Marco Michieletto Glad to hear that. People been complaining about the audio quality and i agree that was my mistake to forgot the “dead cat” for the mic. But this kind of comment cheer me up! Thanks man! All the best from Indonesia
I was really shocked by the construction of the USA custom line!! My first kit nearly 40 years ago was a Pearl Export which I think had poplar shells!! Since then I've always thought of poplar as being a cheap/budget wood!! To learn that the "industry standard!!" Consists mostly of poplar really surprised me!! Also have to ask, why they are so expensive?? Gretsch hardware is basic at best and they don't do real fancy finishes or anything!! Their shell construction is mostly based around a cheap wood!! Guess it must be down to the American craftsmen then!!
When I was a member of the olph ridgemen, back in the mid-50 through 59 oh, we had a brand new set of Gretsch drums blue sparkle oh, they were great from the play on and sounded fantastic. Then as a snare drummer in the Floyd Bennett golden eagles Brooklyn New York in 1961 we ordered a brand new set of black mother-of-pearl Gretsch drums there were also fantastic and I love playing on them. Thank you for the tour.
Hello Paul Cooper! Jason B. From Martin TN. Last time we spoke you had left your band the Windows. We were standing at the Gulf service station across from Gooch Hall ( your moms building) and you were about to leave TN.. At one time you had your Slingerland set at The String Barn ( Gary Welch) and I would go in at night to work out on your double bass set,😀. Still remember that beautiful Pearl kit, I believe it was black. Anyway, I first saw a Gretch video of you about 10 years ago. Looks like you have truly taken Gretch back to the top of the drum markets. The love of drums shows in your work. You truly took something you loved and turned it into a career off the stage. Gretch, won the lottery when they hired you. My wish was to make a living at drumming but life has away of getting in the way... memorialguy.com
This is why I play Gretsch. For DW’s shirts to say “Handcrafted since 1972” isn’t true. As any factory tour video will show their “handcrafting” is just an employee pressing a button or stacking glued plies. Gretsch’s USA Custom is by far their best sounding kit. The use of poplar (a “utility wood” used for basic construction and pallets) on their Broadkaster and Brooklyn kits is a turn off for me. Gum wood in their USA is great and ages very well. Great video, man. Glad you got to go and show us all how they do it.
Ross Gillis Hi Ross! Yeah i was eager to inform the process there at Gretsch to my viewers. I found it so beautiful when they combine history and conventional craftsmanship. Poplar wood might be a cheaper wood but i think what they’re thinking at Gretsch is the sound that the wood creates when combined together with other wood. I don’t disagree that i was a little bit turned off with the fact that entry level drums use Poplar wood lol. Thank you so much for watching the video! It’s a dream come true for me to be able to visit Gretsch all the way from Indonesia.
Ludwig’s flagship model, legacy maple also uses maple, poplar, maple. It’s what creates that iconic drum tone. No turn off at all here. No other tone woods would make that correct sound. I’m so glad they stayed true. I love my new Gretsch custom kit. My 2019 kit sounds just as amazing as my 1980’s Gretsch jasper kit.
Ken Rubio: Agreed. I wonder if the badging will stay the same or if you’ll see a tiny “dw” on it somewhere? I met Fred Gretsch at NAMM a few years ago and he’s a great guy. I wonder if he wanted this, or if he just couldn’t keep the company going the way it was?
Ross Gillis No disrespect but Gretsch is better with DW than Fender. When the parent company makes drums as well, it’s better than the parent company makes guitars. And from the marketing pov, Gretsch doing better than before. DW’s marketing strategy is just something else, they’re ahead of some drum companies out there. Cheers, AS
MidniteHero I spoke to the representative as i have made similar video with DW before. They are kinda strict about the factory tour like this, so yeah thank God we made it :)
Ive played Gretsch drums my whole life , the only thing that went wrong was the 18 inch depth of their bass drums. The 14 inch were much better. Whether 20x14 or 22x 14 etc 18 is just too deep and the sound doesnt move out of the shell fast enough . I think they went this route because all other manufacturers were doing it. I have a 7 pc kit and Im planning on getting the bass cut down . All in all Gretsch is still my favorite and ludwig will always be my choice for snares. Lm 402 Supraphonic 6 1/2 X 14 .
Thanks for posting this great video! I've been researching and shopping for a new kit for a while and this video helped me to decide on a Gretsch Brooklyn kit. I just ordered it today, I can't wait!!!!!!
