Friday Pilots Club’s Eric Doar - GEAR MASTERS Ep. 587

Yeah, what's up guys? My name is Eric. I play drums in Friday Pilots Club. We are out here at the House of Blues on tour with, co-headline tour with Circle Waves, and we're out here promoting our album Nowhere. Yeah, so when I'm rocking for this tour, I've had this kit for a while now. It's a Pearls Master Series Birch. So it's the bronze glitter, which is a decision, but I'm super stoked for that. I think it looks great out here with the guys and the whole band. So yeah, it's a Pearl Master Series. We have a 12, I think it's 12 by 11. It could be wrong, but 12 inch tom and then 16 floor and a 22 kick. Yeah, all Birch shells. So for the snare, I kind of have been going back and forth. This one I got about a year or two ago now. It's the Ludwig Supraphonic, 14 by six and a half. And I've been really stoked how it's sounding, especially with this head I have on. I go back and forth between this and for a long time I was rocking the Pork Pie Brass Snare. It's kind of like the Pork Pie Black Beauty. So I kind of go back and forth between those two, but I'm loving how the Supraphonics sound for this tour. Yeah, so I guess for snare, I'm using this Remo Controlled Sound coated with the white dot. I find the white dot is better than the black, but yeah, for a really controlled sound. I also have this, the M80 Snare Weight on here, which just really helps with overtones as well as lug locks too, which has been great because I find throughout the set the snare will go out of tune, you know, a couple songs in. So this really helps it keep staying in tune and just creates a nice, really controlled sound. On my alternative, I have a Remo Ambassador too, which sounds great, more open. But yeah, we've been rocking this for snare. And then on the bottom, I gotta check what I have. I think it's the Evans 300, which is standard, you know, ply snare side head. And then for toms, I was rocking the G12, the Evans G12 on both the toms, which is just a little thicker than the Evans G1. It's kind of in between G1 and G2. More durable, but still more open sound I find in a live setting. Having thinner ply is nice, lets our front of house, it lets the drums open up, you know, in a live setting. But I actually just busted up the 12-inch, so I just threw on the Evans EC2 Frosted Head, which is also one of my favorites for live. A little different sound, but yeah, we'll see how it sounds tonight. And then on the resident side, I have the Remo Ambassador clears, just pretty standard. I go back and forth between those and Evans G1, but any single ply, you know, does the trick. Yeah, and the kick, I have the Evans GMAT on there currently. Just super awesome, punchy sound, which is great for live setting. I go back and forth between the GMAT and the EMAT, both similar, and I also have a pillow in there. And yeah, it just does the trick, creates a really punchy, awesome kick sound. And then the front, I think it's just the Evans, I forget which one it was called, the normal Evans, you know, like single ply front resident head. From, yeah, left to right from my side, I have the Zildjian A 18-inch custom. I've had this one forever, and it recently got cracked last tour, so I had my buddy Dan, he had some tools, so he cut out the chips, but it actually sounds better than ever. I was a little worried, but thankfully we saved it. And then the high hat, I'm rocking the 15-inch dual Byzance hats. Super awesome, trashy sound, been great for our set. Then up here, this is a newer addition too. I kind of followed suit once I got these and got the 19-inch dual Byzance crash. This thing is awesome, really fun to lay into. And over here, the real moneymaker, I love this thing, the polyphonic ride 21-inch from Meinl. Super great bell, great to just play normal or wash. It's really just, you know, has all the tricks that I want from a ride. So this one's great. And then I have the 18-inch dark K custom crash over here, also have had forever, and also, you know, cut out the cracks I was having in it, but still sounds great. So yeah, we're just rocking both the broken crashes, which works. So yeah, between all these, just all the sounds that you hear in an FPC setup. Yeah, and sticks kind of go back and forth, but I am really loving the Vic Firth 55A Extreme, a little longer than your normal drumstick. And I believe in between like a 5A and 5B. So, you know, a little more length and a little thicker than like your normal 5A. And it's just, it's great for rock and just getting a really strong sound and really easy to control. So I'm loving these sticks currently. And then also, you know, I got some mallets here too, which I use for some cymbal washes, you know, just the CT-1 General from Vic Firth. And not really using the hot rods or the brushes, but you never know, right? So, but I use the mallets a fair amount at the FPC set for washing ends of songs and stuff like that too. So I honestly, I've had this, so I guess we'll start with kick pedal, a kick pedal I've had forever. It's just the Pearl, I forget what the model name is even now, it's been so long, but just the Pearl Double Kick with interchangeable cams. So, you know, it's really great if you want it more response or rebound or something, you can change out the cams, which is just fantastic. So I've got, you know, this white cam on here and then a black one, a little different retention, but I find it works and it's just what I'm used to. And the hardware is, it's a hodgepodge, if you will. I actually have, this hi-hat stand was from my first kit ever, which I got from when I was like nine years old. And I've tried, you know, all sorts of different hi-hat stands, but it just, you know, it's a feel thing, right? So it just works and I don't think I would ever change this guy out if I had him forever. So throne, I find the most comfortable, the Rockin' Sock with the, you know, with the like hydraulic for changing, you know, sizes and whatnot. Just the most comfortable throne from what I've found. And in terms of electronics, so we are using some triggers on tour. We have these RT-30 triggers on the snare and kick, which just helps, you know, add reinforcement. We mix it into our ears too. Like the kick is doing more of like a clicky sound to give it, you know, a nice better attack, which, you know, kicks can sometimes sound flubby in a venue. So that helps. And then snares, similar thing, just more reinforcement for the snare in front of house to do his thing. And that is running through the Roland TM-6, which I have sitting down there. And we do have a few different sample patch changes. So it's hooked up to MIDI and, you know, between songs it'll change samples and whatnot too, whatever lends itself to the song. And the other one is we just have a Roland trigger pad here for my electric kit, which I just mounted onto the hi-hat here. And this also just has, you know, the bells and whistles for anything auxiliary that I'll do. Also hooked up to the TM-6. So songs like Ultraviolet or Trading Punches, you know, where we want to try and replicate some sounds from the record, you know, that's the purpose here. So yeah, that does it for triggers. So this is the, yeah, just my little in-ear mixer from Behringer. It's just, I like to be wired when I play. I just find it's more comfortable for some reason. The wireless packs just kind of scare me sometimes. So this, you know, I'm just reassured. I'm hardwired in. I come behind the kit and don't have to worry about batteries dying or anything like that. So yeah, this thing's been great, really reliable. Stereo, mono, mixing, and yeah, works right here on the hi-hat stand. All right guys, well thank you for checking out my kit. My name's Eric again from Pride of Pilots Club. We are out here on the road co-headlining with Circle Waves, promoting our album Nowhere. Come see us out on the road and thank you so much for watching.