Vistalite Collections - Bill McKinney

My name is Bill McKinney from Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, USA. My parents purchased the base 5 piece smoke Vista kit (12,13,14,16,22) for my brother Michael and I in 1976. Since then, the kit has undergone many changes. I added a 6-8-10 set of Roto-Toms in 1984, courtesy of the members of my college band, Making Trax. While I still use the original A. Zildjian 20'' ride and 14'' hats that my parents provided, I have since added Zildjian 9 and 10'' splashes, 14'', 15'' and 18'' crashes, a 20'' swish and 10'' special recording hats (a mix of A., A. Custom, K. and Oriental). In terms of added drums, I have added 12 and 14'' Roto-Toms, an 18'' smoke vista floor tom and, most recently, a Supraphonic 400 chrome over brass snare. While I employ a mix of hardware, you can still see the labels on some of the original Ludwig Atlas booms. I use two different logo heads. The keystone head is used locally, but the "MT" logo head (far right) is used when I get together with that very same college band that bought me the Roto-Toms in 1984. The four of us, all Bucknell University alumni, reunite at least once per year, usually for a fund-raising gig, and play a mix of classic rock, R&B, blues and 1980's new wave.