Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz Owners

Just became a Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz owner!!! Had it now for 3 hours.

I needed a kit like this to play in my Jazz combo - this kit is awesome even straight out of the box. It came with decent Evans heads and I am shocked (pleasantly) at the tone I am getting with very little tuning.

Mine is the "Rustic Pearl (red)" finish (similar to the Green limited edition in style)

It goes off to its first gig tomorrow night.

Cheers

Pete :)
 
Enjoy your new drums! I agree that the heads that come with them are very good. Peace and goodwill.
 
I used to own of these. GREAT KIT!!! I had to sell it as I needed the money at the time but it works great in not only jazz but some softer rock too. Kick has amazing punch and low end. In small bars I didn't even have to mic it with a wood beater and an EMAD head. Awesome drums.
 
I am getting this kit next week. The stories about the tom mounting system have me a little worried. Could you elaborate on how you fix that Drumolator? I saw the picture but didn't really understand what you did there.
 
I took the tom mount off the original metal thing. I drilled two holes in the shell, and I attached the tom holder directly to the shell. Peace and goodwill.
 
Hi all

Well, I am shocked - took my brand new Gretsch CCJ kit out for its maiden gig last night (5 piece jazz band) - I can't believe how great it sounded - basically "out of the box" (I did a bit of tuning up) - that bass drum packs a punch when needed!!! The thing that most surprised me was the snare - it was so great to play. Anyhow, I am now delighted with this kit and it complements my Premier Genista Birch very nicely leaving with with "kits for all occasions" ;-)

Cheers

Pete :)
 
I took the tom mount off the original metal thing. I drilled two holes in the shell, and I attached the tom holder directly to the shell. Peace and goodwill.
Thanks for clearing that up, i might do that too!
 
The thing that most surprised me was the snare - it was so great to play.
That surprises me too! I was expecting nothing from the snare and even asked the salesman if he would sell me the shell pack without it. Now reading this i might be happy he wouldn't!

How do you feel about the tom mounting system?
 
Owned a regular cat. maple set for awhile and my biggest complaint was the suspension mount.. Rack toms never seemd to stay in tune very well. I don;t understand why companies are still using this set up, how can a drum bouncing and vibrating on the lug screws be a good thing?
 
Hi Piebe

Piebe said:
How do you feel about the tom mounting system?

I actually like it so far - haven't experienced any issues and seems solid and stable - however, reading back a bit I note that a few are unhappy with it - not really quite sure whether they experienced a vibration issue or what.

Re my delight with the snare - I was so happy with it particularly with closed rolls and other subtleties (which I needed for the style of jazz we were playing on Saturday night - mostly swing).

My band is drums, keyboards, bass, guitar (doubling on sax and clarinet) and female vocalist - everyone mic'd and amp'd up except me. The kit just seemed to cut through very nicely - I found myself very relaxed in my playing. It was a bit of a risk gigging with it for first time only after a few hours of owning it - but it paid off.

So.... to date, it was worth every cent (love the quality Gibraltar hardware it came with too - felt immediately at home with both pedals).

I tried the Yamaha Stage Custom Bebop and Sonor Safari (bass drum just a bit too small for me) - Yamaha put me off a bit from its appearance and also the fact that the bass drum only had 6 lugs. I am a bit of a nut about appearance of my kits (as well as the sound of course).

Cheers

Pete :)
 
Hi Piebe

I actually like it so far - haven't experienced any issues and seems solid and stable - however, reading back a bit I note that a few are unhappy with it - not really quite sure whether they experienced a vibration issue or what.

Re my delight with the snare - I was so happy with it particularly with closed rolls and other subtleties (which I needed for the style of jazz we were playing on Saturday night - mostly swing).

My band is drums, keyboards, bass, guitar (doubling on sax and clarinet) and female vocalist - everyone mic'd and amp'd up except me. The kit just seemed to cut through very nicely - I found myself very relaxed in my playing. It was a bit of a risk gigging with it for first time only after a few hours of owning it - but it paid off.

