Brandon Toews Hears PRESIDENT For The First Time

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Drumeo YouTube Gear Breakdown

To celebrate the 50th episode of our “Hears a Song for the First Time” series, we turned the tables on one of our own. Drumeo’s Brandon Toews sat behind the kit to hear and play “Fearless” by the band PRESIDENT for the very first time. In the control room, Jared Falk and Dave Atkinson directed the challenge—guiding Brandon through unfamiliar grooves and letting him put his creativity on full display.

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 Drumeo QuietKick Double (perfect for practicing double-kick patterns without the noise) and the Drumeo QuietPad (for dialling in stick control) are excellent ways to build confidence before the spotlight’s on you.

Let’s look at the Gear Breakdown of Drumeo YouTube video and the Kit, Snare, Cymbals, Heads and Other tools he used to make this track his own.

Brandon’s Gear Breakdown

🥁 Kit

• Gretsch Broadkaster Drums (Europe)
• 22”x14” Bass Drum
• 12”x8” Rack Tom
• 14”x14” Floor Tom
• 16”x16” Floor Tom
• Gretsch 8”x6” Concert Tom (USA Custom Series)

💥 Snare

• Dunnett 14”x6.5” Snare Drum

🛎️ Istanbul Agop Cymbals

• Clap Stack (w/ Expansion) (Europe)
• 15” OM Hi-Hats (Europe)
• 17” Traditional Dark Crash (Europe)
• 19” Traditional Dark Crash (Europe)
• 22” Traditional Jazz Ride (Europe)
• 20” Mel Lewis 1982 Ride (Europe)
• 18” Xist ION Crash (Europe)
• Stack: 20” Agop Signature Crash (Europe) over 20” Turk China (Europe) w/ Chajchas on top
• 22” Traditional Swish (Europe – 24″ Variation)

Sweetwater is not a dealer of Instanbul Agop cymbals, but you can replace these with Sabian alternatives.

🥁 Evans Drumheads

• Snare: G12 Coated Batter (Europe)// Snare Side 300 Reso (Europe)
• Kick: EQ3 Clear Batter (Europe)// EQ3 Resonant Smooth White (Europe)
• Toms: G12 Coated Batter (Europe)// G1 Clear Reso (Europe)

🛠️ Hardware & Accessories

• DW 6000 Series Hardware (Europe)
• DW 5000 Double Pedals (Europe)
• Low Boy Custom Beaters – Standard Leather Daddy (2x) (Europe)
• Vater Drumsticks (Classics 5A Model) (Europe)
• Snareweight Brass #5 Dampener (Europe)

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.

You can find everything mentioned in this Gear Breakdown at Sweetwater or Thomann 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 Drumeo, free for 7 Days.

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Drumeo Team - We're professional, award-winning drummers and drum teachers, coaches, recording artists, and content specialists who are passionate about drums and helping drummers around the world. This post was written and/or edited by Brandon Toews, Jared Falk, Dave Atkinson, or another pro on our team (which has a combined 1000+ years of drumming experience). Are you looking for inspiration, education, and support to take your playing to the next level? Join the Drumeo community today!