Thanks everybody. I'm very happy with how they turned out. Bev's color choice was -the best one- even better than my Tangerine orange choice. Burgundy sparkle has always been one of the top five 'classy looking' finishes in my book. This is also my first 50's Gretsch 3-ply kit. I am so looking forward to playing/enjoying these fine old drums.

I'll get to play them in a band setting tomorrow. I'll let you know how they sounded/played for me. They sound very warm/FAT and my only fear is that they'll get lost in the mix. I'm curious to see how they cut/project in tandem with the amplified instruments. They're not going to be mic'ed so they will be on their own against the guitars. I'll let you know how it goes.

Again, thank you all for following along and being so patient. You are the ones, your contributions, that made this a fun thread for me. I hope you enjoyed looking over my shoulder as I worked. I know I love watching from the side-lines with some of you.

John

Your welcome, you did a great job!

JC

john

don't know how i missed the fact that you had finished them. i had been waiting patiently like everyone else. they look amazing. its great that you took both the outside shots and the indoor ones. looks like two different wraps in the pics. both are beautiful,deep and rich. great color choice! nice work as always.

mike

MY GOD...IT'S FULL OF STARS...

Beautiful drums! PS: you can tune 'em high or low, they should cut through the mix.

> MY GOD...IT'S FULL OF STARS...

LOL - 'Open the pod bay doors, Hal!'

Amazing finish, right? I love them.

>Beautiful drums! PS: you can tune 'em high or low, they should cut through the mix.

I've got em nice and low. They sound very warm and have great resonance. I like that the toms 'cut out' just when you want them to. Great quality sound.

I'll report back after I play with the band.

John

I LOVE THEM!!! Man, we jammed on all kinds of stuff today, Rock, Blues, even a few John McGlaughlin fusion numbers and the drums held their own beautifully. I was surprised at the volume! I expected 'warm sounding' drums not to be too loud, but these cut perfectly. The guitar and the bass player were both impressed with them, lots of compliments. I'm real satisfied with them. I can see how/why people get hooked on the sound of these.

John - Very happy camper...

Congrats again, John! You can't beat a gorgeous kit that sounds amazing...well, I guess you can, beat it with sticks! :p I like my drums tuned low as well, I bet yours sound fantastic.

You should add a sound file to this thread now. That would be a nice capper!

Lynn

John,

Congratulations on a great kit, a fantastic restoration and for capturing the imagination of many of us. Not only do you have "That Great Gretsch Sound" but also a marvelous "Great Gretsch Look". Well done!

After Bev chose the color, I learned that only Gretsch is offering the merlot wrap on custom orders. You have to go through Steve Maxwell's to order them. I was all over the Internet looking for a single piece to finish the floor tom and -nobody- other than Precision (and custom ordered though Maxwell) has the Merlot. (!) Precision only has a few sheets left, I wish I had the expendable cash to buy them up before they're gone. I'd like to use it again, maybe on an old Ludwig kit. Anywho, it's a mystery why more of this wrap isn't available. It looks killer on the drums.

John

Update: I just found out from Gary that Precision got the shipment in and now has the Merlot in stock! I hope it'll be around in the future, I'd like to use it again sometime on another project. J

Your kit looks outstandingly beautiful.