Gear Archives - Los Angeles Session Drummer

29 Oct '18

Signing On With Ludwig – Feeling the Love

29/10/2018 | Comments: 1 | Posted by: christopherallis | In: Gear, General Musings

It isn’t just about the gear. It’s about a belief. A belief you have in yourself and a belief that a business has in you as a person, your abilities on your instrument, and your desire to be a positive ambassador of their brand. It’s also about a sound you envision. When you can play the sound you hear in your head, that inspires in so many ways. That’s why an endorsement can be so affirming. That’s why my excitement hasn’t abated one bit about the ‘official’ announcement of my relationship with Ludwig Drums.

Read more →

16 Jun '16

Ludwig Copper-Phonic: Penny For My Thoughts? Gladly!

16/06/2016 | Comments: 12 | Posted by: christopherallis | In: Gear

I get asked a lot about why I play and endorse the gear that I use.
“Do you get it for free?” – No. I get gear at a discount. I still buy it.
“Then why play it if they aren’t giving you stuff?” – Well, it’s the sound that I hear in my head. Why else would you play it?”

That is the simple honest truth. Despite having played and owned a wealth of drum kits from numerous manufacturers big and small, I love the sound of Ludwig. I love the look of Ludwig. I love the history of the Ludwig brand. They were the first kits I ever played when I started out and that’s why I play and endorse them with the enthusiasm I do today.

Read more →

20 Apr '16

Topher and Remo Drumheads – Feels Like Home

20/04/2016 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: christopherallis | In: Gear

I’ve written about endorsements before and I certainly have specific ideas about them. Not surprisingly, those ideas have changed over time (I think, for the better). I definitely don’t take the concept of an endorsement lightly. I know it’s a two-way street and I wouldn’t have it any other way. A two-way street means a lot of things. That informed my recent decisions to make a big change in my gear.

Read more →

12 Nov '15

New Gear Love: Big Fat Snare Drum (BFSD) and Drum Concept’s ‘Switch Kick’

12/11/2015 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: christopherallis | In: Gear

I’m always checking around for/out new pieces of gear and sound options. Sometimes I will experiment with various little creations of my own and other times I will see something someone else created that just seems like a really cool bit to add to the drum set.

In the latter category can be added a couple of pieces of kit I’ve been using lately that I’ve truly fallen in love with. They are well thought out and designed, well made, and easy to use. The result is a wonderful extension to the sounds I’m able to create on my drum kit.

Read more →

04 Nov '15

Give the ‘e-drum’ some! (One drummer’s journey…)

04/11/2015 | Comments: 1 | Posted by: christopherallis | In: Gear

Despite their being around for over 30 years, there’s still a bit of a stigma associated with ‘electronic drums’. True, in the beginning you had the impossibly hard pads and limited sounds, etc.; but time marches on and the e-drum is still here. It’s still viable. In fact, more of us are using them than some may want to acknowledge. So, why does the stigma still stick? Do we just have to be primitive bashers of trees? For this drummer, I don’t think so. I’ve embraced e-drums for a variety of reasons and want to talk about some of them in this post. So, read on, intrepid and curious drum fan… read on…

Read more →

28 Jul '15

A Bit About My Gear… Beware: “Geek Zone” Ahead

28/07/2015 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: christopherallis | In: Gear

I once heard a story from Billy Ward that he took a lesson with Elvin Jones on a trip to New York City when he was a kid. The drum studio had this beat up kit and when Elvin sat down at it and played it, the kit sounded like a million bucks. Moral? It’s NOT the kit, it’s the player. That said, a nice kit sure makes your music making experience more fun and often times, more inspiring. I love drum gear – LOVE IT. As such, I have a fair bit of it kicking around. Of course, what I use depends on the gig, but here’s a list of goodies you might see at a gig or session.

Read more →