Thanks very much for the video man. As a Gretsch drummer myself, it's great to see this. On a separate note, you should add some English subtitles to the video where you're speaking your native language so we all know what you're talking about.
Hey man! You are very welcome. Glad to know that you enjoy the video. My love for Gretsch got bigger after i visited the factory haha For the subtitles, yes i have added the English subtitle. You just have to turn on your subtitle and choose English. 🙏🏽
Go Gretsch!!!! Made in USA! Loved this video. Absolutely amazing. I might be in the minority here, but I have a couple oh Catalina Maples that are my favorites. You guys ( and gals) nailed it on those.
I have a Ludwig Classic Maple and I know there is a lot of hand crafting in Monroe that goes into it but after this video, my next kit will be a Gretsch USA Custom. Outstanding video. Thanks for posting.
Chris Mitchell Have you seen the video of the Ludwig factory tour? Very cool video! Edit: One thing I noticed was that Gretsch actually outsourced their shells, whereas Ludwig makes them in their factory. They show the glueing, laying out of different layers of wood & the machines that form the shell. It’s pretty cool.
This is a great view into the process. I requested a custom extra floor tom to match my 135th anniversary Broadkaster kit Dark Emerald and was told it couldn't be done. Now I understand why. I still hope to find a custom drum manufacturer to try to replicate it. Even if it is would not be identical I still want another!
Thank you very much !This Video is priceless - top . Info about the building of the shells. Thanks Gretsch people too. BUT: The NUMBER OF PLIES and THEIR WOOD type is NOT everything. We all forget the very IMPORTANCE of the overall THICKNESS of the SHELLS (all plies together). Unfortunately the shells of today are much thicker than they were in the age of round or stop sign badge (jasper) . That contributed to the "players sound" (sound near the player) versus auditorium sound (sound from distance). Today unfortunately more volume of the drums is what is counting, i think...
my first drum set was a used late 60’s very rare Gretsch Jasper shell kit. I got it around 77-78. My dad paid 150 for it. I sold it in 2010 for 3000 in heavily used condition. Those drums sounded so great i’m sorry i sold them but I just had to have that original Green Monster vistalite kit … which didn’t sound as good lol
They need to take the bands off from around the toms,because when the little rubber washers break the toms don't stand up anymore and they don't help the sound anyway
@@mikefiorello5621It’s very easy to replace the rubber grommets. Call any Gretch dealer. But those grommets should never wear out. Are your toms setup at an extreme angle?
jermss i felt like a kid in a candyland lol. But yeah, those silvers are different. Gretsch USA doesn’t wanna tell the Chinese side about that secret haha
@@BahasaDrumIt’s only paint which can’t influence the drum sound too much. The only true benefit to the silver sealer is moisture protection for the wood. In the old days people might have been fooled into thinking there was some sort of “MAGIC” going on with the silver sealer but modern drummers know it’s all hype. It also keeps that slight air of mystery around the Gretch brand. Line up 12” rack toms from DW, Tama, Gretch and Ludwig all with the same heads and no one would be able to “hear” the silver sealer.
The silver sealer is actually roofing sealer thinned . And yes it keeps moisture out of the shell from the inside , the lacquer or wrap keeps it out from the outside .
I'm pretty surprised actually!! For years I thought of poplar as being a cheap wood that budget kits were made from!! I always thought North American/Canadian maple or Scandinavian birch were what high end drums were made from!! To learn that Gretsch USA are mostly poplar shocked me!! Also have to ask. Why so expensive??
Hi Adam, thanks for watching this video. Regarding your concern i want to clarify that new Gretsch USA Custom line uses Maple/Gum and for the Broadkaster series, they use Maple/Poplar/Maple (3ply). I believe that they used Poplar wood because there was not much R&D regarding woods for drums and the variety of woods weren’t that much back then, so they had to learn from the furniture makers. As for the Broadkaster line, i spoke to Paul and he said the main idea of making Broadkaster line is to remake the famous older model of Gretsch drum, that’s why they are using that Maple/Poplar/Maple specs, similar with the old model of Gretsch drums he was thinking to remake. Also, i believe woods have grades as well. So cheaper drums use cheaper maple etc. And don’t forget that wood selection isn’t the only thing that influence the price of a drum, there are another factors like hardware, finish, and etc. I used to think like you back then but after i spoke to some great people behind great names of drums, now i understand. Thanks, AS PS: I am not a Gretsch fanboy/endorsee, but i do admire their way on making their drums. It’s amazing and i also like their sound characteristic
Poplar is a common tree in parts of the USA. Not an exotic wood so people may have this misconception that it’s cheap and nothing special. But it’s actually a very strong high quality wood.
