Gretsch Renown Maple Drum Kit

86
| MARCH 2017 WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM
GEAR REVIEW
T
he ‘pro’ level acoustic kit market
is a tough battleground, with a
target audience made up of
savvy players who have a solid
idea of what they like (or don’t), have
probably developed a sense of brand loyalty,
and in some cases aren’t afraid to buy used
gear. Gigging drummers who want great
sounds, features and fi nishes for a street
price of between a grand and £1,500 are
spoilt for choice with production kits from
big names such as DW, Tama, Mapex, Pearl
and a whole lot more. Another titan that
does battle in this arena is Gretsch, whose
Renown series has been a staple for jobbing
drummers since its introduction in the early
noughties. The Renown has undergone
multiple revisions since then, and at the start
of 2016 Gretsch unveiled the latest update to
this perennial of the live scene. As with many
NAMM announcements, these things take
time to fi lter through to the shelves of our
local drum stores, but the Renown 2016 has
fi nally arrived, complete with a reduction in
price compared to the previous model.
Build
Gretsch last updated the Renown in 2013,
adding the GTS suspension mounts and
changing from the ‘stop sign’ badges to the
more vintage-styled and much coveted
‘Round Badge’. So what’s new here? Well,
Renown kits have always featured Gretsch
hallmarks such as the Formula shells, 30°
bearing edges and the silver sealer interior.
While these remain, the big news is the
replacement of die-cast rims with Gretsch 302
hoops. These double-fl anged hoops are found
£1,532 The Big G’s professional line gets
an overhaul… hold on to your hoops,
Renown’s back in town
GRETSCH RENOWN
MAPLE 2016
WORDS: STUART WILLIAMS
on the Broadkaster and Brooklyn sets, the
idea being that the reduced mass allows for
greater resonance than a die-cast hoop,
whilst maintaining the focused tone.
All good so far, but what may not be so
quickly apparent at fi rst glance is the fact that
Gretsch has also reverted to using a drilled
bass drum and post to mount the rack toms.
The Renown is available in four different
familiar jazz, fusion, euro or rock
confi gurations, each with or without a
14"x5½" or 14"x6½" snare. The rack toms are
10"x7", 12"x8" and 13"x9", fl oor toms are
either 14"x14", 16"x14", or 16"x16", and there
are three bass drums: 18"x14", 20"x16",
22"x18" and 24"x14". Meanwhile, Gretsch
offers an additional 8"x7" tom, 18"x16"
fl oor tom and 14"x5" snare drum outside
of these confi gurations. On top of this,
there are four lacquer fi nishes and three
wrapped fi nishes available to choose from
(Cherry Burst, Gloss Natural, Piano Black,
Satin Tobacco Burst, Silver Oyster Pearl,
Vintage Pearl and Blue Metal).
Our review kit is in the Euro set-up (22",
10", 12", 16") with a 14"x5½" snare, and comes
in the expensive-looking Cherry Burst
gloss-lacquered fi nish.
Hands On
There are a few realisations when taking our
Renown out of its boxes. The fi rst is the
visuals: it’s fl awless. The deep, rich Cherry
Burst looks like it could be on a kit costing
twice as much, and the topcoat has been
buffed to a glassy-smooth fi nish.
Next up is the hardware: nothing here
feels ‘off-the-peg’. From the tapered
WE QUICKLY TOOK OUR TOMS FROM
A CONTROLLED THICK ROCK SOUND
WITH JUST A LITTLE TENSION ON THE
BATTERS TO A SINGING, RING-FREE
CLARITY AT MEDIUM TENSION
RHY265.gear_gretsch.indd 86 25/01/2017 18:29