Bop's Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz

Bopshizzle

Junior Member
Hey! Here are my babies; Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz in Satin Natural

Drums:
18x14 kick (Remo Powerstroke 3 Coated over Fiberskyn Medium)
12x8 rack tom (Coated Ambassador over clear Ambassador)
14x14 floor tom (Coated Ambassador over clear Ambassador)
14x5 snare drum (Coated Ambassador over Evans Hazy 300 w/ Puresound 16-string snare)

Cymbals
15" Zildjian K Light Hats
18" Diril Jazz Crash (1300 grams)
20" Zildjian K Custom Dry Light
22" Diril Jazz Ride (2300 grams)

Not pictured
16" Zildjian K Custom Fast Crash
 

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Nice set bop,

I have the same one, minus the tasty jazz cymbals.

How do you find the snare? To me it doesn't really do much for me and I rarely use it.

Good to see art of bop as well...can't beat a bit of Riley.

Take care

Dave
 
Sweet lookin' jazzer there Bop!

I literally JUST put a deposit on one this after noon. I play rock /pop / and funk and these little kits can handle it all!!!

I got the Walnut glaze finish!

gretsch-drums-catalina-jazz.jpg
 
Sweet lookin' jazzer there Bop!

I literally JUST put a deposit on one this after noon. I play rock /pop / and funk and these little kits can handle it all!!!

I got the Walnut glaze finish!

gretsch-drums-catalina-jazz.jpg


Damn straight you got the Walnut Glaze finish! That's the one I got last month and I've never looked back. It's a beautiful kit, a fair bit lighter than that pic, but still the best looking Club Jazz IMO.
 
Damn straight you got the Walnut Glaze finish! That's the one I got last month and I've never looked back. It's a beautiful kit, a fair bit lighter than that pic, but still the best looking Club Jazz IMO.
Agreed! I had 2 other CCJ kits, but the baggy economy forced a gear liquidation sale. Things are a touch better now, so I got the go ahead from the boss (read:wife) and I put a deposit on it earlier today. Very excited!

Are you using your kit for straight Jazz or ??

What heads do you find work out best??

I would just use the stock Evans G1 coated.
 
Agreed! I had 2 other CCJ kits, but the baggy economy forced a gear liquidation sale. Things are a touch better now, so I got the go ahead from the boss (read:wife) and I put a deposit on it earlier today. Very excited!

Are you using your kit for straight Jazz or ??

What heads do you find work out best??

I would just use the stock Evans G1 coated.

The only gigs I've used it for so far have been jazz, but I'm taking it out in a more groove-based setting over the next couple of weeks for some rehearsals. I've only used the stock heads so far, the first ones I plan on changing out are the snare reso (thin, cheap, crap) and the kick batter (nothing special).

Otherwise the rest are all G1s and they sound fine.

The only real issue I've found so far is the kick drum riser: if you have the spurs out to a length that the kick drum is level then the beater needs to over extend a bit to reach the head. If you don't mind having the drum angled towards you a bit you can get rid of this problem.

A friend came over to play it yesterday and he comes from a much heavier background than me. As soon as he started playing the kit was gone, it shifted about a foot away from him. The drums are really light (because of their small sizes) and I'm not keen to sink the metal spurs into my parents wooden floor. Fortunately I don't have this problem when I play.
 
The only gigs I've used it for so far have been jazz, but I'm taking it out in a more groove-based setting over the next couple of weeks for some rehearsals. I've only used the stock heads so far, the first ones I plan on changing out are the snare reso (thin, cheap, crap) and the kick batter (nothing special).

Otherwise the rest are all G1s and they sound fine.

The only real issue I've found so far is the kick drum riser: if you have the spurs out to a length that the kick drum is level then the beater needs to over extend a bit to reach the head. If you don't mind having the drum angled towards you a bit you can get rid of this problem.

A friend came over to play it yesterday and he comes from a much heavier background than me. As soon as he started playing the kit was gone, it shifted about a foot away from him. The drums are really light (because of their small sizes) and I'm not keen to sink the metal spurs into my parents wooden floor. Fortunately I don't have this problem when I play.

