# Metallica 'Reload' Drum Setup — Lars Ulrich's 1997 Tama Star Classic Maple Kit

> Complete gear breakdown for Metallica's Reload (1997). Discover Lars Ulrich's Tama Star Classic Maple kit, Zildjian A Custom cymbals, Bob Rock's recording approach, and the drum gear behind 'Fuel', 'The Memory Remains', and 'Fixxxer' on this 5× Platinum companion to Load.

**Type:** Album Drum Setup
**Drummer(s):** [Lars Ulrich](/llms/drummers/lars-ulrich.md)
**Band / Album:** Metallica — *Reload* (1997)
**Genre:** Heavy Metal / Hard Rock

## Overview

Released on November 18, 1997, Metallica's seventh studio album Reload was conceived and recorded alongside Load (1996) as a sprawling double-album project. When the 1995–1996 sessions at The Plant Studios in Sausalito and Prairie Sun Recording in Cotati produced more than 27 songs, the band chose to release the material across two separate records. Load arrived in June 1996; Reload followed seventeen months later with the remaining eleven tracks. Reload debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and achieved 5× Platinum certification in the United States, producing singles including "Fuel," "The Memory Remains," "The Unforgiven II," and Grammy-winning "Better Than You."

For Lars Ulrich, Reload was the continuation and completion of the Load-era approach. The same Tama Star Classic Maple kit, the same Zildjian A Custom cymbals, the same producer (Bob Rock), and the same recording facilities carried directly from Load into Reload without fundamental change. The two albums form a unified gear era: one recording project, one equipment philosophy, two records.

Reload sits in a precise position in Lars's discography — completing the Load/Reload arc before the radical disruption of St. Anger (2003), where the naturalistic LU1465 snare and natural-room production philosophy were abandoned entirely. Reload is the last Metallica studio album to feature Lars's conventional, wire-engaged snare in a naturalistic production context.

## Gear Breakdown

- **Drums:** Tama Star Classic Maple (same as Load — flagship series, continued from the Load sessions)
- **Snare:** Tama LU1465 Lars Ulrich Signature, 14" x 6.5" (steel shell, moderate tension)
- **Cymbals:** Zildjian A Custom Series (same configuration as Load)
- **Hardware / Pedals:** Tama Iron Cobra Double Pedal / DW hardware (late transitional era); Roc-N-Soc Original throne; Ahead Lars Ulrich Signature sticks
- **Heads:** Remo Powerstroke 3 Coated (snare batter), Remo Ambassador Clear (toms), Remo Powerstroke 3 Clear (kick)
- **Snare tuning:** Moderate tension — consistent with Load, warmer than Justice era, more present than Black Album low tuning

### Drum Kit: Tama Star Classic Maple

The Tama Star Classic Maple that served the Load sessions continued into Reload unchanged. Because both albums were part of a single recording project, the kit was deeply familiar to Lars and Bob Rock by the time Reload's tracks reached final recording — already broken in, precisely tuned, and acoustically understood in both studio environments. The Star Classic's enhanced maple construction (improved bearing edges, refined wood selection, flagship-tier quality) delivered the warmth, projection, and natural resonance that Bob Rock's production approach exploited across both albums.

Configuration: 22" x 18" bass drum with double pedal, 10" and 12" rack toms, 14" and 16" floor toms. Tom tuning consistent with Load — slightly lower and warmer than the Black Album, suited to the groove-oriented production aesthetic. For heavier Reload tracks like "Fuel," the Star Classic's projection proved essential; the maple shells' natural warmth equally supported the album's aggressive moments with power and sustain.

### Snare: Tama LU1465

The Tama LU1465 Lars Ulrich Signature (14" x 6.5", steel shell) continued from Load at the same moderate tension. The steel shell provided brightness and cut while resisting muddiness at lower tunings. Bob Rock's reduced gated reverb approach — carried through from Load — allowed the drum's natural character to speak directly in the mix, resulting in a present, musical snare sound audible across the album's range of tempos and dynamics.

Reload is the final Metallica studio recording of this naturalistic snare configuration. St. Anger (2003) introduced a custom DW Collector's Series maple snare with snare wires disengaged — creating the metallic "clang" that divided listeners — making the LU1465 on Reload historically significant as the last expression of Lars's conventional studio snare approach before that radical departure.

### Cymbals: Zildjian A Custom Series

The A Custom configuration begun on Load carried through unchanged: 14" Dyno Beat Hi-Hats, 16" and 17" Medium Thin Crashes, 18" Medium Crash, 22" Ping Ride, and 18" China. By the time of the Reload sessions, Lars and Bob Rock had fully internalised the A Custom setup's character in both recording environments. The cymbals' brightness and attack served Reload's heavier tracks well — "Fuel" in particular demands crashes that speak immediately and clearly in a fast-moving arrangement, and the A Custom series delivered precisely that.

