Gretsch Catalina Club still the same?

Mike Stand

Silver Member
Hi folks,

first post in a long while. Got distracted by an unpleasant phase in life...

Anyway, hoping that I'll be able to get back to the important things now:

nuts and bolts, shells and heads, and all things that go crash, boom, bang!

Just wanted to know if the Gretsch Catalina Club is technically the same as 6 or 7 years ago?

I know they now come stock with Remo UT heads instead of Evans G1 :-(
The hardware has evolved slightly esthetically... also round badges instead of square...
But I wanted to know if the rest is still the same, basically the shells?

Would like to get a new set in a White Chocolate finish which is laquer and not a wrap apparently!

thanks for feedback.
 
To the best of my knowledge the line was changed last year with a different shaped bearing edge and a revamp on the colours, sadly I don't think the White Chocolate is still an option although naturally there may be shops with new old stock models to sell :-(

Versus the Catalina Club of 6 or 7 years ago you're right, round badges, round "Gas Cap" Tom Tom bass drum mount and a slimmer, better looking Tom mounting bracket have all made their appearances since then.
 
To the best of my knowledge the line was changed last year with a different shaped bearing...


Different bearing edge? That's serious. Are you sure?

I remember when a freind bought a set of Premier Cabrias when the series was introduced. They were fabulous. A year or two later I got a set as well and... they were no longer fabulous. All the shell specifications had changed.

I don't want to repeat that mistake.
 
Yes, surprisingly I managed to find the video I saw about it at my first attempt!

https://youtu.be/Qqk5gbfkLz4

It's pretty much the first thing he talks about so you don't need to scroll through.
I've got one in Marine Pearl which will be the same spec as a White Chocolate one and I've got no reservations or qualms about my pre-redesigned bearing edges. From the work they've put into it I would imagine that they can only be better or at worst the same as the ones I'm happy with, tbh the only thing that would put me off buying one now are the current colour options but they're a personal thing and one mans meat etc.
 
Yes, surprisingly I managed to find the video I saw about it at my first attempt!

https://youtu.be/Qqk5gbfkLz4

It's pretty much the first thing he talks about so you don't need to scroll through.
I've got one in Marine Pearl which will be the same spec as a White Chocolate one and I've got no reservations or qualms about my pre-redesigned bearing edges. From the work they've put into it I would imagine that they can only be better or at worst the same as the ones I'm happy with, tbh the only thing that would put me off buying one now are the current colour options but they're a personal thing and one mans meat etc.

Thanks for the link dude.

Sounds like they really tried to improve the series.

Ironically, the set I'm considering is probably new old stock so it would have the older bearing edge!

The White Chocolate finish was specific to Europe I think and was launched in 2014. It doesn't seem to be widely available anymore. All the more reason to want this set!
 
It was the White Chocolate version I wanted to buy, I kept looking at pictures of it on the Gretsch site and on the Thomann.de site but didn't know whether or not to push the button on one. Then one of my local shops put one on sale in the White Marine Pearl at a massively discounted price and that prompted me to get it, a decision I haven't regretted.
Tantalisingly there are a couple of orphan drums in White Chocolate still on the Thomann site but not enough to make a full kit :-(
It seems that at least some of the kits on Thomann don't have bass drum mounted Tom post either, that would be another deal breaker for me, I value the consistent easy set up of a memory locked Tom on a bass drum over the extra resonance that comes with an undrilled bass drum and seperatlely mourned Tom Tom.
 
It was the White Chocolate version I wanted to buy, I kept looking at pictures of it on the Gretsch site and on the Thomann.de site but didn't know whether or not to push the button on one. Then one of my local shops put one on sale in the White Marine Pearl at a massively discounted price and that prompted me to get it, a decision I haven't regretted.
Tantalisingly there are a couple of orphan drums in White Chocolate still on the Thomann site but not enough to make a full kit :-(
It seems that at least some of the kits on Thomann don't have bass drum mounted Tom post either, that would be another deal breaker for me, I value the consistent easy set up of a memory locked Tom on a bass drum over the extra resonance that comes with an undrilled bass drum and seperatlely mourned Tom Tom.

There's a store here in France that has the white chocolate set with a drilled 20" bass drum at a discounted price. Trouble is, due to unfortunate circumstances I haven't got any money for a set of new heads, let alone a new drumset, discounted or not. I'm hoping someone will but my current set in the next few weeks. Would be a real shame to miss out on a great sale.
 
It was the White Chocolate version I wanted to buy, I kept looking at pictures of it on the Gretsch site and on the Thomann.de site but didn't know whether or not to push the button on one. Then one of my local shops put one on sale in the White Marine Pearl at a massively discounted price and that prompted me to get it, a decision I haven't regretted.
Tantalisingly there are a couple of orphan drums in White Chocolate still on the Thomann site but not enough to make a full kit :-(
It seems that at least some of the kits on Thomann don't have bass drum mounted Tom post either, that would be another deal breaker for me, I value the consistent easy set up of a memory locked Tom on a bass drum over the extra resonance that comes with an undrilled bass drum and seperatlely mourned Tom Tom.

The Drums are the same but Gretsch is now owned by DW.. that is the only change...
 
I have the same question too. I have just purchased a new Catalina club, the quality or at least the attention to detail is definitely lower than my old kit. Or may be I am just lucky.
 
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