Yamaha RC or Ludwig Classic Maple

A

Anders1

Junior Member
I currently own a Gretsch Broadkaster kit (12, 16, 20) and I'm not totally into the round-over bearing-edges. I also have a hard time making them sing when I tune them up a little. Especially the 5 lug 12x8 tom. Tuned low they sound great though.

Now I'm looking for a kit in Downbeat-sizes (12, 14, 20) that are warm sounding but versatile enough to sound good in both high and low tuning. I mostly play in acoustic jazz/bigband/soul-settings (no big venues ). I used to own a Ludwig Classic Maple (13, 16, 22), but that was way too much boom for me. I also owned a Yamaha Maple Custom Nouveau. With those I also had a problem with too much resonance, especially the floortom had resonance like a timpani.

I'm seeking advice!
Would you go for the Yamaha Recording Customs or could Ludwig Classic Maple in Downbeat-sizes be the thing for me? Other suggestions!? Gretsch USA Custom maybe!?

I would be thankful for thoughts and advice!
 
curious on a Broadkaster set @Anders1
does bass drum have same edge as toms. or different.
thxs
also (and probably hard to tell) Is bass drum thicker (made up of thicker plies) than toms.
 
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Ludwig ......

Yamaha RC .......

Gretsch USA ......
 
The first thing I suggest to anyone who is dissatisfied with the sound of their drum kit is to get a handle on tuning.

I'm making an assumption that you tune by ear. My recommendation: grab a tune-bot or (somewhat less effective) smartphone app and go over your kit with it. It could save you thousands and deliver the kind of sound and performance you never thought possible from your current set.
 
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I'm a bit of a Ludwig fanboy, but I honestly believe that Classic Maples are the most versatile drums I've ever played. They sound great in the high bebop range or in the lowest of low tunings, and everything in-between. While I think Yamaha make beautiful drums, I've always found the toms to lack that mid-range punch that Ludwig drums are so good at producing.
 
yammyfan said:
It could save you thousands and deliver the kind of sound and performance you never thought possible from your current set.
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Anders1 said:
I currently own a Gretsch Broadkaster kit (12, 16, 20) and I'm not totally into the round-over bearing-edges. I also have a hard time making them sing when I tune them up a little. Especially the 5 lug 12x8 tom. Tuned low they sound great though.
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Broadkaster discussion/review starts @ 4:11. And he critiques the same "problems" with the Broadkaster. Old vintage style translates to drums that sound good at low tuning. "It is the most limited, in tuning range" is his assessment @ 5:47.

 
I’m wondering if it’s the drums, or an operator-tuning issue. Either that or a technique issue. Lots of players have taken all kinds of drums into situations like yours and made them work. This alone proves it’s not the drums. I’d try different heads and/or try a lot of different tunings before I decided “nope, it must be the drums!” I’ve taken Bonham kits on jazz gigs and used Downbeats for rock n roll and I have to say, never once did I consider it was more the drums than it was me.
 
50s Gretsch drums- which new Broadkaster is'....
 
RickP said:
I own both a Ludwig Classic Maple and Gretsch USA Custom and if forced to choose between the two , my choice would be the Gretsch USA Custom . The Gretsch holds its tuning better , the bass drum is far superior in sound IMHO .the age we such doesn’t choke as easily as the Ludwig when tuned up and has as much bottom end as the Ludwig .

This is no slight against the Ludwig which I also love but you are looking for one choice .
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Not to agree for agreements sake but over the decades whenever I'd sat in front of a Gretsch USA bass drum there has always been something about those kicks. They'd made a mark on my conscience to this day. I can tell you the club's and the finish on those drums as proof that they are branded into my brain. Well what? is it..it can't be silver paint or a magic number of plies but it's SOMETHING. I had to inject this not as a Gretsch lover but as a fact.
 
RickP said:
I own both a Ludwig Classic Maple and Gretsch USA Custom and if forced to choose between the two , my choice would be the Gretsch USA Custom . The Gretsch holds its tuning better , the bass drum is far superior in sound IMHO .the age we such doesn’t choke as easily as the Ludwig when tuned up and has as much bottom end as the Ludwig .

This is no slight against the Ludwig which I also love but you are looking for one choice .
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Rick, what about the weight of the drums for gigging?

That’s something that I really dislike about my Gretsch Brooklyns…the weight of the drums. I own 7 drum kits- Ludwigs, Gretsch, C&C, vintage Rogers, etc.. and it isn’t even close. The Gretsch are far and away the heaviest drums I own. Because of this, I rarely if ever take them out of the house. I do love the sound of the bass drum though, so that keeps me from selling them….for now.
 
Chunkaway said:
That’s something that I really dislike about my Gretsch Brooklyns…the weight of the drums.
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I had a set of Brooklyns the same sizes as my DW gigging kit, and the DW kit is heavier... barely... but I agree with you about how heavy the Brooklyns are. They outweighed any of my other kits!

But to the OP, if you look at my sig line you'll see a wide sample of drum makers, kits and styles. My favorites are the Gretsch, but the later ones (without the rings and roundover edges.) They have amazing tuning ranges and warm tone.
 
I'm getting the sense that there's a direct relationship between tuning range and the sharpness (or roundness) of the bearing edge.
 
Part of the reason I returned some Gretsch Renowns was the heavy weight. As I get older, that becomes a bigger factor in choosing one kit over another.
 
Jml said:
Part of the reason I returned some Gretsch Renowns was the heavy weight. As I get older, that becomes a bigger factor in choosing one kit over another.
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Me too. I really liked Renown kit I had for awhile but dang they are heavy to haul around and I gig a lot.
I have a USA Custom bop kit and it’s heavy as well.
I have 20 inch bass drums that don’t weigh as much as my Gretsch 18.
 
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Bo Eder said:
I’m wondering if it’s the drums, or an operator-tuning issue. Either that or a technique issue. Lots of players have taken all kinds of drums into situations like yours and made them work. This alone proves it’s not the drums. I’d try different heads and/or try a lot of different tunings before I decided “nope, it must be the drums!” I’ve taken Bonham kits on jazz gigs and used Downbeats for rock n roll and I have to say, never once did I consider it was more the drums than it was me.
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There are a lot of crappy drums out there. If a drum doesn’t sound good with a plain ‘ol single ply head on it, it’s not really going to sound good with any other head on it, to an experienced ear. It sounds like the OP knows the sound that he wants out of his drums. Maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt
 
Alex Luce said:
There are a lot of crappy drums out there. If a drum doesn’t sound good with a plain ‘ol single ply head on it, it’s not really going to sound good with any other head on it, to an experienced ear. It sounds like the OP knows the sound that he wants out of his drums. Maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt
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So what are the chances of a Broadkaster sounding like crap? People make Stage Customs sound awesome, so I would think Gretsch Broadkasters would be even easier to make sound great. That’s why you pay so much in the first place. Not sure I’m giving the benefit of the doubt in this instance. I’m leaning towards operator error.
 
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