Set configuration:
Gretsch drums have strong associations with jazz legends like Tony Williams, Max Roach, and Elvin Jones, as well as rock drummers like Charlie Watts and Phil Collins. The Gretsch Catalina Club Studio Drumset is perfectly suited to many different musical genres with its classic studio configuration. The shells made of 100% seven-ply mahogany deliver a warm, resonant sound. From its round badges and classic lugs through to the natural wood and foil surfaces, this set has a look that is very clearly in keeping with the Gretsch tradition.
A 20"x14" bass drum combined with 12"x8" and 14"x14" toms and a 14"x5.5" wooden snare drum make up the Catalina Club Studio drum set. Gretsch’s typical 30° bearing edge not only gives the mahogany drums, which are untreated from the inside, a soft, musical sound, but also makes tuning the drum heads a lot easier. Additionally, the free-floating tom mounting system and the 1.6mm thick hoops ensure optimum sustain. With its sturdy bass drum legs and the flexibly adjustable tom holder, the kit - unlike its predecessors from the 50s and 60s - can easily cope with the rigours of everyday touring. Last but not least, the 14" deep bass drum creates a warm, powerful sound that is strongly reminiscent of the classic vintage sounds.
The list of possible applications for the Catalina Club Studio Drumset is very diverse. The affiliation with recording environments is already clear from the name, but it cuts an excellent figure in many other places too. The kit also makes a convincing case as a compact drum set for acoustic music on small stages thanks to its small space requirement, its clear, musical sound, and its manageable volume. Drummers who travel a lot will appreciate the low weight of the drums and the fact that the complete set can be easily stowed in a car.
The Gretsch company was founded in 1883 by Friedrich Gretsch, a German-born immigrant, in Brooklyn/USA and has been owned by Drum Workshop since 2015. In the first decades of its existence, the company specialised in the production of tambourines, drums, and banjos, but from around 1930 it started building guitars. By this time, Gretsch had established itself as a serious manufacturer of drum sets, and in the decades that followed, Gretsch drums were extremely popular, especially among Jazz drummers. Today, Gretsch offers a range of drum sets in all price ranges, starting with the affordable Catalina series and extending to the exclusive American Custom drums - and every series includes traditional features, a characteristic trait of Gretsch Drums.
Thanks to the classic studio setup, the Gretsch Catalina Club Studio drum set is the perfect kit for drummers of all kinds of genres. The reasons for this are obvious: The kit is easy to tune, looks just great, and delivers the perfect sound for many different musical genres depending on the tuning. The small drum sizes and the associated reduction in volume also enable use in rooms with difficult acoustics, for example in churches. Your bandmates in the rehearsal room will also appreciate a drum set with more moderate volume, as this ensures a more transparent overall sound and gives the instrumentalists and vocals more space.
30° bearing edge
The typical wooden drum shell has a relatively narrow contact surface for the head on the outside, which allows it to vibrate unhindered. On the inside, most manufacturers mill the shell at a 45° angle. However, the Gretsch company has been an exception in this regard and consistently relies on a 30° angle in order to achieve a softer, more controlled sound due to the slightly expanded head contact surface.