Yes -- its worth it..............but there is a problem...............
Why pay $5K for a USA shell pack that someone else custom-ordered ?
I can do very well with less than $5K walking into Forks or Memphis and custom-order exactly what I want from Gretsch.
An 8-piece kit is too large for me (and many other drummers).
And generally speaking, for a while now, the used drum market is not good for sellers.
Gretsch USA & Zildjian(What Else Would I Ever Need ?)
i ordered this kit from Forks. I waited 4 months for it. And yes I paid $6k for it. Yes it’s expensive. Yes this many drums isn’t for everyone. You don’t even want to know what my DW Kit cost. The Gretsch USA Custom Kit sounds amazing and is super easy to tune. However, it can’t touch the quality and craftsmanship of my DW Kit. My problem is I was a dummy and impulse purchased the Gretsch Kit and wasn’t impressed enough with the drums for me to want to keep playing them. Someone will get a great set of drums when I sell them. And yes I’m willing to negotiate the price. I also realize that $5k is way above a lot of people’s comfort zone to buy drums. It’s all good.
Agreed INDI, it's all good.
Don't take my opinion as criticism in any way -- I believe every drummer should have the set that makes him feel like he has the kit that is best correlated with his performance and his sound.
I don't care if that is DW Collectors or if it is Crush Acrylics or whatever.
I ordered my Gretsch USA Customs (SSB) in February or March of 1977 and received shipment on August 26, 1977, exactly 10 days after Elvis died at Graceland.
So this August I will have owned and gigged this kit for 42 years (including gigs last Friday night and tomorrow).
To me it still sounds awesome and is every bit as good as anything available out there.
I've never really been motivated to look for anything else -- I've played top-line Sonor and Yamaha, Ludwig Classic Maples, DW Collectors, classic Slingerland -- all great.
Just, not better. I did play an e-kit for a while in the late 80s, but I soon got over that.
All of us have a different ear and preference -- it's all good.
I'm happy you have found the shell pack that makes you want to play your best and I hope you have a long-lasting glow of pride like I have had -- congratulations.
Gretsch USA & Zildjian(What Else Would I Ever Need ?)
If iNDi's USA Customs cost $6K new, I hate to be a grinch but they were worth a lot less than $5K before he finished loading them in his car.
They are, of course, worth what someone will pay. My guess would be more more in the ballpark of $3500 or so. Depending on age and condition. They could possibly fetch $5K if he bought them last week.
Yeah, Ricky, I tell ya I've seen, heard, played but never owned those Jasper shells but I tell ya! WOW! and I think they really get even better with age! lol.
The reality is the market for people buying elite high end kits is quite limited, especially with used, elite high end kits.
The only way I can get my money back out of the used Collectors exotic kit I have is to sell it on eBay, which is where I bought it to begin with. Everyone local wants to trade 20 lesser things for it. I haven’t had a serious offer in the three times I’ve listed it on CL.
Last edited by Exotic Matter; 05-04-2019 at 08:40 AM.
I'm standing on a 6 ft ladder to get this shot. I can't hold my iphone any higher than the fan blades otherwise they'd be in the shot. The iPhone doesn't have a wide enough field of view to get the entire kit with all the cymbals so this is the best i can do. HDR filter added for "dramatic effect".
What a beautiful kit!
I know how wide open these drums are with the stock heads, it must sound absolutely massive.
Do you have a front end view of it to show the color?
Dance with the one that brought you! I'm in the same situation as you (only slightly younger .
I've been playing my '97 DW Collectors for all of my gigs (500+) and rehearsals ever since I got it in Jan '98. Nothing better has come along in all that time. As good, but not better.
Collectors Black Ice Finishply
10x8,12x9,15x12,16x14,20x18,24x16
14X6 Collectors 10 and 6 snare Natural Satin
14x8 Collectors Black Nickel over Brass
^Wow! The Pearl rack and the broken glass finish visually work well together. Have you had a chance to record with this kit yet?
Whoa...that birdseye view looks so familiar:
1.jpg
Wow -- that is an awesome set of drums.................I'm really glad I'm not your drum-tech.
INDI, you might have seen this vid -- it is Mr. Good giving a tour of the factory and the process of making his red oak shells.
I find it amazing that DW has created these custom tools to make their own plywood, shells, cutting and drilling for hardware, finishing..............everything is automated.
Such a huge contrast for me to watch since I was given a personal tour of the Gretsch assembly facility and watched Paul Cooper himself do all this same stuff by hand.
A totally different world of making drums.................
The vid below is worth a watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CpkHMavvvU
Gretsch USA & Zildjian(What Else Would I Ever Need ?)
Reserved for a slight change of my new DW Kit Mothership III....<stay tuned>
Bookmarks