So.... to date, it was worth every cent (love the quality Gibraltar hardware it came with too - felt immediately at home with both pedals).

I tried the Yamaha Stage Custom Bebop and Sonor Safari (bass drum just a bit too small for me) - Yamaha put me off a bit from its appearance and also the fact that the bass drum only had 6 lugs. I am a bit of a nut about appearance of my kits (as well as the sound of course).

Cheers

Pete :)
After reading your post i want the drum kit even more! I agree about the Gibraltar hardware which i unfortunately could not afford. I will have to settle for Mapex when i receive my Catalina shellpack unless i am able to sell my big city kit along with the hardware so i can purchase it. I have it for sale now, here's hoping i can get what i ask so i don't have to chip in too much.
 
My problem with the original mount was the rubber "stopper" that touched the shell. I have the natural wood finish, and it was marking up the drum. I also could not get the 12" tom to sound good. Peace and goodwill.
 
For me it (the mini-GTS) wasn't as much a sound thing as a functionality issue. It's a pain to adjust the tom on the mount with that thing on as it acts like a hinge 'cause it's only attached to 2 lugs. And I hate that rubber foot too. I replaced it with the traditional 4 hole suspension mount which I prefer.

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I've had my CCJ's for a few months now and I haven't experienced any problems with the tom mount. Yes, I have seen better, but I just haven't had any problems with mine.

DD9, those WMP are beautiful. They just have such a nice classic look.

How many of you would rather have the 20 inch kick? I really like my 18 inch kick but I'm thinking that maybe the 20 would just be a bit more versital. Best wishes. John
 
Jackie k said:
I also use a bass drum risers, which attaches to the wood rim on the batter side to raise the bass drum, to me it makes the bass drum sound better, it now has better beater attack.

I was going to ask about this earlier - here in Oz, the GCCJ kits are sold without any bass drum riser - so - who else uses them and finds them an advantage?

I had a friend play my kit so I could stand out front and listen - the bass drum really sounded punchy and clean - I have the out-of-the-box drum heads with no muffling in the drum and have a small port hole on the front head. I admit that without the riser you need to be hitting the head above centre else the pedal feel is wrong....

Regarding the tom mount - YES I AGREE, it is a pain to do finer angle adjustments because of the "hinge" effect and I can see the issue with the wood finish being marked - I will keep an eye on mine for marks even though mine is a wrap.

It is great to be getting this feedback - thanks

Pete :)
 
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Mine came with a riser that worked fine. I like the bass drum beater to hit the head in the middle because it sounds better that way. I upgraded mine with the Gibraltar riser because it seems more heavy duty. Peace and goodwill.
 
Thanks, John. I like the white pearl a lot too but I kind of wish I had the copper sparkle now which I find snazzier. And yeah, I would prefer having a 20" kick but the 18" works well enough. There are still some CCJs floating around with a 20.

@muso7: Mine did indeed come with a riser (the black one) and I do use it. I like to hit closer to the center which the riser makes easier without lowering the beater.

A word of caution if you decide to buy it. The Gibraltar riser (SC-BDPM) will mark your hoop with screw head-like impressions on the inside of your hoop if you don't put something in between the top two clamps and the hoop. I put small rubber squares in between but you can use cardboard or whatever. Just a heads-up.
 
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DD9, That's funny because I have the copper sparkle kit. I bought mine used, but I wanted either WMP or the copper sparkle. I get lots of compliments on my set and I do like it but I've always wanted a WMP kit. I suppose if I would have found a WMP kit I would be wanting a copper sparkle kit. The grass always looks greener doesn't it.

MUSO7, I would suggest by all means to use a riser. It's odd that it didn't come with one. I makes a huge difference with the sound because of how it positions the beater in the middle of the drum. They aren't too expensieve and you should be able to find one. As far a marring your drum hoop, I just tooks a couple strips of sticky velcro and applied them to my hoop. Good luck. John
 
I keep reading stories about grease on the screws? Is it optional and does anybody know what they mean?
 
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