hey guys! im thinkin about buying one of these but im not 2 sure?

any help?

http://www.drumsmylife.com/buy/gretsch-drums-catalina-maple-fusion-shell-pack-with-free-16-floor-tom/

I have this kit as my 2nd kit.
Here's a thread about the kit.

http://www.drumsmylife.com/posting.php?mode=editpost&p=122765








_________________
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tsu
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Hello.

I just bought this shellset last week. Good choice, sounds very good, but I returned the 16" floortom. The reason why you'll read in the copy of the note I send to Thomann:


Hello.

The problem with this floortom is that there seems to be no sustain whatsoever.
I have tried many different drumheads, incl. Remo Ambassador coated, Pinstripe and Emperor and also Attack 2-ply medium thin and the Terry Bozzio Signature heads, but all with the same result. I also changed the original bottomhead but still no improvement. It’s like the drum is “choking”.
I also tried many different ways of tuning: top and bottom equal, bottomhead slightly higher (usually the best sound for me) and bottomhead slightly lower.
I am a professional player/producer and usually I get the best possible sound out of every shell. I write articles about drums etc. in Holland’s biggest musicmagazine “MusicMaker”.
This is not to “brag”, but to let you know I am experienced and I really tried everything, also with colleque-drummers and they could only agree with me on this subject.
The rest of the shells sound like I expected them to: nice and easy to tune!
I bought this set as a spare one next to my Pearl Masters Custom Gold set. I have played a maple Catalina set on several occasions and felt it was great value for the money..! That’s why I ordered it without listening and that’s also why I’m so amazed that the floortom can’t seem to sound right, where all the other toms do!
I have taken a close look at the drum, but I can’t find any visual reason, though the hoops aren’t 100% round. But (in my opinion), that can’t be the real reason.
Maybe it’s pure coincidence and is it just this specific floortom.

I hope this is of some help.

Regards, Coos

BTW, at Thomann they were more than helpfull and arranged for everything to get the floortom back. I just hope I get a good one back...

Quote:

Also, I highly recommend replacing the tips of the floor tom legs with the Pearl tips so the shell doesn't choke.
Other than that, they're cool. The shell sound real good.

It's the tips on the legs. Pick up the tom and hit it...then set it down. There's nothing wring with the drum. Buy these...it will solve the problem.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Pearl-R403-Floor-Tom-Rubber-Tip-3Pack?sku=447972










_________________
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tsu
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also, I would add to avoid tightening the wing nut that holds the legs in.
Only tighten them enough to hold the tom up, which is minimal.

I guarantee you'll see a difference.
Good Luck.








_________________
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tsu
http://www.myspace.com/whateverocks
http://www.myspace.com/frontlinetribute
http://www.myspace.com/firthoffifth2

Hello Drumur.

Thanks for your replies. I will defenitely try your tips on this matter...!!
Still, I don't understand why all the other (floor)toms, including my own 14", do sound right and this particular 16" doesn't.
Anyway, I'll probably get a new one, and hopefully that will sound right.
Apart from that, I really feel that the Gretsch Catalina Maple is amazing value for the money!!

Regards, C.








_________________
Pearl MMX Masters Custom Gold 10/12/14/16/20/14x6.5 sn - Sabian AA and HH cymbals - Gretsch Catalina Maple 10/12/14ft/16ft/22 - Pearl Sensitone 14x5.5 brass snare

Possibly because it weighs more. There could also be a problem with the one or both of the bearing edges.








_________________

Dr. Rodney McKay wrote:

Well, I only know one thing and that is that flying darkness that eats energy can only be very, very bad.

http://www.MySpace.com/PageFive

Hello.

