During the DVD commentary for Live at Tokyo, Mike points out that the kit being used for the show is his first professional one, a Tama Imperialstar. Given the time period, it would've been made in Japan and of notably higher quality than the current production line, but still an economical kit given the history.

As listed on Bill Ward's official Tama Artist page. Sizes are: 14x26 bass drum(2) 8x14 snare drum(2) 5x14 snare drum 13x15 tom tom 16x16 floor tom 16x18 floor tom 14x20 Gong bass drum Octobans

I play' a jet black Tama Imperial Star drumset. The bass drum is 14 x 24, the floor tom is 16 x 18, and the concert toms are 8 x 12, 10 x 14, 12 x 15, and 16 x 16. I use a 51/2 x 14 brass snare, and # 5, 6, 7, and 8 octobans.

in this post david shows off the tama imperialstar that he owns. he states that he restored, and cleaned the kit

Mentioned by Lynch in this February 1984 Modern Drummer Magazine interview and featured in this video.

RF: Would you detail your setups, both live and recording?

SL: They might not always be different. They’re different now because of Jimmy and Tommy. They really like that Damn the Torpedos-esque sound.

RF: What comprises that sound?

SL: That is an older Tama drumset, the Imperial Star, which is a thin composite shell. They’re all stock sizes, a set you can buy off the rack, with a 14 x 24 kick drum, 8 x 12, 9 x 13, and 10 x 14 rack toms, and 16x 16 and 18x 18 floor toms. I never use all those drums at one time. They’re there in case they want to hear specific sizes. The most toms that I use is in a drum fill in the middle of “Don’t Do Me Like That.” I used four tom-toms. Usually Jimmy and Shelly like to hear two rack tom-toms, the 9×13 and the 10 x 14 on top of the kick drum along with the 16 x 16 floor tom. The snare drum I use is an old Ludwig Superphonic. [sic]

RF: You mentioned the “Refugee” snare. Is that the same one?

SL: That’s the one. I have a whole slew of snare drums, but that one snare cuts the majority of records. Occasionally I‘ll get an old brass snare on there. We’ll always use a white coated Diplomat bottom head, and depending on the song, we’ll use Pinstripes or white coated Ambassadors on the top. If we want a more live sound, I go with the white coated heads. I’ve taken all the mufflers out of the drums and I have any new ones made without mufflers. I never put any tape on any of the surfaces. That makes me very honest. I either tune my drum correctly or it sounds terrible.

My cymbal setup is Zildjian. Depending on the song, if you want a little less noise, go to bigger cymbals because they don’t ring as much. If you want things to sound real bright, go to smaller cymbals. Live, last tour I used a smaller set than I record with. I used a 22" bass drum, a 9 x 13 rack tom, a 16 x 16 floor tom and a duplicate of the studio snare.

RF: Why the smaller set live?

SL: I think the smaller set is more fun to play. It’s all part of the growth process too. I was trying to do something different. I just wanted to play a different setup because I thought maybe it would make me play differently. I t did too. Live, I use a 21" ride, a 22" swish, an 18" crash and 13" New Beat hi-hats, which are kind of unusual but they feel great. They’re a lot more fun. The 13" are a little more responsive for live stuff.

In a live show you vary your tempos from song to song like crazy. One song is really fast and the next song is a funeral dirge, so you have to have a kit that will respond to all of that and will work in extremes. Then it will work everything else in the middle. In the studio, you might spend two days working on one song, so you can tailor your setup to make that one song really work. Live you have to go for instant satisfaction.

RF: What about your heads for live playing?

SL: I’m using white coated Ambassadors on top and Diplomats on the bottom, and the same with the snare. The kick drum has the white coated Emperor on the live kit and in the studio I use an Ambassador, white coated. On the live kit I needed a little thicker head just for the security of it.

He explains everything he used when he was with the band Judas Priest

Pedro usó esta batería con pillanes

Matz Ekström used a Tama Imperialstar drum set while recording Candlemass's debut album, "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus." This is evidenced by a user-uploaded photo on Fbcdn.

In a 1993 article, Dee Plakas is mentioned using the Tama Imperialstar drum set.

Dmitri Bold uses a Tama Imperialstar drum set, which was a gift from his older brother and has been his primary set since 2022. This information is supported by a photograph available as proof.

Keno Hammer of Deceiver is shown using a Tama Imperialstar drum set on the official Deceiver Instagram page.

In this video, he performs with the Tama Imperialstar at a music store event.