Gretsch Renown Maple Drum Kit

89
WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM MARCH 2017 |
VERDICT: The 2016 Gretsch Renown
hits its target market bang-on. It’s a
tonal chameleon, with stunning looks,
and it is within reach fi nancially for
those looking to step up from a
mid-priced kit.
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
RATING
2
DW DESIGN
SERIES
We say: “ The standard
of build is nothing short
of superb, faultless in
fact. The sound is
impressive and all the
features equally so.”
SHELL PACK
Each confi guration is
available with or without
the matching 14"x5½"
maple snare drum
shell and mounting a post in it can reduce the
resonance of the drum. Second, many prefer
the fl exibility they give for mounting toms
over a fi xed post. Third (and one we’ve been
guilty of) is the visual aspect: undrilled bass
drums look cool. So, it was a surprise to see
that Gretsch has opted to go back to
mounting the toms from the bass drum,
making (at the time of writing) the Brooklyn
the most affordable way to get an undrilled
bass drum in the Gretsch line-up.
However, it really doesn’t matter, because
this bass drum sounds huge. With an
un-ported reso head and the P3, we didn’t
fi nd any need for any extra muffl ing. Tuned
low, it’s gutsy and sustained, while adding
some tension reveals more of a funky punch,
and we didn’t have any problems positioning
the toms in a comfortable way.
Finally, let’s talk about the snare. It’s a
straightforward 14"x5½" maple drum: great
for the everyman nature of the kit, if not the
most personality-fuelled drum. The most
impressive part of the snare was the controlled
nature of its sound. Tune it dead, thick and
clear without annoying buzzes. Tune it with
some ring, and you get a clean overtone. It’s
adaptable and will work in multiple styles, and
if you don’t own a decent wooden snare
already, is well worth considering.
Of all the mainstream brands out there, it’s
fair to say that Gretsch is currently very much
‘in’ in terms of trends, without leaning heavily
towards any one particular type of player, and
we’d say that’s also true of the Renown.
Take a cross-section of the Gretsch artist
roster: session aces like Ash Soan and Karl
Brazil, technical titans like Vinnie Colaiuta,
rock legends Taylor Hawkins and Charlie
Watts, or contemporary tastemakers like
Mark Guiliana and Mike Johnston, roll it
into one and that sums up the Renown
perfectly. It’s a great combination of
Gretsch’s heritage vibe, mixed with
modern functionality.
CONFIGURATIONS
We tested the most ‘standard’
confi guration (10", 12", 16",
22", 14" snare), but there are
three other jazz, fusion and
rock set-ups available
RHY265.gear_gretsch.indd 89 25/01/2017 18:29