Gretsch '57 Renown MotorCity Black

[Pearl MCX Man]

How many kits you got now Rich? The way you are going you will fill that big garage up pretty quick . I see another addition in the future LOL. Talk about GAS attack that is a big one. LOL

[Texdrumr]

Awesome! Congrats on the new kit.

[MartyM]

Really looks fantastic..I was originally from the motor city area..didn't realize Gretch named a set after it. sooo this is set #? of ? Rich you make me jealous dude

[ty7177]

Looks amazing, how much did those run you??

[Kazaamski]

Sweet kit Late8

[TamadudeNJ]

Gretsch really hit this one out of the park! Gorgeous set of drums man, enjoy them!! Just stellar.

[late8]

Looking good Rich!

Thanks Marko. It was a hard choice to make at this time of the year.

"Thanks ricardo! I'm hoping some day to get a USA custom but for now, the Renowns will have to do...lol"


I love Renowns............wish I had some !

This is my first Gretsch kit and I think the silver sealer has something to do with the resonance which makes it sound a bit different in tone than what I'm accustomed to hearing.

Now that just means ill be buying 602s as well once you tease me with pics/reviews! lol

lol! I had a chance to tap on a 602 med flat ride and wow! Nice ping and solid tone, no washy or gongy overtones.

WOW Rich those are beauties very very nice . congrats bud , christmas in sept.....

Thanks Tom. I had these things on layaway since early spring (March 8). I had to save and save. It's a good intermidiate kit. Not too interested in spending more than what I could afford. I'm a dedicated hobbiest at best.

Classic Motor City cruising Woodward Ave kit. I would love to see a tricked out flatbed type of truck in the same paint motif, with someone playing that kit on the bed. Now that would be cool. Hey, maybe Gretsch would listen to that promotion idea, eh?

Great idea wolvie56. I tried to talk my metal head buddy's into promoting their band on a roaming flatbed but I think the head banging would of been too much for 'Joe Public'

Daaaaaaaang!!! Those are killer with all the filler! You got great taste in drums man.

Thanks Russ. The Gretsch '57 MotorCity scheme reminds me of the Harliquin finishes that Gretsch had a few years ago which I thought looked very unique.

Ying & Yang, Zebra, skunk, panda, cow, penguin, dalmation, nun, killer whale of a sweet kit! (I mean that in a good way...sweet!)

lol!! When I'm staring at this kit, I don't see a Chevy. Maybe if I had bought the light blue one.

Sweet kit late8 !!! They really stand out and are really unique.

Thanks Spiderjig. After playing the kit over the weekend I came to the conclusion that I need to do a complete head swap. The heads are all stretched out. The kit was set up as a demo model on the showroom floor when I paid the deposit to start the the layaway but then the shells were stacked on top of each other for 6 months as I made payments.

Upon first inspection at home, I noticed the batter head on the bass drum has huge dents from the tuning lugs of the 16x16 floor tom as it sat on top of the bass drum for the 6 month wait. New heads are going to be Evans EC2 clear SST/Evans G1 clear for toms and Aquarian SK2 batter/Aquarian black ported reso for the bass drum. I don't have the heart to cut a port in the OEM Gretsch reso head so I'll keep it intact.

How many kits you got now Rich? The way you are going you will fill that big garage up pretty quick . I see another addition in the future LOL. Talk about GAS attack that is a big one. LOL

Gilles, I'm glad you mentioned this. I had one of my Pearl kits (ECX) up on CL but the job conditions in my area are very poor. The neighboring big city of Stockton declared bankruptcy so nothing seems to move. After weeks of price slashing, I finally pulled the kit off the market and they sit in my closet at home. With this new purchase, I have 4 acoustic kits and one full ekit and a ekit with tom pad set. I wish I could sell one of the Pearl kits but it doesn't look good at the moment.

Awesome! Congrats on the new kit.

Thanks Tex! I hope things are well?

Really looks fantastic..I was originally from the motor city area..didn't realize Gretch named a set after it. sooo this is set #? of ? Rich you make me jealous dude

Hi MartyM! Thanks and yes, Gretsch has a limited run on this scheme with colors also in MC blue, and MC red. I thought I was going to be drawn into the MC red but I have a red laqured kit so black was my logical choice. This makes 4 acoustic kits. The Gretsch will move into the practice home recording studio soon and I'm hopeful I can sell the ECX kit soon to recoupe on the new purchase.