@@ramencurry6672 Makes sense. There's no reason that a more common (cheaper) tree, shouldn't provide just as good a sound. I'm just questioning the price really. It's not like Gretsch are ahead of the competition when it come's to hardware and finishes etc. I 'm guessing the extra price comes from the cost of American craftsmen vs their counter parts in the far East??
@@170adamb1 Gretsh USA is a relatively a small company and build things slowly by hand. It probably results in higher price. If it were a massive company with many factories and they used robots and high tech machines, it would probably be cheaper......maybe half price. But there’s not that many drummers in society so the demand isn’t that high. It’s kind of like how flat screen TVs are cheap now compared to 20 years ago.
Terima kasih! Yes bener kok. DW (Lombardi Family) beli Gretsch, tapi management nya aja yang dipegang, kalo untuk soal manufacturing nya ngga. Sama kaya 2 tahun lalu DW beli Slingerland dari Gibson, mungkin pola nya akan seperti Gretsch. Tapi DW bisa dibilang menyelamatkan Gretsch dan Slingeland sih
Here’s a little trivia: The original old Gretsch factory in Brooklyn is about a block away from the Peter Lugers steakhouse. Maybe some of you ate there or know the neighborhood. Fred Gretsch now lives in Savanah Georgia.
Good question. I can only answer that their heads are Remo USA but i have no information about where they made their lugs, hoops, rods, claws, spurs and strainers
All the hardware for the entire drum market is manufactured in China and Taiwan. The only exceptions are the small boutique machinists that will make custom hardware.
I was under the impression that Gretsch still owned the company and DW were the distributors, perhaps they have done this to reduce costs, the guitar line has had a similar outsourcing in the past, this, I suppose, is the modern business format, I do hope that Gretsch stays Gretsch and DW do not start to have undue influence over the time honoured manufacturing process that is Gretsch. Why Fred Gretsch continues to behave in this way baffles me, I have followed the company since the fifties, through thick and thin, if it is to continue to be a family owned firm then for heavens sake keep it that way, otherwise sell the whole kit and caboodle to someone who is going to respect the ethos and tradition of the company and not dilute and disrespect a time honoured name.
Hi Keith! Thank you for watching the video! Wow you been following this company since long time ago, it’s amazing. I have spoke to someone at Gretsch, he explained alot of things about Gretsch and he said that they are happy with current situation. Last time i visited them, he said that this is the most employee they have since they started the company. My background is marketing and i would say that from marketing pov, Gretsch have adopted DW style of digital marketing (video, website and social media) of course, because DW takes care of the marketing. He also stated that DW doesn’t intervene anything about manufacturing. I would say, DW does the marketing, and Gretsch does the manufacturing. And don’t forget that DW technically is a family business, and focusing on drums. Fender, was the owner of Gretsch respectively but they don’t make drums, so i would say Gretsch is in the right hand. The first time i read the article about Gretsch acquired by DW (Lombardi family) i was shocked. I could not imagine John Good tapping the Broadkaster or USA custom shell lol but I don’t think it would happen tho 🤣 cheers, AS
I've been watching factory tours of all the big drum companies, and from watching this video, it seems like Gretsch is the best out of all of them. So cool that they still hand-craft their drums for the most part, not to mention w/ only 21 employees! You can tell that the people who work there are happy, too, which is a big selling point for me. The employees in the other factory tours I watched, even at DW, looked liked they were on the verge of suicide.