I experienced the same problem with regards to the kit skitchin' a bit. I don't care too much for the rinky-dink little riser that Gretsch supplies with these kits, but you either use the riser or shorten the beater shaft length on your pedal to hit the "sweet spot" of the kick batter...which I'm not real crazy about either.

I am looking into getting a DW suspension cradle for the kick and using it that way.

All in all, I think Gretsch is putting together a great little versatile kit with the CCJ!

I have used my old CCJ live and mic'd up with awesome results and also used it for some pro quality demo work with my old band! They have a lot of punch for their diminutive size!

Can't wait to pick my 3rd CCJ up in around 2 weeks.
 
Are you using your kit for straight Jazz or ??

What heads do you find work out best??

I would just use the stock Evans G1 coated.

Yeah, I use it for straight jazz, but not primarily, so I have tuned it much more versatile than the standard bop tuning. But bop is just a few drum-key turns away :p

Personally, I prefer Remo Ambassador. I have tried Evans G1 (not on this kit, but on my old Catalina Maple), and it lasted long and sounded alright, but the Ambassadors have that great lion roar that the G1s doesn't have. Only bad thing is that Remo's coating doesn't last long compared to Evans, but that is a price I'm willing to pay for great sound.
 
The Dirils are my precious ones. Great hand-hammered, custom Turkish quality at a really reasonable price, atleast here in Norway. In the States, it seems that Sutton has started selling through stores, so the price is not too different from Bosphorus or Agop.

The sound just has to be heard. It's mystic and dark, and you can really feel a soul and presence you just won't get from a mass-produced Zilly. I'll post some sound examples soon, but for now here's a description:

18" Jazz Crash (1300gr)
Dark, trashy with light riding possibilities. Opens up with a giant lion's roar, enough to scare any Marshall-stack guitar player.

22" Jazz Ride (2300gr)
Thrashy and dark wash, and great volume for those who dare to dig into it. It crashes well, but I haven't got the guts to open it. There's plenty volume with a simple shank.

I've ordered up a 14" Raw Hat (800/900gr) and a 20" Raw Flat (2300gr) as well, so I'll give you feedback on those when I get them.
 
I got my WMP Cat Jazz before the natural finish came out. Then the walnut glaze finish came out and I wished I had waited even more.

I think I'm going to sell my WMP and order the walnut finish. It just looks so classy.

BTW, I get a great sound out of my little Gretsch.

Emad single ply on the kick, G1s on the toms and I play a 13x7 maple snare and it compliments it well.
 
I got my WMP Cat Jazz before the natural finish came out. Then the walnut glaze finish came out and I wished I had waited even more.

I think I'm going to sell my WMP and order the walnut finish. It just looks so classy.

BTW, I get a great sound out of my little Gretsch.

Emad single ply on the kick, G1s on the toms and I play a 13x7 maple snare and it compliments it well.
One look at the Walnut Glaze finish and I knew I was gonna own another CCJ!


Well, personally I like the Satin Natural better. Walnut Glaze is alright, but it doesn't have that classic, clean look to me. And I plan on getting woodhoops on atleast my snare, so Satin Natural is perfect for me.

True that the Natural finish is timeless and classy as all get out.. I loved the look and sound of mine!
GretschminiMONSTER.jpg

* I think the wood hoops would look fabulous on the Walnut Glaze!!
 
* I think the wood hoops would look fabulous on the Walnut Glaze!!

Definitely an option! But not sure if I can put out money to get the whole kit done in wood hoops... It would up its already beautiful classy look to the extreme.
 
Hey, I had a question about your kit. Is it a matte or a gloss? I really love the natural finish but I'm not a huge fan of gloss finishes. Thanks!
-Ryan

EDIT: Also, does Gretsch make both gloss and matte for the CCJ? I'm aiming to buy one of these but only if it's not gloss.
 
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