I totally see the Vinnie thing as far as Paiste cymbals go. Paiste has come A LONG way in getting dark, rich tones in the last 20+ years, since their Signature, Traditional, Twenty lines and bringing back the 602's. Even though they cost an arm and a leg, I think the new Paiste 602 Modern Essentials sound INCREDIBLE and for me, sound a lot richer than the A Customs he used to use. Frankly I can't STAND the A Custom rides and that was one thing about his sound I didn't like. The 22" Modern Essentials ride is just about PERFECT in every way, in my opinion.
As far as the Ludwig things goes, that seems to be more business than sound. Obviously the guy had a long-time love affair with Gretsch drums, even when he was still endorsing Yamaha. However, my understanding was, they were giving him sup-par, MIC drums at some of his overseas gigs and he was annoyed by that plus I think he wanted a company that made its own hardware and pedals with Gretsch does not. The new Atlas stuff is impressive and the pedals are really nice. I personally was hoping he'd go with DW since I think they make the best-sounding US-made drums and they are 100% in control of their shell-making, unlike Gretsch who use Keller shells. Obviously DW's hardware needs no bolstering by me. However, Ludwig is still a name that evokes certain "classic" feelings and that helps marketing. He may have had offers from DW but perhaps the money and benefits were better going with Ludwig/Muser.
As far as sticks, I'm still stoked about him going with Vic Firth since I'm a long-time user of their 5B stick, which was the basis for his Zildjian model with minor differences. I know he used Vic Firth 5B up until he got his sticks made by Zildjian. Just seems like a logical choice there.