Porcupine Tree Fear of a Blank Planet Drum Setup: Gavin Harrison's 2007 Gear | MetalForge

Frequently Asked Questions

What drums does Gavin Harrison use on Fear of a Blank Planet?

Gavin Harrison recorded Fear of a Blank Planet (2007) using a custom Sonor SQ2 Series kit with thin maple shells: a 22" x 17" bass drum, 10" and 12" rack toms, and 14" and 16" floor toms. His cymbals were the Zildjian K Custom Special Dry series (co-developed with Zildjian), anchored by a 21" Special Dry Ride and 14" Special Dry Hi-Hats, with 16" and 18" Special Dry crashes and an 18" K Custom Trash China. His primary snare was the Sonor Gavin Harrison Signature 14" x 5.25" brass shell drum, tuned medium to medium-high. The Sonor Perfect Balance Pedal controlled bass drum dynamics. All recording took place at Britannia Row Studios, London, with Steven Wilson producing.

What makes the drumming on Fear of a Blank Planet special?

Fear of a Blank Planet is widely studied for Gavin Harrison's integration of extreme polyrhythmic complexity with genuine musical groove. The album's standout drumming achievement is the title track — which runs in 6/4 with a three-against-four snare figure simultaneously operating against a kick pattern implying a third grouping — three distinct rhythmic layers sounding at once. "Anesthetize" extends this approach across seventeen minutes, cycling through multiple metric layers and time signature shifts without losing momentum. Harrison's gear choices are inseparable from the achievement: his Sonor SQ2's thin maple shells articulate each dynamic level clearly, and the Zildjian K Custom Special Dry cymbals decay quickly enough that complex layered patterns remain individually audible.

What is Gavin Harrison's drum setup worth?

A full Gavin Harrison Fear of a Blank Planet-era setup — Sonor SQ2 custom shell pack, Sonor Gavin Harrison Signature snares, full Zildjian K Custom Special Dry cymbal setup, and Sonor hardware — comes to roughly $9,600 to $13,400 new. The Sonor SQ2 shell pack runs $6,000 to $9,000 depending on configuration; the Gavin Harrison Signature snares are $600 to $900 each; the full K Custom Special Dry cymbal setup costs $1,800 to $2,500; and hardware (Perfect Balance Pedal, 600 Series stands) adds $1,200 to $1,600. The SQ2 is a custom programme with lead times; availability varies by configuration.

What snare does Gavin Harrison use?

Gavin Harrison's primary snare on Fear of a Blank Planet is the Sonor Gavin Harrison Signature 14" x 5.25" brass-shell snare drum, developed in collaboration with Sonor. The brass shell provides warmth and body on soft ghost notes and ghost note passages, while still projecting powerfully on rimshots. He also uses a 12" Sonor Protean signature snare as a studio textural instrument for tighter, more focused snare sounds in close-mic contexts. Both are tuned medium to medium-high for maximum dynamic range.