You will not be disappointed with that deal, as long as they aren't beat up. They are heavy though as was said. My 14 inch floor tom weighed more that my 16 Catalina Maple. Buy them. don't let the mixed maple deter you.
Just to be clear, the mixed maple applies to RN1 and RN2 Renowns. The kit in question precedes those (the ones pictured are the black square badge version), which to my understanding are 100% North American maple.You will not be disappointed with that deal, as long as they aren't beat up. They are heavy though as was said. My 14 inch floor tom weighed more that my 16 Catalina Maple. Buy them. don't let the mixed maple deter you.
agreed, why do they put 5 lugs instead of 6You're looking for negs. The rack toms only have 5 lugs a side. I prefer 6. That was the only dealbreaker for me.
It doesn't bother most people but it bothers me.
Historyagreed, why do they put 5 lugs instead of 6
Mine as well, and absolutely no issue tuning, or staying tuned.Funny enough, my 10" and 12" both have 5 lugs and they're literally the best-sounding rack toms I've every played. Incredible tone and resonance, and I think that's due in large part to 1 less lug.
I can totally understand it being a dealbreaker for you though. On paper it doesn't seem like it would work, but for Gretsch it 100% works, and I believe is what makes their toms sing so well.
I have owned 2 renown kits. I had the original renowns with the stop sign badge, die cast hoops and RIMS mounts. I never really fell in love with that kit. The snare and kick were great but the toms just didn’t do it for me. Very narrow tuning range and just sounded thin to my ears. I ended up selling it and getting one of the newer RN2 renowns with the 302 hoops different mounting hardware. And when I tell you the difference is night and day..... these drums are some of the best sounding drums I have ever played. Super versatile. I couldn’t be happier with them. I honestly prefer these drums to the more expensive USA customs or Brooklyns. The only slight quarrel I have with them is the ball/socket style Tom holder. You have to really crank them down to keep them in place. Otherwise, I wouldn’t hesitate one bit to get a set of RN2s. FWIW, the vast majority of other people would probably disagree with me on the older renowns. People love those drums. They just weren’t for me.I have an opportunity to pick up what appears to be a very nice used 13-16-24 Renown kit for a great price. I’ve read just about all of the posts and threads on the Renowns; I’ve yet to see negative feedback on these drums. So, if some of you could weigh in for me; any negatives with these drums? Known quality issues? How is the shell hardware? I’ve admired these drums for some time, having played a few kits in stores. I do not know anyone personally that has a kit, so any additional feedback that anyone could provide would be helpful.
I'm not surprised to hear this at all. I have the newer RN2s and they're the best sounding drums I've ever played. Mike at Gretsch calls them the best sounding Renowns they've ever done. I don't doubt it for a second.I have owned 2 renown kits. I had the original renowns with the stop sign badge, die cast hoops and RIMS mounts. I never really fell in love with that kit. The snare and kick were great but the toms just didn’t do it for me. Very narrow tuning range and just sounded thin to my ears. I ended up selling it and getting one of the newer RN2 renowns with the 302 hoops different mounting hardware. And when I tell you the difference is night and day..... these drums are some of the best sounding drums I have ever played. Super versatile. I couldn’t be happier with them. I honestly prefer these drums to the more expensive USA customs or Brooklyns. The only slight quarrel I have with them is the ball/socket style Tom holder. You have to really crank them down to keep them in place. Otherwise, I wouldn’t hesitate one bit to get a set of RN2s. FWIW, the vast majority of other people would probably disagree with me on the older renowns. People love those drums. They just weren’t for me.
Which set did you go with? The Renowns are hard to beat!This is my first time playing Gretsch Renown's. I just got them from Sweetwater and am very happy with their build quality and sound. I tried out the Brooklyn's before buying the Renown's but I couldn't justify the difference in price and I didn't feel they sounded as good as the Renown's. I have a 53-year-old set of Premier drums that I bought in 1968 and a set of Roland electronic drums that are both nice to play but the Renown's really have a great sound and are truly enjoyable to play. I especially like the 22" X 18" bass drum. It has a very full round sound compared to other "thudy" sounding bass drums. In my opinion you made the right choice in sticking with the Renown's.
I’m playing a DW performance series set. I’ve owned a couple of Gretsch sets. The most recent being a vintage set which I sold because the hardware wasn’t holding up to my ham fisted playing. Amazing sounding set though! I’ll probably get a modern Gretsch set in the future.I went with the RN2-E8246 four-piece shell pack in Silver Oyster Pearl. I use the Mike Johnston Brooklyn Standard snare with the set. The Brooklyn Standard is a great sounding snare. This is my first wood shell snare. I have always played metal shells either steel or aluminum. The Renowns are a great sounding drum and I'm convinced the 30-degree bearing edges have a lot to do with it. I am unable to play them for the next couple of weeks as I just had surgery on my left hand. What kit do you play?