Tony Williams On Trio Of Doom

[wcx08]

For those who have heard the album Trio Of Doom by the artist of the same name, featuring a powerhouse with Tony Williams on drums, John McLaughlin on guitar, and Jaco Pastorius on bass, I have a question to ask concerning the opening track, Drum Improvisation. How did Tony get such amazing tones from his drums? If I'm not mistaken, he was playing that yellow Gretsch of his. I also believe he was using Remo Controlled Sound heads. Don't know if it was only on the batter or both the batter and the resonant. Does anyone know what line of Gretsch he's playing on this record? Why do we rarely hear drum sets that sound like this anymore? Of course his toms are tuned to specific notes, but it sounds so great.