DrumFaster

← The Rig Vault

Ray Luzier

Documented by Drum Faster

Korn's drummer since 2007, and before that eight years with David Lee Roth. A Pearl and Sabian player whose rig changes shape constantly — Reference maple, acrylic Crystal Beat, then Reference One — while the job stays the same: hold down a band with two detuned seven-string guitars and leave room for the bass to be heard.

2026 — The MantaRay setup

The Reference One kit carries on; the change is at the cymbals. The 21in AA MantaRay Chinese is an asymmetric, fan-shaped china developed with Luzier over more than a year — the second time Sabian has made the manta ray shape, after a 19in AAX version in 2012. Two Holy Chinas and a MantaRay means three chinas on one kit, which tells you most of what you need to know about how he plays.

Bass drum — Pearl Reference One 24x18 bass drum (x2) Floor tom — Pearl Reference One 24x18 bass drum (x2) Rack tom — Pearl Reference One 24x18 bass drum (x2) Rack tom — Pearl Reference One 24x18 bass drum (x2) Snare — Pearl snare China — Sabian 19" AA Holy China 19"Crash — Sabian 21" AA MantaRay Chinese 21"Crash — Sabian 19" AAX X-Plosion Crash 19"Ride — Sabian 20" HHX Complex Medium Ride 20"
The 2026 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
Sabian 21" AA MantaRay Chinese model 22116RL — developed with Luzier over more than a year, announced in 2026 ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 19" AA Holy China ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 21" AA Holy China ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 19" AAX X-Plosion Crash ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 20" HHX Complex Medium Ride ⤷ who plays this
Pearl Reference One 24x18 bass drum (x2) ⤷ who plays this
Pearl Reference One 12x8 tom ⤷ who plays this
Pearl Reference One 13x9 tom ⤷ who plays this
Pearl Reference One 16x16 floor tom ⤷ who plays this
Pearl Reference One 18x16 floor tom ⤷ who plays this
Pearl 20x14 gong drum ⤷ who plays this
Pearl snare ⤷ who plays this
Vic Firth Ray Luzier signature sticks ⤷ who plays this
Evans drumheads ⤷ who plays this

2024 — Reference One, Europe tour

Back to wood, and considerably bigger. Pearl built him a custom Reference One kit for the 2024 European run, put together with his drum tech Mark Bennett: two 24in kicks, a 20x14 gong drum hung where a third floor tom would go, and floor toms at 16 and 18 inches. The gong drum is the interesting addition — no snares, no resonant head, just a single low boom for the drops.

Bass drum — Pearl Reference One 24x18 bass drum (x2) Bass drum — Pearl Reference One 24x18 bass drum (x2) Floor tom — Pearl Reference One 24x18 bass drum (x2) Rack tom — Pearl Reference One 24x18 bass drum (x2) Rack tom — Pearl Reference One 24x18 bass drum (x2) Snare — Pearl snare China — Sabian 19" AA Holy China 19"Crash — Sabian 19" AAX X-Plosion Crash 19"Ride — Sabian 20" HHX Complex Medium Ride 20"
The 2024 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
Pearl Reference One 24x18 bass drum (x2) two real kick drums rather than a double pedal ⤷ who plays this
Pearl Reference One 12x8 tom ⤷ who plays this
Pearl Reference One 13x9 tom ⤷ who plays this
Pearl Reference One 16x16 floor tom ⤷ who plays this
Pearl Reference One 18x16 floor tom ⤷ who plays this
Pearl 20x14 gong drum single-headed, no snares — one low boom for the drops ⤷ who plays this
Pearl snare ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 19" AA Holy China ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 21" AA Holy China ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 19" AAX X-Plosion Crash ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 20" HHX Complex Medium Ride the one dark, dry cymbal in an otherwise bright setup ⤷ who plays this
Vic Firth Ray Luzier signature sticks ⤷ who plays this
Evans drumheads ⤷ who plays this

2019 — The Nothing tour — Ultra Clear

Same series, different finish, and the one most fans picture: the #730 Ultra Clear, a completely see-through acrylic kit, taken out behind The Nothing from 2019. Under stage lighting a clear kit is a lighting rig in its own right, which is not the reason to buy one but is certainly a reason a band on that scale keeps it.

