I love the Gretsch brand, but this throne did not meet my expectations. A drum throne has one job - to stay put. Everything must be locked in place to form a solid unshatterable foundation upon which you sit sturdily, safely and perform on your drum kit. Then you have this Gretsch throne where the seat doesn't fixate on the central stem. I put everything I had, short of a pneumatic drill, on the locking lever bolt, and still, after a few minutes of playing, the seat rolled around the stem like a loose ball joint. I ended up switching the top out of an old PDP stool I have and placing it on the bottom part as a temporary measure - the stem, the locking spindle, and the legs I have no issues with whatsoever - but I'm in the market for an excellent sturdy drum throne at the end of the day again.