The drum sizes (unless otherwise noted) are all “square” (i.e. 13x13) toms- 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; 18x19 floor tom (for the Sonor kits) or 18x16 (for the Premiers) and 24x18 bass. From 1983-1986 Nicko used a Ludwig LM402 Supraphonic aluminum snare in the studio, which he brought back in 2006 to record AMOLAD and TFF. Phew. Here we go...
1) Piece of Mind album 1983
Sonor Phonic XK9212 outfit (minus one bass drum) in Metallic Silver
Single-headed (concert) toms:
6x5, 8x5, 10x6, 12x18, 13x9, 14x10, 15x12, 16x14, 18x16 floor, 24x14 kick
Ludwig Supraphonic LM402 6.5x14" snare
*used in the Flight of Icarus video
2) World Piece Tour 1983
Sonor Phonic Plus, white wrap finish
Ludwig Supraphonic LM402 6.5x14" snare
One of the only kits Nicko has ever sold off. He has said he regrets getting rid of it.
*as seen in The Trooper video
3) Powerslave album, World Slavery Tour 1984-1985, Fear of the Dark Album 1992
Sonor Phonic Plus custom concert tom kit in Metallic Silver
Ludwig Supraphonic LM402 6.5x14" snare
*as seen on Live After Death, and in Aces High and 2 Minutes to Midnight videos
4) Somewhere In Time album/Somewhere On Tour 1986-1987
Sonor Phonic Plus Hi-Tech, flat grey w/black hardware
This kit was a prototype built by Karl Heinz-Menzel, who today is effectively the head of Sonor drums.
Ludwig Supraphonic LM402 6.5x14" snare
14x6.5 Sonor D506 Ferro-Manganese Steel snare with custom black finish live
*as seen in Wasted Years, Stranger In A Strange Land, Be Quick or Be Dead and Here To Eternity videos
5) Seventh Son of a Seventh Son Album/Tour 1988-89
Sonor Signature Lite custom kit (actually thinner Performer beech shells instead of the standard 12-ply beech/bubinga)
6x6, 8x8, 10x9, 12x10, 13x11, 14x12, 15x13, 16x14 toms, 18x18” floor, 24x18” kick
14x6.5 Sonor D506 snare with custom white finish
*as seen in Maiden England and The Evil That Men Do, Clairvoyant, and Infinite Dreams videos
6) No Prayer For the Dying album, No Prayer For the Road Tour 1990-91, Fear of the Dark Tour 1992
Sonor Signature Heavy custom kit in white (again with custom shells, presumably the lighter Performer but can’t verify this.)
14x6.5 Sonor Signature cast Bronze, VERY rare, only 2 made- Bernard Purdie has the other
*as seen in the Holy Smoke, Tailgunner, Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter videos
7) A Real Live Tour 1993
Premier Signia, black finish (6-ply/6mm Maple)
14x7 matching Signia snare
*as seen in Raising Hell, and The Angel And The Gambler video
8) X Factour 1995-1996
Premier Signia in Coral White
(note: Nicko left the 6 and 8” toms off for the majority of the tour)
14x5.5 matching Signia snare
*as seen in the Man On The Edge, Lord of the Flies and Afraid To Shoot Strangers videos
9) Virtual XI World Tour 1998
Premier Signia Marquis in Flame Red (Reinforced 5-Ply/5mm Maple)
14x5.5 matching Signia snare
Auctioned off in 2002 for Clive Aid, it's unknown who the current owner is.
*as seen in the Futureal video
9a) Ed Huntour 1999
Nicko used a combination of his black and white Premier Signia kits, alternating the colors of his toms.
10) Brave New World Tour 2000-2001, Dance of Death Album 2003
Premier Signia Marquis in Amethyst
14x5.5 matching Premier Genista snare (7-ply/5.5mm Finnish Birch) used live
14x5.5 Premier Signia snare in Coral White used to record Dance of Death
*as seen on Rock In Rio (with Genista snare)
11) Give Me 'Ed Tour 2003
Premier Elite toms (7-ply 7.5mm Maple), Premier Gen-X kick (hybrid Birch/Maple), Signia 14x5.5” snare in Black/white Eddies design
*as seen in the Rainmaker video
12) Dance of Death Tour 2003-2004
Premier Elite toms, Premier Gen-X kick, Signia 14x5.5” snare in handpainted Dance of Death design
*as seen in Death on the Road
13) Early Days Tour 2005, A Matter of Life and Death Album 2006
Premier Elite toms, Gen-X kick in rusted metal design
14x5.5” matching Signia snare live
Ludwig Supraphonic LM402 6.5x14" snare used to record AMOLAD
*as seen in the Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg/Different World vidoes
^This is the kit that was caught in the crossfire of the Sharon Osbourne ‘Eggfest’ incident. Nicko calls it the "eggshell" kit.
14) AMOLAD/AMOTB Tour 2006-2007
Premier Elite toms, Gen-X kick in camo design
Ludwig Supraphonic LM402 6.5x14" snare
15) Somewhere Back In Time Tour 2008-2009, Final Frontier album 2010
Premier Elite toms, Gen-X kick in Turquoise Graphic design
Ludwig Supraphonic LM402 6.5x14" snare
*as seen in Flight 666
16) The Final Frontier Tour 2010-11, The Book of Souls album 2015
Premier Elite toms, Gen-X kick in space graphic wrap
Ludwig Supraphonic LM402 6.5x14" snare used live
Premier "Nicko's Sicko" Signature 5.5x14" snare (19-ply, 10mm Sycamore) used on TBOS album
*as seen in En Vivo! (with LM402 snare)
17) Maiden England Tour 2012-14
Premier Elite toms, Gen-X bass drum in frozen Eddies graphic wrap
Premier "Nicko's Sicko" Signature 5.5x14" snare (19-ply, 10mm Sycamore)
18) The Book of Souls Tour 2016-17
Sonor SQ2 Medium Beech in custom Mayan ruins wrap with 24ct Gold hardware
Same as his usual Sonor sizes, save for the 6x7” and 18x18” toms (in place of 6x6” and 18x19”)
Sonor SQ2 5.5x14" custom snare- a copy of the Premier "Nicko's Sicko"
*as seen in The Book of Souls: Live Chapter
...so these are all his Maiden touring/recording kits as far as I know. Unfortunately there is little to no documentation of which kits he used to record the Blaze albums, or which kit was used to record Brave New World- so I’m avoiding speculation there altogether.
He has, on occasion, used smaller kits for TV appearances or brief festival spots, and has probably more than a few additional kits in his traditional "Maiden" configuration that have never seen use on stage with the band.
