This week I officially became a “Ludwig man” after getting the Questlove Breakbeats kit. In the past I’ve owned Pearl and PDP kits and this one is a standout. The drums look and sound amazing and I couldn’t be happier with this second kit. The setup is as follows: 7×10 rack tom, 13×13 floor tom, 14×16 kick, and 5×14 snare. The shells are black sparkle, 7-ply hardwood, and have a 45 degree angle bearing edge. The kit comes with stock pinstripe heads and a full set of velvet bags which can be used for storage or as a dampening system.
According to the promo, Questlove wanted to design a versatile kit that could travel easily in between gigs. According to him, “I wanted to build a device that was apartment friendly and compact for the street musician; but also something that was quality sounding. A gritty, raw, ‘breakable’ kit for gigging in clubs that you can fit into a cab. Breakbeats does it all.”
Although it immediately lends itself to hip-hop, this kit is not a one-trick-pony and it fits other genres as well. Positioned on a riser for optimum reach, the kick has a booming sound right out of the box. The toms are equally powerful with a great tone and the snare really pops. For less than $400 you cannot beat this deal. Stay tuned for some new videos featuring my new kit. BTW: Questlove is fast becoming one of my favorites.
[Here’s a video by the man himself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44GYiw1VsKc]
Off Beat with Michael Aubrecht 