Bass drum — Pearl Crystal Beat #730 Ultra Clear kit Floor tom — Pearl Crystal Beat #730 Ultra Clear kit Rack tom — Pearl Crystal Beat #730 Ultra Clear kit Rack tom — Pearl Crystal Beat #730 Ultra Clear kit Snare — Pearl snare China — Sabian 19" AA Holy China 19"Crash — Sabian 14" AA Rock Hats 14"Crash — Sabian AAX X-Plosion Crashes
The 2019 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
Pearl Crystal Beat #730 Ultra Clear kit the see-through acrylic kit from The Nothing tour onwards ⤷ who plays this
Pearl snare ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 14" AA Rock Hats ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 19" AA Holy China ⤷ who plays this
Sabian AAX X-Plosion Crashes ⤷ who plays this
Vic Firth Ray Luzier signature sticks ⤷ who plays this
Evans drumheads ⤷ who plays this

2017 — Crystal Beat, in Ruby Red

Off maple and onto acrylic. Pearl's Crystal Beat is a seamless cast-acrylic shell, and the first one Luzier took out was the #731 Ruby Red. Acrylic is brighter and harder-edged than maple with far less warmth, which sounds like a drawback until you put it in front of two down-tuned seven-strings — then the extra attack is the entire point.

Bass drum — Pearl Crystal Beat #731 Ruby Red kit Floor tom — Pearl Crystal Beat #731 Ruby Red kit Rack tom — Pearl Crystal Beat #731 Ruby Red kit Rack tom — Pearl Crystal Beat #731 Ruby Red kit Snare — Pearl snare China — Sabian 19" AA Holy China 19"Crash — Sabian 14" AA Rock Hats 14"Crash — Sabian AAX X-Plosion Crashes
The 2017 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
Pearl Crystal Beat #731 Ruby Red kit seamless cast-acrylic shells, from around 2017 ⤷ who plays this
Pearl snare ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 14" AA Rock Hats ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 19" AA Holy China ⤷ who plays this
Sabian AAX X-Plosion Crashes ⤷ who plays this
Vic Firth Ray Luzier signature sticks ⤷ who plays this
Evans drumheads ⤷ who plays this

2013 — The Reference kit

The setup Modern Drummer documented in November 2013, five years into the Korn gig. Pearl Reference maple throughout, two snares, and a cymbal setup already leaning hard on chinas — a 19in Holy China plus Glennie's Garbage, which is a stacked trash cymbal rather than anything you would ride on. The 24in kick and the pair of 16in-deep floor toms are the giveaway that this is a downtuned band.

Bass drum — Pearl Reference 16x24 bass drum Floor tom — Pearl Reference 16x24 bass drum Rack tom — Pearl Reference 16x24 bass drum Rack tom — Pearl Reference 16x24 bass drum Snare — Pearl Reference 6.5x14 snare China — Sabian 19" AA Holy China 19"Crash — Sabian 14" AA Rock Hats 14"Crash — Sabian 18" AAX X-Plosion Crash 18"Crash — Sabian 19" AAX X-Plosion Crash 19"Splash — Sabian 10" AA Splash 10"Ride — Sabian 21" AA Rock Ride 21"
The 2013 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
Pearl Reference 16x24 bass drum ⤷ who plays this
Pearl Reference 9x12 tom ⤷ who plays this
Pearl Reference 10x13 tom ⤷ who plays this
Pearl Reference 16x16 floor tom ⤷ who plays this
Pearl Reference 16x18 floor tom ⤷ who plays this
Pearl Reference 6.5x14 snare the main snare ⤷ who plays this
Pearl Reference 5x13 snare the side snare, pitched up ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 14" AA Rock Hats heavy hats, for a band that never plays quietly ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 21" AA Rock Ride ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 18" AAX X-Plosion Crash ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 19" AAX X-Plosion Crash ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 19" AA Holy China the Chad Smith design; Luzier has played Holy Chinas for years ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 10" AA Splash ⤷ who plays this
Sabian 10" Glennie's Garbage a deliberately trashy effect cymbal, not a playing cymbal ⤷ who plays this
Vic Firth Ray Luzier signature sticks a 5B shaft with the tip and taper of the Vic Firth Rock model ⤷ who plays this
Evans drumheads a long-standing Evans artist ⤷ who plays this

Comments