Your remark about the bearing-edges really makes sense, though I did check them on this floortom and they seemed ok.
However, in a topic in a Dutch drumforum I've just read some stories about the (earlier) Catalina-series, including the Birch, that there were serious problems
with those bearing-edges. And yes, the weight of the 16" could make a difference. But then, I've heard a few that sounded good. The reason I bought this shellset is that I wanted a affordable maple kit with 10/12" racktoms and 2 floortoms, so I can use them in all kind of configurations: 10/14, 12/16, 10/12/14/ or 10/12/14/16. I usually play a Pearl MMX 10/12/14/16/20 in a drumrack and that's sometimes a bit to big to bring to a small gig.
When the new floortom arrives, I'll let you know how it is.

Kind regards, C.

P.S. I appreciate all your help a lot.








_________________
Pearl MMX Masters Custom Gold 10/12/14/16/20/14x6.5 sn - Sabian AA and HH cymbals - Gretsch Catalina Maple 10/12/14ft/16ft/22 - Pearl Sensitone 14x5.5 brass snare

I assume that the weight of the 16" is more of an issue than with the 14".
All I know is that I had the same experience and the first thing I did was lift it up and hit it. Ah ha !!!! BOOM
They should have used better tips. For the rest of the gig, I stuck foam rubber under the legs and immediately order the Pearl tips when i got home. I never had that problem again. It sustains forever with a pinstripe.

Gretsch's bearing edges are fine.








_________________
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tsu
http://www.myspace.com/whateverocks
http://www.myspace.com/frontlinetribute
http://www.myspace.com/firthoffifth2

I use those Pearl floor tom feet on all of my Vintage Drums, and they work every time! I cant recommend them enough. Best thing Pearl has designed.








_________________
You can own the greatest drum ever made, but it won't change how well you can play it!

Hello everyone.

Well, it's obvious I'm gonna get me the Pearl drumfeet a.s.a.p. On both 14 and 16 floor. I got several responds in a Dutch drumforum where these were also mentioned. The funny thing is that I haven't used a floortom in more than ten years. It's all mounted toms with ISS in a drumrack.
And Steaky, yes, it's a great invention, but believe me, Pearl has designed a lot of other beautiful things !!!!
Again, thanks a lot to everyone for all your input and I'm glad I discovered this drumforum.

Kind regards from the Netherlands.

C.








_________________
Pearl MMX Masters Custom Gold 10/12/14/16/20/14x6.5 sn - Sabian AA and HH cymbals - Gretsch Catalina Maple 10/12/14ft/16ft/22 - Pearl Sensitone 14x5.5 brass snare

OK, I just had to let you know: I just took three small pieces of flightcase-foam and put that under the feet of the 14".
I couldn't believe my ears, endless sustain.........! I can't wait to get my 16" floor back.
Again, thanks..!!
I play for more than 35 years and really never had this kind of problem, but this is probably the best advice I've had in my entire career. That and the conversation I had with Simon Phillips in 1983 in at the Frankfurter Messe, when he told me how he tuned his drums and showed me how he controlled his snaredrum: with a ring from an old drumhead...!
That was something very new at the time.


Cheers, C.








_________________
Pearl MMX Masters Custom Gold 10/12/14/16/20/14x6.5 sn - Sabian AA and HH cymbals - Gretsch Catalina Maple 10/12/14ft/16ft/22 - Pearl Sensitone 14x5.5 brass snare

Quote:

Well, it's obvious I'm gonna get me the Pearl drumfeet a.s.a.p. On both 14 and 16 floor.

Yeah, That's what I did.
I'm glad i could help.








_________________
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tsu
http://www.myspace.com/whateverocks
http://www.myspace.com/frontlinetribute
http://www.myspace.com/firthoffifth2

Ok, and now for the really importan question: Its-all-gravy, did you get enough information on the Gretsch Catalina? After all, you started this topic.
Or maybe you already bought a set.....
Well, whatever, I've learned a thing or two..!!!

Till the next topic !!!

Regards, C.








_________________
Pearl MMX Masters Custom Gold 10/12/14/16/20/14x6.5 sn - Sabian AA and HH cymbals - Gretsch Catalina Maple 10/12/14ft/16ft/22 - Pearl Sensitone 14x5.5 brass snare

Hey TheDrumKid.

