Gretsch Drums Catalina Maple CM1-E826P 7-piece Shell Pack with Snare Drum - Walnut Glaze Reviews

In the 80's I played 6 nights a week hopping from one bar to the next, from Holiday Inns to places similar to "Road House". Back then I played a 5 pc. Yamaha run of the mill birch kit...mediocre hardware, sound was nothing to write home about and surprisingly the kit held up until the day it was stolen. I then went to a low grade Tama Swingstar as it was all I could afford at the time. Never really liked the tone of that kit. Sold that one and was drumless for a few years. A buddy was hired to play a gig close to home and he brought his 7 pc. Gretch Catalina Maple. Oh my, did that kit sound fantastic. I sat in on a song and was amazed at the depth, clarity, attack and the sustain was not overbearing....in fact, just right. Well, long story short, I picked up a Cherry Burst (Used) here locally and am loving it. I have it set up for practice and recording (which BTW this kit is an excellent recording kit). I have yet another 7 pc. Cat maple coming in Walnut Glaze. I was looking at the Renowns, watching reviews, sonic differences, etc. Quite frankly, the Catalina maple will last years and years if one takes care of it, is incredibly versatile in tuning ability, stage play, recording studio and the like. The option of having a 7 pc. is a no brainer. The kit allows one to configure any set up desired. From jazz to hard rock, the Catalina Maple will serve you well for years. I've played some pretty expensive kits but quite frankly these drums out perform some of them. Using the Evans EC2's on the toms for recording hit a sweet spot for me. Using the Evans G2's on the toms for the newer kit. You will love these drums!

Bought these for my son for his birthday. He LOVED the natural look of the walnut glaze and they sound amazing. He's definitely increased his practice time after getting these set up! Sweetwater has the best service and got these drums shipped out immediately for the fastest delivery ever. Fairly easy to set up, even for someone with no experience (me!). The videos on unpacking and tuning the drum heads are also very helpful.

I can't say enough good things about this drum set and the service we received from Sweetwater! We bought this for my son for his birthday as a major upgrade from his beginner set. He is beyond thrilled! The set was recommended by my sales engineer, Riley, who also recommended the DW Hardware set to accompany it. Initially there was a mixup and we were sent Black Stardust shells (which also looked awesome) but one call and the return and replacement process to get the Walnut Glaze shells was simple and very fast. He loves that he now has 7 drums instead of 5 and is having fun experimenting with the new freedom!

Awesome product and quality service team in all departments I recommended...very fast service I am very happy with Sweetwater!!!

When I was a senior in high school I was looking to upgrade from my starter drum set (a Groove Percussion 5 piece kit...) to something more professional level. I was looking at this kit, the Tama Superstar Classic, Pearl Export, PDP Concept and Yamaha Stage Custom Birch. My drum teacher had the previous version of this kit in the same finish and recommended this one as a good kit, and after I played his I decided to look for reviews online of the new one. I found 3 videos that Sweetwater did on this exact kit and I was blown away by the sound each time, even with the stock heads. I took one look at the walnut glaze finish and I knew this was the one.

I was drawn to the tom mounts, 5 lug design and and shallow depth of the rack toms. Even with 5 lugs instead of the 6 lugs that most companies do on their toms, I can still get a great sound that stays in tune. I did wish for a bit that the floor toms were not so deep as on other kits I've had difficulty tuning square sized floor toms, but I've gotten really comfortable getting nice low end out of both floor toms. I don't always use all 7 drums but I'm someone who likes changing around my setup frequently so it's nice to have the sizes to choose from. If I want to go with a 4 piece jazz kit or a 7 piece prog rock setup, this kit works for every musical setting I find myself it.

Right now I'm using Evans Level 360 Coated G2s over Coated Reso 7s on the toms, frosted EQ4 on the kick drum with the stock logo head, and I frequently change the snare head as I can get a lot of nice sounds out of it for different purposes. However, I recommend changing the stock snare side to something like an Evans 300 or Remo Ambassador Snare Side to get a little more sensitivity. I put the Evans 300 under the snare with Puresound Custom Pro wires and it increased the sensitivity and overall sound quality significantly. Any snare head works on top depending on what you play. I've used Remo Ambassador, Evans HD Genera Dry, Evans G1, Remo Controlled Sound X and now a Remo Powerstroke 77.

