Right Heads for a Renown Maple?

Dalton M

Member
Hi everyone.

It's been a while since I've posted, but a deal on craigslist finally went through for me. I bought a used Gretsch Renown Maple in the following configuration: 7x8, 8x10, 9x12, 14x14, and 20x22. I'm wondering about its heads because I'm not sure if I'm getting that "great Gretsch sound" yet. The set came with used Genera G2s, stock (brandless) resos, and an EMAD. Do you guys think that I still need to play around with the tuning (which I did for about 3 hours today) or go try out some new heads? Also, what heads would you recommend for a warm, maple Gretsch kit?

Pics will be up in the "Your Gear" section in maybe a week too.

Thanks
 
On mine I use Evans coated G2 over clear G1.
I have an EQ 3 on the bass batter with the Gretsch reso head
 
I've tried them all on my Renowns, and I'd say it doesn't get any better than G2's over G1's on the toms, Emad (not the Emad 2) and an EQ3 resonant for the kick. Enjoy!
 
I saw a kit in a Tacoma GC that was clear g2's over clear g1's. Emad 1 on the kick. Sounded about as good as maple kits can sound. It made me want one.
 
So it's basically obvious that I need to replace the stock resos?

How about muffling? I've heard some people say to leave them open, but some people will use moon gels or rings.

Hey Gruntersdad, doesn't your 8" choke with a coated two-ply head?

Thanks guys
 
I'm kind of in the same boat. I bought the same Renown configuration off a guy on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago. I just had some time to get them setup last night and try to tune them some.

The original owner swapped the G2 clears for EC2's on all of the toms. I'm not that great at tuning and so I used my Drum Dial to try and get a good sound out of them.

But he gave me the G2's that came with it and I'm wondering if there's a drastic difference in sound between the 2 types of heads on these drums. I can't quite get the sound out of the 12" tom that I want with the EC2 head on it.

would you guys suggest switching back to the G2 clears? Any DrumDial specific settings that anyone could suggest? Or a general idea of tension for those sizes using G2 heads?

This forum is amazing....thanks everyone!
 
So it's basically obvious that I need to replace the stock resos?

How about muffling? I've heard some people say to leave them open, but some people will use moon gels or rings.


Thanks guys

I think Gretch toms sound the best when not muffled. At least for the Catalina Elite and Maple I play.
 
Yeah, I agree with you, topgun. For me, the resonance is there, but it's just the tone. I feel like using coated G2s will give me a warmer attack without sacrificing resonance. In theory it should be a perfect balance. I'll let you guys know how that goes, even though it might be a week or two. It's mainly the 14" floor tom. I just can't get it as low as I want it.

Also, I'm coming from a kit with an 18" bass, and I just don't feel comfortable behind the new kit yet. Do you guys think that I'll get a better feel for a bigger kit over time?

Thanks
 
I own a gretsch catalina maple and use evans clear g2 batter, with clear g1 resos.

I heard a gretsch purewood series bubinga kit at my local drum shop and it sounded SOOOOOOOOOO SWEEET,,,, which comes with the same heads i mentioned from factory.

i'm very happy with the sound indeed.
 
So it's basically obvious that I need to replace the stock resos?

How about muffling? I've heard some people say to leave them open, but some people will use moon gels or rings.

Hey Gruntersdad, doesn't your 8" choke with a coated two-ply head?

Thanks guys

I say Moon gel you can always remove it if your acoustics change, and you can fine tune it (cut it in quarters). I have coated G2s and Emperor batters on a Catalina Maple and thet sound fantastic. I would imagine they sound better on a Renown set. But I am very particular in keeping my reso head tuned with my batter. Most choking I have experienced comes from too much variance between the batter and reso.
 
So it's basically obvious that I need to replace the stock resos?

How about muffling? I've heard some people say to leave them open, but some people will use moon gels or rings.

Hey Gruntersdad, doesn't your 8" choke with a coated two-ply head?

Thanks guys
Dalton it doesn't sing like the others. I may try a G1 on there to see what it does.
 
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