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

> Discover the drum kit and gear Gavin Harrison used to record Porcupine Tree's Fear of a Blank Planet — featuring complex polyrhythmic drumming and metric modulation across 6 epic progressive tracks.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Gavin Harrison](/llms/drummers/gavin-harrison.md)
**Band / Album:** Porcupine Tree — *Fear of a Blank Planet* (2007)
**Genre:** Progressive Rock / Progressive Metal
**Label:** Roadrunner Records
**Studio:** Britannia Row Studios, London
**Producer:** Steven Wilson

## Overview

Released on April 16, 2007, *Fear of a Blank Planet* represents Gavin Harrison at the absolute height of his technical and musical powers. The album — Porcupine Tree's seventh studio record — was recorded at Britannia Row Studios in London with Steven Wilson producing, and it stands as one of the most comprehensive documents of what a modern progressive metal drummer can achieve. Harrison's performance across the album's six tracks redefines what the drum kit is capable of within a rock context.

The album's six long-form compositions — "Fear of a Blank Planet," "My Ashes," "Anesthetize," "Sentimental," "Way Out of Here," and "Sleep Together" — place Harrison at the centre of Steven Wilson's most compositionally ambitious writing. "Anesthetize," at over seventeen minutes, cycles through multiple metric layers, shifts time signatures without announcement, and never loses the groove. It has become required study in conservatoire-level drumming programmes.

The gear Harrison brought to Britannia Row Studios was the same rig he had been refining since joining Porcupine Tree: a custom Sonor SQ2 shell pack, Zildjian K Custom Special Dry cymbals co-developed with Zildjian, Sonor Gavin Harrison Signature snares, and the Sonor Perfect Balance pedal. Each component was selected for responsiveness to nuance — a prerequisite for Steven Wilson's transparent, close-mic production philosophy.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Sonor SQ2 Series (custom thin maple shells)
- **Bass Drum:** 22" x 17"
- **Rack Toms:** 10" x 8", 12" x 9"
- **Floor Toms:** 14" x 13", 16" x 15"
- **Snare (primary):** Sonor Gavin Harrison Signature, 14" x 5.25" brass shell
- **Snare (auxiliary):** Sonor Gavin Harrison Protean, 12"
- **Cymbals:** Zildjian K Custom Special Dry series
- **Hi-Hats:** Zildjian 14" K Custom Special Dry
- **Crashes:** Zildjian 16" K Custom Special Dry, Zildjian 18" K Custom Special Dry
- **Ride:** Zildjian 21" K Custom Special Dry
- **China:** Zildjian 18" K Custom Trash China
- **Pedal:** Sonor Perfect Balance Pedal
- **Hardware:** Sonor 600 Series
- **Heads:** Remo Ambassador Coated (batter snare), Remo Ambassador Snare Side (resonant)
- **Snare tuning:** Medium to medium-high — full dynamic range from ghost note to accent

### The Sonor SQ2: Built for Britannia Row

The Sonor SQ2 Harrison used for *Fear of a Blank Planet* is a fully bespoke instrument configured to exact specifications. Sonor's SQ2 programme allows each shell to be built from scratch for material, thickness, bearing edge angle, and hardware placement. Harrison's configuration centres on thin maple shells — the foundation of his ability to play with extreme dynamic range.

Thin maple shells produce a faster, more responsive drum. When Harrison plays a whisper-level ghost note, the shell registers the stroke cleanly. When he drives a full-force tom accent during "Anesthetize," the same shell projects without becoming hard or brittle. This dynamic consistency is essential for the complexity the album demands.

The 22" bass drum is smaller than what many rock drummers choose, but the choice is deliberate. On *Fear of a Blank Planet*, the kick drum frequently operates as a melodic voice within polyrhythmic patterns — locking with bass guitar lines, functioning as one layer in a three-against-four rhythmic structure. A larger kick built for maximum power would obscure this function; the 22" allows articulation, precision, and dynamic subtlety.

The four-tom configuration (10", 12", 14", 16") provides the melodic range Harrison needs for orchestrated tom work throughout the album. He tunes his toms in musical intervals, using them as sustained melodic voices. The SQ2's mounting hardware preserves full shell resonance, and Harrison's tom fills have a pitched, musical quality audible throughout the recording.

### The Brass Voice: Sonor Gavin Harrison Signature Snare

The 14" x 5.25" Sonor Gavin Harrison Signature snare is the primary snare voice across all of *Fear of a Blank Planet*. The brass shell delivers warmth and body that steel cannot: the fundamental note is fuller, overtones are richer, and the response to soft strokes is more musical. Harrison uses the snare throughout its entire dynamic range — from barely audible ghost notes to full-force rimshots marking section changes. Brass handles both extremes with equal grace.

