Paul Bostaph vs Dave Lombardo — Drum Gear Comparison | MetalForge
Side-by-side gear: Paul Bostaph (Slayer) vs Dave Lombardo (Slayer). Kits, cymbals, pedals, sticks — compare specs and prices.
Frequently Asked Questions
What drum kit does Paul Bostaph use?
Paul Bostaph uses Pearl Masters Maple Complete (MCX) with Sabian AAX Series (14" AAX Stage Hi-Hats, 17" & 19" AAX X-Plosion Crashes, 21" AAX Stage Ride, 18" AAXtreme China). Dave Lombardo plays a Tama Starclassic Walnut/Birch kit with a Tama Dave Lombardo Signature 14x6.5" snare and Paiste RUDE & 2002 Series cymbals (14" Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" Crashes, 20" Power Ride, 18" China), using Promark Dave Lombardo Signature 2Bx sticks. Paul Bostaph played a Pearl Masters Maple Complete (MCX) kit with a Pearl Masters Steel 14x6.5" snare and Sabian AAX Series cymbals (14" Stage Hi-Hats, 17" & 19" X-Plosion Crashes, 21" Stage Ride, 18" AAXtreme China) on Repentless (2015), driven by a Pearl Eliminator double pedal and Vater Power 5B sticks.
What drum kit does Dave Lombardo use?
Dave Lombardo uses Tama Starclassic Maple with Paiste RUDE & 2002 Series (15" Sound Edge Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" Crashes, 22" Reign Power Ride, 18" China). Dave Lombardo plays a Tama Starclassic Walnut/Birch kit with a Tama Dave Lombardo Signature 14x6.5" snare and Paiste RUDE & 2002 Series cymbals (14" Hi-Hats, 18" & 19" Crashes, 20" Power Ride, 18" China), using Promark Dave Lombardo Signature 2Bx sticks. Paul Bostaph played a Pearl Masters Maple Complete (MCX) kit with a Pearl Masters Steel 14x6.5" snare and Sabian AAX Series cymbals (14" Stage Hi-Hats, 17" & 19" X-Plosion Crashes, 21" Stage Ride, 18" AAXtreme China) on Repentless (2015), driven by a Pearl Eliminator double pedal and Vater Power 5B sticks.
Which is better, Paul Bostaph or Dave Lombardo?
Paul Bostaph and Dave Lombardo are inseparable from the "who is the better Slayer drummer?" debate that has followed the band for three decades. Lombardo is the founding legend who invented thrash metal's double bass vocabulary on "Show No Mercy" through "Seasons in the Abyss," influencing generations of extreme metal drummers well beyond Slayer. Bostaph is the steady successor who carried Slayer through its most productive commercial decade and its emotional final chapter, racking up more total years in the drum chair than Lombardo himself. Neither can be crowned outright — Lombardo built the legend, Bostaph sustained it.