Premier 717 Elite Black custom kit

The Premier B717 black Elite concert tom kit is arguably the most famous of Phil Collins' drum kits, which Phil had owned since 1976.

The Premier was his go-to studio drum kit for a long time, starting with the ...And Then There Were Three...' (1978) sessions through to the Dance Into The Light sessions (1996). The kit in particular helped bring about his signature "barking toms" sound. And it also played a key role in the drum sound on Peter Gabriel's "Intruder" (followed by Phil's own "In The Air Tonight"), which pioneered the gated reverb effect.

In terms of live concerts, Phil played this kit on the Wind And Wuthering (1977) and Abacab (1981) tours with Genesis.

Interestingly, a Gretsch 20" bass drum is included in this drum kit - despite the 'Premier' banner seen in some photos - which was most likely taken from a separate Gretsch kit. According an interview in the 23 October 1976 issue of Melody Maker, Phil bought the Premier concert tom kit and the Gretsch as two separate drum kits - hence with their own bass drums. Then during the Wind And Wuthering tour rehearsals in November 1976 he used an extended drum setup with the full Gretsch kit, Remo Rototoms and the concert toms from the Premier kit on the side (as seen in this Robert Ellis photo). So it's safe to assume he preferred the Premier concert toms, and eventually pared down this setup down while keeping Gretsch bass drum for the tour.

Initially there were 8" and 10" Remo Rototoms on the side, but these were eventually replaced with two black soundwave of same size rack toms in 1981.

Setup
Drums (full list):
 * Gretsch 20" x 14" bass drum (or Premier)
 * 8" x 6" Soundwave rack tom - added later, replacing Remo Rototoms
 * 10" x 7" Soundwave rack tom - added later, replacing Remo Rototoms
 * 12" x 8" rack tom
 * 13" x 9" rack tom
 * 14" x 10" rack tom
 * 15" x 12" rack tom
 * 16" x 16" floor tom
 * 18" x 16" floor tom

Hardware:
 * Premier

Drum heads:
 * Remo Weather King Ambassador clear drum heads (toms)

Further information/additional sources

 * 1977c Premier Custom 717/D717 Elite Concert Tom Phil Collins Replica Drum Set.