@@afterwemournband Yep, it did look like every employee was Mexican, and the fact that it was ALL of them just makes me think DW hired only immigrants so that they could pay them less because they were willing to work for less. Could be wrong, but it definitely doesn't bode well :(
Patrick Foster Have you seen the Ludwig tour? They were a small place & they make shells on site. They also seemed like a family vibe & were laughing & joking with each other, plus they were jamming Zeppelin in the paint/stain section🤣
Actually from the factory tours I’ve seen Sonor, Tama and DW would have the best processes. Pearl is very guarded about their factories as are Yamaha. Currently DW pays its employees a starting salary of $17.50 /hour which is crap considering the high cost of living in Cal. The wage was recently increased by $3.50 to counter the higher cost of gasoline. For those low wages it’s easy to see why US born people don’t want to work at DW. I was picking up my Tama Starclassic Birch/Bubinga kit from Guitar Center back in 2018 and noticed a 3 piece DW Collectors series kit with a 20/12/14 configuration with a stricter price of $3600. I thought.....well that price reflects an very high wage supporting a US citizen that receives excellent benefits. Now I’m not so sure that’s true. Now Roland bought DW so I’m curious to see what happens to DW and their product lineup, and their relationship with Gretch. I bet NO ONE saw this one coming.
It is a choice to buy a well made product manufactured by ethically paid people in a country of manufacture with high standards and costs of living. All of this is reflected in price. Pride and attention to detail are costly. Examples of this are Tama's made in Japan stuff ( Star and the Starclassic stuff made exclusively for the Japan market [ Japanese consumers will not buy Chinese made } ) and Sonor's german made products. The Roland thing with DW and Gretsch is interesting. We shall see. Roland seems quite corporate these days however. Personally, I don't like that Gretsch buy their shells. Keller makes great products, but if I were to buy a drum or kit from an old and famous American company, I would expect that they would actually make the drums rather than just assemble and make the bearing edge. But that is just me. @@Assimilator702
The don't make them in house. They outsourced the process to Keller, after Jasper closed down, who makes them to Gretsch's exact shell specifications. The cost to produce your own shells is so high it made more sense to have another American company make them to your specifications and quality without the overhead.
This video angers me speak in English this is America if you're going to speak in two languages you might as well speak in all the rest of the languages I had to learn English my family had to learn English I don't understand why you would speak in two languages whatever country you show a video speak their language it's very simple I'll never understand the audio is awful I've learned nothing about the gretsch drum. Charlie Watts would you like to see this video a little more personal p show some heart❤
This is an excellent video tour, thank you! And the clear explanation about the USA Custom shell plies layout was priceless. Well done!
Marco Michieletto Glad to hear that. People been complaining about the audio quality and i agree that was my mistake to forgot the “dead cat” for the mic. But this kind of comment cheer me up! Thanks man! All the best from Indonesia
I was really shocked by the construction of the USA custom line!!
My first kit nearly 40 years ago was a Pearl Export which I think had poplar shells!!
Since then I've always thought of poplar as being a cheap/budget wood!!
To learn that the "industry standard!!" Consists mostly of poplar really surprised me!!
Also have to ask, why they are so expensive??
Gretsch hardware is basic at best and they don't do real fancy finishes or anything!!
Their shell construction is mostly based around a cheap wood!!
Guess it must be down to the American craftsmen then!!
When I was a member of the olph ridgemen, back in the mid-50 through 59 oh, we had a brand new set of Gretsch drums blue sparkle oh, they were great from the play on and sounded fantastic. Then as a snare drummer in the Floyd Bennett golden eagles Brooklyn New York in 1961 we ordered a brand new set of black mother-of-pearl Gretsch drums there were also fantastic and I love playing on them. Thank you for the tour.
You are welcome! Glad to know that you like it
Hello Paul Cooper! Jason B. From Martin TN. Last time we spoke you had left your band the Windows. We were standing at the Gulf service station across from Gooch Hall ( your moms building) and you were about to leave TN.. At one time you had your Slingerland set at The String Barn ( Gary Welch) and I would go in at night to work out on your double bass set,😀. Still remember that beautiful Pearl kit, I believe it was black. Anyway, I first saw a Gretch video of you about 10 years ago. Looks like you have truly taken Gretch back to the top of the drum markets.
The love of drums shows in your work. You truly took something you loved and turned it into a career off the stage. Gretch, won the lottery when they hired you. My wish was to make a living at drumming but life has away of getting in the way... memorialguy.com
This is why I play Gretsch. For DW’s shirts to say “Handcrafted since 1972” isn’t true. As any factory tour video will show their “handcrafting” is just an employee pressing a button or stacking glued plies.
Gretsch’s USA Custom is by far their best sounding kit.
The use of poplar (a “utility wood” used for basic construction and pallets) on their Broadkaster and Brooklyn kits is a turn off for me. Gum wood in their USA is great and ages very well.
Great video, man. Glad you got to go and show us all how they do it.
