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"
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"