The A Custom Ping Ride's defined bell and clear bow articulation remained central to mid-tempo groove tracks like "The Memory Remains" and "The Unforgiven II." The Dyno Beat hi-hats' open character, suited to the blues-groove passages of Load, also served Reload's more aggressive moments by cutting through heavier arrangements without harshness.

Load marked the beginning of Lars's A Custom relationship; Reload confirmed it. The same cymbal configuration, evolved slightly, remains Lars's live setup to the present day — making Reload the second chapter of what has become a three-decade cymbal commitment.

### Hardware: Late Transitional Era

The Tama Iron Cobra double pedal remained primary for Reload. DW hardware continued to appear alongside the established Tama choices — DW 5000 series pedals and DW 9000 boom stands — reflecting the mid-to-late 1990s industry shift toward DW as the dominant professional hardware brand. The Roc-N-Soc Original throne and Ahead Lars Ulrich Signature aluminium-core sticks continued from the Black Album and Load eras.

### Recording Approach: Bob Rock, Same Studios, Second Chapter

Reload was recorded in the same facilities as Load — The Plant Studios in Sausalito and Prairie Sun Recording in Cotati — with the same production philosophy. Bob Rock's natural-room, lower-reverb approach carried directly through: moderate room microphone placement, reduced gated reverb on the snare, and a production aesthetic that let the Star Classic Maple's natural voice define the drum sound. By Reload, Bob Rock had refined his approach to both rooms through more than a year of Load sessions — the accumulated knowledge is audible in the confident, settled quality of the Reload drum tracks.

Microphone setup: Shure Beta 52A inside kick / AKG D112 outside; Shure SM57 top snare / Sennheiser MD421 bottom; Sennheiser MD421 on each tom; AKG C451 hi-hat; Neumann U87 overheads; moderate room mics for natural tone. Consistent with Load throughout.

## Key Facts

- Released November 18, 1997 on Vertigo (international) / Elektra (US) — #1 Billboard 200, 5× Platinum US
- Conceived and recorded alongside Load (1996) as a double-album project — same kit, same cymbals, same studios
- Same Tama Star Classic Maple and Zildjian A Custom configuration as Load
- Producer: Bob Rock (final full production before St. Anger, 2003)
- Recorded at The Plant Studios, Sausalito CA and Prairie Sun Recording, Cotati CA
- Singles: "Fuel," "The Memory Remains," "The Unforgiven II," "Better Than You" (Grammy: Best Metal Performance 1999)
- Last Metallica album with Lars's naturalistic LU1465 snare before St. Anger's radical departure
- The A Custom cymbal relationship confirmed on Reload continues unbroken to the present
- Estimated kit value (1997): $4,500–$6,500 / Vintage today: $7,000–$10,000

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: What drum kit did Lars Ulrich use on Metallica's Reload?**

A: The same Tama Star Classic Maple used on Load (1996) — Tama's flagship maple series — with a 22" bass drum, double pedal, 10" and 12" rack toms, and 14" and 16" floor toms. Load and Reload were recorded as a single double-album project, so the kit was unchanged between the two records.

**Q: What cymbals did Lars use on Reload?**

A: Zildjian A Custom series — identical to Load: 14" Dyno Beat Hi-Hats, 16"/17" Medium Thin Crashes, 18" Medium Crash, 22" Ping Ride, 18" China. Reload confirmed Lars's A Custom relationship, which has continued uninterrupted to the present day.

**Q: Is the Reload drum setup the same as the Load drum setup?**

A: Substantially identical. Same Tama Star Classic Maple kit, same Zildjian A Custom cymbals, same Tama LU1465 snare at moderate tension, same studios, same producer, same production philosophy. What differs is the material: Reload includes heavier tracks like "Fuel" that demanded more assertive performances within the same setup.

**Q: What is the snare sound on Reload?**

A: Tama LU1465 Lars Ulrich Signature (14" x 6.5", steel shell) at moderate tension — warm, present, naturalistic. Bob Rock reduced gated reverb compared to the Black Album, letting the drum's natural character speak directly. This is the last Metallica studio album with a conventional, wire-engaged snare in a naturalistic production before St. Anger's radical departure.

**Q: How does Reload fit in Lars Ulrich's gear timeline?**

A: Between Load (1996) and St. Anger (2003). Reload completes the Load/Reload double-album era — the same Star Classic Maple and A Custom era begun on Load. It is the final recording of Lars's naturalistic LU1465 snare approach before the DW Collector's Series and disengaged-snare-wire experiment of St. Anger.

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**Source:** https://metalforge.io/articles/reload-drum-setup

**Related articles:** [Lars Ulrich drummer profile](/llms/drummers/lars-ulrich.md) · [Load drum setup](/llms/articles/load-drum-setup.md) · [St. Anger drum setup](/llms/articles/st-anger-drum-setup.md) · [Death Magnetic drum setup](/llms/articles/death-magnetic-drum-setup.md)

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*Last updated: 2026-06-27 · Source: [MetalForge.io](https://metalforge.io)*