New Gretsch Goody

NouveauCliche

Senior Member
Thanks to some input from peeps on the forum - I pulled the trigger on this Gretsch USA Bronze Snare Drum 14 x 6.5 in. beauty.

Shell
  • Shell material: Bronze
  • Shell construction: Rolled
  • Shell thickness (mm): 1
  • Bearing edge: 45°


First impressions are wonderful.

Aside from being beautiful - the hardware is great - that strainer is super cool (thought I didn't realize it locked and has a button on it to unlock so I was freaking out for a few moments after I engaged the snare)...the lugs look awesome up close - it's made incredibly well. It also came with huge 42 strand snare wires and Gretsch via Remo coated headed with a white dot.

The sound is wild - I've been playing 13"s for the past 5 years or so and my primary gig is hip hop so my snare's are sky high... so if my normal snare sound is a cloud - this snare is certainly a valley.

It's deep - it's dark - it's got the most awesome throaty crack when you lay into it with some rimshots and it's warm! I'd imagine this would work incredibly well tuned a little more medium some killer back beats in a rock setting or tuned down with a big fat snare drum for that folky laid back groove type of sound.

I have it cranked right now and it's a deep, throaty beast that sounds so different from my two primary sets (One with an 18" kick and one with a 16" kick) that I'm probably going to pick up a Brooklyn with a 22" kick and have a "fill the room" kind of set.

Very cool!


EDIT:

Oh and I forgot to mention - the originally told me it would 12 weeks thanks to the pandemic - but they got it to me in 4!
 

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Last edited:
Thanks to some input from peeps on the forum - I pulled the trigger on this Gretsch USA Bronze Snare Drum 14 x 6.5 in. beauty.

Shell
  • Shell material: Bronze
  • Shell construction: Rolled
  • Shell thickness (mm): 1
  • Bearing edge: 45°


First impressions are wonderful.

Aside from being beautiful - the hardware is great - that strainer is super cool (thought I didn't realize it locked and has a button on it to unlock so I was freaking out for a few moments after I engaged the snare)...the lugs look awesome up close - it's made incredibly well. It also came with huge 42 strand snare wires and Gretsch via Remo coated headed with a white dot.

The sound is wild - I've been playing 13"s for the past 5 years or so and my primary gig is hip hop so my snare's are sky high... so if my normal snare sound is a cloud - this snare is certainly a valley.

It's deep - it's dark - it's got the most awesome throaty crack when you lay into it with some rimshots and it's warm! I'd imagine this would work incredibly well tuned a little more medium some killer back beats in a rock setting or tuned down with a big fat snare drum for that folky laid back groove type of sound.

I have it cranked right now and it's a deep, throaty beast that sounds so different from my two primary sets (One with an 18" kick and one with a 16" kick) that I'm probably going to pick up a Brooklyn with a 22" kick and have a "fill the room" kind of set.

Very cool!

Congrats. She's beautiful. Eventually, I'm going to pull the trigger on a Solid Steel Snare from Gretsch
 
Congrats. She's beautiful. Eventually, I'm going to pull the trigger on a Solid Steel Snare from Gretsch

You totally should! I always heard mixed things about Gretsch snares - but this is a beasttttt.
 
Beautiful drum. Too deep for my taste (you know I'm a 5"/5.5" guy), but I'm glad to hear you're pleased with the "valley" effect.

I've never owned a bronze snare -- only wood and aluminum. I just sold my aluminum, so now I'm down to wood.
 
Thanks to some input from peeps on the forum - I pulled the trigger on this Gretsch USA Bronze Snare Drum 14 x 6.5 in. beauty.

Shell
  • Shell material: Bronze
  • Shell construction: Rolled
  • Shell thickness (mm): 1
  • Bearing edge: 45°


First impressions are wonderful.

