Denis Loncaric
Gretsch, founded in 1883 by Friedrich Gretsch, is a renowned drum manufacturer known for its high-quality drums.
With a 140th anniversary this year, the company has gained recognition from world-class drummers like Phil Collins, Max Roach, Art Blakey, and Taylor Hawkins.
With 15 years of experience, the author delved into the best to worst Gretsch drum lines, exploring their popularity and the reasons behind their popularity among drummers.
The list of Gretsch drums best to worst provides a comprehensive understanding of their exceptional quality and popularity.
Gretsch Drums Best to Worst
Which Gretsch Drum Series is Right for You?
For Beginners
Energy Series
Perfect for beginner drummers who still haven’t found their style and are looking for a quality drum kit to explore its versatility.
Catalina Club
This drum kit is perfect for beginners who want a good-sounding, be-bop, or low-volume jobbing kit.
Catalina Maple
It’s an excellent set for beginner drummers who are seeking diverse sound options and those rock-style tones.
For Intermediate Players
Renown Series
The Renown Series is perfect for professional and semi-pro drummers who seek flawless Gretsch sound and design but do not have to pay the whole fortune for it.
Brooklyn Series
This series is perfect for any intermediate drummer who is seeking for more affordable USA Custom option but still wants a fat, punchy, and high-quality Gretsch sound.
For Professionals
Gretsch Broadkaster Series
Perfect for professional drummers who thrive in a jazz style with that old vintage drum sound and look.
USA Custom
This is the best drum kit for capturing the perfect sound in the studio environment - it is just infallible when it comes to recording time.
USA Custom
The Gretsch USA Custom kit, known as “That Great Gretsch Sound,” is renowned for its high-quality sound and is a top choice among professional drummers in various music genres.
The kit features the best lacquer finishes, with six coats of lacquer and an extended six-week lacquer process, which can be time-consuming compared to the standard lacquer process used in other series. This extended finishing process contributes to the higher cost of the Gretsch series.
The six-ply maple shell recipe has not changed since the late 1950s, but there is a secret ‘Formula’ in their shell description, suggesting a specific technique or additional component. There is speculation that extra plies of a different wood may be hidden within the maple, but this remains a mystery.
Another impressive feature of the USA Custom kit, priced above $4000, is the 30° bearing edges, which are cut by two seasoned workers on an antique router table. This results in a rounded and focused drum sound, with a wide range and powerful tonality.
The openness of the kit’s sound with the drums playing without resistance is a notable feature, with the range ranging from delicate to aggressive all at once. The tonality is powerful, causing the drummer’s trouser legs to ripple if approached too close.
Gretsch Broadkaster Series
The Gretsch Broadkaster series is a top-notch quality set, known as the flagship drum set. It features a vintage and retro look and sound, different from the USA Custom, yet equally good in quality and musically.
The Broadkaster series has a North American maple-poplar-maple formula, with 6.7mm thick and scarf-jointed shells for extra stability. Unlike the previous series, Broadkaster has different hoops, shell layups, and bearing edges, producing a more distinctly vintage sound.
The Broadkaster has a warm sound due to maple, but is slightly muffled and dry, not as loud as the USA Custom. It may not be suitable for rock music, but it is not designed for that.
The toms and bass drums have three-ply shells with rounded edges and flanged hoops, while all Broadkaster snares have standard 30° bearing edges, contributing to the wood in the body of the drums. The powerful, full, and fat blast bass drum is also included.
The kit is made of the highest quality with the finest touches and is available in many finishes, just like the USA Custom. However, the Broadkaster series has a different vibe than the previous series, so it is important to make a decision based on your style preference and musical needs.
Brooklyn Series
The Brooklyn Series is a high-quality Gretsch kit known for its warm, open tone, making it highly praised among professional drummers. It resembles the USA Custom series but is more affordable, little above $2000. Both series have a fat and punchy sound, but the Brooklyn series offers a slightly more open and ambient sound.
The Brooklyn drums feature 6-ply North American maple-poplar shells, which are slightly thicker but smaller than the USA Custom series. The drum shells are finished with the classic Gretsch Silver Sealer and have a 30-degree bearing edge.
The Brooklyn series also includes lugs, bass drum claws and spurs, floor tom legs, tom suspension rings, and brackets, as well as the Lightning throw-off and butt plate for the snare drum.
