{"id":53126,"date":"2025-09-12T04:45:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T11:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/?p=53126"},"modified":"2025-09-11T13:11:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T20:11:17","slug":"gear-breakdown-brandon-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/gear-breakdown-brandon-president\/","title":{"rendered":"Brandon Toews Hears PRESIDENT For The First Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Drumeo YouTube Gear Breakdown<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To celebrate the 50th episode of our <em>\u201cHears a Song for the First Time\u201d<\/em> series, we turned the tables on one of our own. Drumeo\u2019s Brandon Toews sat behind the kit to hear and play <strong>\u201cFearless\u201d<\/strong> by the band <strong>PRESIDENT<\/strong> for the very first time. In the control room, Jared Falk and Dave Atkinson directed the challenge\u2014guiding Brandon through unfamiliar grooves and letting him put his creativity on full display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/11081907\/2025-08-29-Drumeo-Brandon-Hears-President-For-The-First-Time-131-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-53128\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/11081907\/2025-08-29-Drumeo-Brandon-Hears-President-For-The-First-Time-131-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/11081907\/2025-08-29-Drumeo-Brandon-Hears-President-For-The-First-Time-131-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/11081907\/2025-08-29-Drumeo-Brandon-Hears-President-For-The-First-Time-131-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/11081907\/2025-08-29-Drumeo-Brandon-Hears-President-For-The-First-Time-131-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/11081907\/2025-08-29-Drumeo-Brandon-Hears-President-For-The-First-Time-131-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As always, these first-listen performances highlight the power of quick thinking, ear training, and precision. If you want to sharpen your own timing and control like Brandon, tools like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Drumeo-10043-drumeo-QuietKick\/dp\/B0CPTDQBK2?ref_=ast_sto_dp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Drumeo QuietKick Double<\/a> (perfect for practicing double-kick patterns without the noise) and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/stores\/page\/57A75009-F8D4-4E0D-81D5-4E0107DF5A02?ingress=2&amp;lp_context_asin=B0CPTC248S&amp;visitId=8354dfe0-826a-4f86-8820-24cfe87abc3c&amp;store_ref=bl_ast_dp_brandLogo_sto&amp;ref_=ast_bln\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Drumeo QuietPad<\/a> (for dialling in stick control) are excellent ways to build confidence before the spotlight\u2019s on you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s look at the Gear Breakdown of Drumeo YouTube video and the <a href=\"#kit\">Kit<\/a>, <a href=\"#snare\">Snare<\/a>, <a href=\"#cymbals\">Cymbals<\/a>, <a href=\"#heads\">Heads<\/a> and <a href=\"#hardware\">Other<\/a> tools he used to make this track his own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Brandon\u2019s Gear Breakdown<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"kit\">\ud83e\udd41 Kit<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/xLaXk3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gretsch Broadkaster Drums<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/gretsch_drums_broadkaster_sb_deep_black.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>22\u201dx14\u201d Bass Drum<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>12\u201dx8\u201d Rack Tom<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>14\u201dx14\u201d Floor Tom<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>16\u201dx16\u201d Floor Tom<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gretsch 8\u201dx6\u201d Concert Tom (USA Custom Series)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"snare\">\ud83d\udca5 Snare<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/N9Wo9P\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dunnett 14\u201dx6.5\u201d Snare Drum<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cymbals\">\ud83d\udece\ufe0f Istanbul Agop Cymbals<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Clap Stack (w\/ Expansion) (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/search.html?sw=istanbul+agop+clap+stack&amp;smcs=0d672c_4938?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>15\u201d OM Hi-Hats (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/istanbul_agop_15_cindy_blackman_om_hi_hat.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>17\u201d Traditional Dark Crash (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/istanbul_agop_17_traditional_dark_crash.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>19\u201d Traditional Dark Crash (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/istanbul_agop_19_traditional_dark_crash.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>22\u201d Traditional Jazz Ride (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/istanbul_agop_22_traditional_jazz_ride.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>20\u201d Mel Lewis 1982 Ride (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/istanbul_agop_20_mel_lewis_1982_sign_ride.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>18\u201d Xist ION Crash (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/istanbul_agop_18_xist_ion_crash_brilliant.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stack: 20\u201d Agop Signature Crash (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/istanbul_agop_20_agop_signature_crash.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>) over 20\u201d Turk China (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/istanbul_mehmet_20_china_turk_series.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>) w\/ Chajchas on top<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>22\u201d Traditional Swish (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/istanbul_mehmet_24_john_robinson_swish_sizzle.