Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz in Copper Sparkle

adam!

Senior Member
Here's my new Jazz kit with some customizations. Great sounding kit! Here's some pics:

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With flash:

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What I changed:
  • Painted the bass drum hoops black to reflect some vintage Gretsch kits I've seen
  • Switched stock tom batters to reso's and replaced them with ambassadors
  • Clear floor tom reso to snare reso, ambassador on top
  • Puresound Custom 20 strand
  • Gretsch fiberskyn reso and powerstroke 3 batter
  • Filled bass drum with pillows and blankets... just kidding. I'm waiting on felt strips to come in
I also took some advice I'd read here and applied tung oil to the inside of the shells. Like others have said, this kit sounds surprisingly impressive. I even got the snare sounding great, sort of "Stanton Moore-ish". I love the finish because it reminds me of that classic Champagne Sparkle, but I've come to like Copper Sparkle even better! And I gotta say, the snare reso was SO sad! Might use it to saran wrap some food in the fridge!

Also, anyone thinking about getting a Cat Jazz kit... Do it! And when you do, go to Sigler Music and get one without hardware for $100 less than everyone else is selling just the shell pack for!

Cheers
 
I'm actually looking for a second kit. Could this do they job, though I play progressiv rock like Muse and such, funk and sometimes jazz. It's the bass drum that concerns me.
 
I'm actually looking for a second kit. Could this do they job, though I play progressiv rock like Muse and such, funk and sometimes jazz. It's the bass drum that concerns me.

Depends on your tuning, but it's got a big and punchy sound. It'll surprise you. It's got a wide tuning range... tuned up high for jazz, or lower and punchy for rock, funk, w/e. And of course, as long as you're mic'ed, you'll be fine.
 
tell me abou that ludwig bass drum behind the jazz kit...is that a 26?
Looks huge!!!

Yes it is. Classic Maple 14x26, 10x14, 16x16, 16x18. Looks kind of funny looming over the Gretsch.
 
Yes it is. Classic Maple 14x26, 10x14, 16x16, 16x18. Looks kind of funny looming over the Gretsch.

In green glitter, with what looks to be a rail mount...? I might just be jealous of you, sir!
 
I've got one of these kits in WMP. Good sounds.

Try an EMAD on the kick next time you do a BD head change. You'll like it a lot.

I'll have to try that (putting the G1s on the reso side).

I like the copper wrap but the walnut finish for this kit is my favorite. I wish I had waited until they came out with that finish before I bought mine.
 
I've got one of these kits in WMP. Good sounds.

Try an EMAD on the kick next time you do a BD head change. You'll like it a lot.

I'll have to try that (putting the G1s on the reso side).

I like the copper wrap but the walnut finish for this kit is my favorite. I wish I had waited until they came out with that finish before I bought mine.

+1 on the EMAD, especially if you are going to play anything other than jazz.

I also wish I had opted for the walnut finish (my snare of choice has a mahogany stain and it would match better), but the copper sparkle is really nice. It looks reddish gold under some lighting, and more straight up gold in direct sunlight (outdoor gig).

I like the painted/stained interior on the bass drum hoops. I'll have to steal that idea. :)
 
Why the tung oil on the insides?
Does it change the color of the wood?

Tung oil seals the wood to protect against moisture, ultimately resulting in a longer life for your drum. The oil seeps into the wood until its fully saturated, and then forms a "urethane-like" coating after several applications. And yes it changes the color to an amber-ish stained look, brings out the wood grain and gives the wood some depth with enough coats. However, I just did it for practical purposes, again, to seal the wood. Because this is a "lower-end" kit.. price-wise... the interior is basically raw. Higher end kits have finished interiors.
Also, once you've got a good shine coating, the sound will change as well. I notice my drums sound warmer, more "rounded-out", and a bit louder.
Hope that answers your question.
 
Tung oil seals the wood to protect against moisture, ultimately resulting in a longer life for your drum. The oil seeps into the wood until its fully saturated, and then forms a "urethane-like" coating after several applications. And yes it changes the color to an amber-ish stained look, brings out the wood grain and gives the wood some depth with enough coats. However, I just did it for practical purposes, again, to seal the wood. Because this is a "lower-end" kit.. price-wise... the interior is basically raw. Higher end kits have finished interiors.
Also, once you've got a good shine coating, the sound will change as well. I notice my drums sound warmer, more "rounded-out", and a bit louder.
Hope that answers your question.

