Bill Ward’s Hayman Vibra Sonic 26″ Bass Drum Used With Black Sabbath 1971-1974 & Cal Jam

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This is Bill Ward’s famous silver Hayman Vibra Sonic 26-inch bass drum, used with Black Sabbath on tour and in the studio from 1971 to 1974/75. The bass drum is famously known for its use at California Jam (Cal Jam) in Ontario, California, on April 6, 1974, in front of a crowd of over 250,000 people. Bill used this bass drum with Black Sabbath for over four years. It can be seen in numerous photographs and videos from the period, with the front drumhead both on and off, as well as with several different front drumheads.

Bill later gave this bass drum, along with many other drums and accessories he had used with Black Sabbath, to his friend Malcolm Cope, drummer for Quartz. Malcolm had suffered an equipment accident while performing at The Music Machine in London in 1977. After hearing about the accident, Bill arranged to help Malcolm by giving him many of his old Black Sabbath drums and accessories. These included the 26″ Hayman bass drum, a 20″ Slingerland copper floor tom, a snare drum, cymbal stands, Ghost bass drum pedals, additional drum accessories, and drum cases.

This bass drum is a significant piece of Black Sabbath history, having been extensively used by Bill Ward during Black Sabbath’s early touring and recording years. A photo that I took at Geoff Nicholls home shows Malcolm Cope with the Hayman 26″ bass drum photographed alongside Bill’s Slingerland copper floor tom and drum cases filled with bass drum pedals, triangles, cowbells, and other drum accessories. Additional photos were taken at a later date, showing Malcom with more of Bill’s drum cymbals, stands, thrones , etc.

This bass drum was also featured in the Home of Metal: Black Sabbath – 50 Years exhibition, held at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery in Birmingham, England, from June 26 through September 29, 2019

NOT FOR SALE.