C&C and or George Way

George Way 100%.

C&C kits replicate the "Player Date" sound perfectly. But that's about it. They have a vintage "low-fi" sound that is great if you like that sort of thing, but they can't do much else IMO. If that sound is all you want, then they're great.

George Way kits are more modern sounding. They have more attack, and especially more resonance. You can still get that vintage sound with the right muffling, but also have the open and resonant sound at your disposal too.

IMHO, George Way kits sound much better and are more versatile.
 
George Way 100%.

C&C kits replicate the "Player Date" sound perfectly. But that's about it. They have a vintage "low-fi" sound that is great if you like that sort of thing, but they can't do much else IMO. If that sound is all you want, then they're great.

George Way kits are more modern sounding. They have more attack, and especially more resonance. You can still get that vintage sound with the right muffling, but also have the open and resonant sound at your disposal too.

IMHO, George Way kits sound much better and are more versatile.
It depends on the line. I have a maple kit and it's as modern sounding as my tama bubingas. Also, their acrylic kits will obviously sound pretty modern too! Geo Way and C&C both make great kits, you won't go wrong either way.

What are you looking for sound-wise?

-Jonathan
 
I guessing the GW 4plys are closer to an Oaklawn era Camco (?) If so, they are a real bargin. I heard the Camcos long ago and really dug them but the vintage market is pricey and I started to loose my patience with vintage gear so GW were always in the radar.

Seems C&C gives their modern take on Ludwig w/ 12th & Vine and Gretsch maple/gum. I think they made a lot companies wake up to reissue their vintage line as there is clearly a market. Thought the PDs were a nice bargain, could buy a bop & rock kit for the price of one.
 
C&C is all USA made, right? And they make their own shells, too?

George Way is made in Asia. Mass produced.

Am I right, or all wet? I'm all wet a lot lol. Don't be shy if I'm all wet - feel free to pour more water on me lol.
 
I have owned/own 4 C&C kits, so I may be able to provide some insights. They absolutely do more than just the vintage thing. Don’t get me wrong, they also do the vintage thing really well, but they have a variety of lines which offer a variety of sounds. I am actually not a huge fan of their Player Date I series, which are the ones most people know and refer to. Their 12th and Vine is sort of like a Ludwig Legacy with more oomph. Their Gladstone and Player Date II drums are definitely very modern sounding.

And yes, C&C drums are all made in the US. And they can do just about any finish you want.


George Way are nice drums as well. I owned a snare from them and it was great. Their customer service is awful. I mean absolutely terrible. I had some questions and issues, so I tried to contact them several times in a variety of ways. I never received a response. Never. Went through a dealer as well. No response. And no custom finishes, if that matters to you.
 
DCP sells GW as Canadian made. The rumor mill has the shells out-sourced given the price and assembled in Canada. What’s the official word?
 
George Way are nice drums as well. I owned a snare from them and it was great. Their customer service is awful. I mean absolutely terrible. I had some questions and issues, so I tried to contact them several times in a variety of ways. I never received a response. Never. Went through a dealer as well. No response. And no custom finishes, if that matters to you.
That's interesting. When I had a question about my George Way snare, Ronn Dunnett called me himself and spoke at length with me about the drum. Obviously, not everyone has that experience!

DCP sells GW as Canadian made. The rumor mill has the shells out-sourced given the price and assembled in Canada. What’s the official word?
Yes, the shells are imported. The drums may be finished in Canada or California, since Bill Detamore of Pork Pie was finishing some of the drums for Ronn Dunnett.
 
That's interesting. When I had a question about my George Way snare, Ronn Dunnett called me himself and spoke at length with me about the drum. Obviously, not everyone has that experience!


Yes, the shells are imported. The drums may be finished in Canada or California, since Bill Detamore of Pork Pie was finishing some of the drums for Ronn Dunnett.

Ha, I had that same experience with C&C. I wanted a custom finish, and Bill, the owner had some questions about what I was looking for. We had a fairly lengthy conversation and I wound up getting exactly what I wanted.

