from: http://www.deadheart.org.uk/opinion/articles/essay.php?article_id=19
Originally from Musician Magazine, J.D. Considine
Rob Hirst uses a drum kit compiled of various Ludwig and Premier drums - the actual assortment varies - with Ludwig and Premier hardware, and an SDS 7 Simmons set he uses "very sparingly. I've also used LinnDrums and [Oberheim] DMX rhythm machines." His cymbals are a mix of Paiste and Zildjian, "big cymbals. 14-inch Paiste ripple high-hats; the crash cymbals are all 20-inch and 22-inch. The small ones break and don't sound good." His drums are fitted with white Remo Ambassador heads, "because they're clean and they ring," and his sticks are thin and wooden, "like 5As and stuff."
When recording Red Sails In The Sunset, however, he used Yamaha drums, and then dubbed the cymbal parts later with "whatever was hanging 'round the studio." He never records with cymbals, by the way, "because in the acoustic environments where we record drums, the cymbals just crash over everything."
Jim Moginie plays a Gretsch solid body, outfitted with GHS .010s, through two Carlsboros - "They're an English amp, and when I went American we couldn't get any, so I used Roland Jazz Chorus amps, which are pretty similar." His guitar effects are limited to a Choron 30 tremolo unit, and a volume pedal. His acoustic guitar is a Washburn, with GHS medium lights.
His keyboard setup includes a Yamaha CP-7 piano, run through a Boss flanger; a Yamaha YC-25D organ, through and old Roland chorus; a DX7; and a Casio VL-Tone. "And a Yamaha Portasound, which I got in Japan. It's got a cheap burn-on of a dog barking, various sounds like that. It's quite a weird little number."
Martin Rotsey usually plays a stock '63 Stratocaster, although his favourite guitar is a Rickenbacker twelve-string, with a custom-built twelve-piece bridge. His acoustic is also a Washburn, and he, too, uses GHS .010s, although he adds, "We sort of change a lot, just get a box of something. We're liable to use something else the next week." Both he and Moginie use Jim Dunlop picks, "so we can swap. It's more convenient live." His amps are 100 watt Marshalls, with a single cabinet, and his effects are Boss overdrive and graphic pedals.
Onstage, Peter Gifford plays "a pretty old Fender Precision," which currently sports Bill Lawrence pickups, but which he plans to change to Mighty Mites. His amp is an Ampeg SVT head, which ran through four 15-inch JBL's, although, he adds, "now I've got Electro-Voices installed in two of the boxes." His strings are Rotosound Swing Bass, or GHS Light if Rotosounds aren't available. As for effects, "I usually just pick up the throw-offs from the guitar players," currently a Boss chorus and flanger, and Rat distortion. In the studio, though, he played an Ibanez Musician bass, and an Ibanez single-pickup fretless.
Peter Garrett's only instruments are a couple of Marine Band harmonicas, although he does allow that "occasionally, I'll pick up an Ovation six-string acoustic, and wave it around my head." Mike of choice is a Shure SM58.