Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz in Copper Sparkle

ptp said:
I have exactly the same kit and made almost precisely the same modifications with one addition: I converted the kick to virgin for $15 in supplies and about 30 minutes of work. Here's how:

Gretsch directed me to Precision Drum Co. in NY for a small piece of "Modern Bermuda Sand", which is pretty much a spot-on match for Copper Sparkle, cut and delivered for $10. I removed the mounting hardware and badge, then drilled out the screw holes to 3/8". The 1 1/2" central hole and five 3/8" (four screw holes and badge vent) were filled with flat-top wood plugs (about $5, pre-cut) and glued into place. Then, a 1/3" round cutting tool was used to remove the wrap surrounding each of the plugged screw holes and again to cut 1/3" patches of Modern Bermuda Sand as filler, which were glued into place, topping off the leveled-out plugs. The repair borders are well-fitted, smooth and indiscernible, really only visible under close inspection. To avoid aesthetic concerns of a large (1 1/2") fix area through the mounting arm hole, I moved the badge to cover this repair, drilling out a 3/8" hole to accommodate the vent, then dropped a new grommet in. The whole thing took about 30 minutes to complete - it's a super simple DIY mod.

The kick looks exponentially better and, to my ears, sounds a bit more open. The mounting hardware is the only detail of the Cat Jazz kits I can't get down with.
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Post a pic. I'd like to see how it turned out.
 
Love it!!! I have a soft spot in my heart for those cat jazz kits! Love the painted hoops!

Congrats!!
 
Very nice kit, I will definitely go for one within the next couple of weeks. According to most owners it really seems to be a bargain, and at least with a little "homework" it can be a good tool for many musical situations, not only for beginners.

Though the post isn't brandnew, I would like to ask a question about the snare that most of the owners consider to be rather poor.

@adam! what exactly did you put on your snare drum and how did you tune it to make it sound "stanton moorish". Since I am planning to use the kit for a deep funk project, that could exactly be the sound I would go for. What about the strainer? Is it working properly, or did you have to modify it as well?
Are you still satisfied with your kit after some months?
Edit: I went over your 1st post too far and didn't see you put your floor tom reso on the snare (???) Doesn't that kill any snare response? Or did you put the original snare reso under your floor tom? Sorry for my english, if I got you wrong ;-)

Over all I am really looking forward to playing this little gretsch.

Jan
 
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Stumbled upon this post just now. Love the set up and mods on the kit. I have one myself. Use it for combo jazz and smaller rock/pop gigs. Works excellent in both situations. Considering using it for a big band gig coming up. Not sure it will work but my Tama Starclassic 22" birch kit might be a little much. Thoughts?
 
carterplaysdrums said:
Stumbled upon this post just now. Love the set up and mods on the kit. I have one myself. Use it for combo jazz and smaller rock/pop gigs. Works excellent in both situations. Considering using it for a big band gig coming up. Not sure it will work but my Tama Starclassic 22" birch kit might be a little much. Thoughts?
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Try taking the 16" floor tom from your Tama kit along with the Cat Jazz. I had an emerald green one a few years ago and added a random 16" floor tom. I had a blast with that kit. I never did like the snare much though.

gretsch_cat_shs05.jpg
 
Yours is a very nice kit. Peace and goodwill.
 
Looked at these hard ,went for the Ludwig Club date kit.......Sweet kit man good luck with them!!
 
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