Ross Garfield is the farthest thing from a household name. But if you’ve even listened to Nirvana’s Nevermind, Metallica’s black album, Michael Jackson’s Bad, Blood Sugar Sex Magik by the Red Hot Chili Peppers or dozens of other seminal records from big-name artists, you’re already familiar with his work.
Garfield is the drum doctor, a job title that encompasses about as much rigor as an actual physician. While on the surface he makes his living renting drums from his collection of 440-plus kits to musicians heading to the studio, he’s also responsible for modifying, tuning and assembling the kits to fit each drummer’s sound.
In his own word, “The important thing is to nail what they’re looking for and understand what they’re looking for, maybe even more than they do.”
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