Lars Ulrich vs Bill Ward — Drum Gear Comparison | MetalForge
Side-by-side gear: Lars Ulrich (Metallica) vs Bill Ward (Black Sabbath). Kits, cymbals, pedals, sticks — compare specs and prices.
Frequently Asked Questions
What drum kit does Lars Ulrich use?
Lars Ulrich uses Tama Starclassic Maple with Zildjian A Custom Series (14" Dyno Beat Hi-Hats, 16", 17" & 18" Rock Crashes, 20" Z Custom China, 22" Ride). Bill Ward played a Ludwig Super Classic (later 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. Lars Ulrich plays a Tama Starclassic Maple/Birch kit with a Tama LU1465 Lars Ulrich Signature 14x6.5" snare and Zildjian A Custom Series cymbals (14" Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" Crashes, 20" China, 22" Ride), powered by Tama Iron Cobra 900 Power Glide double bass pedals and Ahead Lars Ulrich Signature aluminum drumsticks.
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 Super Classic (later 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. Lars Ulrich plays a Tama Starclassic Maple/Birch kit with a Tama LU1465 Lars Ulrich Signature 14x6.5" snare and Zildjian A Custom Series cymbals (14" Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" Crashes, 20" China, 22" Ride), powered by Tama Iron Cobra 900 Power Glide double bass pedals and Ahead Lars Ulrich Signature aluminum drumsticks.
Which is better, Lars Ulrich or Bill Ward?
Lars Ulrich and Bill Ward are metal's two founding fathers, separated by thirteen years and an entire genre's evolution. Ward invented heavy metal's drumming vocabulary from a jazz-swing foundation with Black Sabbath in 1968, creating the rhythmic DNA that every metal drummer since has built upon. Ulrich took that foundation and, with Metallica from 1981 onward, turned thrash metal into a stadium-filling global phenomenon. Asking "who is more iconic, the Metallica or Black Sabbath drummer?" is really asking whether you value the originator who created the genre or the drummer who made it a worldwide commercial force.