Renown Option Toms - Looking for alternatives.

KamaK

Platinum Member
About 5 months ago, I bought a Gretsch Renown Maple kit with a transparent ebony finish. It was a floor model and I got it for a great price. I've been having a blast with it ever since.

I had originally planned to scour ebay/craigslist/google for a matching 14" option tom. 5 months of searching has not yielded anything of interest.

Last month, I widened the scope to Catalina Maple TE toms, figuring I could get something that matched cosmetically and purchase a die-cast hoop. I'd end up living with a fair, but not unacceptable sonic difference that only a handful of people would ever notice. 2 months, no dice.

I contacted Gretsch about the possibility of getting a NOS or one-off. They'd be happy to make me a 14" USA Custom tom in a matching finish for just under $1000. I'm going to have to pass on that. It was nice of them to actually present me with a solution, but... damn.

Are there any other options? I briefly looked at DIY with Keller shells and Gibraltar hardware, but couldn't find a 30 degree bearing edge. Not to mention, the finishing work would be a hair above my ability level.

Are there custom drum makers out there that do small-potatoes work out there? Is there someone I can call and say "I need a 14" clone of this drum, here take my money please"
 
You're on the East Coast. Try Precision Drums, I hear nothing but good things about them.

Other option is check the 'bay.

Oooh, look at this beaut. 14x10.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gretsch-Dru...=Vintgae_Drums_Percussion&hash=item5b045d235c

Or this 14x14. Not the color you want but still a charming specimen.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gretsch-Dru.../131278581060?pt=US_Drums&hash=item1e90d02d44

Gretsch stuff can be hard to find. I scored a 13" orphan tom in a beautiful red/black sparkle fade and a matching 16" shell will run me 6 bills.
 
What size drums are on the kit currently? You should be able to get the 14" tom from Gretsch for a bit less than $1,000, more like $800 if you go through a dealer like Interstate. I think that is your best bet. It will match perfectly, and sound great.
 
22" x 18" kick drum
8" x 7" tom
10" x 8" tom
12" x 9" tom
16" x 14" floor tom

It's this same kit.

The Renowns have been replaced with the RN1, AKA, "The New Renown".

The RN1 option toms are about $500, but with a different finish and badge.

I may just go for any 14" Renown tom on ebay, and wrap it piano black as a short term fix. I can always resell it if I find the right one. I may get lucky and pick up one for $200.
 
$1000! Tell them to stick it up their bum.

Sell it and get a shell pack with the right sizes.
 
I saw that, and had BMarked it. That's an RN1 tom, which has a different badge.

At this point, I'm going to keep an eye out for a perfect match, and simply sell/buy in a year. This will allow me to pick up some recording gear before December.
 
Maybe reach out to one of the online retailers currently offering blowouts on the ebony shell packs. Like I said before I saw that one retailer site or ebay store listed 20 ebony shell packs. My guess is that at least one of those stores is sitting on exactly what you need, but may not know exactly what the inventory is.

I've worked for two different drum retailers and can't tell you how many times valuable stuff is discovered in a warehouse...lol. One of my jobs was actually in the warehouse of the defunct EU Wurlitzer chain. I would hunt stuff down all the time as a favor to one of the in store guys. Sometimes, I found exactly what they were looking for even though the inventory system said zero. If you ask they may have someone take a closer look at inventory and may actually find something. They may even break a set apart to make a sale.
 
A glimmer of hope has appeared!

So I have a 16x14 (Diameter x Depth)

I've been in search of a 14x14 or a 14x12 to go with it. I just got a solid lead on a 16x12 that matches my kit.

Do you gents feel that I could do a 16x14 and a 16x12 and tune them to a major 4th interval without a volume or timbre mismatch?
 
Finally!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gretsch-Ren...m-Ebony-Lacquer-Die-Cast-Clean-/281546645881?

While it's the same size as the one I already have, I did a quick test tuning up the 16" I have to see if I could get it a Maj4th under my 12". It worked out better and more easily than I had anticipated. The other option, not that I've had the opportunity to try, would be to tune my 10/12 up a tiny bit and skip a 4th between the 12 and the first 16.

i hope it works out for you! i wanna get a 16 floor tom for my dw kit too but dont wanna cough up $640 for one.
 
Finally!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gretsch-Ren...m-Ebony-Lacquer-Die-Cast-Clean-/281546645881?

While it's the same size as the one I already have, I did a quick test tuning up the 16" I have to see if I could get it a Maj4th under my 12". It worked out better and more easily than I had anticipated. The other option, not that I've had the opportunity to try, would be to tune my 10/12 up a tiny bit and skip a 4th between the 12 and the first 16.

Congrats on the find! You should be able to get the floors to sound different and separate enough to make it worth while. Man, this makes me miss my former 7 piece setup. I loved having three up and two down.

Let us know how it works out.
 
I contacted Gretsch about the possibility of getting a NOS or one-off. They'd be happy to make me a 14" USA Custom tom in a matching finish for just under $1000.

A 14" by 14" USA Custom floor tom won't cost you more than about $600 or $700 in a satin finish. Contact Cascio Interstate and they'll hook you up. It will take about two or three months to get the drum though.
 
A 14" by 14" USA Custom floor tom won't cost you more than about $600 or $700 in a satin finish. Contact Cascio Interstate and they'll hook you up. It will take about two or three months to get the drum though.

Indeed. I saw a renown 14x14 in Satin Black on eBay for 350-ish, but really wanted the matching finish.

I picked up this 16" for $225 and will still hit eBay as part of my morning routine looking for a 14". If I eventually find one, I can simply Re-bay (HAHAHA Re-Bay, get it?) the 16 and probably make a profit.
Either way, I'm looking forward to trying out the 2D config. I might even try putting one of the FT's on the snare side to see if it suits me.
 
It arrived today and I tuned it up, or down rather. I can see why some drummers don't like the reach required for 2D, though I can cheat it in/up another two inches once I can move the 12" rack tom a bit more. If I eventually find the elusive 14", I imagine it will be much easier ergonomically.

Tuning was nowhere near the problem I thought it would be.

Snagged a pic for good measure. Hooray.

eFmlTOq.jpg
 
Congrats! Looks good too. I've always liked the look of a 3 up two down setup....To me, it looks and feels balanced.

Damn, now I want a 7 piece.
 
The drum arrived today with a fairly low-mileage G1 over G2. Tunes just as low as a 16" with a tad less thunder.

There's one very slight issue in that the 2000's era "Transparent Ebony" is slightly lighter than the 2010's era TE.

mMu7exU.jpg


Legs and mounting should be here by the 12th. I'm going to grab some Corona and a lime, and I'm gonna give it the stink-eye for a while before I decide what to do with it. Keep it, REbay it... Hmmm.
 
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