Caddy's Gretsch Round Badge kit!

Larry: I'll snap some detailed pics of it before putting the heads on.

Bobda: I'm planning on installing it. It is just so cool. I dig felt strips on a bass drum, and you can adjust the Pratt muffler to put different amounts of pressure on the felt/head, OR have the head unmuffled, all without removing the head. It's like an EMAD, but 100x more useful. It's a beautiful thing...

...but the tom mufflers are staying off, for sure!
 
I remember going to the external clamp on bass drum muffler way back in the day after I removed the Pratt.
That worked pretty good and it could be removed entirely when not wanted.

I would try the Aquarian Vintage heads with the felt attached.
They are made to fit a vintage drum properly too.
 
Great project! Brings back memories of my very first kit (long story) Should be a beaut when she's finished.
 
Caddy, they are absolutely beautiful! Great Great Great work!!!! Gretsch just brings the true love of drums out in me so I truly appreciate you sharing!
 
I remember going to the external clamp on bass drum muffler way back in the day after I removed the Pratt.
That worked pretty good and it could be removed entirely when not wanted.

I can turn the Pratt completely off, too. I don't have the "rattling" problem that many people have brought up with that particular piece of hardware. I guess mine just works correctly, fortunately.

I would try the Aquarian Vintage heads with the felt attached.
They are made to fit a vintage drum properly too.

That's what I'm waiting on...the American Vintage heads. Should be here any day now. Yep, any day now...

Great project! Brings back memories of my very first kit (long story) Should be a beaut when she's finished.

Do share! We've got time. :)

And, thanks for the kind words, DrumEatDrum and millerscapes. I'm super-excited...
 
I remember going to the external clamp on bass drum muffler way back in the day after I removed the Pratt.
That worked pretty good and it could be removed entirely when not wanted.

I would try the Aquarian Vintage heads with the felt attached.
They are made to fit a vintage drum properly too.


Bob did the Pratt muffler come factory installed on your 70's Walnut Gretsch's?
 
Okay, Larry...here's some close-up shots of the Pratt muffler, so you can see what's going on. The felt strip is screwed to the bottom of the shell, via a small plate, and the knob tension device is used to simultaneously pull the felt upward and push it into the head, depending on the degree of muffling your want. It's on the batter side of the drum, and I might just add a second one to the reso side in the future, but not for right now...
 

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Alright, and I just got the heads, slapped 'em on the drums, tuned them up, and played the restored Gretsch kit for the first time. Amazing! Here are the pics:

1. The obligatory hardware in the suitcase shot...those who have followed my saga will know that I like to pack all of my drum hardware into a single suitcase, minus the hi hat stand and throne. This is the hardware used with this kit, including a second snare stand to mount the rack tom, 3 flat-based stands (two modern Ludwig, one vintage Ludwig), a DW5000 bass drum pedal, the floor tom legs, and the original cymbal L-arm for mounting a cymbal on the bass drum.
2. Here she is...front view straight on.
3. Here she is again...front view from standing position. Note: I have yet to get a grommet for the bass drum badge, so it's not on there for the time being.
4. Here's the birdseye view. Yes, I DID get a 22" K Light Ride, thanks for noticing. Also, I'm using 15" 1950s A hats, an 18" Sabian Vault crash, a 20" K Crash/Ride (or a 19" Med. Thin Dark Crash, or even sometimes a 17" 1970s paper-thin crash), and a 16" Sabian HHX Evolution crash. Yes, these are my light cymbals for quieter gigs, and all of them "open up" very nicely at quiet dynamics.
5. Here's a close-up of the L-arm used to hold the 22" ride. Yes, I've tested its strength to make sure the cymbal won't fall one way or the other--this sucker isn't budging. I don't trust the bracket on my Ludwig kick drum, but this one on the Gretsch is rock-solid. Oh, and would you look at that grain on the bass drum! :D
6. Here's the snare I'm playing with the kit. It's a 1928 Slingerland Tone Flange, but with the "flange" removed, the screws taken out of the bearing edge, and the whole edge sanded down past the holes to leave a perfect bearing edge on top of the magnificent 80+ year old solid mahogany shell. That wrap on it is original, and is the very first "sparkle" finish ever created. It's more like a sand that kinda sparkles. Either way, it's beautiful and it's a miracle that it (the wrap AND the drum) survived this long.
 

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It's not often that I get severe gear lust.

Today isn't a normal day.
 
Good Lord that's beautiful! Nice work! I know it's a classic jazz kit, but the first thing that came to mind was Charlie Watt's Rolling Stones kit. You gotta record them so we can hear them!
 
The thing that's especially niche-y about this kit, as I've played around on it and messed with tuning it all over the map, is that no matter how you tune it, the toms sound choked, like when people tune their toms sky-high for jazz. That's due to the lack of vent holes. It's weird to see my sticks hitting a 12" tom tuned JAW, but it sounds choked like a 16" tuned super-high.

I definitely start playing jazz licks while on this kit. I can't help it. Tuned medium-low, it sounds like Philly Jo's kit, and tuned up higher it sounds like Max Roach's kit. I tried to remember how to play Blues For Big Sid all the way through (I had to memorize it for a jury in college...). Time to get the sheet music out!
 
Wow beautiful work! Just gorgeous grain. Thanks for the Pratt shot, first time I ever saw one. The choked part sounds disappointing.
 
Really lovely piece of work there- you can hear the sustain from here, makes you want to get all swingy!
 
Wow beautiful work! Just gorgeous grain. Thanks for the Pratt shot, first time I ever saw one. The choked part sounds disappointing.

I'm not too disappointed in the choked sound, because I played the drums before I refinished them and knew what I was getting myself into. I'm just not used to it because these drums have been out of commission for a few months while I refurbished them. It's like "instant jazz sound". They sound kinda like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1xeb125iaI

...and this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIPIc3bkYoc


that snare looks outrageous

Thanks! It's pretty cool. Everything attached to the drum itself is original...the tube lugs, throw off, the wrap, badge, and butt plate. The hoops, tension rods, and heads are newer. It's definitely not a museum piece, and the wrap has a few small cracks in it, but the tube lugs are still going strong and not stripped...but the SOUND is incredible!
 
i actually thought you'd re-wrapped it since it looks so shiney
 
Serious stuff! Beautiful work for what I am sure is a beautiful sound.
 
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