Gretsch vs Ludwig....Feel?

TheLowerTownSound

TheLowerTownSound

Active Member
So there's a working drummer that posts videos to Youtube/Instagram that i really like. Nothing flashy, no high production/hi res shenanigans, just excellent playing of classic rock/motown stuff that is great for me to learn from. Long story short, he was typically playing a vintage Ludwig kit, and got himself a sweet vintage Gretsch kit. Possibly because he plays in an excellent Stones cover band and had to channel his Charle. I have 2 Gretsch kits and have never been able to sit down and play a Ludwig kit, so my comment was to the effect of "if you could only keep one or the other to cover all your musical bases, which one?". I'm the annoying guy that asks this of everyone because most of my favorite drummers seem to play Ludwigs. And I'm paraphrasing him, but his response was the Ludwig, but it was how they felt vs the sound. He was the first drummer that's responded with feel vs. sound.

All this is completely subjective, I know. But can anyone chime in or add to that?
All tuning and head and ply variables to the side, does anyone 'feel' anything different if they sat down behind a classic Ludwig or Gretsch?
 
Right away I think it’s vibes, and pretty much only vibes. There’s a look, and mental associations with famous players. Maybe the Ludwig kit at hand is in bigger rock sizes, the Gretsch at hand is in smaller jazz sizes. Maybe the Ludwig got set up with silver dot clear heads tuned low, and the Gretsch with coated heads tuned high. I guess the Gretsch might have diecasts, the Ludwig might have rerings; the kits might have different hardware with more or less flex. But overall it’s all in our heads.
 
Been awhile since I've had a Ludwig set but it was my 1st set.
I've had and now have some wood Ludwig snares.
In 1970 I do recall when I had the (1962/3) Ludwig set it was sensitive to tuning. Like real sensitive. Like pain in the butt sensitive.

Gretsch wood to wood (not talking about metal and brass snare) talking wood to wood is a heavier drum that tuning lasts season from season from season out the other season year after year after year from winter temps to summer heat They don't change. So once you set you're set. You don't have to fiddle with a key.

Someone said here the other day Gretsch had "too much attack" for him. That's a good description. They are tight and hard even when they are not tensioned tight and hard. They just bounce back quick. They invite it. And they never over-emphasize the hit. They give back exactly; It's just what you wanted to achieve like they're "on your side"..always. They don't give that long note- like- "where's it going?".. they're very direct.

Punctual. (which means what? On-time.. on precise time. So you can "go sloppy" or "go animal" on them and they say back "I just translated that perfectly precisely for you would you like to try that again?"

If you're that kinda guy or gal they're your drum.
I love em like a Brother : )

And they never (short of an earthquake) budge (rods don't back out/ they don't sound different on a Thursday from a Tuesday nor from season temp change to season change)

Ludwig (3 ply with rings and their hoops) is a lighter drum in feel, sound and very possibly actual weight.

Gretsch are like a Stradivarius. Ludwig set maybe like a Telecaster.
It's serious.

Part II

Gretsch snares are similar story. The Brass is (the old standard 4160) what's it called- that gal at the dance no asks to dance?- wallflower? But once you're in it. It's heavy. Again with that unbudgable - rely-on-it- every-moment of every day- quality.

That solidity and reliability year in year out is the Gretsch instrument.
And it was on more hit records (60s on up) than is known but you can hear it when you're an owner (since 1975 here.
Flame on I'm impervious here
I have a 2005 set and two 66's.. 2 brass and a wood, snares.
I know them like the back of my hand and they're as reliable- sonically- short controlled expressive- and musical as the sun sets in the east
from build quality, materials and design.

Let me tell you about an old wives tale. Old RB drums being oversized. First of all it was the Heads that changed not Gretsch. Heads changed to a 'wider channel' ( see what Classic Fit are about ( a narrower channel) But here's the kicker.

One 20" original bass drum I own from the Red Pearl set. Modern heads barely go on. But I don't change them looking for a "fit"..
It still tensions/pitch up and down when you tighten/loosen the T- rods. The heads go on half way by hand then the (non-original) hoops I use take the head ohh about 7/8ths of the way there... here's the kicker- It is the most best deepest reliable bass drum 20 on this planet Sounds like Bonham. A 20. With tight fitting sorta loose heads (tension 55r/65b Ttw). Don't pass one up ever over that
(pro G tip : ) It's a bass drum that can carry a band's bottom end even without a bass player and has..
that's a $75-125 bucks savings right there 😁
 
Last edited:
You’ll get a lot of discussion on this. I’ve owned a 1970s USA Custom and a Ludwig Classic Maple. The Gretsch were thinner with die cast hoops and the Ludwigs were thicker 6-ply maple with regular hoops. But with drumheads, I can make them feel identical. So it’s really what you like better.
 
"Feel? It's a Lifestyle".
 
Bo is right that you will get lots of opinions on this. Personally, I can only speak from my experience. I have two vintage Ludwig sets, and both have a raw quality that's different from the Slingerland, Rogers and DW sets I also have, all of which sound more "woody." Having owned a set of 6-ply '60s Gretsch drums year ago, I'd saw they possessed some of the same raw qualities I have with the Ludwigs. Of course, "raw" is subjective.