Ross Gillis Hi Ross! Yeah i was eager to inform the process there at Gretsch to my viewers. I found it so beautiful when they combine history and conventional craftsmanship.
Poplar wood might be a cheaper wood but i think what they’re thinking at Gretsch is the sound that the wood creates when combined together with other wood. I don’t disagree that i was a little bit turned off with the fact that entry level drums use Poplar wood lol.
Thank you so much for watching the video! It’s a dream come true for me to be able to visit Gretsch all the way from Indonesia.
Ross Gillis I’m happy that DW kept Gretsch a separate operation when they bought them.
Ludwig’s flagship model, legacy maple also uses maple, poplar, maple. It’s what creates that iconic drum tone. No turn off at all here. No other tone woods would make that correct sound. I’m so glad they stayed true. I love my new Gretsch custom kit. My 2019 kit sounds just as amazing as my 1980’s Gretsch jasper kit.
Ken Rubio: Agreed. I wonder if the badging will stay the same or if you’ll see a tiny “dw” on it somewhere?
I met Fred Gretsch at NAMM a few years ago and he’s a great guy. I wonder if he wanted this, or if he just couldn’t keep the company going the way it was?
Ross Gillis No disrespect but Gretsch is better with DW than Fender. When the parent company makes drums as well, it’s better than the parent company makes guitars. And from the marketing pov, Gretsch doing better than before. DW’s marketing strategy is just something else, they’re ahead of some drum companies out there.
Cheers,
AS
How did you get access to their factory? Amazing video.. Thanks for all your efforts! With the editing as well👍👍
MidniteHero I spoke to the representative as i have made similar video with DW before. They are kinda strict about the factory tour like this, so yeah thank God we made it :)
Ive played Gretsch drums my whole life , the only thing that went wrong was the 18 inch depth of their bass drums. The 14 inch were much better. Whether 20x14 or 22x 14 etc 18 is just too deep and the sound doesnt move out of the shell fast enough . I think they went this route because all other manufacturers were doing it. I have a 7 pc kit and Im planning on getting the bass cut down . All in all Gretsch is still my favorite and ludwig will always be my choice for snares. Lm 402 Supraphonic 6 1/2 X 14 .
Thanks for posting this great video! I've been researching and shopping for a new kit for a while and this video helped me to decide on a Gretsch Brooklyn kit. I just ordered it today, I can't wait!!!!!!
Hey! Thank you so much. Glad that you enjoyed the video and wow Brooklyn is my dream kit. Congratulations!
Bought my first (and realistically, ONLY) Gretsch kit, USA Custom, four piece bop kit a couple of days ago!!! Will be here tomorrow!!!!
Thanks very much for the video man. As a Gretsch drummer myself, it's great to see this.
On a separate note, you should add some English subtitles to the video where you're speaking your native language so we all know what you're talking about.
Hey man! You are very welcome. Glad to know that you enjoy the video. My love for Gretsch got bigger after i visited the factory haha
For the subtitles, yes i have added the English subtitle. You just have to turn on your subtitle and choose English. 🙏🏽
I'm amazed that the factory only employs 21 people. That's an efficient manufacturing process.
Go Gretsch!!!! Made in USA! Loved this video. Absolutely amazing. I might be in the minority here, but I have a couple oh Catalina Maples that are my favorites. You guys ( and gals) nailed it on those.
I have a Ludwig Classic Maple and I know there is a lot of hand crafting in Monroe that goes into it but after this video, my next kit will be a Gretsch USA Custom. Outstanding video. Thanks for posting.
You’re welcome!
Chris Mitchell Have you seen the video of the Ludwig factory tour? Very cool video!
Edit: One thing I noticed was that Gretsch actually outsourced their shells, whereas Ludwig makes them in their factory. They show the glueing, laying out of different layers of wood & the machines that form the shell. It’s pretty cool.
@@susanmaggiora4800 Yes we do have a long video of Ludwig Drums. Thank you!
Awesome video!!! Thanks so much for this!!! It’s full of great information!!!
This is a great view into the process. I requested a custom extra floor tom to match my 135th anniversary Broadkaster kit Dark Emerald and was told it couldn't be done. Now I understand why. I still hope to find a custom drum manufacturer to try to replicate it. Even if it is would not be identical I still want another!
Great Tour I purchased an Energy Blue Pearl Drum Set I am missing 1 black rubber on the bass drum leg adjustment. How can I get one?
