May be getting some Renowns - Which ones are these?

PorkPieGuy

Platinum Member
A friend of mine is letting me borrow these with an option to buy. The sizes are 8, 10, 12, 14 (floor), 20 (kick), with matching 14" snare. What can you tell me about them? I've never heard a bad word about Renowns, but I've never played any either. If I'm not mistaken, these were made back when they were 100% solid hard American Maple, and I believe they also have the silver sealer.

What can you tell me about these?

renown1.jpgrenown2.jpgrenown3.jpgrenown4.jpgrenown5.jpgrenown6.jpg
 
First half of 2010”. I think.
very good drums, beautiful finish and great hardware. The rims are bulky but work well,you’ll get a nice sustain.
Even the stock snare drum is pleasant.
 
The only bad thing I can say about them is that they are a bit on the husky side. You definitely won't mistake them for lightweight drums, but I think that is part of what makes them sound so good.

Some have an issue with the odd number of lugs on the rack toms, but I never found that to be an issue. I don't own a set, but I have used them frequently as backline and house kits.
 
Those are "RN" series. 2009-2010-ish. This era of Renown still had the "North American Rock Maple" marketing jargon.

I have nothing but good things to say about them. They record well, and sound a lot like a USA custom from the same era.

I had the same series a while ago with the 22"BD/16"FT, no snare, in the Transparent Ebony finish. Sold to a friend in 2017 for ~$750 as I moved into a George Way.

I think Gruntsdad has the same sizes and era you are looking at, and was pleased with them last I read.

Complaints? The 22" BD had an 18" depth. Had I kept the kit as a primary, I would have cut it down by ~4".
 
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They record well, and sound a lot like a USA custom from the same era.

This is not the first time I've read this...

Those are "RN" series. 2009-2010-ish. This era of Renown still had the "North American Rock Maple" marketing jargon.

I've played other maple drums, and the best ones I've played have been American maple. Maybe it's just a placebo, but I have to trust my ears.



Complaints? The 22" BD had an 18" depth. Had I kept the kit as a primary, I would have cut it down by ~4".

This set has a 20" x 16". I've owned two 20" x 20" "beer can" kick drums, and I've grown to hate that size. My Pork Pie USA kit has a 22" x 18" that I love, but I hate to carry it.
 
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These older RN drums have a deeper 12" tom than the current model, 12" x 9" deep rather than 12 x 8.

They're what I've been playing for the last few years. I paid $730 for 8,10,12,16, 22, no snare. They were in great condition with minor wear.

Does anyone know when the RN1 started?
 
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Oh ok, so the round black badges are RN1 or later.

The model I have was called RN-E824PT6TEL

E stood for "Euro" shell pack, TEL is the color (transparent ebony lacquer in my case)
 
You may have to change your name to RenownGuy after you try them out. ?

Definitely give us a full rundown of your thoughts once you've played them. It'll be interesting to see what you think of the 20" bass drum as well. That's the same size I have.
 
I have the RN1 very similar to these. Some impressions:
Drums are very heavy and hardware is rock-solid. Toms stay in tune always.
They can be very loud. You can get as much volume as you want out of these.
GTS tom mounts are bulletproof. Set up and forget it. Again, rock-solid.
Renowns favor medium to high tunings. Low tuning can be achieved but that is not this kit's sweet spot.
All in all, a professional level kit for a great price, new or used.
 
Fantastic drums! They sound and feel close to the USA customs but for much less money. Sound wise they’re a little wetter sounding than the USAs and the tone isn’t quit as clear, but they sound great. They’re heavy drums and the rims mounts make em heavier. If I picked up a set of that generation Renown, I’d ditch the rims and install Gretsch’s GTS Mount...they’re stable and dont interfere with head changes.
 
I’d ditch the rims and install Gretsch’s GTS Mount...they’re stable and dont interfere with head changes.

I did this with Brooklyn's, which came with the RIMS style mounts. Not only do the newer mounts not interfere with head changes, they're also much nicer looking.
 
It's confusing, but Gretsch calls all the different tom mounts "gts mounts", don't they? Even the ones that only fit Catalinas.

Probably just me, but think the old RN mounts look nicer than the new lug-mounted ones.
 
UPDATE: I set them up at my house and played them for a few minutes. While I think they sound really good, they really don't "speak" to me the way my Pork Pie kit and my Ludwig Classic Maple kit do. I mean they would do great in just about any playing situation, and I'm sure whoever buys these will love them. However, they are just not for me. I'm very spoiled at this point, and a drum set has to really "wow" me to get my attention. These fell just a little short, but they probably won't to whoever ends up with them. Also, I'm the first to admit that my ears are garbage too.
 
UPDATE: I set them up at my house and played them for a few minutes. While I think they sound really good, they really don't "speak" to me the way my Pork Pie kit and my Ludwig Classic Maple kit do. I mean they would do great in just about any playing situation, and I'm sure whoever buys these will love them. However, they are just not for me. I'm very spoiled at this point, and a drum set has to really "wow" me to get my attention. These fell just a little short, but they probably won't to whoever ends up with them. Also, I'm the first to admit that my ears are garbage too.
Well, it’s good that you were able to try them out. Which Pork Pies do you have? I have yet to play any pork pies, but I was turned on to when I saw Primus way back and Herb was playing them.
 
Well, it’s good that you were able to try them out. Which Pork Pies do you have? I have yet to play any pork pies, but I was turned on to when I saw Primus way back and Herb was playing them.

I play the USA version that was made back when they were a boutique company. Mine are from 1998 and have sequential serial numbers and have aged nicely in the past 22 years.
 
A friend of mine is letting me borrow these with an option to buy. The sizes are 8, 10, 12, 14 (floor), 20 (kick), with matching 14" snare. What can you tell me about them? I've never heard a bad word about Renowns, but I've never played any either. If I'm not mistaken, these were made back when they were 100% solid hard American Maple, and I believe they also have the silver sealer.

What can you tell me about these?

View attachment 92788View attachment 92789View attachment 92790View attachment 92791View attachment 92792View attachment 92793

That's a rock solid kit - is this someone you know selling these? I'd pick them up if they had a bass drum tom mount - I hate, hate this whole lack of hardware of the bass drum thing - especially for kits with two rack toms.

I'd also be curious on price and shipping.
 
I'll give you the same advice that guitar players get about a Les Paul. If you're not a hunchback when you buy it, you will be after you play it for a while. Those die cast hoop Renowns are the heaviest drums I've ever owned. :oops:
 
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