Gretsch Drums Catalina Club Rock -SWG

As a drummer for some 30 years, I've tried and owned a number of kits from all the main manufacturers including my own custom built birch rock kit. I chose the Catalina Club Rock due to it's diversity. When played hard, it delivers a deep powerful sound but has equally nice tones when laying off with some jazz grooves.

My previous (monstrous) bass drum was 22x26 so I was a little dubious about the 24x14's ability to cut through and deliver the punch required for double pedal work. However after tuning and damping, the 24" bass drum delivered everything I was looking for. It's a big brutal beast with plenty of projection.

The mahogany shells are beautifully finished with the satin walnut glaze. A classic looking kit that has a traditional understated presence that demands a second glance from both metal and jazz fans alike.

Unlike maple or birch shells, the mahogany shells do require some specific tuning. Don't expect to un-box and head off to your first gig. I spent a good two days removing heads, re-tourquing and fine tuning both batter and resonant heads, then walking away for a couple of hours before returning to repeat the process until fully satisfied all was perfect. Unusually, with everything as near to perfect as I can humanly detect, the usual culprit for tuning difficulty, the 16" floor tom caused fewer challenges than the 12" mounted tom which doesn't seem to carry the resonance or sustain of it's counterparts. I also ordered the 10" tom which, as with all smaller toms was the easiest to tune and most flexible when altering pitch and tone.

The snare drum, is best tuned up to a tight crack and works acceptably well for rock and metal. Experimenting fully with both heads, strainer tension and moongel damping, the snare will deliver a variety of tones from warm wood to metallic shock and everything in between. Of course this is no Black Beauty and the connoisseur may find it's lack of finesse limiting.

To conclude, this is a great looking instrument with the usual Gretsch quality fittings and finish. Once tuned, you could tell other drummers that the kit cost you three times the price and they wouldn't look surprised in the slightest.