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sanjuro
Publié le 11/10/09 à 19:21
(contenu en anglais)
(contenu en anglais)
The Gretsch Catalina Birch is one of the best deals out there. It costs only a few hundred dollars more than the entry level range, but it sounds and looks miles ahead of entry level. Because of the value, I usually recommend this kit to new drummers rather than a cheaper set because even after you grow out of the Catalina Birch and look for a high end pro kit, you can still appreciate its sounds and possible use it for gigs or practice or whatever else.
The birch wood is a really nice upgrade from the cheap mahogany or mixed shells of entry level kits. The toms sound great, even with the really thin stock heads it came with. The snare is also excellent, with a broad tunable range. I could get it high pitched and poppy or loose and deep no problem, with both sides of the spectrum being acceptable. The bass drum sounded a little ringy and inconsistent. probably because of the stock heads. This was nothing that new bass drum heads or a pillow couldn't fix. It balanced with the rest of the kit, and all the toms matched as the sizes changed. More than most kits, the toms blended with the bass drum when tuning.
The shells I played had the same look as in this picture, a red glossy finish. This is another thing that the Catalina Birch line has going for it, as every model looks amazing. The beautiful, high end look goes well with the high end sound. Again, it really highlights how great of a deal this is. The mounting hardware is not super sturdy by any means, but is as good as any other comparable setup. The toms are sort of hard to get where you want them to go initially, but they stay there when you tighten them up. Unless you are going to be taking this hardware apart all the time and reassembling it, it is not necessary to upgrade the hardware at all. In general, the Catalina Birch seemed exceptionally durable. This is one of the best deals available.
The birch wood is a really nice upgrade from the cheap mahogany or mixed shells of entry level kits. The toms sound great, even with the really thin stock heads it came with. The snare is also excellent, with a broad tunable range. I could get it high pitched and poppy or loose and deep no problem, with both sides of the spectrum being acceptable. The bass drum sounded a little ringy and inconsistent. probably because of the stock heads. This was nothing that new bass drum heads or a pillow couldn't fix. It balanced with the rest of the kit, and all the toms matched as the sizes changed. More than most kits, the toms blended with the bass drum when tuning.
The shells I played had the same look as in this picture, a red glossy finish. This is another thing that the Catalina Birch line has going for it, as every model looks amazing. The beautiful, high end look goes well with the high end sound. Again, it really highlights how great of a deal this is. The mounting hardware is not super sturdy by any means, but is as good as any other comparable setup. The toms are sort of hard to get where you want them to go initially, but they stay there when you tighten them up. Unless you are going to be taking this hardware apart all the time and reassembling it, it is not necessary to upgrade the hardware at all. In general, the Catalina Birch seemed exceptionally durable. This is one of the best deals available.