Bill Ward vs Gavin Harrison — Drum Gear Comparison | MetalForge
Side-by-side gear: Bill Ward (Black Sabbath) vs Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree / King Crimson). Kits, cymbals, pedals, sticks — compare specs and prices.
Frequently Asked Questions
What drum kit does Bill Ward use?
Bill Ward uses Ludwig Classic Maple with Paiste 2002 & Giant Beat Series (15" Giant Beat Hi-Hats, 18" & 20" 2002 Crashes, 24" 2002 Ride, 18" 2002 China). Bill Ward played a Ludwig Classic Maple kit with a Ludwig Supraphonic 14x6.5" LM402 snare and Zildjian Avedis Series cymbals (14" Hi-Hats, 16" & 18" Crashes, 20" Ride, 18" China), driven by a single Ludwig Speed King pedal — no double bass. Gavin Harrison plays Sonor SQ2 drums with Zildjian K Custom Special Dry cymbals and his own Vic Firth Gavin Harrison Signature stick — a refined setup built for clarity and articulation rather than raw power.
What drum kit does Gavin Harrison use?
Gavin Harrison uses Sonor SQ2 Series with Zildjian K Custom Special Dry Series (14" Hi-Hats, 16" & 18" Crashes, 21" Special Dry Ride, 18" Trash China). Bill Ward played a Ludwig Classic Maple kit with a Ludwig Supraphonic 14x6.5" LM402 snare and Zildjian Avedis Series cymbals (14" Hi-Hats, 16" & 18" Crashes, 20" Ride, 18" China), driven by a single Ludwig Speed King pedal — no double bass. Gavin Harrison plays Sonor SQ2 drums with Zildjian K Custom Special Dry cymbals and his own Vic Firth Gavin Harrison Signature stick — a refined setup built for clarity and articulation rather than raw power.
Which is better, Bill Ward or Gavin Harrison?
Bill Ward and Gavin Harrison represent two very different paths built on a shared instinct for feel over flash. Ward invented heavy metal's drumming vocabulary from a jazz-swing foundation, creating the genre's rhythmic DNA with Black Sabbath starting in 1968. Harrison took that same premium on musicality into progressive rock decades later, becoming the "prog drummer's drummer" through King Crimson and Porcupine Tree by making polyrhythmic complexity sound effortless. Comparing them is comparing metal's birth to progressive rock's technical ceiling — the originator versus the craftsman who made the impossible feel invisible.