Looks amazing, how much did those run you??

Thanks ty! The kit ran me $1335 USD before tax. The demo USA Custom ran me $560 USD before tax.

Sweet kit Late8

Thanks Kaz!

Gretsch really hit this one out of the park! Gorgeous set of drums man, enjoy them!! Just stellar.

Thanks Tamadude! I wasn't too sure about the MC blue color when it first came out but when I saw a picture of the kit in MC black, it looked too cool to pass up.

[Olimpass]

lol!! When I'm staring at this kit, I don't see a Chevy. Maybe if I had bought the light blue one.

How 'bout this Chevy...The 57 Black Widow!

[late8]

^Sweet!!

[Northern Redneck]

The cutaway in the colour is meant to mimic the rear fender of a 57 Chevy.

[late8]

The cutaway in the colour is meant to mimic the rear fender of a 57 Chevy.

Uh huh you're right...but the light blue for me is the iconic color of a '57 Chevy.

[Northern Redneck]

Very true, Ill take my classic 72 Chevelle, in burnt orange with black stripes!

[late8]

Very true, Ill take my classic 72 Chevelle, in burnt orange with black stripes!

Oh heck ya!



This Bel Air is nice!!

[Northern Redneck]

Thats the exact car I want!

[Pearl MCX Man]

Now if Pearl could come out with a special 74 Dodge edition color like my Challenger that would be great LOL

[Ricardo]

"Upon first inspection at home, I noticed the batter head on the bass drum has huge dents from the tuning lugs of the 16x16 floor tom as it sat on top of the bass drum for the 6 month wait."

Have you considered asking the dealer to buy new heads since they screwed them up ? At least provide new heads at their cost ?





"I don't have the heart to cut a port in the OEM Gretsch reso head so I'll keep it intact."

I did exactly that..............I regret it.

[marko138]

"Upon first inspection at home, I noticed the batter head on the bass drum has huge dents from the tuning lugs of the 16x16 floor tom as it sat on top of the bass drum for the 6 month wait."

Have you considered asking the dealer to buy new heads since they screwed them up ? At least provide new heads at their cost ?





"I don't have the heart to cut a port in the OEM Gretsch reso head so I'll keep it intact."

I did exactly that..............I regret it.

I hate to see drums stacked up like that. I know it's killing the heads. I'd ask them to replace as well.

[late8]

Thats the exact car I want!

You and me both Noel!!

Now if Pearl could come out with a special 74 Dodge edition color like my Challenger that would be great LOL

That's too funny Gilles. I like the '74 Charger look. The newer ones just don't do it for me. Thanks for the pic! Cool car.

"Upon first inspection at home, I noticed the batter head on the bass drum has huge dents from the tuning lugs of the 16x16 floor tom as it sat on top of the bass drum for the 6 month wait."

Have you considered asking the dealer to buy new heads since they screwed them up ? At least provide new heads at their cost ?





"I don't have the heart to cut a port in the OEM Gretsch reso head so I'll keep it intact."

I did exactly that..............I regret it.

Hi Ricardo! The OEM heads had alot of miles already on them since this kit was the floor demo. I knew going into this that those stock heads would be pretty much shot. If these drums came to me via parcel and had they been shipped in the orginal factory boxes, the heads would be good to go for a while. This store cut me some serious slack on the time it took to pay off my layaway balance so no issues for me.

I hate to see drums stacked up like that. I know it's killing the heads. I'd ask them to replace as well.

Nah, if you stroll into any major drum shop you'll see them stacked this way. I cringe too when I see them stack so high

[marko138]

You and me both Noel!!

That's too funny Gilles. I like the '74 Charger look. The newer ones just don't do it for me. Thanks for the pic! Cool car.

Hi Ricardo! The OEM heads had alot of miles already on them since this kit was the floor demo. I knew going into this that those stock heads would be pretty much shot. If these drums came to me via parcel and had they been shipped in the orginal factory boxes, the heads would be good to go for a while. This store cut me some serious slack on the time it took to pay off my layaway balance so no issues for me.

