two other bass drums over my head, I had a
10,12,13,14, 15,16, 18 and 20’ tom toms!
I had a million drums and a million cymbals
because that’s what that music called for. So,
you’ve got to play what the music calls for, it’s
about the music first.
[WM] What cymbals are you using and why?
[Gregg] I play Sabian cymbals because, first
of all, they sound fantastic. They suit all of my
musical needs, the people there are great, and
I’m all about education and so is Sabian. They
send me all over the world doing seminars and
supporting me in doing seminars so I can teach
drummers to play better.
[WM] Tell us about your drum sticks and any
other accessories you use?
[Gregg] I use Vic Firth sticks, I have two
models which are my signature models. One is
called the Backbeat with my name on it, and
the other is just my name. That’s an all wood
coated stick, the Backbeat has got a rubber
grip called VIC Grip and they really feel great
in my hands. They don’t feel slippery, they
just really have a grip to them. I use Vic Firth
brushes, mallets, all of their rods, everything.
Vic Firth was a good friend of mine for many
years, and a friend of my Dad. He was the
timpanist with the Boston Symphony and he
really knew what he was doing and was a
great friend.
I play Drum Workshop DW pedals, I play a
5002 DW Double Bass Drum Pedal if I don’t
want to have two bass drums on stage. I use a
tambourine pedal that I invented with the owner
of DW, Don Lombardi, called the Tambo Pedal.
You can just move your left foot off the high hat
and play the tambourine pedal, and you’ve got
Gregg celebrating his birthday with Ringo & the All Starr Band
a tambourine player. Ringo was looking around,
“Who’s playing the tambourine?! Oh, it’s your
left foot!” (laughs)
I use Remo drum heads, and I use Direct Sound
headphones, they’re really great headphones.
So that’s Dixon, Sabian, DW, LP, Vic Firth,
Remo, and Direct Sound. They all co-op to I to Olympia Stadium (where the Detroit Red
help me to go all over the world and do these Wings used to play) and we saw the Beatles.
drum seminars or clinics. The most fun gig I’ve If you would have told me at seven years old
ever had is playing with Ringo. When I was that when I was forty-four, I was going to get
seven years old, my Dad took my brother and to gig with Ringo and the Roundheads (the
June 2019
Subscribe for Free...
169