Yea i got a good amount about the kit, mainly about the 16" Floor tom!
but its either the Gretsch or a mapex m birch...?

cheers guys,
Eric








_________________
Go Down 2 my SUV, Blast me some spped metal, 5.1 surround sound,HEAVY ON THE BASS, and someone is Getin MOWED DOWN!!!

I used them (Gretsch catalina maple) to record the 1st three tracks on this my space.
In a bedroom BTW

http://www.myspace.com/drumur2








_________________
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tsu
http://www.myspace.com/whateverocks
http://www.myspace.com/frontlinetribute
http://www.myspace.com/firthoffifth2

Well Drumkid I used to play and endorse Pearl, and yes they make some great product, but those feet are genius. I put them up with Rims.








_________________
You can own the greatest drum ever made, but it won't change how well you can play it!

Quote:

Well Drumkid I used to play and endorse Pearl, and yes they make some great product, but those feet are genius. I put them up with Rims.

They work really well.








_________________
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tsu
http://www.myspace.com/whateverocks
http://www.myspace.com/frontlinetribute
http://www.myspace.com/firthoffifth2

Hey Drumur...!

Nice Genesis-cover, man !!! Phil Collins is one of my main influences, when he was "just" the drummer in Genesis, with Peter Gabriel.
I think he's somewhat under-estimated by drummers, though, because they all think he's more a singer.
I've seen Genesis a couple of times in the 70's, with "The lamb-tour" in 1975 as an absolute highlight. Amazing!!
I remember vividly when "Trick of the tail" was released and I bought all the copies in the store for me and my friends......
The look on the face from the guy in the store was priceless !!
But I'm afraid this is going a bit off-topic..
BTW, Phil has played Gretsch for a long time in his Brand X-days.
And Its-all-gravy: good luck with your choice..!!

Cheers, C.








_________________
Pearl MMX Masters Custom Gold 10/12/14/16/20/14x6.5 sn - Sabian AA and HH cymbals - Gretsch Catalina Maple 10/12/14ft/16ft/22 - Pearl Sensitone 14x5.5 brass snare

Thank You.
I saw the "Selling England by the Pound" tour and "The lamb-tour."
Phil was awesome.
I think I agree about the Catalinas...they really surprised me for the price.
I put some Gauger RIMS on the rack toms, which probably aren't any different.
The toms sound great.








_________________
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tsu
http://www.myspace.com/whateverocks
http://www.myspace.com/frontlinetribute
http://www.myspace.com/firthoffifth2

Hey TheDrumKid,
I'm curious to find out if you got them yet and if the 16 is OK?








_________________
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tsu
http://www.myspace.com/whateverocks
http://www.myspace.com/frontlinetribute
http://www.myspace.com/firthoffifth2

Hello everyone.

Ok, the 16' floor is back (they sent me a new one today, great service..!) and I have the suspension feet. Put the two together: problem solved !
It's all gravy, I don't know the Mapex M Birch, but I do know the Gretsch by now. Very nice and amazing value for the money.
Just change the feet on the floortom-legs...
I have Remo Coated Emperors on it and that's a nice combination. Open and warm, full body and enough attack and a nice, but controlable sustain.

Regards, C.

BTW, I also put the floor from my very first drumkit on foam. It's a "Kings"-set from 1970, 20/12/16 and a 13" snare. It now sounds like it has never done before.! My 7 year old son plays it and that's also something special for a father..!!








_________________
Pearl MMX Masters Custom Gold 10/12/14/16/20/14x6.5 sn - Sabian AA and HH cymbals - Gretsch Catalina Maple 10/12/14ft/16ft/22 - Pearl Sensitone 14x5.5 brass snare

Good to hear.
Yeah, I used the catalinas on a gig the other night. They sound great.
I have Pinstripes with no muffling and they sound excellent.
CYA
have fun








_________________
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tsu
http://www.myspace.com/whateverocks
http://www.myspace.com/frontlinetribute
http://www.myspace.com/firthoffifth2

drumur wrote:

CYA
have fun

Hello Drumur.