I Love Gretsch Drum :)
So lovely...nice people
The Monkees drum set !!! Beautiful job
Thank you!
Thank you very much !This Video is priceless - top . Info about the building of the shells. Thanks Gretsch people too. BUT: The NUMBER OF PLIES and THEIR WOOD type is NOT everything. We all forget the very IMPORTANCE of the overall THICKNESS of the SHELLS (all plies together). Unfortunately the shells of today are much thicker than they were in the age of round or stop sign badge (jasper) . That contributed to the "players sound" (sound near the player) versus auditorium sound (sound from distance). Today unfortunately more volume of the drums is what is counting, i think...
So impressive!
👍👍👍
An old friend of mine who was making skateboards actually bought an original Gretsch drum press
my first drum set was a used late 60’s very rare Gretsch Jasper shell kit. I got it around 77-78. My dad paid 150 for it. I sold it in 2010 for 3000 in heavily used condition. Those drums sounded so great i’m sorry i sold them but I just had to have that original Green Monster vistalite kit … which didn’t sound as good lol
Too bad you sold the Jasper kit. Thanks for sharing your story!
Very nice - and the USA ply explanation was great - a mystery solved. Thanks!!
I knew that some mysteries gonna be solved by this video. Thanks for watching!
Im curious!! how Gretch builds their shells??
They don’t make the shells in the factory, they outsource it from Keller with very specific requirements
I am interested to know, now that DW has bought Gretsch, are the shells still made at Keller, or is DW making Gretsch shells?
Licensed
Gretsch was crossing ply cuts long before DW, and now DW owns Gretsch 🤷♂️
Well 👻
License not own.
They need to take the bands off from around the toms,because when the little rubber washers break the toms don't stand up anymore and they don't help the sound anyway
@Jimmy Alvin did you have to drill holes
@@mikefiorello5621It’s very easy to replace the rubber grommets. Call any Gretch dealer. But those grommets should never wear out. Are your toms setup at an extreme angle?
Are the maple layer the same thickness of the gum layer? Thanks!
I admit I'm a gretsch fanboy but that was fantastic! had no idea that the silver sealer was a different formula for the non usa made kits
jermss i felt like a kid in a candyland lol. But yeah, those silvers are different. Gretsch USA doesn’t wanna tell the Chinese side about that secret haha
@@BahasaDrum 🤣🤣 makes sense! great work!
It probably doesn’t matter that much if the formula is different.
@@BahasaDrumIt’s only paint which can’t influence the drum sound too much. The only true benefit to the silver sealer is moisture protection for the wood. In the old days people might have been fooled into thinking there was some sort of “MAGIC” going on with the silver sealer but modern drummers know it’s all hype. It also keeps that slight air of mystery around the Gretch brand. Line up 12” rack toms from DW, Tama, Gretch and Ludwig all with the same heads and no one would be able to “hear” the silver sealer.
The silver sealer is actually roofing sealer thinned . And yes it keeps moisture out of the shell from the inside , the lacquer or wrap keeps it out from the outside .
The g Harrison guitar gently sweep?
I'm pretty surprised actually!! For years I thought of poplar as being a cheap wood that budget kits were made from!!
I always thought North American/Canadian maple or Scandinavian birch were what high end drums were made from!!
To learn that Gretsch USA are mostly poplar shocked me!! Also have to ask. Why so expensive??
Hi Adam, thanks for watching this video. Regarding your concern i want to clarify that new Gretsch USA Custom line uses Maple/Gum and for the Broadkaster series, they use Maple/Poplar/Maple (3ply). I believe that they used Poplar wood because there was not much R&D regarding woods for drums and the variety of woods weren’t that much back then, so they had to learn from the furniture makers. As for the Broadkaster line, i spoke to Paul and he said the main idea of making Broadkaster line is to remake the famous older model of Gretsch drum, that’s why they are using that Maple/Poplar/Maple specs, similar with the old model of Gretsch drums he was thinking to remake.
Also, i believe woods have grades as well. So cheaper drums use cheaper maple etc.
And don’t forget that wood selection isn’t the only thing that influence the price of a drum, there are another factors like hardware, finish, and etc.
I used to think like you back then but after i spoke to some great people behind great names of drums, now i understand.
