Neil Peart's First Rush Drum Kit Is Headed to Auction

The chrome Slingerland set is expected to fetch over $100,000

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Nov 23, 2020

The first drum kit Neil Peart ever played with Rush is set to hit the auction block once again — and it is expected to fetch over $100,000 USD.

Peart's set of chrome-coloured Slingerland drums, which he played between 1974 and 1977, will go up for auction as part of Bonhams' Music Memorabilia auction. The event takes place between between November 23 and December 9.

A now-deleted listing notes the set features a "14-inch Tom Tom with chrome wrap and with original head signed by Peart."

Peart had purchased the drums at Long & McQuade in Toronto not long after joining Rush in 1974, replacing original drummer John Rutsey. Peart would use the kit to record studio albums Fly by Night, Caress of Steel and 2112, as well as live album All the World's a Stage over three performances at Massey Hall.

As Rush's career continued — and Peart's drum kits grew larger — the Slingerland set was kept in storage until March 1987, when Peart donated it to Modern Drummer magazine for a giveaway contest.

In 2009, the kit was purchased off eBay by fan and collector Dean Bobisud, who restored it to original playing condition to tour for charity events.

Peart passed away in January at age 67, following a battle with brain cancer. A tribute event in the drummer's hometown of St. Catharines was recently rescheduled for 2021.

Tributes to Rush's late drummer and primary lyricist have included an incredibly detailed statue and a hometown landmark named in his honour.

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