I'm skeptical... New Gretsch kit...

Anyone seen this new Gretsch Cat Club Street kit? 

I get there's a market for easy transporting kits but why the split bass drum? Why not just a shallow one-piece shell?

Can't imagine the tone is any good whether the shells are together or separated (never heard it, could be wrong)?

Do two shell halves make a whole?

Is it the Ludwig Coliseum of bass drums?

Gretsch Catalina Club Street

Best sounding kit I ever heard was a custom kit from an early C&C (manufacturer) and the bass drum had butterfly hasps on it and came apart. Drum even had a removable handle on it. All the other drums packed inside the bass drum.

That little kit (was on a USAF big band show band) was killer.

For the record: I'd play this Gretsch kit ... all day!

D

If you can just cut the damn shell in half and still have great sound, it kinda undermines all the tone snobs with their multiple types of wood, cross ply laminations, perfect bearing edges, low mass lugs, on and on and on...

I agree with you. One would think that a kick shell with a 1 1/2" split in it would let all of the good stuff out. (Like a bucket with a hole in it) But then again a lot of us used to play kicks with no resonant heads and concert toms. I am in the market for a tiny BeBop kit, but I would be afraid of this one. I would like to hear it though, as it might sound good!

I have played the Gretsch Cat Jazz kit and I just love it. I would prefer a 16" kick and I want to hear the Sonor Jungle kit and the Ludwig Break Beat.

I'm going to the Chicago Drum Show tomorrow and if I see this kit I'll post about it.

Hip gig shells nested together in the half shell and all packed into the bass drum. In the 90s a guy in my area would rock gigs with a Rick Marrotta set.  Didn't sound like a tiny kit at all.

This one sounds huge. Must be the room but you can't deny the balls.

I don't think your supposed to play the kick with the two halves separated.  The picture showing the gap in the shell was to illustrate that the kick shell is in two pieces, so you can put the rest of the drums in it for transport. 

If you're supposed to play it with that gap, then I agree with you, and it's just dumb. 

Yes, Symbolic hit the nail on the head. The kick comes apart for nesting/transport.

On very rare occasion I have need for a small kit like that, which is why I bought the Tama Metro's, but to be honest, if the Gretsch kit was available at that time, I think would have rather had it, over the Tama.

Actually, I just looked at the website, and they are touting the fact that you can play this kick closed OR open. I would guess that in the open position, the front head acts like that dw 'woofer', to emphasize the bottom.

Anyway, the hardware on the Gretsch looks like you can vary the opening to tune out sustain as needed. Interesting concept!