I sold the Gretsches a long time ago, and never had a desire to get another Gretsch set. They generally don't appeal to me, but that's just my opinion. I bought a Gretsch set because I'd heard so many good things. I should have tried them out before buying.

So, if I were you, I'd check out a Ludwig set and decide for yourself. Your opinion is the only one that matters.
 
Last edited:
They say rim choices can change the stick feel?

I am not sure if I have felt it myself but I definitely know some snares are weird to play on if they're tuned up too tight or in a smaller size for example, I can remember a few times in my life performing on a house kit and just not being able to play as well. Different drums sound best at different tensions and tension changes the feel so maybe that's what he's feeling.

The other thing is presence I guess, when you watch videos on youtube comparing kits or listening to studio recordings there is a lot that the microphone is missing in terms of how the kit sounds and projects from the throne. You could be fooled into thinking a beginner kit can sound as good as a high end kit, and there are some flukes/freak occurances out there but everyone on this forum knows that you do get what you pay for (ignoring the point of diminishing returns and all that).
 
If we're splitting hairs, Gretsch and Ludwigs can feel different because the response time of the initial attack is different.

Gretsch drums have a more direct and immediate attack. Ludwigs have a slightly slower, more rounded attack. I'm talking about at a microscopic level here, with a difference being a few milliseconds. Neither is better or worse than the other, it's all about preference of course.

If you were to zoom in on the attack, the transients would look something like this. (at least this is how I see it in my own head)

2YO2sc7.png


The difference is very subtle, but I think it contributes to how each kit feels.

Perhaps a good example of this difference is when you play toms with Coated Ambassadors vs toms with Pinstripes. Ambassadors are more immediate, and Pinstripes are slightly more rounded and take a few more milliseconds to fully respond.

Again, the difference is very small, and you may not hear it so much as feel it. Does that make sense?
 
Last edited:
the Gretsch should be drier
Focused is another word usually associated with.
Also:

"tight as a bee's bottom on a hot summer night in Detroit"

"Tight as two knees in a prop Cessna at 11.000ft."
 
Last edited:
I have both Ludwig (Classic Maple ) and Gretsch (USA Custom) modern drum kits . I like both of them. They are in different configurations so they don’t offer any redundancy . I gig with either and take out whichever fits the situation. If I had to pick which I liked better about each it would be Gretsch for the sound for sure .
 
I used to play in an alt rock band as a 2nd gig to my working project about 10 years ago. They had a Gretsch kit they had for me so i didn't have lug my kit around for 2 bands. I can definitely back up the idea that the kit can feel different depending on your playing style and setup. The weight of the kit, the materials used like heads or rings, the depths and sizes can all have a drastic affect on the feel, resonance and sound of the kit itself. Now it shouldnt affect your playing but it's incredible the difference in feel kits can have. I personally have loved playing on some crappy local drumkits through the years also, after a quick tune and a little maintenance and suddenly it can feel great to play.
 
I've played quite a few Gretsch of different eras, also Ludwig.
The classic Gretsch kind of sound throaty, the classic Ludwig sound fat and low endy. Maybe that influences how you feel about them. I want to play busier, more hands on the Grestch, I want to play rockier, bass drum rooted on the Ludwig's. People seem to tune up Gretsch and tune down Ludwig, which impacts the feel. I don't like Grestch tuned low anything like as much as Ludwig tuned low.
Both kit types usually sound lovely. So no criticism made or implied.
 
Duck Tape said:
They say rim choices can change the stick feel?

I am not sure if I have felt it myself but I definitely know some snares are weird to play on if they're tuned up too tight or in a smaller size for example, I can remember a few times in my life performing on a house kit and just not being able to play as well. Different drums sound best at different tensions and tension changes the feel so maybe that's what he's feeling.

The other thing is presence I guess, when you watch videos on youtube comparing kits or listening to studio recordings there is a lot that the microphone is missing in terms of how the kit sounds and projects from the throne. You could be fooled into thinking a beginner kit can sound as good as a high end kit, and there are some flukes/freak occurances out there but everyone on this forum knows that you do get what you pay for (ignoring the point of diminishing returns and all that).
Click to expand...

I get the weird to play thing on some snares I play when at a jam or sitting in and using someone else's snare. For me, it's because I dig a certain sound/ feel combo. Which means I don't tune any two snares the same I don't have a rule because the snares are different and require different tunings. Also I may use different heads along with the different tunings to dial in my mojo. Maybe I need to tighten reso more on one snare. Looser snares on another. Tighter batter on one. Looser on another. Coated Amb batter on one. Aquarian on another. The variable is the snare and the tunings. What stays static is my sound/ feel.
 
I've owned two CM kits, and I've only played on Gretsch Renown kits, but I think I've played enough to give a pretty fair assessment of the two. First, both kits are stellar! The CM kits feel a little "looser" and the Renowns feel a little "tighter," but this may be due to the diecast hoops on the Renowns I played. I also played a new set of Renowns with the triple-flanged, and it felt a little looser than the kit with the diecast.

This is the best I can do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top