I'm now a senior in college so this kit mostly stays at home these days but it sounds very impressive for a shell pack that sells for under $... I've taken it out a few times and got several compliments on the look and the sound, so even as an intermediate level kit, it sounds good enough that it can be taken on gigs if you don't want to take your high end kit on a gig. It has a classic look and sound but with a modern twist, and hands down one of the best sounding kits for under $...

This kit has a sound, and a feel that just cannot be explained, for the price it's going for. I do not know if they used some ancient magic trick. or are just wanting to get these drums out there, so we can see for ourtselves how good they are building them. Just like Ibanez has been using newer techniques, and making more playable guitars. Gretsch has crafted a really well built, well sounding set, that I am just crazy about, and still cannot believe I got these at the price they asked. I finaced them which is great but, like a kid after Christmas day, I didn't want the dream to go away, so I paid them off in full! This kit is MINE! That's my view, and I hope it helps you decide. You will not be disapointed in this set, No way. One thing I will admit, is that I put Evans UV heads on them right out of the box. Used Tunebot to tune in on Dennis Chambers specs. I changed the top heads only, I kept the resonate heads that came with the kit. Take the time to set these up ergonomically because you are going to be playing them a lot. !

I have owned just about every drum kit on the market and paid up to $5,000.00. So, I was amazed at the quality and the sound performance of these modestly priced drums. I turned the drums into a hybrid kit using Roland side triggers and a Mimic Pro Module and was blown away at how good they sound.

Would strongly recommend checking these out whether you are on a budget or not!

Fabulous set! Came with excellent double layer Remo drumheads. No need to replace. Really is a great set. Price wasn't incredible but included shipping which took that up. Notch also.

I used to play a Ludwig set years ago back in the days when the three major drum complanies were Ludwig, Rogers, and Gretsch.(1970's) I got back into music seeing the other brands from Japan and other places anf felt that in some cases the porduct was very over priced. Having more of a back ground in Jazz I leaned toward the Gretsch product after studying the market, and I am glad I did. It sounds great and looks good. I have a 7 piece kit done in the walnut glase. There is something to be said about a company that has been around for a while making good drums. If I ever go to buy another set of drums this company will be my first second and thrid choice.

For the price, you cannot go wrong with this kit. I did need to change the heads to get the tone I like, but that is most likely the case with any kit. I use pinstripe heads which would not come with any kit. Great tone and easy to tune. Finish is excellent. Hardware (rims, mounting brackets, etc) is ok and that is a part of the lower cost, but certainly not a deal breaker. The extra socket for a cymbal mount on the rack tom mount is a great feature and saves me from carrying another cymbal stand. The DW 9" stand fit perfectly. All in all I feel you get more that what you pay for with this kit.

Walnut Glaze is beautiful. I also purchased Evans GC2 heads to put on the kit to get a little less sustain and warmer punch. Sounds amazing. A great deal at regular price but I saved $ during Drum Month of June 2022.

I also purchased the add-on cymbal mount and additional 12" crash/splash. However, due to the heavy vibration of the bass drum, it causes the cymbal to resonate as well. Thus, I'd stay away from the addon mount unless you're putting something on it that won't resonate.

Other than that, it's an amazing sounding kit at a great price. I've always wanted a Gretsch maple shell setup and finally pulled the trigger.

Ordered my shell pack and they came a week early!!!! My sales rep was on point! Packaging was impressive and the shells and hardware jaw dropping in my studio. Comming from a pro audio sales and consulting world from years ago I can say that Sweetwater has my business won. If you are tired of the slacking lack of service and horrible wait times with guitar marts and amazon this is the place. It is very hard to impress me service wise and I am impressed! :)

Great and fairly versatile kit. I hardly use the smaller toms but can't complain. Gotten many compliments on the kick sound, and that's with my little knowledge on tuning. Only complaint is I don't care for the snare much and have never been able to tune it where I'm happy with it.