrow logo bass drum skin.
1965, Ludwig oyster black pearl kit with arrow logo bass drum skin.
Click to view larger version.
Ca. July 1965, “Player of the Month,” with Keith and Ludwig oyster black pearl kit.
Click to view larger version.
Ca. July 1965, with Keith and Ludwig oyster black pearl kit. (Same photo as previous “Player of the Month,” but with wider perspective.)
22 July, 1964, at the Scene Club with Ludwig kit.
Ca. 1964, at the Railway Tavern, with Ludwig kit.
1965 – Ludwig Super Classic kit
Ludwig Super Classic kit, as above, in silver sparkle, with one additional floor tom. Cymbal stands are Rogers Swiv-O-Matic.
Specs
Drums:
Ludwig Super Classic kit in silver sparkle
- One 22″ bass drum
- One 16″ floor tom
- One 14″ floor tom
- One 13″ mounted tom
- 14″ metal 400 snare drum
Cymbals:
Avedis Zildjian
- 20″ ride
- 18″ crash
- 14″ hi-hats
- Stands:
- Rogers Swiv-O-Matic
Timeline
- First known date of use:
- 1 July, 1965, “Ready Steady Go!” TV show (A clip is featured in The Kids Are Alright).
- Last known date of use:
- 3 September, 1965, “Ready Steady Go!” TV show.
1965, Ludwig sparkle kit. “The Who” logo has angled arrow.
August 1965, Ludwig sparkle kit, with double floor toms. “The Who” logo has full arrow and H’s connected.
Resources and Information
Contributors:
Many thanks to the following, who have made this page possible:
- Martin Forsbom (forsbom@gmail.com)
- Brad Rodgers at whocollection.com.
- Huw Owens (huw.owens@ntlworld.com)
- Trevor Penn
- Craig Law
Additional information:
- Brad Rodgers at whocollection.com.
- David Brewis at Rock Stars Guitars, rockstarsguitars.com/pages/moon.htm for pictures of Moon’s drumsticks, timbales, claves and drumheads.
- Tam Rankin at vintprem.moonfruit.com for information on vintage Premier drums.
Bibliography:
- Drums & Drumming magazine, Oct/Nov 1989.
- Modern Drummer, September 2003.
- Moon, the Life and Death of a Rock Legend, by Tony Fletcher. 1999.
Manufacturers’ sites
- Premier Drums: premier-percussion.com
- Ludwig Drums: ludwig-drums.com
- Paiste Cymbals: paiste.com
- Zildjian Cymbals: zildjian.com
- Slingerland Drums: slingerland.com (now owned by Gibson)
- Vistalites Drums: vistalites.com
- Zickos Drums: zickosdrums.com