First of all, welcome to Drum Chat Craigory! When I bought my Gretsch Catalina maple set, I had seriously considered the Yamaha Stage Custom Advantage set. I fell in love with the sound of an all maple shell, and the Stage Custom Advantage was a mixture of woods. I also know that the drum hoops are 1.6 mm on the Yammies, while my Gretsch set has 2.5 mm hoops.
Just for your consideration, in case you hadn't considered the Gretsch Catalina series, is the fact that I could get a 6 piece set (free 16x16 floor tom) - although it's a shell pack - for $699. That might give you an opportunity to upgrade some cymbals.
Just some thoughts for you. I'm sure there will be others!
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