Jaska Raatikainen vs Gavin Harrison — Drum Gear Comparison | MetalForge
Side-by-side gear: Jaska Raatikainen (Children of Bodom) vs Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree / King Crimson). Kits, cymbals, pedals, sticks — compare specs and prices.
Frequently Asked Questions
What drum kit does Jaska Raatikainen use?
Jaska Raatikainen uses Pearl Masters Premium Maple with Zildjian A Custom & K Custom Series (14" A Custom Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" A Custom Crashes, 20" K Custom Ride). Raatikainen played a Pearl Masters Premium Maple kit with a Pearl Masters 14x5.5" Maple snare and Zildjian A Custom & K Custom Series cymbals (14" A Custom Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" A Custom Crashes, 20" K Custom Ride, 18" China), powered by a Pearl Eliminator double pedal and Vic Firth American Classic 5A sticks. Harrison plays a Sonor SQ2 kit with thin maple shells and a 22"x17" bass drum, his own Sonor Gavin Harrison Signature brass snares, and Zildjian K Custom Special Dry cymbals developed specifically with him, anchored by a 21" Special Dry Ride, plus Vic Firth signature sticks.
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). Raatikainen played a Pearl Masters Premium Maple kit with a Pearl Masters 14x5.5" Maple snare and Zildjian A Custom & K Custom Series cymbals (14" A Custom Hi-Hats, 17" & 18" A Custom Crashes, 20" K Custom Ride, 18" China), powered by a Pearl Eliminator double pedal and Vic Firth American Classic 5A sticks. Harrison plays a Sonor SQ2 kit with thin maple shells and a 22"x17" bass drum, his own Sonor Gavin Harrison Signature brass snares, and Zildjian K Custom Special Dry cymbals developed specifically with him, anchored by a 21" Special Dry Ride, plus Vic Firth signature sticks.
Which is better, Jaska Raatikainen or Gavin Harrison?
Jaska Raatikainen and Gavin Harrison represent two very different philosophies of precision. Raatikainen spent 26 unbroken years giving Children of Bodom's neoclassical melodic death metal a surgically consistent, high-velocity backbone. Harrison built a decades-long reputation on dry, restrained polyrhythmic control that makes Porcupine Tree's and King Crimson's odd-time complexity feel natural rather than forced. Both prove technical mastery can serve wildly different musical goals — Raatikainen's in service of speed and melody, Harrison's in service of space and groove.