Nah, if you stroll into any major drum shop you'll see them stacked this way. I cringe too when I see them stack so high

I know, I see it all the time. I hate it.

[late8]

Congrats Rich! It's such a cool looking kit, too! I never noticed before that the rack tom hardware was so indepently adustable. A lot of good thought went into that kit, and I know you're going to have a lot of fun playing it.

Thanks Bob! I had a chance to play the kit with the band last night and the toms needed some tweeking and the tom mount made it very quick and easy to make the adjustments. I found issues with the non-ported reso. We couldn't hear the beater even with using the hard plastic side. I'm going to need to buy a ported reso to stick the kick mic into the bass drum a little deeper.

[Markadiddle]

Wow Rich! That is one absolutely gorgeous kit!! The styling reminds me of something straight out of the 50's but with a modern flair, so-to-speak. It kind of reminds me of my favorite car, a '57 Chevy. Bet it sounds friggen awesome too!

(I'm just a little jealous)

ETA: Guess I should have read the rest of the thread. Someone did post that it looks like a '57 Chev.

[late8]

Wow Rich! That is one absolutely gorgeous kit!! The styling reminds me of something straight out of the 50's but with a modern flair, so-to-speak. It kind of reminds me of my favorite car, a '57 Chevy. Bet it sounds friggen awesome too!

(I'm just a little jealous)

ETA: Guess I should have read the rest of the thread. Someone did post that it looks like a '57 Chev.

Thanks Mark! I really wanted to get a USA Custom kit (Gretsch's top of the line) but me being a hobbyist and a weekend warrior, I couldn't justify the cost. That's probably why I don't own a DW Collector's kit either. This kit is gonna have to 'live' at my buddy's home recording studio where our band has a once a week practice. The flys, dust and spiders in my garage wreak havoc on my gear. I practice daily and it's so frustrating to see cobwebs hanging all over my gear the next day. Looks like I never play the kit. I'll miss having the kit around....oh well....

[wr_stix]

Hey late8 I just had to go back to this thread just to gaze at the pics again. Just so nice. I just got a Starclassic in Dark Cherry Fade and loving it.

That's a perfect look for a Oldies band too. I noticed you have the Gibraltar hardware. Works well?

Is that your Chevelle there dude? Man you guys with the nice muscle cars too.

[late8]

Hey late8 I just had to go back to this thread just to gaze at the pics again. Just so nice. I just got a Starclassic in Dark Cherry Fade and loving it.

That's a perfect look for a Oldies band too. I noticed you have the Gibraltar hardware. Works well?

Is that your Chevelle there dude? Man you guys with the nice muscle cars too.

I wish I had the Chevelle, I own a Chevy truck...that's about how close I can get to owning a cool ride. Thanks for the comment wr_stix! The Gibraltar hardware is rock solid. Although the lower quality gear share some limitations, the overall fit and finish is good. Gibraltar makes the only legless hihat stand on the market and the one I bought was the cheaper version (direct pull with spring). There's a better and more expensive model that uses hydraulic fluid rather than a spring for the pull rod. The action on the direct pull with the spring is dull and offers very little in 'feel' and it's very noisy when playing 1/4 notes on the hihat pedal. It squeaks alot even when lube'd.

[wr_stix]

I wish I had the Chevelle, I own a Chevy truck...that's about how close I can get to owning a cool ride. Thanks for the comment wr_stix! The Gibraltar hardware is rock solid. Although the lower quality gear share some limitations, the overall fit and finish is good. Gibraltar makes the only legless hihat stand on the market and the one I bought was the cheaper version (direct pull with spring). There's a better and more expensive model that uses hydraulic fluid rather than a spring for the pull rod. The action on the direct pull with the spring is dull and offers very little in 'feel' and it's very noisy when playing 1/4 notes on the hihat pedal. It squeaks alot even when lube'd.

Thanks for the Gibraltar info. I have a Tama Roadpro which seems pretty good but now I have two sets. So I need a new hihat but not going to break the bank for a stand. don't want a sqeaker either.

Chevelle SS or 69' Fastback Mustang (black) ouuuuhhh! Wish, wish.