The 12" Protean snare functions as the studio textural instrument — a tighter, faster drum for the close-mic environment at Britannia Row. Its smaller diameter produces a more focused, immediate attack that sits differently in the mix, allowing tonal variety within the same song.

Both snares are tuned medium to medium-high, providing responsiveness at the lowest dynamic levels and authority at the highest. The die-cast hoops produce the rim click sounds used throughout the album's textural passages.

### Zildjian K Custom Special Dry: The Co-Creation

The Zildjian K Custom Special Dry series was developed in direct collaboration with Gavin Harrison. On *Fear of a Blank Planet*, Harrison routinely layers three or more independent rhythmic ideas simultaneously. The title track runs in 6/4 with a three-against-four snare figure operating against a kick pattern implying a third grouping — three distinct rhythmic layers at once. For this to register as music, each layer needs sonic space. The Special Dry design — raw, hammered finish with minimal lathing — produces a cymbal that speaks immediately and then releases, leaving the field open for the next event.

The 21" Special Dry Ride is the defining cymbal of the album. Its clear ping on the bow, complex but controlled wash, and cutting bell appear throughout. The range this single cymbal covers — from delicate texture at low volume to sustained sound mass when driven hard — is central to the album's dynamic architecture.

The 14" Special Dry Hi-Hats drive the intricate rhythmic conversations throughout the album. Their immediate response to variations in stick pressure allows the subtle gradations that separate Harrison's hi-hat technique from simpler approaches. In "Fear of a Blank Planet" and "Anesthetize," the hi-hat functions as a primary compositional voice.

### Sonor Perfect Balance: Dynamic Foot Control

The Sonor Perfect Balance Pedal is inseparable from Harrison's bass drum technique on the album. The pedal's even, consistent resistance throughout the entire stroke means dynamic control with the foot is as refined as with the hand. On *Fear of a Blank Planet*, ghost notes and accent-level kick strokes alternate in rapid succession within the same bar. The Perfect Balance pedal's consistent feel allows Harrison to vary bass drum dynamics cleanly across this range.

## Key Facts

- Recorded at Britannia Row Studios, London — April 2007
- Produced by Steven Wilson
- Released April 16, 2007 on Roadrunner Records — reached #4 UK album charts
- Sonor SQ2 custom kit with thin maple shells
- Zildjian K Custom Special Dry cymbals co-developed with Harrison
- Sonor Gavin Harrison Signature 14" x 5.25" brass snare (primary)
- Sonor Perfect Balance Pedal for dynamic foot control
- "Anesthetize" (17+ minutes) is the most-studied track for Harrison's technique
- Title track features three simultaneous independent rhythmic layers
- Estimated full setup value: $9,600–$13,400

## FAQ

**Q: What drums does Gavin Harrison use on Fear of a Blank Planet?**
A: Gavin Harrison recorded *Fear of a Blank Planet* 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. Cymbals are the Zildjian K Custom Special Dry series — 21" Special Dry Ride, 14" Special Dry Hi-Hats, 16" and 18" Special Dry crashes, and an 18" K Custom Trash China. Primary snare is the Sonor Gavin Harrison Signature 14" x 5.25" brass shell drum. Hardware includes the Sonor Perfect Balance Pedal.

**Q: What makes the drumming on Fear of a Blank Planet special?**
A: The album is studied for Harrison's integration of extreme polyrhythmic complexity with genuine musical groove. The title track 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 at once. "Anesthetize" extends this across seventeen minutes, cycling through multiple metric layers and time signature shifts without losing momentum. The 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.

**Q: What is Gavin Harrison's drum setup worth?**
A: A full Fear of a Blank Planet-era setup comes to roughly $9,600 to $13,400 new. The Sonor SQ2 shell pack runs $6,000 to $9,000; 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 adds $1,200 to $1,600.

**Q: What snare does Gavin Harrison use on Fear of a Blank Planet?**
A: His primary snare is the Sonor Gavin Harrison Signature 14" x 5.25" brass-shell snare drum, developed with Sonor. The brass shell provides warmth on soft ghost notes and projects powerfully on rimshots. He also uses a 12" Sonor Protean signature snare for tighter, more focused snare sounds. Both are tuned medium to medium-high.

## Related Articles

- **Full drummer profile**: [Gavin Harrison at MetalForge](/drummer/gavin-harrison)
- **Gavin Harrison kit guide**: [Gavin Harrison Porcupine Tree Drum Setup](/articles/gavin-harrison-porcupine-tree-drum-setup)
- **Full gear profile**: [What's In Gavin Harrison's Kit](/articles/whats-in-gavin-harrisons-kit)

**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/fear-of-a-blank-planet-drum-setup

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*Last updated: 2026-06-25 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*