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Keith Moon’s Drumkits: 1973–1974 – Premier double tom row kits

Ca. 1973, black kit with deeper low rack toms.

Ca. 1973, black kit with deeper low rack toms.

Click to view: Premier/Selmer ad, ca. 1973.

Premier/Selmer ad, ca. 1973.

Black-coloured kit used beginning October 1973, to December 1973. Gold-coloured kit used beginning late December 1973 through 1974, including Charlton, 18 May 1974, and New York dates, June 1974. These kits featured an outer row of single-headed toms, with deeper second-row low toms. Note: Gold-coloured kit used with single-row of toms (without concert toms) for 1974 filming of the Tommy motion picture and Stardust, the second of two films starring David Essex and featued Keith in his role as J.D. Clover.

Timeline

Black kit

First use:
May/June 1973 – Ramport Studios, Battersea, London, UK (recording of Quadrophenia).
Confirmed first stage date used:
28 Oct. 1973 – Trentham Gardens, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK (first Quadrophenia tour date).
Last (likely) stage date used:
6 Dec. 1973 – Capital Center, Landover, Maryland, USA.

Gold kit

First (likely) stage date used:
18 Dec. 1973 – Sundown Theatre, Edmonton, London.
Confirmed last stage date used:
14 June 1974 – Madison Square Garden, New York.

Specification

Estimate:

Drums:

Premier Custom Built (mahogany)

  1. 22″ bass drum
  2. 16″ single-headed tom
  3. 15″ single-headed tom
  4. 18″ floor tom
  5. 16″ floor tom
  6. 14″ single-headed tom
  7. 13″ single-headed tom
  8. 12″ single-headed tom
  9. 10″ single-headed tom
  10. 14″ mounted tom
  11. 13″ mounted tom (more likely a 14″ x 10″ mounted tom)
  12. 12″ mounted tom (more likely a 14″ x 10″ mounted tom)
  13. 6½″ or 5½″ snare
  14. timpani
Finish (Gold kit)

A standard Premier finish called “Polychromatic Gold.”

Cymbals:

Likely Paiste 2002 series

  1. 20″ rides
  2. 18″ crash
  3. 14″ hi-hats
  4. two gongs (1x30″, 1x36″)

Whereabouts

Black kit:
Unknown
Gold kit:
The “main” setup (two bass drums, three mounted toms, two floor toms and a snaredrum) is on display at the Guitar Center at the Rock Walk Museum, in Hollywood, California.
Ca. May/June 1973, Ramport Studios, recording Quadrophenia on black-coloured kit featuring deeper low rack toms.

Ca. May/June 1973, Ramport Studios, Battersea, London, recording Quadrophenia on black-coloured Premier kit featuring deeper low rack toms.

Ca. 1973, black-colored kit featuring deeper low rack toms. Note headphones for click-track foldback.

Ca. 1973, black-colored kit featuring deeper low rack toms. Note headphones for click-track foldback.

Ca. 1973, black-colored kit featuring deeper low rack toms.

Ca. 1973, black-coloured kit featuring deeper low rack toms.

Ca. 1974, showing dual gongs.

Ca. 1974, showing dual gongs.

Gold-colored kit featuring deeper low rack toms.

Ca. 1974, gold-coloured kit featuring deeper low rack toms.

Ca. 1974, Charlton, with gold-colored kit featuring deeper low rack toms.

Ca. 1974, Charlton, with gold-coloured kit featuring deeper low rack toms.

Ca. 1974, Charlton, with roadie hammering down bass drum.

Ca. 1974, Charlton, with roadie hammering down bass drum.

Ca. 1974, filming the Tommy movie, the gold Premier kit, with no rack toms.

Ca. 1974, filming the Tommy movie, the gold-coloured Premier kit, with no rack toms.

The “main” setup (2 bass drums, 3 mounted toms, 2 floor toms and a snaredrum) is on display at the Guitar Center at the Rock Walk Museum, in Hollywood, California. Courtesy Martin Forsbom.

The “main” setup (2 bass drums, 3 mounted toms, 2 floor toms and a snaredrum) is on display at the Guitar Center at the Rock Walk Museum, in Hollywood, California. Courtesy Martin Forsbom.

Click to view larger version. The “main” setup (2 bass drums, 3 mounted toms, 2 floor toms and a snaredrum), as well as a floor tom from the Pictures of Lily kit, is on display at the Guitar Center at the Rock Walk Museum, in Hollywood, California. Courtesy whocollection.com.

Click to view larger version. The “main” setup (2 bass drums, 3 mounted toms, 2 floor toms and a snaredrum), as well as a floor tom from the Pictures of Lily kit, is on display at the Guitar Center at the Rock Walk Museum, in Hollywood, California. Courtesy whocollection.com.

Resources and Information

Contributors:

Many thanks to the following, who have made this page possible:

Additional information:

Bibliography:

  • Drums & Drumming magazine, October/November 1989.
  • Modern Drummer, September 2003.
  • Moon, the Life and Death of a Rock Legend, by Tony Fletcher. 1999.

Manufacturers’ sites