The Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer since 1988 and the reason their funk-rock actually swings. Big shells, a metal snare tuned high, and a backbeat that sits so far behind the beat it drags the whole band into the pocket. Pearl for most of his career, DW since 2016; Sabian for 35 years, Paiste since 2022.
Smith announced on 4 May 2022 that he had left Sabian for Paiste after roughly 35 years. The stadium rig is a DW Collector's acrylic kit with a bank of shallow single-headed Ratatoms, and the cymbals are finished in a custom "Matte Silver" Colorsound with the band's asterisk on the underside. He alternates between two sets of 15" hats depending on the show.
The 2022 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
DW Collector's Series acrylic kit24"x18" kick, 12"x9" rack tom, 14"x14" and 16"x16" floor toms⤷ who plays this
DW Ratatoms10", 12", 14" and 16" shallow single-headed toms⤷ who plays this
After a career on Pearl, Smith switched to DW around 2016. Same configuration, same tuning philosophy, different shells. Sabian cymbals were still on the kit at this point.
The 2016 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
DW Collector's Series maple kit24"x18" kick, 12" rack, 14" and 16" floor toms⤷ who plays this
DW Collector's Series 14"x6.5" stainless steel snare1mm shell — very open, very loud⤷ who plays this
Peak Pearl era: Reference shells, a wide Sabian setup, and his most inventive playing on record. Still a plain four-piece with nothing clever bolted to it.
The 2006 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
Pearl Reference kit24"x18" kick, 12" rack, 14" and 16" floor toms⤷ who plays this
Pearl 14"x6.5" Chad Smith signature steel snareblack nickel over steel⤷ who plays this
Tracked live in a house with Rick Rubin, which is most of why the drums sound like a room rather than a console. Smith was a Pearl and Sabian artist throughout this period; the exact shells vary between sources, so this is the setup as it is commonly reported rather than a documented spec sheet.
The 1991 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
Pearl maple kit24" kick, 12" rack tom, 14" and 16" floor toms⤷ who plays this
Pearl 14"x6.5" metal snarebright and high-tuned — the Give It Away crack⤷ who plays this
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