The hardware features are similar to the USA Custom line, including lugs, bass drum claws and spurs, floor tom legs, tom suspension rings, and brackets. The Brooklyn drums also come with the Lightning throw-off and butt plate for the snare drum.
In summary, the Brooklyn series is more versatile than the Broadkaster, offering a modern sound that can easily adapt to different drumming styles, while the Broadkaster has a more specific sound suitable for jazz and vintage music styles.
Renown Series
The Renown series from Gretsch is a versatile drum set that offers an affordable price compared to the Brooklyn series. The Renown series is 100% maple, unlike the Brooklyn series which uses a mix of woods. The Brooklyn series is more expensive due to its mix of woods and fewer customization options.
The Renown series has undergone several changes since its first release, with the latest version debuting in 2016. The biggest change is the replacement of die-cast rims with Gretsch 302 hoops, which are also present in the Broadkaster and Brooklyn series. These hoops reduce mass and allow greater resonance with the focused tone, resulting in smoother, smoother drums perfect for jazz music.
The Renown series comes with 7-ply maple shells, making the drums warm and smooth while still having enough cuts for various performing situations.
The bass drum is particularly standout, with its huge sound and easy-to-tune snare drum, making it adaptable to different musical styles. Overall, the Renown series is a popular choice for professional and semi-professional drummers looking for a more affordable drum set.
Catalina Maple
The Cataline Maple is a Gretsch drum kit with a balanced sound and contemporary appearance, offering exceptional performance at a lower price than the Renown series.
The series features 7 plies of maple, making it warm and full, with 30-degree bearing edges. The Catalina series is made from Asian maple, while the Renown series is made from North American maple. The Catalina has fewer finish options, affecting its price.
The general tone is similar to warm 20th-century drums, but it would still function in a contemporary environment. The snare drum is versatile and responsive, with 2.5mm triple-flanged hoops contributing to the liveliness of the drum sounds. Gretsch skipped metal hoops and provided matching maple hoops for the bass drum.
The sound is airy, dark, and warm when hit gently, and it can cut through with increased velocity, making it bigger and louder.
Catalina Club
The Gretsch Catalina Club is a popular beginner drums set that offers traditional configurations and classic tone at an affordable price.
The set features 6-ply 100% mahogany shells instead of maple and 30-degree bearing edges, with low-mass lugs in the center and a GTS suspension mount on the mounted tom for more sustain. The rims are stamped steel 1.6mm hoops instead of die-cast hoops.
The bass drum is easily tuned but lacks volume when tuned lower. The toms sound good for a starter kit, but fine-tuning is required. The snare offers a decent wood snare with a wide tuning range, making it a great choice for an affordable drum kit.
The warm, typical mahogany sound with rich tones is expected, with a be-bop style sound balance suitable for rock and jazz.
For other musical styles, thicker heads are recommended. The Catalina Club comes in a variety of finishes, making it a great choice for beginners.
Energy Series
Gretsch, a well-known and reputable instrument manufacturer, offers the Energy series, a beginner-friendly drum kit. The Energy series is known for its excellent value and beginner-friendly design, with a perfect ratio of value and price.
The Catalina Club is ranked higher due to its quality mahogany shells and upgraded hardware features, while the Energy series features poplar shells known for producing a more modern sound with more sustain. The Energy series is suitable for all-around drummers, suitable for various music styles.
The kit includes a bass drum pedal, a hi-hat stand, a tom holder with a memory lock, one or two cymbal stands depending on the model, and a drum throne. The stand is resilient to powerful hits due to its double-bracing chrome finish.
Gretsch’s Energy series is perfect for beginners, with each set being specific and perfect in its own way. Before purchasing any of their drum sets, remember your drumming style and goals. The Energy series is a perfect choice for those looking to improve their drumming skills and achieve their goals.
In Summary
Gretsch is an incredible, well-known, rewarded, and reputable instrument manufacturer.
Thus, whichever drum set you choose from their series, you cannot miss it. Before purchasing any of these sets, remember your drumming style and your goals.
Each one of these series is specific and perfect in its own way. Whether they are flawless like the USA Custom series or their perfectly-valued Cataline Club series, you are going to get lucky with it.
Let me know in the comments if you ever drummed on any of these Gretsch drums and what is your experience like.
My name is Denis. I am a drummer, percussionist, music enthusiast, and blogger. Drums have been my passion for 15 years now. My idea is to write about the things I like and I am interested in. I want to share my drum passion with fellow musicians who walk, talk, and breathe drums.
