Questlove
US drummer, producer and DJ
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Role
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Questlove's Gear
Questlove's 1976 Ludwig Cream Vistalite Drum Kit, which he used for recording of D'Angelo's album. He says, "I only used this 76 Ludwig Cream/Vistalites on this record #soon"
Questlove's Zildjian 24" K Light Ride cymbal can be seen in this Instagram photo he posted.
Questlove uses the Zildjian 20" FX Oriental Crash of Doom cymbal as part of his Ludwig Breakbeats kit, as seen in his Instagram post about performing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
According to this photo found on drummerworld.com, Questlove's hats are the Zildjian 14" K Constantinople.
In this video clip, Questlove can be seen finger drumming a rhythm on an Ableton Push 2 controller. Photo is captioned:
"@questlove on his quest to conquer Live & Push #ableton #abletonpush2 #lessons #fingerdrumming #beats #abletonlive #hiphop #producer #tbt"
In this interview with Wired, Questlove mentions that he uses Audio Technica ATH M50x headphones for DJing. 3:40.
Remo's Artists page lists the Clear Ambassador as one of Questlove's drum heads of choice.
Remo Clear Powerstroke 3 is one of Questlove's preferred drum heads.
"I wanted a drum stick that would pretty much be as light as I could design it. The reason I have the grips on the bottom is because that I want to play so light that really half the time it's almost like a reverse cigar, I'm only using my three fingers. With traditional wood sticks you can call me 'butterfinger smurf' - I've always dropped sticks... I tried gloves once but gloves are more for power drumming. I was like man, I really wish there was a way I could have some sort of rubber grip on my sticks but still have them fee light... I also made the stick just a little bit longer. There's sweet spots, on my snare - and sweet spots on my hi hat - that are traditionally not hit... these give me maximum reach without me having to Ginsu my fingers off... I just wanted a lightweight stick, that has ultimate grip, and maximum reach."
Questlove uses a DJM-800 Mixer to play a DJ set in this Instagram photo.
"Need a great kit to fit in a cab, or your apt? Want a great quality kit that will be your kids first kit? Buying that kit for school or church? THIS is my dream come true. My first line of drums! They sound great (used them on "Undun" & new Costello project. Coming soon to @GuitarCenter #BreakBeats"
According to Remo's Artists page, one of Questlove's drum heads of choice is the Remo Coated Ambassador X.
Zildjian.com's artist profile page lists the Zildjian 14" A Quick Beat Hi Hats as part of Questlove's cymbal setup.
"This big fat snare drum mute strip is a godsend! Fattens the sound like Dirty Mind era Prince or good Doobie yacht rock low snare. Go to bigfatsnaredrum.com no more duct tape and blankets. Thanks for the recommendation @sarabareilles"
Find it on:
This Instagram from Questlove shows he uses Remo Coated Ambassador drum heads.
This Instagram photo shows Questlove using a Sennheiser MD 421 Microphone on a tom.
Questlove testing out his vintage Ludwig snare: "Whoo Hoooo! Been waiting for the perfect moment to test my 1938 @ludwighq snare. And I'm finna see now: #Smokey"
As seen in this picture, dated sometime in 2015.
Questlove uses a Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute set with the following sizes:
22" X 18" Bass Drum, 14" X 3.5" Brass Snare, 14" X 5.5" Snare, 10" X 8" Tom, 12" X 9" Tom, 16" X 16" Floor Tom, 18" X 16" Floor Tom (original source article: http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Ahmir_Thompson.html)
Used for an overdub of a table on Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording), as stated by recording engineer Derik Lee in this September 2016 Sound On Sound interview.
“Other drum microphones were Sennheiser 421s on three of the toms and a Neumann FET 47 on the fourth, and I had a Neumann KM84 each on the hi-hat, the ride, and as left and right room mics. I recorded the percussionist with four AKG C451s, a Shure SM57, a Sennheiser 421, and a Neumann FET 47. I also had a Neve 33609 [compressor] on the LCR overheads. Oh, and Ahmir ‘?uestlove’ Thompson did an overdub, playing a table, which I recorded with a Neumann U67.
in this photo from Instagram in 2013 you can see two Technics SL-1210MK2s
At 2:10 you can see Questlove with some Roland TD-30KV V-Drums.
This is a community-built gear list for Questlove.
- Find relevant music gear like Drum Sets, Cymbals, Snare Drums, Drumsticks, Pianos, Keyboards and Synthesizers, Microphones, and other instruments and add it to Questlove.
- The best places to look for gear usage are typically on the artist's social media, YouTube, live performance images, and interviews.
- To receive email updates when Questlove is seen with new gear, follow the artist.
Discography
Album Credits
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SLY LIVES! (Aka The Burden Of Black Genius)
Sly & the Family Stone · 2025
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Mixing Engineer Producer
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Producer