Ok, so they don't make these anymore, but there are still new kits available out there, so for anyone on the fence here is a quick review.
The fit and finish is outstanding. The bearing edges are all perfectly sanded with no space between plies. I don't see any filler on any of the edges at all. Not that filler would change my mind, but I wanted to point it out. Your mileage may vary as far as filler goes. The silver sealer is nice and smooth with no dings or scratches. The turquoise sparkle wrap is very smooth and evenly applied to the shells. No uneven areas and the seams are nice and tight all around.
As far as sound goes, they ooze Gretsch tone. They're drier and less buttery sounding than Renowns, but the trade off is a really pronounced note. The toms seem to favor mid to high tunings. You can go high on the tuning before they start to choke, but they don't do as well on the lower tunings. They tend to go flat quick. If bottom end is your goal, these probably won't cut it unless you mic them. I'm using Evans G2 over clear Ambassadors right now and they sound warm with tones of tone.
The 12" is really sweet sounding...and resonates more than I expected with the die cast hoops. It's very close to USA custom tone. It has a pretty wide range, but sings best at mid tuning.
The 16" floor has great tone and resonates really well too, but I think Gretsch cut the low end potential short by going with the thicker shell on this one. Going with a thinner shell would've lowered the fundamental and I think it would pair better with the thinner shell of the 12". Like the 12" the sound is very close to the USA customs. The range isn't on par with the 12" and I think it favors mid tuning as well.
Unlike the floor tom, the 18X22 likes to go low. I'm using an Evans Gmad with a powerstroke 3 reso and nothing inside. The thick hoops with flat edges don't meet the hoop on the Evans 360 heads. The head collar is too steep to allow the drum hoop to get flush with the head collar at any point. I have it tuned pretty low so there isn't a lot of tension on the hoop, but I think the head collar may eventually stretch or bend over time with the drum hoop resting on it. For now it sounds great, but time will tell if I need to move from Evans. Sound wise, it's thunderous at low tunings and very punchy at mid tunings, but still stays controlled without going into overly boingy territory at mid tunings. The fundamental isn't as low as a lot of others which I think may be due to the thicker shell? If earth shaking low end is your goal, it may leave you wanting more. But, if you want big and warm tone, it's got plenty.
I struggled with the snare for weeks. I'm using an ambassador coated and ambassador clear reso. It sounded flat and thin to me, but I was tuning it like I was my old Supra. I tried tuning higher and the sound got more meaty with better tone. I don't think I care for the dual adjustment knobs. Its hard for me to find a balance between the two. For my snares I like fewer things to adjust. I can tell the snare has potential and it's really responsive, but I haven't been able to find enough meat yet. I'm sure it's a matter of head choice and will keep at it. Over all it's a really solid sounding snare, but I'll probably end up with a Supra as my mainstay.
Over all, they have a ton of tone and I'd call them a very musical set of drums...the closest thing I've heard to the USA customs without the price tag. I'm not a recording guy, but I think these would record beautifully. They absolutely sing. If warm and low is your goal then I'd recommend the Mapex Saturns or Renowns. If tone with a good punch is what you're after, these will hit the spot.
Gretsch New Classic review
The fit and finish is outstanding. The bearing edges are all perfectly sanded with no space between plies. I don't see any filler on any of the edges at all. Not that filler would change my mind, but I wanted to point it out. Your mileage may vary as far as filler goes. The silver sealer is nice and smooth with no dings or scratches. The turquoise sparkle wrap is very smooth and evenly applied to the shells. No uneven areas and the seams are nice and tight all around.
As far as sound goes, they ooze Gretsch tone. They're drier and less buttery sounding than Renowns, but the trade off is a really pronounced note. The toms seem to favor mid to high tunings. You can go high on the tuning before they start to choke, but they don't do as well on the lower tunings. They tend to go flat quick. If bottom end is your goal, these probably won't cut it unless you mic them. I'm using Evans G2 over clear Ambassadors right now and they sound warm with tones of tone.
The 12" is really sweet sounding...and resonates more than I expected with the die cast hoops. It's very close to USA custom tone. It has a pretty wide range, but sings best at mid tuning.
The 16" floor has great tone and resonates really well too, but I think Gretsch cut the low end potential short by going with the thicker shell on this one. Going with a thinner shell would've lowered the fundamental and I think it would pair better with the thinner shell of the 12". Like the 12" the sound is very close to the USA customs. The range isn't on par with the 12" and I think it favors mid tuning as well.
Unlike the floor tom, the 18X22 likes to go low. I'm using an Evans Gmad with a powerstroke 3 reso and nothing inside. The thick hoops with flat edges don't meet the hoop on the Evans 360 heads. The head collar is too steep to allow the drum hoop to get flush with the head collar at any point. I have it tuned pretty low so there isn't a lot of tension on the hoop, but I think the head collar may eventually stretch or bend over time with the drum hoop resting on it. For now it sounds great, but time will tell if I need to move from Evans. Sound wise, it's thunderous at low tunings and very punchy at mid tunings, but still stays controlled without going into overly boingy territory at mid tunings. The fundamental isn't as low as a lot of others which I think may be due to the thicker shell? If earth shaking low end is your goal, it may leave you wanting more. But, if you want big and warm tone, it's got plenty.
I struggled with the snare for weeks. I'm using an ambassador coated and ambassador clear reso. It sounded flat and thin to me, but I was tuning it like I was my old Supra. I tried tuning higher and the sound got more meaty with better tone. I don't think I care for the dual adjustment knobs. Its hard for me to find a balance between the two. For my snares I like fewer things to adjust. I can tell the snare has potential and it's really responsive, but I haven't been able to find enough meat yet. I'm sure it's a matter of head choice and will keep at it. Over all it's a really solid sounding snare, but I'll probably end up with a Supra as my mainstay.
Over all, they have a ton of tone and I'd call them a very musical set of drums...the closest thing I've heard to the USA customs without the price tag. I'm not a recording guy, but I think these would record beautifully. They absolutely sing. If warm and low is your goal then I'd recommend the Mapex Saturns or Renowns. If tone with a good punch is what you're after, these will hit the spot.
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