No moral , just a story ..., a very long one.
After weeks of reading reviews , searching the internet , gaining the advice of the good people on drum set connect , researching every kit that fell into my budget , I finally thought that I had found the one , that one was a Gretsch Catalina club rock in sparkling red , it was destiny . I had even posted some threads regarding what heads may suit a kit as this one .
So having put aside a full half day to go to the shop and finally sit behind it and throw off some triplets , try a little off beat swing and generally try and put it through as much stress as it had served upon me over the last couple of weeks , I kissed the wife goodbye and off I went with a spring in my step and a song in my heart , my trusted old pearl kick pedal in the boot and my Vic's on the dash .
I arrived at the shop 15 minutes earlier than I had originally stated when I rang the day before , I had rang out of politeness as so the shop asst could pull the kit out and set it up if need be , and I thought that it may give me an air of professionism to boot ..... but there was also a little cunning in my pedantic approach , I wanted to tune the kit up myself after the initial tune up the shop asst will have no doubt done prior to my arrival , I wanted to hear how this baby coped when pushed a little , would it choke , would it sing , the snare , how would it react , would it just collapse in a heap of mahogany ! , all these burning questions waiting to be answered , all pre meditated with a simple call the day before and neatly justified in English eticate and professionism . What a pity then that the young sales asst hadn't shown the same degree of professionism in dealing with my request , he had , to his credit set the kit up and was adding a few minor tuning tweaks to it when I arrived ....early , he , again to his credit , left the kit and approached me , I told him my name and I found myself walking towards what can be only described as from my part as nirvana , this would be the first kit that would be new to me . While still stood I gave every drum a single stroke stroke from the snare to the second floor tom , the boy had done good with the tuning , sweet , sustain was all about spot on , and this with the standard Evans heads , I clamped my pedal on pulled up a throne , adjusted here and there and got ready to become one with these beauties , as I was just rolling up my sleeves I noticed that there was another set of drums not 20 paces from me , and the young lad appeared to be putting the finishing touches to setting that one up..... now I dont know whoever he had kind of double booked me and someone else at the same time or someone had just come through the door and was interested in that kit , I could not see anyone waiting and I decided that I would not worry about it and concentrate on the job in hand , the kit was a delight to play , responsive , not only when giving it a good beating but little subtle strokes were well catered for , for such a big kit .
I was busy turning the key on the snare trying to get that perfect "in the mind" pitch while trying to keep hold of the dryness of the wood when I heard an almighty noise coming from the direction of the other kit , he or she had succeeded in holding on to their dryness , not only in the snare but everything that was been hit , the bass was thunderous with a short sustain , how I like it , the toms were filling the room with noise , the snare cutting through but retaining a low snap that was almost tangible , again how I like to hear a kit . It wasn't as if the playing was making the kit sound tight and together , it was all rather 4 4 with fills where you expect them but the sound captivated me , when the guy had finished , exactly where you would expect him to finish and then the little Bonham run that never comes off properly moment happened I asked him if he would mind plaing the Gretsch for a moment while I stood back and listened for a while , I knew I was going to get pretty much the same and held the sound I had just heard as close to me as I could , inside hoping that I would hear the kit as I had just heard the one he was playing . He started to play exactly the way you would expect him to start to play and I listened , I listened good , my heart sank , there was no , in my mind anyway , completion , the Gretsch , that had once been nirvana in my was now nothing but stuck together fire wood , what was it that Buddha said about the impermanence of things , and how things are in a flux of constant change ! , note to self ! .... but enough of all that samsara ,nirvana stuff , enlighten us on this "other kit" I hear you chant .
Well its a brand that have had there ups and downs over the last 100 years or so ... and when I was in my early teens in the eighties , you couldn't give them.... away ....but somethings happened to Ludwig since my early days of drumming , they have always had there own sound but this epic pro was something else , it looked the part , natural to black and I was surprised that it only came in around £120 more than the , the , the Ive forgotten what its name is already , no , seriously , the Gretsch is mighty fine kit and a lot of drum for your money and sounds a lot pricier than it is but it wasn't for me , and as the man who had alerted me to the Ludwig left , exactly the way you would expect him to leave , I asked myself why this kit had never been in the running before and just had to put it down to that flux of constant change thing going on , I purchased the kit there and then ,kissed the shop asst for his total disregard of anything remotely close to professionism and made a bolt home . I will be playing the kit proper next Friday when we commence rehearsals and I may invest in some other heads if the wife allows , having had to justify the £100 + deficit in are account ! , any suggestions for that or on the kit gratefully received . Sorry for going on a bit .  |
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