I have been enjoying my Gretsch Catalina Jazz kit for 10 years. I have had many outdoor and unmiced gigs. What I have noticed is the sound projection tends to suffer when playing. I decided to look for something that could do it all. Indoors, outdoors, jazz, rock, whatever. I reviewed all sorts of videos and something maple seemed like the best choice for versatility. I got this configuration because the bass drum was bigger, and I would have three toms instead of two. It had to be an upgrade, and this most certainly is! Heavier hardware and more memory locks, better hoops, silver sealer. My Catalina has a growling deep sound that is nice but it seems like you need to hit it harder. This set has a brighter sound but sings warmly. I had to play around with the tuning. At first, I tuned it to what sounded good but decided that a lower tuning worked better for me. It holds the tuning well. I also play worship music, and it was a good feel and sound when I practiced some of those songs. I love the finish, and the silver sealer makes the inside of the shells reflective in the right light. It was a tough choice deciding which finish to choose. My wife didn't like some of them, but I like all of them. The sound would still be the same. What sold me on black is the availability of add on drums. Some finishes are cool, but get discontinued. Last but not least is the deal. There was a sale. This made it easy to choose the Renown over something like the Yamaha Tour Custom. I had to wait a few months to receive the drums because it is not a model Sweetwater keeps in inventory. It was worth the wait. Oh yeah, it turns out that it doesn't really seem to take up that much more room in my car with the bigger kick and extra rack tom. As always, Sweetwater is the best for customer service. You are always informed about your order status,and the drums arrived flawlessly.

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Ok as the title says I am not a Gretsch endorser. So start with the order process, that is as easy as click of a mouse. The down side is it took 8 months to get the kit but this has nothing to do with SW or Gretsch. Worth it? Oh Yes! So I get my Piano Black Renown kit. I open the 20" kick……just a classy beautiful drum. My heart pounding like a drum (yes I went there) I open the toms…..ooop wrong color!!! But here is where the magic starts. A single email on a Sunday afternoon to my rep David Merkosky. With in 5 minutes all arrangements were made and the situation was resolved. In 3 days I had the correct color toms. This was a mistake made by the supplier not SweetWater. Didn't matter no excuses was the attitude I received. David attacked the issue had a resolution in place in no time. One email!!! I believe this to be true with all Sweetwater staff but I'll stick with David. The drums are absolutely beautiful, high quality construction. The sound is so amazing. Each drum has a clear definition. Try different heads and the range is in limited. So you can get the drums you want from a group of folks that care as much as you do. Thank you David and all at Sweetwater. Lifetime customer

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Such a great kit. I wouldn't choose anything else over Gretsch. The way they sound in recording and live. It is just so fascinating how the kit feels and sounds. I haven't had a kit in a while that had toms that sang with each hit.

The drums are beautiful. The sound is unreal really a pure tone consistent throughout the entire kit they just sing. I also own a DW collectors same sizes so I tunes them to the same tunebot setting and they give them a run for their $. The only difference really was the kick the DW is a vlx+ so it"s a cannon but the renown is pretty close. The quality of the shells is great. The Tom mounts and bass drum legs and floor Tom legs are great quality as well as the 302 hoops. The shells are North American maple and honestly they sing such a pure tune and we"re pretty easy to tune up. The tension rod washers are my only complaint as they are metal. When I replace the heads I"ll change them too. I really love this drum kit it just has such a pure resonance to the tone. You can"t go wrong with a renown kit honestly the price is great too. If your in the market do not hesitate

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