New Gretsch Renown Purewood kit... ROSEWOOD.

[criz p. critter]

I just got back from Professional Drum Shop in Hollywood, and wanted to tell whoever's interested.... Gretsch has a brand new Purewood kit out. Pro Drum got it only yesterday. It's rosewood, and the grain runs vertically on the snare and toms. (I know there's a term for that, but I forget...) As in up & down, from head to head, as opposed to running around the drums, and the same thing on the kick. Looks pretty striking, I must say, if not quite my cup of tea. Didn't pay much attention to the configuration, but I think I remember the kick is 18" x 22", with 3 toms (?) & 5" deep snare. I do know it comes in only the one configuration.

Can't find anything about it on the net yet. Just wanted to give any Purewood fans the heads-up.

criz

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Nothing on their website, I would like to see them.

[crazyhorse]

A stave built rosewood kit? Now that would be beautiful/expensive/awesome!

[criz p. critter]

No, crazyhorse, they're not stave-style shells, they're the typical laminated plywood type, it's just that the wood grain is running in a vertical orientation. The Renown Purewood's are just like the Renown Maples, in that they are made in China and use the same hardware. The difference is that they're made from exotic woods (instead of the usual maple) and in limited numbers: under 100. So they're not a top-level kit, but still a beautiful and great-sounding one.

[crazyhorse]

Ah... well then it's a maple drum with a pretty finish. =) I can run out to WoodCraft and build one of those then. lol I want to build an actual rosewood snare but it's a bit pricey.

[fourstringdrums]

Ah... well then it's a maple drum with a pretty finish. =) I can run out to WoodCraft and build one of those then. lol I want to build an actual rosewood snare but it's a bit pricey.

Oh well that's a let down. I was reading about those and they made it sound like it was 100% Rosewood because of how they were writing about the tone it offers.

[crazyhorse]

Unless they're steam bent..... singly ply stuff... I'm not much for name brand drums these days so I really haven't kept up

[criz p. critter]

No, they're NOT maple with a rosewood veneer. they ARE 100% rosewood. That's the deal with the Purewoods, that they are made completely out of exotic woods. First they did a walnut kit and a cherry kit, then last year they did an African mahogany kit in two configurations (which is what I have, the 4pc config...). So yes it is a laminated ply-type drum, but made 100% of the exotic wood.

[crazyhorse]

Learn something new every day... Bet that's a nice sounding drum!

[driver]

Sounds good. Whats rosewood like sound wise?

[Deathmetalconga]

No, they're NOT maple with a rosewood veneer. they ARE 100% rosewood. That's the deal with the Purewoods, that they are made completely out of exotic woods. First they did a walnut kit and a cherry kit, then last year they did an African mahogany kit in two configurations (which is what I have, the 4pc config...). So yes it is a laminated ply-type drum, but made 100% of the exotic wood.

I don't mean to harsh your mellow, but they're not 100 percent wood. They're a wood composite called plywood (OK, very high-grade plywood). Glue is a significant part of their composition, but manufacturers like to pretend glue doesn't exist and they never discuss what effect it has on sound, how much they use and what it's made from.

Some of the best sounding drums ever made are from plywood, which is superior to natural whole wood in many ways, as it's stronger and more resistant to warping and cracking and easier to work with.

But plywood, no matter how high-grade, is NOT 100 percent wood. Manufacturers like to market them that way and it's very misleading. The accurate thing to say is these are 100 rosewood ply construction. Even better would be to state the drum is 80 percent wood by weight, 20 percent glue or whatever.

Also, I doubt the grain of the wood runs vertically completely through the shell. Plywood gets its superior strength from alternating grain directions. Shells made of whole wood include stave, block and solid shell and the grain is vertical throughout the shell, in effect turning each grain into a micro-resonator that efficiently conducts sound through the shell and to the resonant head. These exotic drums produce an unmistakably rich sound, combining the resonance of thin shells with the volume of thick shells.

[criz p. critter]

I don't mean to harsh your mellow, but they're not 100 percent wood. They're a wood composite called plywood (OK, very high-grade plywood).

Also, I doubt the grain of the wood runs vertically completely through the shell.

Well, yeah, of course you are right, DMC. I didn't mean to imply they were literally 100% wood. When I said they were a lamininated-ply type of construction I took it for granted that there would be glue in there holding it all together, just like any kind of plywood. And I agree that the grain most likely runs in different directions throughout the various plys, for strength as you said. The external veneer runs vertically however, and that's the point I was trying to get across: that it's unusual and a real striking look you don't see that often.

[Deathmetalconga]

Well, yeah, of course you are right, DMC. I didn't mean to imply they were literally 100% wood. When I said they were a lamininated-ply type of construction I took it for granted that there would be glue in there holding it all together, just like any kind of plywood. And I agree that the grain most likely runs in different directions throughout the various plys, for strength as you said. The external veneer runs vertically however, and that's the point I was trying to get across: that it's unusual and a real striking look you don't see that often.

Yes, I agree, it is unusual to see wood grain running vertically. The average person likely wouldn't notice, but someone who knows drums would immediately know it's unusual. I wonder why the standard finish is horizontal grain?

[mikesdrums]

There's a Renown Rosewood kit on eBay right now. Auction id is 140135086522. Not a lot of pics, but you can definitely get a good idea of what the vertical grain looks like. Very nice. Kind of like a shiny Sonor bubinga.