Gretsch CCJ484 Catalina Club Jazz 4-Piece Drum Shell Kit

Feature:
The only real hardware that comes with the kit is the tom arm for the 12" rack tom that mounts on top of the bass drum. This has a nice look to it, but even after tightening it up after positioning the tom, I find I have to re-adjust the arm after every song or two because it seems to slip a little bit.

Quality:
I've seen three different colors of shells on this kit, and they all look terrific, in cool retro styles. I've had mine about 3 years, and have had no problems or complaints. The shells are really good quality, and you can tell Gretsch put a lot of work into a great quality design for a small, budget kit.

Value:
I paid $500 for this kit about three years ago (Shipping included!) and I love it! One of the best buys I ever made, and whenever I'm at a gig setting up, I can't wait to play it, and love the way it looks on stage with the lights and other gear! You should all buy one! Great for a practice kit at home too!

Desirability:
I've had some drummer friends jump on stage and play with my band and they all love the kit and ask where I got it and say they have to get one. I get a lot of compliments from non-musicians also at gigs about how cool the kit looks and how great it sounds.

Sound:
This is a great kit! For being such a small kit, it puts out some great sound! I play in a rock/country band, and usually use this kit for the smaller venues, and it cuts right through. With the strange sizes of the drums, and the 5 lug tuning on the 12" tom instead or 6 lugs, it takes some time and effort to get everything tuned right. But once it's dialed in, it's amazing! The snare has a terrific crack to it, the toms have great tone and punch to them, and the bass drum actually has a really deep boom for being 18"!

Ease of Use:
This kit is terrific for setup and tear-down! I have another big drum kit for the bigger venues, where I need more drums and volume, and that takes forever to set up. But this little kit takes me about 10 minutes to set-up or tear down, and it's pretty light. Hard to believe that little kit can look and sound so good.

Overall:
Overall, I would buy this kit again in a heartbeat! If you're looking for an easy kit to setup at smaller venues that won't take up much room, and just has a great sound and look to it, this is the kit to buy! I can't believe how much you get for that low a price. I also use this kit as a second kit for band practices, and also plan to record our next CD with it. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 is that it doesn't have enough power behind it to play some of the bigger venues we play, but it holds up well for most small to medium sized places.

Sound:
Gretsch quality without the price! I was completely blown away with the punch, clarity, and tonal quality. What a great kit for gigs or recording.

Support:
N/A