DrumFaster

← The Rig Vault

Nate Smith

Documented by Drum Faster

Three Drumeo awards across two genres — Jazz in 2021, Soul/Funk in 2022 and 2025. A warm, vintage-voiced Ludwig Legacy kit, one dark ride, a single pedal, and a stick built to pull sound out of cymbals rather than to hit drums hard. The feel is the whole thing.

Read our full Nate Smith feature →

2025 — The Soul/Funk years

His third Drumeo award, cited for "touch, feel and rhythmic inventiveness". The rig has barely changed, which is the tell: this sound is a player, not a shopping list.

Bass drum — Ludwig Legacy kit Floor tom — Ludwig Legacy kit Rack tom — Ludwig Legacy kit Rack tom — Ludwig Legacy kit Snare — Ludwig Nate Smith "Waterbaby" signature snare 14"Hi-hats — Zildjian K 15" Hi-hats 15"Ride — Zildjian K Constantinople 22" Bounce Ride 22"
The 2025 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
Ludwig Legacy kit ⤷ who plays this
Ludwig Nate Smith "Waterbaby" signature snare 14"x5", 7-ply North American maple, custom Blue Imperial finish ⤷ who plays this
Ludwig Supraphonic LM400 14"x5" snare ⤷ who plays this
Zildjian K 15" Hi-hats ⤷ who plays this
Zildjian K Constantinople 22" Bounce Ride ⤷ who plays this
DW 5000 single pedal ⤷ who plays this
Vic Firth Nate Smith signature sticks ⤷ who plays this
Evans heads ⤷ who plays this

2017 — KINFOLK

The record that moved him from great sideman to artist, and picked up two Grammy nominations. Ludwig Legacy shells are a mahogany-poplar design — woody, dry and slightly old-fashioned, which is exactly the point.

Bass drum — Ludwig Legacy kit Floor tom — Ludwig Legacy kit Rack tom — Ludwig Legacy kit Rack tom — Ludwig Legacy kit Snare — Ludwig Supraphonic LM400 14"x5" snare 14"Hi-hats — Zildjian K 15" Hi-hats 15"Ride — Zildjian K Constantinople 22" Bounce Ride 22"
The 2017 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
Ludwig Legacy kit mahogany-poplar shells — warm and dry rather than bright ⤷ who plays this
Ludwig Supraphonic LM400 14"x5" snare the most-recorded snare drum in history ⤷ who plays this
Zildjian K 15" Hi-hats ⤷ who plays this
Zildjian K Constantinople 22" Bounce Ride he will happily play a whole gig on this one cymbal ⤷ who plays this
DW 5000 single pedal no double kick anywhere ⤷ who plays this
Vic Firth Nate Smith signature sticks thinner than a 7A in the grip, longer, medium taper, rounded barrel tip ⤷ who plays this
Evans heads ⤷ who plays this

Comments