Gretsch Cat Jazz & Zildjian Ks - mmmmmm

TTNW · #1 12-18-2008, 05:10 AM

I started playing this kit again and I really like it as a change up to my maple drums.

Gretsch Catalina Jazz Kit - 18x14BD, 12x9T, 14x14FT - Evans G1s with an Emad on the kick.

Snare is an old Titan 14 x 5½ hammered bronze with single point lugs and die cast hoops.

DW7000 pedal with DW5000 hi-hat

Zildjian Cymbals:

13 Quickbeat High Hat Bottom
13 K High Hat Top
18 K Custom Fast Crash
24 K Light Ride
18 K Custom Session Crash

A little cymbal porn on my K Light Ride - Very good feeling ride!

My bass drum secret weapon -- It's an Earthworks KickPad plugged into an inexpensive CAD kick mic. Awesome kickdrum sound no matter what straight to the board. It makes my 18 sound like a big BD when I go through a PA live.

Drumsword · #2 12-18-2008, 12:39 PM

That is a beautiful rig. Love your choice in cymbals. Awesome. 5 Stars. Rod tell him what he's won................. ;)

JerryOnDrums · #3 12-19-2008, 02:38 AM

Killing setup, man! And that 24 is a freaking piece of work. I bet it sounds sick.

TheIronCobr4 · #4 12-19-2008, 03:02 AM

I've never understood why jazzers play with the small sized drums with massive cymbals but to each his own.
Gotta love the simple four piece setup and the K's of course.

tomgrosset · #5 12-19-2008, 03:18 AM

I have the same kit. It sounds amazing, doesn't it?! Gretsch really knows how to make a drum sound good! I love the look of those cymbals. All in all, it's a killin' set up man! Lay down some recordings if you can so we can hear this beast!

razorx · #6 12-19-2008, 03:20 AM

Pretty nice set-up, I played one of these kits at my guitar center the other day.

TTNW · #7 12-19-2008, 03:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheIronCobr4

I've never understood why jazzers play with the small sized drums with massive cymbals but to each his own.
Gotta love the simple four piece setup and the K's of course.

I have no idea either. I'm terrible with jazz rhythms.

I like the small kit, big sound and to change it up between dark cymbals and bright ones. As and Ks.

I play rock, pop, blues, r&b and funk. Jazz is my weakest genre.

Thanks for the comments. As soon as my DAW is working again I will start recording at home. I've had terrible problems with my pre-amp and DAW rigs lately. I think I'm going to have to buy a new PC soon.

topgun2021 · #8 01-14-2009, 05:27 AM

Cool, I have the same set for my college Jazz Ensemble. The bad part is that is the only drum set our percussion gets to use.

Really nice set for Jazz though.

TTNW · #9 01-14-2009, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by topgun2021

Cool, I have the same set for my college Jazz Ensemble. The bad part is that is the only drum set our percussion gets to use.

Really nice set for Jazz though.

Do you tune yours high for the music you play?

I tune my low to medim. I can't seem to get good tones from the bass and toms with high tunings.

drumbandit · #10 01-14-2009, 03:32 PM

Nice looking drums and cymbals, is the 24" K dented on the edges?

Tom

TTNW · #11 01-14-2009, 07:31 PM

Sort of..

Some of the hammer marks are right at the edge so at the angle that you're looking at the cymbal in the photo it looks more pronounced than it actually is.

eddiehimself · #12 01-14-2009, 08:04 PM

That's a beauty of a snare drum you have there. Your pedal choice is quite interesting because i've always found that despite the 2 leg hihat stand being called a 5000 it's actually more like a 7000 so they go together better really. My friend recently said that he bought a 24" K light ride (which i've yet to hear) because it was the "best cymbal he ever heard". This guy plays rock music! So i guess it must be a very versatile cymbal.

caddywumpus · #13 01-14-2009, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eddiehimself

My friend recently said that he bought a 24" K light ride (which i've yet to hear) because it was the "best cymbal he ever heard". This guy plays rock music! So i guess it must be a very versatile cymbal.

Abso-freakin-lutely! It's the best cymbal I've ever heard, and the treasure of my collection...

TTNW · #14 01-14-2009, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caddywumpus

Abso-freakin-lutely! It's the best cymbal I've ever heard, and the treasure of my collection...

I got an e-mail from Matt Bettis today and he said that he will take my A Ping ride and make it a Bettis Custom Cymbal.

It may take my 24 Ks place as the best I've ever heard. We'll have to see when I get it back. I will let you know.

Matt is going to let me know and hopefully it will look like this.

http://www.rarevintagecymbals.com/bi...hp?weight=2666

I can't wait.

TTNW · #15 01-14-2009, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eddiehimself

That's a beauty of a snare drum you have there.

The snare is a 8 year old Titan hammered bronze. It has die cast hoops and weighs about 16 pounds. I use a coated ambassador on top and a clear ambassador with Puresound snares underneath. I bought it on Ebay a long time ago for $75 bucks.

For a cheap Chinese snare, it sounds amazing. I have been looking to buy another online and can't find one anywhere.

The guys I jam with on a regular basis, say that they like it best out of all my snares. I just got lucky with this one. Some times you buy a cheapy and they stink. This one is great. Go figure.

topgun2021 · #16 01-14-2009, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TTNW

Do you tune yours high for the music you play?

I tune my low to medim. I can't seem to get good tones from the bass and toms with high tunings.

Last time it was used it was taken apart for a tom part in the Concert Band. Tuned all high and such. I might tune it down much more.