Fun I will have, you bet..!!!
Both the MMX and the Gretsch are set up in my studio and man, do I have fun. I just put new clear Emperors on the MMX and yeah, the Gretsch surely sounds different, but still amazingly good. But I tuned it a little higher, slightly more "jazzy". So I switch every now and then to compare the two, especially because I want the two sets to have the same feel as much as possible. So I position the 10 and 12 equally and the angle of the snaredrums etc. Got to get used to two floortoms. It really takes some time, but it's definitely worthwhile, because once you get used to one set it's like playing on someone other's when you play on the other after a while. We drummers always have a hard life...!! Decisions, decisions.....
Have fun yourself and 'till we meet again in this forum...!!
I'm gonna enjoy the beautiful weather that we have here right now. "It's been a long, long time, hasn't it... !" (Do you know these lines...?)



Cheers, C.








_________________
Pearl MMX Masters Custom Gold 10/12/14/16/20/14x6.5 sn - Sabian AA and HH cymbals - Gretsch Catalina Maple 10/12/14ft/16ft/22 - Pearl Sensitone 14x5.5 brass snare

Supper's Ready
Somewhere way back in my memory.
On the selling England by the Pound tour(i think it was '71 or '73), they ended the show with that. It was intense. What a great memory.








_________________
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tsu
http://www.myspace.com/whateverocks
http://www.myspace.com/frontlinetribute
http://www.myspace.com/firthoffifth2

Hello Drumur.

You're right...!!! But this is getting very off-topic !!

However, I have another question to you all. I do not use the Catalina snare, because I have a Pearl Sensitone Brass. I like that snare a lot and already planned to use it with the Gretsch toms and bass when I bought the Catalina.
Therefore I played the Gretsch-snare very little (only to check it out), also because I feel it's the weakest link. I put it on sale and someone offered me 75 euro (wich is about 55 dollar??) this morning.
What are your experiences with the snare. Should I give it another try? I read some reviews in wich people really loved it, but as I wrote, It couldn't convince me at first and I don't wanna play it too much, so I can sell it as new. But then, there's no real need to sell it and I don't want to "give it away"...

Cheers, C.








_________________
Pearl MMX Masters Custom Gold 10/12/14/16/20/14x6.5 sn - Sabian AA and HH cymbals - Gretsch Catalina Maple 10/12/14ft/16ft/22 - Pearl Sensitone 14x5.5 brass snare

Your right...sorry.
The shell seems to be pretty decent. After putting Remo Emporor and an Ambassador bottom(or comparable) heads on, and changing the snare wires, it sounds pretty phat.
The strainer should probably be replaced too. I'm gonna change it when I get around to it
Try those 2 things and you'll see a big difference.








_________________
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tsu
http://www.myspace.com/whateverocks
http://www.myspace.com/frontlinetribute
http://www.myspace.com/firthoffifth2

Hello Drumur.

It was me who started this "Genesis-story", so I should say I'm sorry...

About the snare: you're probably right about the improvements, but that's gonna cost me at least 50/60 dollar and I already have three snaredrums that
can do the job for me: the Pearl Masters 6.5" with die-cast hoops, the brass 5.5" Sensitone and a very old nameless 4" snare that I completely changed because the shell was nice..!! Kinda like what I should do with the Gretsch and I don't wanna spend too much money on it. I changed the original topheads with a Fiberskyn and an Ambassador coated when I checked it out (the Gretsch heads are lousy, but you noticed that as well) but I wasn't impressed.
Come to think of it: yes, its the snare-response that's not that good. Well, maybe I should keep it a while and experiment a little more.
It's on sale on the Internet, but so far I got this one reaction and I have to admit I expected more, the snare being a Gretsch...

Regards, C.