Thanks,
AS
PS: I am not a Gretsch fanboy/endorsee, but i do admire their way on making their drums. It’s amazing and i also like their sound characteristic
Poplar is a common tree in parts of the USA. Not an exotic wood so people may have this misconception that it’s cheap and nothing special. But it’s actually a very strong high quality wood.
@@ramencurry6672 Makes sense. There's no reason that a more common (cheaper) tree, shouldn't provide just as good a sound. I'm just questioning the price really. It's not like Gretsch are ahead of the competition when it come's to hardware and finishes etc. I 'm guessing the extra price comes from the cost of American craftsmen vs their counter parts in the far East??
@@170adamb1 Gretsh USA is a relatively a small company and build things slowly by hand. It probably results in higher price. If it were a massive company with many factories and they used robots and high tech machines, it would probably be cheaper......maybe half price. But there’s not that many drummers in society so the demand isn’t that high. It’s kind of like how flat screen TVs are cheap now compared to 20 years ago.
@@ramencurry6672 Don't get me wrong, I love Gretsch drums. Just wish I could afford a set :-(
That's amazing to be having a gretsch factory tour!!
Oh iya, denger² gretsch dibeli sama DW, itu beneran?
Terima kasih! Yes bener kok. DW (Lombardi Family) beli Gretsch, tapi management nya aja yang dipegang, kalo untuk soal manufacturing nya ngga. Sama kaya 2 tahun lalu DW beli Slingerland dari Gibson, mungkin pola nya akan seperti Gretsch. Tapi DW bisa dibilang menyelamatkan Gretsch dan Slingeland sih
@@BahasaDrum okay, thank God, aku kira dibeli keseluruhan. I'm a die-hard fan of gretsch drums, so I'm quite surprised when I read about the news
@@The-SRGames Glad to hear that! Kalau mau sharing-sharing, bisa ke IG kami di @bahasadrum ya! Kita ngobrol2 soal Gretsch yuk!
@@BahasaDrum Boleh², I'm new to drums, that would be great!
@@The-SRGames We’ll wait for your DM! See you there!
I don't know drums but now I want to. very good......
You will know drums. Listen to your record player.
Here’s a little trivia: The original old Gretsch factory in Brooklyn is about a block away from the Peter Lugers steakhouse. Maybe some of you ate there or know the neighborhood. Fred Gretsch now lives in Savanah Georgia.
Drum makers? Drum assemblers!
The thing about Gretsch Drums is their sound characteristic though.
@@BahasaDrumAs a drummer do you actually believe that crap? That’s all marketing BS.
@@Assimilator702 i believe my ears. They do sound different. Don’t get me wrong, each drum brands has its own sound characteristics
Who makes their hardware; lugs, hoops, rods, bass drum t rods and claws, bass drum spurs, snare strainers? Do they come from China? heads?
Good question. I can only answer that their heads are Remo USA but i have no information about where they made their lugs, hoops, rods, claws, spurs and strainers
All the hardware for the entire drum market is manufactured in China and Taiwan. The only exceptions are the small boutique machinists that will make custom hardware.
Sandy is cute :)
I was under the impression that Gretsch still owned the company and DW were the distributors, perhaps they have done this to reduce costs, the guitar line has had a similar outsourcing in the past, this, I suppose, is the modern business format, I do hope that Gretsch stays Gretsch and DW do not start to have undue influence over the time honoured manufacturing process that is Gretsch. Why Fred Gretsch continues to behave in this way baffles me, I have followed the company since the fifties, through thick and thin, if it is to continue to be a family owned firm then for heavens sake keep it that way, otherwise sell the whole kit and caboodle to someone who is going to respect the ethos and tradition of the company and not dilute and disrespect a time honoured name.
Hi Keith! Thank you for watching the video! Wow you been following this company since long time ago, it’s amazing.
I have spoke to someone at Gretsch, he explained alot of things about Gretsch and he said that they are happy with current situation. Last time i visited them, he said that this is the most employee they have since they started the company.
My background is marketing and i would say that from marketing pov, Gretsch have adopted DW style of digital marketing (video, website and social media) of course, because DW takes care of the marketing.
He also stated that DW doesn’t intervene anything about manufacturing. I would say, DW does the marketing, and Gretsch does the manufacturing. And don’t forget that DW technically is a family business, and focusing on drums. Fender, was the owner of Gretsch respectively but they don’t make drums, so i would say Gretsch is in the right hand.