Aside from being beautiful - the hardware is great - that strainer is super cool (thought I didn't realize it locked and has a button on it to unlock so I was freaking out for a few moments after I engaged the snare)...the lugs look awesome up close - it's made incredibly well. It also came with huge 42 strand snare wires and Gretsch via Remo coated headed with a white dot.

The sound is wild - I've been playing 13"s for the past 5 years or so and my primary gig is hip hop so my snare's are sky high... so if my normal snare sound is a cloud - this snare is certainly a valley.

It's deep - it's dark - it's got the most awesome throaty crack when you lay into it with some rimshots and it's warm! I'd imagine this would work incredibly well tuned a little more medium some killer back beats in a rock setting or tuned down with a big fat snare drum for that folky laid back groove type of sound.

I have it cranked right now and it's a deep, throaty beast that sounds so different from my two primary sets (One with an 18" kick and one with a 16" kick) that I'm probably going to pick up a Brooklyn with a 22" kick and have a "fill the room" kind of set.

Very cool!


EDIT:

Oh and I forgot to mention - the originally told me it would 12 weeks thanks to the pandemic - but they got it to me in 4!
Good luck enjoy, lifes too short !
 
I agree about getting a 22” bass drum. If your gonna be laying into the snare, why not get some nice low end to go with it. I’d recommend a 14” depth bass drum. I have a Gretsch U.S.A. in that depth and it generates a massive low end while being responsive at all volumes.
 
Is it a very heavy drum ??

Not really - the phosphor bronze snare is the heaviest they make - but this is the regular bronze snare. It's not unusually heavy for a metal drum - it feels a little heavier than the similiar sized hammmer black beauty I used to own - but the weight really isn't really what I notice first.


I agree about getting a 22” bass drum. If your gonna be laying into the snare, why not get some nice low end to go with it. I’d recommend a 14” depth bass drum. I have a Gretsch U.S.A. in that depth and it generates a massive low end while being responsive at all volumes.

Yea - it sits in a sonic frequency that is so rich and deep that my kicks are really bizarre feeling in combination....I just noticed that I don't own a 22" haha so I made a case to the boss (my wife) about a new kit with some bigger sizes and surprisingly...got a green light haha.

That snare should be banned.
No sexual content allowed!
?

I guess I'm just an exhibitionist haha.
 
Not really - the phosphor bronze snare is the heaviest they make - but this is the regular bronze snare. It's not unusually heavy for a metal drum - it feels a little heavier than the similiar sized hammmer black beauty I used to own - but the weight really isn't really what I notice first.




Yea - it sits in a sonic frequency that is so rich and deep that my kicks are really bizarre feeling in combination....I just noticed that I don't own a 22" haha so I made a case to the boss (my wife) about a new kit with some bigger sizes and surprisingly...got a green light haha.



I guess I'm just an exhibitionist haha.
thks
 
Beautiful. Although looking at my ruler on the metric side, I can't believe it's only 1mm thick. The blue line at the top of this box is 1mm. I would be so afraid of denting something that thin. Anyway, enjoy.
 
Congrats! I love everything about mine, except the original 42 strand wires. Snare bed doesn’t seem to accommodate that set of wires near as nicely as on its aluminum or wood cousins. 30s and lower will just kiss the head and sound great, but had to crank down the 42s too much and the snare would lose body. It was an easy fix.

If you think it sounds like a beast with a doted head, try with regular Ambassador and maybe a strategically placed moongel. Even Remos Power Stroke Series allowed more of the beast out, but I just like being able to control my dampening as needed. Then again...if you love it as is.....
 
Beautiful. Although looking at my ruler on the metric side, I can't believe it's only 1mm thick. The blue line at the top of this box is 1mm. I would be so afraid of denting something that thin. Anyway, enjoy.
You’d be surprised how strong it is, even with both hoops removed.
 
Beautiful. Although looking at my ruler on the metric side, I can't believe it's only 1mm thick. The blue line at the top of this box is 1mm. I would be so afraid of denting something that thin. Anyway, enjoy.
Thicker than the body panels on most cars nowadays. The curved shape is strong too. As long as no-one reverses into it, you'll be fine. ?
 
