Sabian Cymbals And Dw Drums Are Proud To Present Neil Peart's 30th Anniversary Drum Set On Tour Across America Featuring Neil's Long Time Drum Technician Lorne Wheaton.
The Voyage of the 'S.S. Professor' begins in Boston on September 8th, crosses the country and ends in Las Vegas on September 22nd.
Lorne Wheaton will conduct a clinic at each event on equipment maintenance, offer tuning tips and discuss Neil's equipment and sound preferences. He will also answer customers' questions about life on the road, working with RUSH, and of course musician and lyricist Neil Peart, affectionately known as 'The Professor.'
Neil says of Lorne, "Lorne Wheaton is a complete master of the drum-tech trade, and there is no one I would rather have working behind, around, and beside me. He takes great pride and meticulous care in his work, but what sets him apart is his rare, discerning ear for sound and tuning. He is the best!"
On the road in the mid 1970's Lorne was working for a band called Max Webster who shared the same management as RUSH. The two bands toured North America and Europe together and Lorne got to know Neil Peart. Lorne went on to tech for Loverboy, Journey, Robert Palmer, Kim Mitchell, Van Halen, Bryan Adams, Elton John and Steely Dan. Finally, in 2000 Lorne was asked to work for Neil on the road and in the studio with the band recording Vapor Trails. He says, "Working with Neil is absolutely the best gig in the live music business!"
Lorne is one of the most experienced techs in the business and an authority on recording, tuning and gear selection for many situations. SABIAN & DW with Pro Mark and Remo are sponsoring a tour where Lorne can share his perspective and experience with drummers across the United States.
SABIAN product managers who worked closely with Neil in developing the Signature Paragon series of cymbals will be on hand to answer questions, offer advice and assistance in cymbal selection. SABIAN Artist Relations Manager and Product Specialist Chris Stankee says, "Working with Neil to create these cymbals was a real joy. He is very discerning and would never compromise on the sound and feel of the cymbals. He wanted to retain certain tonal properties that he liked and alter some others that resulted in a very dynamic cymbal. It's anything but typical. The bottom of the cymbal features a wide tonal groove for high end cut and precision. The top features a pin point tonal groove that allows the vibrations to flow over the surface making the cymbal respond at lower dynamics with less fundamental pitch that can be very distracting. The bell was hand hammered to further lower the fundamental pitch and fine tune the bells and overall tone to Neil's taste. Paragon is the first collection of cymbals in a rock weight that have all the desirable qualities offered by a much thinner cymbal."
On display will be the actual drum set that Neil used with RUSH on last summer's 30th anniversary tour.
Neil Peart's "30th Anniversary Drumkit" combines many of DW's most recent drum making breakthroughs with a truly unique finish that was personally designed by Neil and DW. The result is a drumkit that is both sonically and visually tailored to Neil's specifications.
When Neil first met with DW Vice President and Drum Designer John Good, the two discussed every aspect of what would become his ultimate set. The idea was to create a kit with the dynamic intensity that is synonymous with Neil's playing. To accomplish this, two proprietary features were utilized. DW's new VLT (Vertical Low Timbre) and ESE (Enhanced Sound Edge) technologies are unique features of Neil's set. The finish is an extremely custom lacquer process that involves hologram appliqués of icons representing many of Rush's most famous recording and tours. Each Black Mirra Flake panel is lined with gold pin striping and the entire kit including hardware and pedals are custom plated in rich 24 carat gold.
Good reflects, "Neil's kit is special because it possesses our most cutting edge drum making technology that has since benefited so many players."
There will be giveaways and special deals on SABIAN cymbals, Drum Workshop, Pro Mark and Remo product at all these events.
The S.S. Professor will be on display at these fine shops.
9/8 Boston, MA Daddy's Junky Music
9/10 Pittsburgh, PA Drum World
9/12 Chicago, IL Guitar Center
9/13 St. Louis, MO Drum Headquarters
9/14 Kansas City, MO Musician's Friend
9/16 Denver, CO Drum City Guitar Land
9/19 San Jose, CA San Jose Pro Drum
9/20 Hollywood, CA Guitar Center
9/21 San Diego, CA Guitar Center
9/22 Las Vegas, NV Guitar Center