The first time i read the article about Gretsch acquired by DW (Lombardi family) i was shocked. I could not imagine John Good tapping the Broadkaster or USA custom shell lol but I don’t think it would happen tho 🤣
cheers,
AS
Licensed
yooooooo 😭👏
puputputceh Hahaha harusnya lo ikut ya 😂
Mas ke ludwig juga
Iya Mas
Bikin yang di ludwig factory dong kaka😘
Hehe ditunggu ;)
Here is our factory tour. Hope
You guys like it. Watch this video and learn about CAJON
ruclips.net/video/iz7gYSmCZyY/видео.html
Saya rasa mesinnya sudah cukup modern
yudi wiyanto Beberapa mesin masih digunakan dari tahun 60an lho! Meskipun ada beberapa mesin modern dari tahun 2010an
I've been watching factory tours of all the big drum companies, and from watching this video, it seems like Gretsch is the best out of all of them. So cool that they still hand-craft their drums for the most part, not to mention w/ only 21 employees! You can tell that the people who work there are happy, too, which is a big selling point for me. The employees in the other factory tours I watched, even at DW, looked liked they were on the verge of suicide.
@@afterwemournband Yep, it did look like every employee was Mexican, and the fact that it was ALL of them just makes me think DW hired only immigrants so that they could pay them less because they were willing to work for less. Could be wrong, but it definitely doesn't bode well :(
Patrick Foster Have you seen the Ludwig tour? They were a small place & they make shells on site. They also seemed like a family vibe & were laughing & joking with each other, plus they were jamming Zeppelin in the paint/stain section🤣
@@susanmaggiora4800 Actually, I don't think I did see that one. I'll have to check that out, too.
Actually from the factory tours I’ve seen Sonor, Tama and DW would have the best processes. Pearl is very guarded about their factories as are Yamaha. Currently DW pays its employees a starting salary of $17.50 /hour which is crap considering the high cost of living in Cal. The wage was recently increased by $3.50 to counter the higher cost of gasoline. For those low wages it’s easy to see why US born people don’t want to work at DW. I was picking up my Tama Starclassic Birch/Bubinga kit from Guitar Center back in 2018 and noticed a 3 piece DW Collectors series kit with a 20/12/14 configuration with a stricter price of $3600. I thought.....well that price reflects an very high wage supporting a US citizen that receives excellent benefits. Now I’m not so sure that’s true. Now Roland bought DW so I’m curious to see what happens to DW and their product lineup, and their relationship with Gretch. I bet NO ONE saw this one coming.
It is a choice to buy a well made product manufactured by ethically paid people in a country of manufacture with high standards and costs of living. All of this is reflected in price. Pride and attention to detail are costly. Examples of this are Tama's made in Japan stuff ( Star and the Starclassic stuff made exclusively for the Japan market [ Japanese consumers will not buy Chinese made } ) and Sonor's german made products.
The Roland thing with DW and Gretsch is interesting. We shall see. Roland seems quite corporate these days however.
Personally, I don't like that Gretsch buy their shells. Keller makes great products, but if I were to buy a drum or kit from an old and famous American company, I would expect that they would actually make the drums rather than just assemble and make the bearing edge. But that is just me. @@Assimilator702
dude how the hell did you get this tour?
I spoke to the representative as i have made similar factory tour video with DW (who owns Gretsch respectively)
It’s too bad they don’t take as much care with the renown series.
It’s made overseas so i guess understandable
So, gretsch doesn't make their own shells.
Ray Josephs Nope
The don't make them in house. They outsourced the process to Keller, after Jasper closed down, who makes them to Gretsch's exact shell specifications. The cost to produce your own shells is so high it made more sense to have another American company make them to your specifications and quality without the overhead.
41:37 Tiga Negeri 😂😂
Horrible sound (wind in the microphone...!)
7:45 - That drum is NOT round.
agreed.
Funny they would put that in the video.
Quality control has been an issue of late in my observations.
For me, this is unwatchable. Camera swinging wildly all over the place hurts my eyes. Get a camera man who knows how to handle a camera.
Then dont watch.
This video angers me speak in English this is America if you're going to speak in two languages you might as well speak in all the rest of the languages I had to learn English my family had to learn English I don't understand why you would speak in two languages whatever country you show a video speak their language it's very simple I'll never understand the audio is awful I've learned nothing about the gretsch drum. Charlie Watts would you like to see this video a little more personal p show some heart❤
Use subtitles