1980's Gretsch USA Custom

DrumAddik

DrumAddik

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Hey everybody,

So I have an opportunity to purchase a mint condition 1980's Gretsch USA Custom 6 piece.

How much would you pay for this kit? It also comes with mint condition hard cases.

Thanks guys
 

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If they truly are mint and have the reso head hardware, you are looking at 2000. to 2500 based on what I have seen on eBay
 
eBay prices usually go higher than local (craigslist type) listings, so if the seller isn't gonna go the eBay route, you might have a chance to get 'em cheaper. You're looking at a $5K set, new. So $2K - $2.5K ..... yeah, about right. My guess.​
 
Wow, just great news all around guys. Thank you for taking the time and answering this post.

As for sizes they are
14" snare
13",14",16",18" toms
24" bass drum

I'm finding out now if they come with bottom hoops and heads
 
I don't know. 30 year old drums, made custom for someone else, in sizes that are really not that versatile, in an age (the 80's) not known for high quality construction, and with hardware that lends itself to damping the resonance of the drums (toms mounted on bass drum, tom mounts directly on shells). Honestly, I wouldn't pay more than $1200-1500 max. A new set of Renowns is ~$1500 and its sound would be more versatile than these USA customs.
 
As someone pointed out above, these drums are nice but not especially desirable from a players perspective. For $2500, you can buy a Renown 'and' a New Classic and still have enough left over for a good night in Vegas.
 
The tom sizes are standard sizes for a rock drum set. The USA Custom allows ordering drums to fit your need but the build isn't custom. I'm not sure what is undesirable for the tom sizes. Other than the 24 inch bass drum I find them versatile. You can play 24, 12, 14 or 13, 16, 24. Or 12, 13, and 16 I think they would work for a number of settings.
 
How is a kit with a 24" kick not desirable?? Do you trendy drummers just turn your nose up at anything that doesn't have a toy-sized bass drum?

If I had a kit in those sizes I would have the 13 and 16 with clear heads for most gigs and put coated heads on the 14 and 18 and tune them high for a big band sound. 2 kits in one. Boo I say to your drum snobbery.

That said, I'm pretty cheap and have a love of bargaining so I really wouldn't off a lot.
 
Red Menace said:
How is a kit with a 24" kick not desirable?? Do you trendy drummers just turn your nose up at anything that doesn't have a toy-sized bass drum?

If I had a kit in those sizes I would have the 13 and 16 with clear heads for most gigs and put coated heads on the 14 and 18 and tune them high for a big band sound. 2 kits in one. Boo I say to your drum snobbery.

That said, I'm pretty cheap and have a love of bargaining so I really wouldn't off a lot.
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I agree. I would LOVE to own a 24" kick. Toom any people trying to emulate Travis Barker these days.
 
Red Menace said:
How is a kit with a 24" kick not desirable?? Do you trendy drummers just turn your nose up at anything that doesn't have a toy-sized bass drum?
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24"BD + 14"RT.

If I had a Blue Ox named "Babe", I'd totally buy this kit and have a drum duel versus a guy with an eKit.

That said, It does look like a nice kit.
 
Oooh, that's my kind of kit right there! My kit is a 24/13/15/18, but I miss having the 16 so I'd jump on those and give the guy whatever he wants (practically).

I have no clue what versatile means to some, but those are my favorite sizes. 24" kick FTW! I'd run it 13/16/18 most of the time, but swapping to the 14" rack would be a lot of fun.

And with the Jasper shells, too? Shoot, I'd be all over that kit before someone else snags it!

I'd double check the bass drum tho. Could just be the pic angle but it looks like a 22".
 
I have no idea what gave you guys ideas that I was a trying to be trendy. Its only my personal opinion that a 13" and 14" tom *both hanging* would be weird. Set up wise they would need to be angled no? A little too unwieldy for me. I can see 13 hangin and 16 floor tom set up. And I only specified the toms. The bass drum is certainly awesome.

Could be because I'm short and not because of my age.
 
Well, a 13" rack tom being the smallest on the kit is very limiting to my needs, so this kit is not worth it to me. As I mentioned earlier, a 6 piece Renown kit is far more versatile in my mind as it would come with 8/10/12/16/22. Much easier to tune lower and get a good sound than tune higher and risk getting choked out or pingy sounding.
 
Tommy_D said:
Well, a 13" rack tom being the smallest on the kit is very limiting to my needs, so this kit is not worth it to me. As I mentioned earlier, a 6 piece Renown kit is far more versatile in my mind as it would come with 8/10/12/16/22. Much easier to tune lower and get a good sound than tune higher and risk getting choked out or pingy sounding.
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of course, you're free to like whatever you want and smaller sized toms definitely have their charms. I also agree that larger sizes sound dead and thuddy when tuned down the same way as smaller sizes. You really have to tune them different, as in tighter.

But IME, you can crank them pretty tight before they start to lose their bottom end and choke out. My 18" has a ridiculous amount of tension on it but it's full and round with sharp stick attack and still sounds low and thunderous. My 13 & 15 are tensioned a fair bit higher than your typical 12 & 14 would be also and they're nowhere near choking.

Not sure what pingy sounding is, but they do start to take on a little bit of 'bonk' if that's what you mean, but I kinda like that. My favorite feature of larger sizes tuned tighter is the lack of pitch bend. Makes for a speedier surface where quicker patterns articulate more cleanly. Downside is more overtones, though, but they usually get swallowed up fast with the band anyway.
 
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