What's In Matt Garstka's Kit: The Jazz-Fusion Meets Progressive Metal Arsenal | MetalForge
Discover Matt Garstka's complete drum setup — his DW Collector's Series kit (switched from Pearl in September 2021), Meinl Byzance cymbals, and signature gea...
Frequently Asked Questions
What drum kit does Matt Garstka use?
Matt Garstka's drum kit is a DW Collector's Series custom shop build, mixing Collector's Series wood species and shell configurations, which he switched to in September 2021 after playing a compact Pearl Masterworks Maple kit — a 20x16 inch bass drum, 10x7 and 12x8 inch rack toms, and a 14x14 inch floor tom — for his first two Animals as Leaders albums, The Joy of Motion (2014) and The Madness of Many (2016). Exact shell sizes for the current DW build have not been independently verified.
What cymbals does Matt Garstka use?
Matt Garstka uses Meinl Byzance cymbals across multiple lines. His setup includes Byzance 15 inch Dual Hi-Hats, Byzance crashes in 18 and 20 inch sizes, a Byzance 22 inch Sand Ride, a Byzance 18 inch Vintage Trash Hat used as a China, and various stack effects. The Byzance line's handcrafted Turkish feel suits his blend of jazz-fusion sensitivity and progressive metal attack.
How much does Matt Garstka's drum kit cost?
Pricing for Matt Garstka's current DW Collector's Series custom shop kit and DW Collector's Series Purpleheart snare has not been independently verified — custom shop builds are quoted per configuration. His earlier Pearl Masterworks Maple shell pack (played through 2021) ran approximately $4,000 to $6,000 new, with his Pearl Matt Garstka Signature Snare adding around $400 to $500. His Meinl Byzance cymbal setup, unchanged through the DW switch, can easily exceed $2,500 to $4,000 when factoring in multiple specialty pieces.