Craviotto Worth The Money?

I think drum sets (at least kicks and toms, snares are another story) top out in sound at somewhere in the $1200-$1500 range for a 5 piece shell pack price. Anything higher than that, and you are paying for either hardware quality, finish, coolness, prestige, and so on.
Depends, & not necessarily the case. For sure, the principal of diminishing returns applies, as it does to just about anything we ever buy.
 
I have a Craviotto Unlimited snare...14.55 I believe. That's not the top of the line, but it is pretty spendy. It surely sounds very nice and has a deeper voice than the other 14.55 snares I own. The quality is wonderful and it came with a very nice gig bag.

Expensive to be sure, but in my opinion it was worth it and I would not part with it.
 
Hmmm. 3 years old thread. Mark (the OP) is 18, now. Says his profile. So he was 15, when he started this thread. Does he own a Craviotto? Don't know. Hasn't been on the site since May.​
 
Do you have all the cymbals you want? If not, I would spend less than on the Craviotto's and
use the rest to get great cymbals.
 
I thought I remembered this thread but I guess not, so I'll chime in here.

I have a buddy with a Craviatto endorsement. He has a small kit tuned up on the high side as it fits the kind of music he plays. I've played them and they don't jump out at me any more than a vintage Ludwig kit he has that is tuned similarly. But they give him a feel that inspires him and that's what matters. Together with some killer hardware from another endorsement he has a really reliable touring kit. And he says that it gets consistent sound from clubs to outdoor festivals which is a real plus in his world.

Another fellow I know has a Craviatto snare that just slays me. He has it tuned low and it's not terribly loud, but is the most expressive and workable snare I've ever played. He often just plays with a kick, snare, hat and one 18" cymbal. But he can get so much out of that you don't miss it. Even a player as mediocre as I am doesn't get bored playing that kit.

As folks said, it depends on if they have a sound or give you a feeling playing them that makes you want to play.
 
I would say "No", don't buy a CRAVIOTTO kit, the main reason is you'll be depressed.

If a situation arises where you have to play a different kit the sound is going to be a let down. Depression will set in when you realize nothing sounds like the CRAV's.

That's why I don't have a CRAVIOTTO kit, I like the sound of my other kits, a set of CRAV's would change all that.
 
Bo, if you sound the same on any kit that is because you have a 'voice,' which is a great thing. That is the thing musicians strive for, is it not?

I have heard various clips of Craviotto drums and wondered why they are considered such an elite instrument. Inlays are nice, the craftsmanship and all. Steam bent is fine, and I don't know what exact time frames are involved in making them, but unless someone wants such a high priced instrument for particular reasons, someone is better off saving money to buy cymbals with or something.
 
Hearing a kit in a video clip is not a very accurate way to determine the quality of the drum sound. A lot of variables going on and while it may give an indication of how the kit will sound I would actually hear the kit live or play one before making a determination on whether to purchase. If you are going to drop the serious bucks on a kit do the research.

Spending a large sum of money on anything comes down to value. A fancy sports car will get you from point A to point B but the experience of the acceleration and handling may provide more value to you than someone else. Same goes with the Craviotto kit. The only person who can truly answer your question is you.

I think you can get a fine kit at half the price but if you fall in love with the Craviotto kit and have the money then go for it. Most people who throw stones at the Craviotto purchase are those who can't afford them anyway.
 
FYI - Gretsch uses gum and maple plies in their USA Custom kits, no poplar.
Not according to their web site.....​
"Gretsch USA formula 6-ply maple shell is the cornerstone of "That Great Gretsch SoundTM." All shells are straight-sided, with hand cut and hand sanded 30-degree bearing edges and Gretsch Silver Sealer interior."​
And in the Brooklyn .....​
"Brooklyn shells are Gretsch formula 6-ply maple/poplar shell. All shells are straight-sided with 30-degree bearing edges and Gretsch Silver Sealer interiors."​
 
Harry,
If you read Rob Cook's excellent book about the Gretsch drum company you will see that USA Custom drums are made from gum and maple plies. Thus the reasoning behind the terminology Formula maple shells. They have been using maple and gum ply shells for decades.

The Brooklyn series do have maple/poplar plies I agree. They sound very nice but don't have the classic Maple/Gum ply with diecast hoop sound.
 
Harry,
If you read Rob Cook's excellent book about the Gretsch drum company you will see that USA Custom drums are made from gum and maple plies. Thus the reasoning behind the terminology Formula maple shells. They have been using maple and gum ply shells for decades.

The Brooklyn series do have maple/poplar plies I agree. They sound very nice but don't have the classic Maple/Gum ply with diecast hoop sound.

Brooklyn series is also still a high end kit. The point is poplar isn't a bad wood just because its used in cheap shells.
 
I would say "No", don't buy a CRAVIOTTO kit, the main reason is you'll be depressed.

If a situation arises where you have to play a different kit the sound is going to be a let down. Depression will set in when you realize nothing sounds like the CRAV's.

That's why I don't have a CRAVIOTTO kit, I like the sound of my other kits, a set of CRAV's would change all that.

