Sat November 21, 2009

Gretsch Catalina Birch Drums

The newest evolution of the great Gretsch Sound

By David Chenery

It's a family affair
Gretsch drums go back - way back. Friedrich Gretsch migrated from Mannheim, Germany, to the US in 1883, and founded a small music shop in Brooklyn. He passed away on a trip back to his homeland and his young son Fred Gretsch took over the company. The enterprise expanded quickly, soon moving into a 10-story building. Moving to Cleveland, Ohio in 1972 , Gretsch operated under Baldwin's wing for a time. However Fred Gretsch, great-grandson of founder Friedrich, assumed leadership of the company in 1985, and is still actively involved in the business.

Great jazz artists always have always been linked with Gretsch drums - legends like Chick Webb, Elvin Jones, and, of course, Tony Williams. Now a younger generation of jazz artists and rockers are continuing the Gretsch tradition. Vinnie Colaiuta, Cindy Blackman, Stanton Moore, and Linkin Park's Rob Bourdon all trust Gretsch to deliver the sounds that contemporary music demands. And exciting new series of drums from the master drum builders continue to evolve. Gretsch drums are not just a part of history - they're creating it.

The Birch is back
Birch drums were fairly common in the '70 s and '80s, but fell out of favor when many drummers jumped on the maple bandwagon. Lately, birch drums have been making a comeback, as drummers are rediscovering the slightly mellower and warmer sound of birch. Gretsch's Catalina Birch Series is one of their newest.

For this review I tried out the 5-piece version of the Catalina Birch Series playing solo and with my jazz-rock trio. I was curious to see how the newest generation of Gretsch stacked up against the Gretsch kits I played years ago. As I unpacked the drums, I had to stand back and admire the Caribbean Blue finish - a gorgeous, deep oceanic color. The fine lacquer coating nicely brought out the subtleties of the wood grain. The Catalina series tom-mounting hardware, floor tom legs, and spurs were well-made and heavy-duty. The double tom holder uses a ball-and-socket system for positioning the toms, which I really liked as it allowed for quick adjustment of the ride toms position. Large, spring-loaded wingnuts tighten the mounts. The ride toms were fitted with high-end GTS suspended mounts, which isolate the drum's shell from the tom mount, improving resonance and sound. A great feature. The low-mass lugs enhance the considerable visuals of these drums. A solid set of Gibraltar hardware had everything I needed to get the set up and rocking.

The Catalina Birch Series drums carry on the Gretsch tradition admirably. They sound and look beautiful, the design is solid, and they're extremely well crafted. These are awesome drums and, at this price, they're a ridiculously good deal.

So many drums, so little time
Gretsch makes several different versions of the Catalina Series. The Club Fusion Set has a slightly smaller bass drum and toms. The Catalina Club 4-Piece is a classically configured jazz bebop kit with an 18" diameter bass drum and scaled-down snare and toms to match. Catalina kits come in basic shell-packs. Musician's Friend makes it easy for to add hardware with pre-packaged Gibraltar hardware packs.

If you prefer the slightly brighter and louder maple sound, you'll be pleased to find that Gretsch is continuing the tradition of producing stellar maple kits. The Renown Maple 5-Piece Fusion Shell Pack is a great way to step up to classic Gretsch maple shells, with 6-ply 100% USA maple toms and bass, and an immaculate 10-ply maple snare.

Gretsch's USA Maple Series drums are for the player looking for the ultimate expression in maple drums. The maple shells are finished with luxurious satin oil; and hoops, lugs; and brackets are decked out in triple-plated chrome.

When you play Gretsch drums, you're joining an honorable lineage of drummers stretching back for many decades, including most of the greatest names in jazz and popular music. With slamming new drum sets like these, you can be confident that the great Gretsch sound will be around for a long time to come.

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