Congrats! I love everything about mine, except the original 42 strand wires. Snare bed doesn’t seem to accommodate that set of wires near as nicely as on its aluminum or wood cousins. 30s and lower will just kiss the head and sound great, but had to crank down the 42s too much and the snare would lose body. It was an easy fix.

If you think it sounds like a beast with a doted head, try with regular Ambassador and maybe a strategically placed moongel. Even Remos Power Stroke Series allowed more of the beast out, but I just like being able to control my dampening as needed. Then again...if you love it as is.....

I've never had 42 strand wires - I'm not sure that's my thing.

A friend of mine suggested the Canopus Vintage Snare wires - which is actually way different - it's a 16 strand wire with a core thickness 0.5 mm, a spiral diameter of 1.35mm and a pitch of 3.4 mm. Apparently it was designed after some vintage Slingerland snares.

I'll definitely change the heads and try a couple of snare wires out - I'm an evans guys so I'll probably try an ST Dry - a UV 1 and maybe a plain coated G1. I think one of each of those laying around.

Hey man - I'm glad you popped in here. I found a thread on a smiliar snare purchase and I think I might be chasing your tails a bit - do you have a brooklyn?

What are your thoughts on that kit - I was looking at my next drum purchase and I need a bigger kit so the Brooklyn's are on my radar. Honestly so is the Renown because I had one of those a few years ago and it was an awesome kit - but it was a blue '57 and I burnt out on that color fast and ended up selling to a collector for more than I paid for it haha.
 
I'll definitely change the heads and try a couple of snare wires out - I'm an evans guys so I'll probably try an ST Dry - a UV 1 and maybe a plain coated G1. I think one of each of those laying around.

I'm not sure why Gretsch seems to love putting 42-strand wires on a lot of their snares but that sound isn't for me either.

In my experiences with bronze shell snares, I've found when it comes to heads that the less complicated the head the better the drum sounds. I do like reverse-dot heads but my go-to for bronze is a plain single-ply coated head. Extra plies and muffling whatnots just seem to take a lot of the bronze character out of the drum sound.
 
I've never had 42 strand wires - I'm not sure that's my thing.

A friend of mine suggested the Canopus Vintage Snare wires - which is actually way different - it's a 16 strand wire with a core thickness 0.5 mm, a spiral diameter of 1.35mm and a pitch of 3.4 mm. Apparently it was designed after some vintage Slingerland snares.

I'll definitely change the heads and try a couple of snare wires out - I'm an evans guys so I'll probably try an ST Dry - a UV 1 and maybe a plain coated G1. I think one of each of those laying around.

Hey man - I'm glad you popped in here. I found a thread on a smiliar snare purchase and I think I might be chasing your tails a bit - do you have a brooklyn?

What are your thoughts on that kit - I was looking at my next drum purchase and I need a bigger kit so the Brooklyn's are on my radar. Honestly so is the Renown because I had one of those a few years ago and it was an awesome kit - but it was a blue '57 and I burnt out on that color fast and ended up selling to a collector for more than I paid for it haha.
I think the shell on that snare just begs to be heard laud and clear, so lower count wires and less restrictive head will make you like it more.

I love my Brooklyns. They are a bit out of the norm. With 14x22 BD, but with 8x12 rack, 12x14 and 14x16 FTs. A mix of modern and vintage sizes, with red glass wrap, which is from the USA Custom color pallet. I dig em. To me it’s the perfect balance of sizes, taking the best of both worlds. Kick is a monster, even at that size. Even at the FT depths, their sustain is 12 and 15 seconds respectively.

I prefer to have too much sustain and control with dampening than not enough, so the set is just perfect for me. Can’t see going wrong with the Brooklyn or Renown. Just more options on the Brooklyn side, since you can special order just about anything you’d want.
 
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