So true. I use the same reasoning for driving a crappy car instead of the Porsche. And it would really suck on those days I take the bus :(
 
Harry,
If you read Rob Cook's excellent book about the Gretsch drum company you will see that USA Custom drums are made from gum and maple plies. Thus the reasoning behind the terminology Formula maple shells. They have been using maple and gum ply shells for decades.
Sorry, I'm still having my doubts. I talked to a Gretsch rep at Pro Drum ..... and another at the NAMM show .... and neither would commit to saying the USA shell was maple/gum. Seems like that wouldn't be too much to ask of them. Gretsch also uses the word "formula" when describing the Catalina shell.​
This, from the Gretsch web site.​
"The new Catalina Maple series starts with the Gretsch maple formula shell. We carefully developed the maple shell specification to produce tones that explode with attack and volume and project a balanced amount of warm, low-end frequencies. All Catalina Maple shells are 7-ply ....."​
Now, seems to me like the term "formula" is being thrown around a little too loosely, to be definitive.​
Then there's articles like this......​
"While there are similarities between the new Brooklyn series and Gretsch’s flagship USA Custom line, there are important differences, too. Instead of the USA Custom’s 100 percent maple shell, the Brooklyn drums have a 6-ply maple/poplar hybrid shell that’s designed to be punchy yet warm. The tom and snare shells are 0.22" thick and the bass drum shells are 0.31" thick. Both lines have Gretsch’s classic 30 degree bearing edges and Sliver Sealer applied to the shell interiors and come with “straight” shells (sans reinforcement rings)."​
Not that it matters, much. I own a Round Badge kit. No need to buy a new kit.​
 

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Sorry, I'm still having my doubts. I talked to a Gretsch rep at Pro Drum ..... and another at the NAMM show .... and neither would commit to saying the USA shell was maple/gum. Seems like that wouldn't be too much to ask of them. Gretsch also uses the word "formula" when describing the Catalina shell.​
This, from the Gretsch web site.​
"The new Catalina Maple series starts with the Gretsch maple formula shell. We carefully developed the maple shell specification to produce tones that explode with attack and volume and project a balanced amount of warm, low-end frequencies. All Catalina Maple shells are 7-ply ....."​
Now, seems to me like the term "formula" is being thrown around a little too loosely, to be definitive.​
Then there's articles like this......​
"While there are similarities between the new Brooklyn series and Gretsch’s flagship USA Custom line, there are important differences, too. Instead of the USA Custom’s 100 percent maple shell, the Brooklyn drums have a 6-ply maple/poplar hybrid shell that’s designed to be punchy yet warm. The tom and snare shells are 0.22" thick and the bass drum shells are 0.31" thick. Both lines have Gretsch’s classic 30 degree bearing edges and Sliver Sealer applied to the shell interiors and come with “straight” shells (sans reinforcement rings)."​
Not that it matters, much. I own a Round Badge kit. No need to buy a new kit.​


Harry,
I have owned 6 Gretsch USA Custom kits, each one had maple and sugar gum plies. Go to the vintage drum forum and ask if the shells are 100% maple and they will tell you what I am telling you. Rhythm Magazine did an article for Gretsch's 130 Anniversary and Paul Cooper Gretsch Production Manager is quoted as saying that Keller is still "using the same gum maple ply lay up that Gretsch has always used". Do I need to offer up more proof the shells are not 100% maple ? Legally Gretsch can use the term all maple shells if more than 50% of the plies are maple. Now if they advertised 100% maple all the plies would have to be maple. Note they always use the term formula or recipe when they describe their USA Custom shells.

I attached a picture of my current Gretsch kit below.
 

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Brooklyn series is also still a high end kit. The point is poplar isn't a bad wood just because its used in cheap shells.


Kyle,
i agree with you about Poplar plies in shells. I have a Ludwig Legacy Classic ,this is Ludwig's flagship line and the shells are maple/poplar/maple with maple reinforcing rings. The Classic Ludwig drums from their heyday all had poplar plies in addition to mahogany or maple plies. The Classic Maples circa 1995 were the first shells Ludwig made that were 100% maple plies.

Craviotto has also introduced a solid Poplar shell kit now. There is a youtube video on this from Steve Maxwell's site and they sound really good.
 
The only all maple Gretsch are the New Classics and the previous series Renowns. The Catalinas used to be Asian maple but they've been playing with various other woods under the Catalina name. And they've played around with the Renowns which used to be the same shells as the New Classics only assembled with standard hardware offshore.

Since the square/stopsign badge era, standard Gretsch shells (now called USA Customs, but they used to be the only ones they made) have been a maple and gumwood layup. First made by Jasper and currently by Keller. Gumwood is actually harder than maple and the stiffer shell is partly responsible for why they sound different. Similar to more recent uses of harder woods such as Bubinga.

Something I was told recently is that the Craviatto shells are not one piece as with the Vaughcraft or old steambent shells. They are two pieces. The inlay around the middle hides the seam between the top and bottom halves. This makes the drums more stable than if they were a single piece of wood.
 
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