I wish I would have received that same kind of customer service from Ronn. I do like many of the drums he makes.
 
If it were me, I'd go with C&C. They make the drums in midwest USA. And they actually MAKE the shells they don't buy them from somewhere else. They answer phone and talk to you personally so same dudes that are gonna make your drums are dudes you're talking to on phone. George Way is just another made-in -Asia drum business model. Nothing special IMHO. Not any more special than Gretsch Catalina. George Way is just the resurrection of the name.
 
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Like Yamaha, Tama, Pearl?
Sorry but there is no comparison of GW sounds with a Gretsch Catalina.
I think Tama and perhaps Pearl do still make some high-end drums in Japan. But yeah for the most part you are right.

Why is there no comparison? Does the name filter the ear? It says George Way and cost more so it should sound better to justify the cost? I dunno. I never played one. They are very expensive for a Chinese import, but not as expensive as a N&C or Craviotto. They seem to be a pricepoint in the middle of other Asian imports and the higher end N&C or Craviotto.

A much better alternative to the Chinese George Way is a NOS (New Old Stock) Sakae, or else Canopus. High quality made in Japan and at same price point as George Way.
 
Believe me I'm no drum snob, and play mongrel kits. But when I see this attention to detail I think somebody knows a thing or two about drum building

I am not seeing any Catalina drum reviews mention these things. Way has its issues. A member on here (Kamak?) waited a year for his drums, but if I recall he was not disappointed.
One cannot hear the latitude and longitude of where drums are made. Maybe that filters the ear just like names do?
 
Believe me I'm no drum snob, and play mongrel kits. But when I see this attention to detail I think somebody knows a thing or two about drum building

I am not seeing any Catalina drum reviews mention these things. Way has its issues. A member on here (Kamak?) waited a year for his drums, but if I recall he was not disappointed.
One cannot hear the latitude and longitude of where drums are made. Maybe that filters the ear just like names do?
Just wanted to say, there is no way, under any circumstances that I would wait a year for a set of George Way drums. I have played them, and in my opinion, they are nice sounding. Nice, not phenomenal sounding. There are probably 10-20 brands that sound equally as good, if not possibly better. But those companies provide better customer service and their product in a timely manner. If I remember correctly, for example, the member that waited a year was not buying a custom kit or anything like that. Dunnett just didn’t give a sh*t how long the order took to complete. And his communication was almost nonexistent.

Yeah, please explain to me why someone should wait that long for a set of drums that are mass produced (in terms of the Asian plant where they are formed.) And if memory also serves, Dunnett would not respond to the buyer or to the dealer. The dealer was even recommending canceling the order.

No. I don’t care where these drums are made, I don’t care about his attention to detail, etc… His customer service is absolute sh*t. Why spend the money and be potentially forced to deal with the hassle? These drums don’t sound significantly better or different than other drums to justify the potential headache and frustration, in my opinion.
 
I own a beautiful Geo Way walnut snare. It is beautifully made and in particular I love the die cast look to the rims (not actually heavy die cast hoops). Other than that, buy whatever make you happy, I did.

I think you’ll find the Geo Way drums are not “mass produced” in the way that Catalina sets are. He probably runs small batches with a limited number of each of the relatively small finish variations and then doesn’t run another batch for a year. So if you want something that has already sold out you just have to wait for the next run.

So yes, the shells are asian made and are very high quality combined with more expensive wood species. The fit and finish is top notch and the price is reasonable considering the high quality components. YMMV.
 
This thread has a few posts that reference Catalina. Is this an implication that C&C is nothing but a rebadged Catalina? I find it very confusing.
For the record, I wouldn't wait a year for any set of drums. Don't care who makes them.
 
This thread has a few posts that reference Catalina. Is this an implication that C&C is nothing but a rebadged Catalina? I find it very confusing.
For the record, I wouldn't wait a year for any set of drums. Don't care who makes them.

I think the implication is that George Way drums are similar to Catalinas since the shells are made in Asia. C&C makes all of their shells in the US.
 
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