I have been considering doing this with the Birchwood Casey Tru-oil. I think it would be similar to what Neil Peart used to do with his kits sonically and of course sealing the wood should make the shell more stable. My only concern is softeningthe bearing edge. The rounded edges on the cat jazz kit not so much but on the PDP CXR kit that has the sharp 45 degree edges
 
I sealed the interiors of my Catalina Maples with Teak oil and it made an amazing difference. Sound quality improved and it just makes the interiors look like their high end cousins. I wrote an extensive post on the procedure that you may be able to find in search.

Audiowonderland, the oil will have no effect on the bearing edge at all since it soaks into the wood rather than laying on top like a varnish or shellac.
 
I sealed the interiors of my Catalina Maples with Teak oil and it made an amazing difference. Sound quality improved and it just makes the interiors look like their high end cousins. I wrote an extensive post on the procedure that you may be able to find in search.

Audiowonderland, the oil will have no effect on the bearing edge at all since it soaks into the wood rather than laying on top like a varnish or shellac.

You can also tape them off with some blue painters masking tape and less or no oil will get on the edges.
 
Here's my new Jazz kit with some customizations. Great sounding kit!
What I changed:
  • Painted the bass drum hoops black to reflect some vintage Gretsch kits I've seen
  • Switched stock tom batters to reso's and replaced them with ambassadors
  • Clear floor tom reso to snare reso, ambassador on top
  • Puresound Custom 20 strand
  • Gretsch fiberskyn reso and powerstroke 3 batter
  • Filled bass drum with pillows and blankets... just kidding. I'm waiting on felt strips to come in
I also took some advice I'd read here and applied tung oil to the inside of the shells. Like others have said, this kit sounds surprisingly impressive. I even got the snare sounding great, sort of "Stanton Moore-ish". I love the finish because it reminds me of that classic Champagne Sparkle, but I've come to like Copper Sparkle even better! And I gotta say, the snare reso was SO sad! Might use it to saran wrap some food in the fridge!

Also, anyone thinking about getting a Cat Jazz kit... Do it! And when you do, go to Sigler Music and get one without hardware for $100 less than everyone else is selling just the shell pack for!

Cheers
Congratulations!!! That set looks fantastic. And wrapping looks better here than in Gretsch catalogue. Mine is WMP and I love it, but I think I would go for a copper one if it would be available at the time of purchase. If this finish was with virgin bassdrum I'd buy it right now.
 
Congratulations!!! That set looks fantastic. And wrapping looks better here than in Gretsch catalogue. Mine is WMP and I love it, but I think I would go for a copper one if it would be available at the time of purchase. If this finish was with virgin bassdrum I'd buy it right now.

Thanks man, both are very classy finishes.
 
The 'copper sparkle" is a very nice finish, but if I was going to buy a set it would have to be in "white marine pearl" just because that was the finish of my dad's 4 piece 1950's Ludwig set. I really enjoy playing the Club Jazz kits every chance I get.

Dennis
 
Congratulations!!! That set looks fantastic. And wrapping looks better here than in Gretsch catalogue. Mine is WMP and I love it, but I think I would go for a copper one if it would be available at the time of purchase. If this finish was with virgin bassdrum I'd buy it right now.


I have exactly the same kit and made almost precisely the same modifications with one addition: I converted the kick to virgin for $15 in supplies and about 30 minutes of work. Here's how:

Gretsch directed me to Precision Drum Co. in NY for a small piece of "Modern Bermuda Sand", which is pretty much a spot-on match for Copper Sparkle, cut and delivered for $10. I removed the mounting hardware and badge, then drilled out the screw holes to 3/8". The 1 1/2" central hole and five 3/8" (four screw holes and badge vent) were filled with flat-top wood plugs (about $5, pre-cut) and glued into place. Then, a 1/3" round cutting tool was used to remove the wrap surrounding each of the plugged screw holes and again to cut 1/3" patches of Modern Bermuda Sand as filler, which were glued into place, topping off the leveled-out plugs. The repair borders are well-fitted, smooth and indiscernible, really only visible under close inspection. To avoid aesthetic concerns of a large (1 1/2") fix area through the mounting arm hole, I moved the badge to cover this repair, drilling out a 3/8" hole to accommodate the vent, then dropped a new grommet in. The whole thing took about 30 minutes to complete - it's a super simple DIY mod.

The kick looks exponentially better and, to my ears, sounds a bit more open. The mounting hardware is the only detail of the Cat Jazz kits I can't get down with.
 
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