_________________
Pearl MMX Masters Custom Gold 10/12/14/16/20/14x6.5 sn - Sabian AA and HH cymbals - Gretsch Catalina Maple 10/12/14ft/16ft/22 - Pearl Sensitone 14x5.5 brass snare

Hello everyone.

Seemed like a good thing to tell you my experiences with the Gretsch Catalina after a few weeks.
I've played it on several occasions and so far it still pleases me a lot. I put an Aquarian SuperKick on
the bassdrum and a white Remo Powerstroke 3 on the front, with a black Gretsch-logo that I bought on the internet in Amsterdam.
Looks much better than the black shiny head it came with. Maybe not the most important thing, but hey...!
The sound of the bass is very nice: tight, low and warm and that is important !!
Also the toms behave themselves very good, though I have to fine-tune them more often than I'm used to with the MMX.
No big deal, however. At first I tuned them a little higher ("jazzier") than I usually do, but on stage I felt the need for a slighly lower sound.
They sound a little "bigger" now and closer to my "normal" sound.
Many musicians that I play with are curious about the Gretsch and most of them (also some drummers) think it's far more expensive than it actually is.
Because of the name, for one, but also because of the sound and the looks. And because I didn't bring my MMX, so this must be something very special, because they all know I'm a convinced Pearl-player (and an endorser in the late 80's/early 90's) for more than 30 years...!!
Should I tell them what I paid for them or...?
And yes, the Pearl suspension-feet are still a great investment that every drummer should put on his or her floortom-leg(s).
I actually feel a little stupid for not knowing them until recently.
Thank you again, Drumur...!!
Well, as you can see, DrumKid is happy with the Gretsch, but also loves his Pearl MMX, no doubt about that...!!

Regards, C.








_________________
Pearl MMX Masters Custom Gold 10/12/14/16/20/14x6.5 sn - Sabian AA and HH cymbals - Gretsch Catalina Maple 10/12/14ft/16ft/22 - Pearl Sensitone 14x5.5 brass snare

Glad to hear!
Yeah, I was just playing them today with just a 10 and a 14 toms and I can't believe how good these sound.
I have an Evans EQ4(with an evans muffle inside) and an Aquarian resonant. Pin stripes on the toms.

That logo head that comes with them is trash.

I bought a blem kit for $549 from MF but they didn't send the whole kit. It was when they made the big move. I returned what I had and Sam Ash matched the price on a non-blem.
Should I tell people who think they sound great what I paid? LOL
I'll probably use them on the gig this week.

take Care








_________________
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tsu
http://www.myspace.com/whateverocks
http://www.myspace.com/frontlinetribute
http://www.myspace.com/firthoffifth2

Hello Drumur.

Also glad to hear you're happy with the Gretsch!
Now I use Emperor coated on the toms and they sound nice.
I also have a set Pinstripes, but haven't used them a lot lately. Not on the MMX or the Catalina.
I will check 'm out on the Gretsch this week.

BTW: what is a "blem kit"? Remember, I'm Dutch...!

Regards, C.








_________________
Pearl MMX Masters Custom Gold 10/12/14/16/20/14x6.5 sn - Sabian AA and HH cymbals - Gretsch Catalina Maple 10/12/14ft/16ft/22 - Pearl Sensitone 14x5.5 brass snare

Quote:

BTW: what is a "blem kit"? Remember, I'm Dutch...!

It's a brand new kit that has some kind of minor flaw...maybe a small scratch or dent. Sometimes it's not even noticeable but they mark it down in price because they can't sell it as new.
Musician's Friend went through a warehouse move so they were having major problems with getting backed up. they sent me a Kick, a snare, and one tom. I waited about a month but they couldn't find the rest. Finally, I just returned it for credit. Sam Ash agreed to give me a brand new kit for the same price.
$549
These drums sound as good or better than any kit costing 3-4 times as much.








_________________
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" Lao Tsu
http://www.myspace.com/whateverocks
http://www.myspace.com/frontlinetribute
http://www.myspace.com/firthoffifth2