[evilcitrus]

I'm considering buying either a Gretsch Catalina Maple 6 piece shell pack, or a ddrum Duo Fade Maple 6 piece shell pack.
I've been looking around and these seem to be the best deals on 6 piece maple shell packs, which is what i want.
the ddrum set is $900 new and the Gretsch is $600 (for the limited edition)
my playing style is pretty heavy, so i want some durable drums. i also move them a lot.

ddrum advantages
-i love the finish
-i like the tom mounting system, being able to put them wherever

Gretsch advantages
-price

What i would like to know is what other factors there are. i have no experience with either brand. stuff like:
what quality is the hardware? (ive heard a few negative things about the Gretsch)
will this set last me a long time? (i plan on using it for a while)
what is the quality of the actual shells? (Gretsch is made in China and i think ddrum is made in Taiwan)
i dont care about stuff like what heads they come with; i plan to replace all the heads anyway

any additional information is greatly appreciated and i look forward to your responses.
Thanks!

[slingerland]

I read about your problem and make no mistake Gretsch makes an excellent set as far as the sound goes they sound more like the old vintage drums so if you like that sound Gretsch is what you want, the reason is that Gretsch cuts their bearing edges at 30 degrees giving it a Vintage sound you may like that sound I do and I'm playing 42 years. As far as the hardware goes Gretsch makes excellent hardware. I don't know very much about ddrum but try them out if you have a guitar center near you they usually will help. By the way listen to a Kid Rock song his Drummer uses only Gretsch. listen and make your decision and by the way try out a set of Pearl. Good Luck and let me know what you do but you should always have the choice and don't have any regrets. SLINGERLAND]

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[Church Drummer]

I can't comment much on the DDrum set, most of what I know about them I've read here and on other forums, so you can do that research yourself.

I can tell you that the hardware on my Gretsch Catalina set is put together very well, and I've had no problems other than a bent rim when I got the set, and that is probably from being dropped in shipping to the store. They replaced it promptly, no questions asked. Like has been said the Gretsch sets have a great vintage sound. I'm very happy with mine. There are many fine drum manufacturers out there if you can get to a retailer that caries a variety, it's always best to check them out first hand.

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[slingerland]

Hey Church Drummer When did you get your Gretsch? They sound vintage because the inner bearing edges are cut at 30 degrees and the snare at 60 degrees. if you change your drum heads it will sound like different drums. If you really want to hear how good they really sound get a set of Remo Ambassador Single Ply Heads and you will hear a tone instead of the sound that you get from 2 PLY heads. The funny thing is I was watching KID ROCK on Cable the other day and his Drummer said she uses GRETSCH and she changes the heads to get different
sounds. Keep in touch SLINGERLAND

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[Church Drummer]

I've had my set for a couple years now, the set came with Single ply Evans G2 coated which work well for my style of music, I'm not a heavy rocker but prefer jazz, pop, and country styles. I sure switching to a single ply head would open up the sound a little.

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[lukey]

wow these are both great options, they are both quality maple for a good price. i've never owned gretsch, but i have a ddrum snare drum, and everything about it is high quality. (hardware, wood, sound, etc.) honestly i think you would be happy with either of these, but i would just go to guitar center and tell them you want to straight up try them both out, extensively. then you hopefully be able to tell which feels right. good luck dude, these are both good looking kits!

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[don11817]

The only thing I've heard negative about either one was about ddrum's consistency. As I understand their finishes have been known to have some small blemishes here and there and the company justifies the level of quality with the price.

If you're looking to spend around $2k on a kit, I'd say look into custom drums from a smaller maker, using Keller shells and top end hardware you can get a nicer kit than either the Gretsch or the ddrum for about the same money... There are links posted everywhere in this forum for some of the better custom makers, and they will tailor fit the drums to you. If you get a endorsement deal they will discount them more as well...

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