Bass needs a new batter hard badly. There is a dent square in the middle. School doesn;t do much for the bands so we do what we can.

henhog · #17 01-15-2009, 12:23 AM

Damn - makes me wanna buy a bop kit. Is that ride a Constantinople Medium Ride?

tracer · #18 01-15-2009, 12:48 AM

I know traditionally those kits are setup for jazz with coated heads. Any Cat owners tried lower tuning and clear batters?
tracer

TTNW · #19 01-15-2009, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by henhog

Damn - makes me wanna buy a bop kit. Is that ride a Constantinople Medium Ride?

No, it's a 24 K Light Ride. Very fun to play.

mugglesport · #20 01-15-2009, 05:45 AM

What do you think about the 18 K Custom Session Crash? Can you ride on it much?

There's a used one at a shop I might could get for $100-$120. Thinking about it. Its used but not much...still has the original inventory sticker on the bottom of the bell.

TTNW · #21 01-15-2009, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mugglesport

What do you think about the 18 K Custom Session Crash? Can you ride on it much?.

The KC Session Crash is very nice. Definitely get the 18, it is a thin cymbal and smaller versions don't project as well. I call it my ballad crash because it has that K Dark Crash sound, complex, and opens up very easily. Soft or hard hits give you a sweet "boooosh" out of the cymbal with slightly brighter and mildly trashy lingering tones.

If you're a particularly heavy hitter, I would consider a beefier cymbal.

If I play this cymbal without being mic'd, then I have to be in a medium volume situation.

It mixes well with As and A Customs.

Although I have put up my big A Mediums and Medium Thins and kept the KC Session on the far right for that nice sustaining K sound. Like at the end of a softer chorus and the crash keeps going while you start the verse again. Very sweet.

I don't like riding it on that much because it's thinner and builds up to a roar pretty fast. A nice beefy medium or rock crash will ride better.

For $120 you can't go wrong unless you don't really like the sound of it or it doesn't fit with the music you play.

You should snag it.

mugglesport · #22 01-15-2009, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TTNW

The KC Session Crash is very nice. Definitely get the 18, it is a thin cymbal and smaller versions don't project as well. I call it my ballad crash because it has that K Dark Crash sound, complex, and opens up very easily. Soft or hard hits give you a sweet "boooosh" out of the cymbal with slightly brighter and mildly trashy lingering tones.

If you're a particularly heavy hitter, I would consider a beefier cymbal.

If I play this cymbal without being mic'd, then I have to be in a medium volume situation.

It mixes well with As and A Customs.

Although I have put up my big A Mediums and Medium Thins and kept the KC Session on the far right for that nice sustaining K sound. Like at the end of a softer chorus and the crash keeps going while you start the verse again. Very sweet.

I don't like riding it on that much because it's thinner and builds up to a roar pretty fast. A nice beefy medium or rock crash will ride better.

For $120 you can't go wrong unless you don't really like the sound of it or it doesn't fit with the music you play.

You should snag it.

Thanks, I'd mostly be using it for acoustic jazz...so it sounds like it would work really well. I'll have to see if they still have it (this shop keeps their used cymbals in a closet and you have to ask to get in there...its amazing they sell anything).

Drifter in the Dark · #23 01-15-2009, 05:27 PM

Question for TTNW: How did you remove the logos on your cymbals? I think they look really nice without them.

TTNW · #24 01-15-2009, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drifter in the Dark

Question for TTNW: How did you remove the logos on your cymbals? I think they look really nice without them.

I used one of those Mr. Kleen Magic Eraser pads. You can get them at the grocery store. They work best when they are wet.

A WORD OF CAUTION: If you do not want to remove the clear coating that may be on your cymbals then be careful when removing your logos with these pads. The coating will come off. I don't care for the clear coat and I like a patina to develop. If you do this and you still want your cymbals to stay newer looking then you will have to clean and buff more often.

Ainulindale · #25 01-16-2009, 03:29 AM

nice kit, a real class act, great wrap - what do you call the color?
some good posts on the cymbal sounds and such too, some first hand knowledge is always appreciated!
enjoy that incredible kit!

TTNW · #26 01-16-2009, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ainulindale

nice kit, a real class act, great wrap - what do you call the color?

Gretsch calls it white marine nitron. It looks like a white marine pearl but it actually doesn't really have any blueish hue at all more like an antique pearl. The natural finish is my favorite but when I got the kit, they didn't offer that finish yet.

Ainulindale · #27 01-17-2009, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TTNW

Gretsch calls it white marine nitron. It looks like a white marine pearl but it actually doesn't really have any blueish hue at all more like an antique pearl. The natural finish is my favorite but when I got the kit, they didn't offer that finish yet.

be glad they did'nt - the wrap is gorgeous!

eddiehimself · #28 01-17-2009, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TTNW

The snare is a 8 year old Titan hammered bronze. It has die cast hoops and weighs about 16 pounds. I use a coated ambassador on top and a clear ambassador with Puresound snares underneath. I bought it on Ebay a long time ago for $75 bucks.

For a cheap Chinese snare, it sounds amazing. I have been looking to buy another online and can't find one anywhere.

The guys I jam with on a regular basis, say that they like it best out of all my snares. I just got lucky with this one. Some times you buy a cheapy and they stink. This one is great. Go figure.

That's pretty amazing. I for one am always looking for a cheap deal online ;). Also i just noticed you're rockin a pair of vic firth noise isolation headphones, a very good purchase if i do say so myself :p