New Gretsch Finish/Jazz Kit Q's

[RubixGroove]

I was browsin' through some of those Gretsch jazz kits and stumbled across a new finish, new to me at least! It's called "rustic pearl", and I find the kit to be quite stunning!

Can't say that I was ever in the market of getting one of these kits before, but I think that finish definitely sparked some sort of interest and along with that interest came a very big question:

How do these drums stand up to the (stereotypically) "high"/tight tension tuning you hear so commonly in jazz? Just that mellow, melodic sound instead of the usual rock deal (AKA the incredi-muffled drum! tutt).

Everyone that I know around here that has one of these kits doesn't really take care of it. The heads are taped beyond imagination, bass drums have pillows and tons of laundry inside and really hastily tuned snare drums alllll paired with 'tinny' cymbals... I guess what I'm saying here is that none of these jazz kits are how I'd ever tune/play, so I can't really get a good grip on their dynamic.

Any of you Slutz play one/use one regularly? I'm really shootin' for information about the "jazz" tunings and how these beauts hold up, also, how do they hold up under the scrutiny of the mic in said tuning!




Sorry for the wall-o-text mates!
Danke.



(here's the kit)

[Dr. Mordo]

I have a Gretsch Catalina Rock kit from when they first came out. I run Aquarian heads wide open but tuned up pretty tight.

I would say that it is the most vintage sounding new kit I have heard. I believe it's because the bearing edges are cut at a shallower angle (I'm sorta talking out my ass here), but I had a 60s round badge snare when I got this kit, and it sounded very similar to the sounds I got from the kit. They are pretty dry compared to most newer kits, with more attack and less ringy-ness. I would not hesitate to buy a newer Gretsch jazz kit; I'm certain it'll sound great. The main reason I haven't is that I already have a 60s Slingerland jazz kit. It's beat to hell so I don't have to worry about it, but it sounds great. Got it for $30 at a flea market.

One thing - I have a friend who works at a huge drum store and he says that there are problems with quality control with Gretsch's cheaper drums, so I'd be ready to have one warrantied out for being out of round. The only issue with my kit is that the snare is a bit out, which makes tuning a bit tricky. I should have had it warrantied out, but was too lazy and the problem is pretty subtle. There is a reason they are so cheap.

[RubixGroove]

Thanks for the reply, Mord!
I think I'm going to be using my ole 'fall-back', which is a Fibes snare, on this kit. That thing is such a dynamic piece of drum-workery that I'd feel very, very dirty NOT using it! I'll keep what you said in mind, and, assuming I get the kit, strip all the hardware from the shells just to give them a really good once-over before I start beating away at 'em!


You're a good man! A wizard and a priest!

[Dr. Mordo]

Glad I could help!

BTW, don't totally dismiss the Gretsch snare you get with the kit. Gretsch snares have a very distinctive sound, even the cheap ones.

[RubixGroove]

I would have never known! The kits in the shops are never tuned, nor do they EVER have the heads you'd use on 'em! Plus, as I said, most the kiddos around here muffle the crap outta their drums and really crank that batter on the snare... all I hear when the snare is hit is "Please god, not again!". Poor drum is being choked to death.

[RubixGroove]

Any last word(s) on the Gretsch Catalina Jazz kits?

[cgarges]

The Catalina Club kits (the inexpensive kits with the small bass drums) are very cool kits and they do okay in the higher tuning ranges-- even a little fuller than in the low tuning ranges when played hard, in my opinion. They don't sound the same as 60s round-badge drums in those ranges, but they have thicker shells, modern bearing edges, air vents, and little in common with the older Gretsch drums except the name and shape of the lugs. Still, for the price of those kits, they're pretty excellent.

For the record, I've not heard anything that I thought sound like the older round-badge Gretsch drums with the exception of the newer round-badge reissue kits, which pretty much nail that sound. The next closest I've ever heard was a well-tuned set of mid-1990s Slingerland Radio Kings, which had very thin shells (like Noble & Cooley's CD Maples series) and very Gretsch-like hardware.

I'm not really crazy about the Catalina snare drums and I don't really know anyone who is. When I bought my Catalina Birch kit (as a beater kit a few years ago), the first thing I did was give the snare drum to a friend. I just couldn't get along with it. I do own three older Gretsch snares (along with two round-badge kits) and they're all a little weird and finicky, but the Catalina Birch drum was one I just couldn't make happen at all.

I also noticed that you took that photo from the Indoor Storm website. That is a great company and you could very easily call there and ask Barry any of these same questions and get a reasonable, intelligent, and helpful response.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC