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Paul Bostaph
(August 2005 Issue)
Downsizing For Speed When one thinks of
the quintessential Slayer drummer - whether it's Dave Lombardo, Jon
Dette, or in
recent years, Paul Bostaph - a mammoth drumkit is what one
pictures him seated behind. But Paul Bostaph is about to change
that
notion. For the band's most recent effort, God Hates Us All,
Bostaph decided to downsize. "I wanted to
make the kit more playable
for myself in terms of specific ideas I've had," he explains. "Although
I like the different
voices you can use, I don't feel the larger kit
suits my style."
Not only has Bostaph eliminated a piece or two,
he's also been a
proponent of using shallower-depth toms for clarity's sake. "A long
time ago," he recalls, "I started
experimenting with smaller tom sizes
as part of the trend. Instead of using the big, power sizes, I found
that I could get a
better tone out of the smaller sizes. They're not as
muddy. Our music's so fast, it's nice to get a nice, tight
sound, and
I'll usually get that out of a smaller drum."
Bostaph learned that a slight swap in his kit
configuration has also
given him a chance to re-work his playing. "It's much more
comfortable," he insists. "And only
having two rack toms forces me to
go down to the floor toms faster, so I use them more. I wanted to
incorporate the floor toms
more into my style anyway, so this has
worked out great."
Waleed Rashidi
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