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a> &#8211; 24&#8243; Variation)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Sweetwater is not a dealer of Instanbul Agop cymbals, but you can replace these with <a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/9LDxL4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sabian alternatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"heads\">\ud83e\udd41 Evans Drumheads<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Snare: <a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/POEYzj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">G12 Coated Batter<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/search.html?sw=Evans+G12+Coated+Batter+Snare&amp;smcs=0d672c_1166?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)\/\/ <a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/vPk1jy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Snare Side 300 Reso<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/evans_s14h30.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kick: <a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/kOEQW3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">EQ3 Clear Batter<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/evans_bd22gb3.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)\/\/ <a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/kOEQM3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">EQ3 Resonant Smooth White<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/evans_reso_bd22rsw_bassdrumfell.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Toms: <a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/POEYzj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">G12 Coated Batter<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/search.html?sw=Evans+G12+Coated&amp;smcs=0d672c_12286?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)\/\/ <a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/DyGAYn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">G1 Clear Reso<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/evans_g1_standard_set_clear.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"hardware\">\ud83d\udee0\ufe0f Hardware &amp; Accessories<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/aOVYbZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DW 6000 Series Hardware<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/dw_hardware_pack_ultralight_6000.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/DyG1Ob\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DW 5000 Double Pedals<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/dw_5002td4_double_bass_drum_pedal.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/4G0Ky3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Low Boy Custom Beaters \u2013 Standard Leather Daddy (2x)<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/low_boy_leather_daddy_natural_black.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/LKBrR0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vater Drumsticks (Classics 5A Model)<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/vater_5a_classics_wood.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/aOV6rY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Snareweight Brass #5 Dampener<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/intl\/snareweight_5_magn._overtonedamper_brass.htm?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europe<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Episode 50 is a milestone, and it shows just how much magic can happen when a drummer is pushed outside their comfort zone. Watching Brandon adapt in real-time is proof of how valuable strong fundamentals and practice tools can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/11082333\/2025-08-29-Drumeo-Brandon-Hears-President-For-The-First-Time-120-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-53129\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/11082333\/2025-08-29-Drumeo-Brandon-Hears-President-For-The-First-Time-120-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/11082333\/2025-08-29-Drumeo-Brandon-Hears-President-For-The-First-Time-120-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/11082333\/2025-08-29-Drumeo-Brandon-Hears-President-For-The-First-Time-120-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/11082333\/2025-08-29-Drumeo-Brandon-Hears-President-For-The-First-Time-120-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/11082333\/2025-08-29-Drumeo-Brandon-Hears-President-For-The-First-Time-120-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You can find everything mentioned in this Gear Breakdown at <a href=\"https:\/\/sweetwater.sjv.io\/nXxjLR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sweetwater<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thomannmusic.com\/?offid=1&amp;affid=857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thomann<\/a> if you are overseas. If this video lit a spark to start drumming (or sharpen your chops), take the next step and click the link to try <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/trial?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=&amp;utm_term=drumeo&amp;utm_campaign=brandonpresident\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Drumeo, free for 7 Days.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>*This article contains affiliate links, which means we might earn a small commission from the product seller if you make a purchase. For more info, check out our<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/privacy#affiliate-disclosure\"><em> privacy page.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drumeo YouTube Gear Breakdown To celebrate the 50th episode of our \u201cHears a Song for the First Time\u201d series, we turned the tables on one of our own. Drumeo\u2019s Brandon Toews sat behind the kit to hear and play \u201cFearless\u201d by the band PRESIDENT for the very first time. In the control room, Jared Falk [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":174,"featured_media":53127,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4019,4020,4021,4016],"tags":[4013,4093,4082,4084,4159],"class_list":["post-53126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drummers","category-gear","category-performances-and-playalongs","category-songs","tag-brandon-toews","tag-drumeo-youtube","tag-gear-breakdown","tag-hears-a-song","tag-president"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/174"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53126"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53126\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53136,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53126\/revisions\/53136"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}