Ringo Starr's son, Keith Moon's godson, and The Who's drummer from 1996 to 2025 — then fired, rehired, fired again, and back in the fold in 2026. A big-kit, high-energy player who carries Moon's chaos without impersonating it, and Oasis's drummer through Don't Believe the Truth and Dig Out Your Soul.
The most interesting rig and the least photographed. Playing in front of a symphony orchestra takes the acoustic kit off the table, so Zak went fully electronic: a custom DW-built Roland V-Drums kit in gold with gold-plated hardware, laid out like his acoustic setup so it read normally from the stalls. The throne does the monitoring — a Porter & Davies TT6 puts the kick through the seat rather than the wedges.
The 2019 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
Custom DW/Roland V-Drums kit, goldgold-plated hardware, arranged to mirror his acoustic layout⤷ who plays this
Roland V-Drums electronic cymbalsin place of the Zildjians for the orchestral dates⤷ who plays this
DW hybrid shellsacoustic shells fitted with mesh heads on the dates that used them⤷ who plays this
DW snare, mesh headconverted along with the rest of the kit⤷ who plays this
Remo Silentstroke mesh headsthe volume control the orchestra required⤷ who plays this
Porter & Davies TT6 thronetactile monitoring — with a Roc N Soc backrest fitted⤷ who plays this
Zildjian Zak Starkey Artist Series sticksthe one thing that never changed⤷ who plays this
2013 — Quadrophenia and More tour
The best-documented kit he owns, because he later sold it: a DW custom acrylic set built in Who colours, one red kick and one blue. The interesting choice is the snare — a Ludwig 402, the plainest, most ordinary drum in rock, sitting in the middle of all that perspex.
The 2013 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
DW custom acrylic kit, red and blueone red and one blue 24" bass drum, 13", 14" and 15" rack toms, one red and one blue 20" floor tom⤷ who plays this
Ludwig 402 chrome 6.5"x14"the aluminium Supraphonic — a stock, unglamorous, universally good snare drum⤷ who plays this
The same trick, done louder. RCI acrylic shells in red, black, blue, yellow and green with a mix of DW and PDP hardware, and Zildjians edged in the Olympic ring colours. Silly on paper; it looked superb from the top of the stadium.
The 2012 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
RCI acrylic kit, Olympic coloursred, black, blue, yellow and green shells, DW-badged⤷ who plays this
Twelve minutes in front of the biggest television audience of the year, and the kit was built for the cameras: clear acrylic DW shells lit from inside, with the cymbals sprayed as RAF roundels to match the Mod target the whole set was dressed in.
The 2010 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
DW-badged clear acrylic kittwin kicks, see-through shells lit from within for the broadcast⤷ who plays this
Back to the big rig for the Endless Wire touring cycle, this time in DW's Broken Glass finish — a shattered-mirror wrap that did most of the work under stage lighting. Zildjian K by now the settled choice, and set up behind perspex to keep the volume off the vocal mics.
The 2007 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
DW kit, Broken Glass finishtwin kicks, three racks, multiple floor toms⤷ who plays this
The other job, and the opposite discipline. Oasis wanted heavy, straight and unhurried, so the rig shrank to four drums — a DW chrome kit, the one in the "Lyla" video, built from components of his larger set. Proof that the Who kit is a choice rather than a habit.
The 2004 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
DW Collector's Series kit, chrome finisha four-drum configuration for the Oasis tours; the kit used in the 2005 "Lyla" video⤷ who plays this
The audition that lasted thirty years. White DW with brass hardware for the 1996/97 Quadrophenia shows, scaled to Moon proportions. The sizes below are the Whotabs-documented Who spec — Zak's configuration moved around tour to tour, but this is the shape of it: twin 24s, three racks, four floor toms and an unusually large snare.
The 1996 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
DW kit, white with brass hardwaretwo 24"x18" bass drums, 12"x8", 13"x9" and 14"x10" rack toms, four 18"x18" floor toms⤷ who plays this
DW 15"x10" snarewide and deep, to carry over twin 24in kicks — an unusual size by any standard⤷ who plays this
Zildjian K 21" Crash/Ridea pair, played as crash and ride interchangeably⤷ who plays this
Zildjian A 24" Crash/Ridea pair — enormous cymbals for enormous fills⤷ who plays this
Zildjian A 16" Hi-hatsoversized hats to match the kit⤷ who plays this
Zildjian custom 22" Crash/Rideone-offs made for him from at least 1996; Zildjian later sold a Zak-inspired K Crash Ride in 21" and 22", brilliant finish, medium-thin⤷ who plays this
DW 7000 series hardwarelightweight stands under a very heavy kit⤷ who plays this
Not a stage rig — the start of everything. Keith Moon was Zak's godfather and a fixture of the Starkey house, and the white/cream Premier kit he gave Ringo became the one Zak learned on, aged eight or so. Moon gave him what drum tuition he ever had; Ringo, famously, did not.
The 1975 kit at a glance. Tap a piece to find it below; sticks, pedals and hardware aren't drawn.
Premier kit, white/creamthe mid-1970s kit Keith Moon gave Ringo Starr, which Zak learned on⤷ who plays this
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