Problems with snare hardware

I'm having two huge issues with my Gretsch snare:

1. If you're looking at the drum, and the snare tensioner is to the left, the lug below it constantly detunes itself. Not just a little; after about an hour and a half to two hours of playing, it's loose to the point where you can push the snare head down with your finger at least a centimeter or so. I've got to constantly tune it back up, and it's a pain to do because I've got to then try and tune the snare again, etc. Only does it on the batter side. Are there lug locks or anything I could use for this?

2. The snare tensioner itself loosens, but this happens much more often -- within an hour, it's loose enough that if I don't play the snare relatively hard, it doesn't even sound like the snares are hitting the drum. I'd estimate that I've got to turn it at least two full turns over the course of each hour long set.

Any ideas here?

Ya there is lug locks. Ask your local drumshop. as for your tensioner..change it , get a new one, its got some kind of defect.

My opinion

Do you play rim shots? Is the lug that's detuning in the area of where you are hitting the rim? That's usually what happens.

If you really whack the rim, you may want to stick a diecast hoop on the batter side. They are stiffer and don't deflect as much as a steel hoop, and thus the lug won't detune. They also sound meatier. Just another alternative.

It's probably about where I'd do rim shots if I was doing them. I play with the snare pretty low, which makes it difficult to do them when I want to do them, much less on accident or anything.

I've only had them for a little over a month, think the tensioner would be a warranty thing? I've got another snare I can use temporarily. I've actually got tons of little complaints about the kit, the biggest right now being that the drum wrap is bubbling up on the kick drum, after having seen maybe six shows, only two of which were outdoors. It's the only drum it's happening on, and it's coming up on the kick as well as on the wood hoops for it. Other than that I've noticed one of the rims for the 12" tom is bent inward (it's not out of round, just the top part of the rim is curved in at one spot), and the problems I've mentioned with the snare.

Guess I'll be talking to Guitar Center in a few days.

Something you might try with the throw, is an old trick guys do with the old Ludwig P-83. What you do is remove the adjusting thumb screw, and get a spring that will fit over it, and compress as you tighten the thumb screw to tighten the snares. The tension that the spring puts between the throw off body and the thumb screw keeps it from backing out.

What model kit is this? I've been hearing various quality issues with Gretsch kits lately. Kinda scary.

Usually just being outdoors won't bubble a wrap job. Being inside cases in a hot car has bubbled a few. Must have been a lousy glue job.

One of the new Mod kits with the 24" kick. The finish is white with black stripes but it's the white AND black areas that are coming off. I don't leave them in the car or anything. All the toms and the snare are in bags (black ones, too... why don't they make white gig bags!?), and none of them exhibit the problem. The kick started doing this within two weeks of owning it, though. I just don't have the time to be sending it back, we play 2-3 shows a week.

Actually, I have seen a wrapped finish completely bubble up when doing a gig with a cartage kit. We played in the full direct sun on a super hot day.

The kit had a black finish. By the end of the gig, the kit looked like a ripple finish.

You may want to contact the distributor about this directly. (I beilieve Gretsch is still handled by Kaman Music Corp) Go to this link and then click on Kaman link at the bottom:

http://www.gretschdrums.com/

Hope that helps. The bad news is, ... if it is determined that your finish buckled due to excessive heat or sun exposure, ... they will not cover this under warranty.

Boooooo, Gretsch.

Hey, I here Riolo has a deal on some wraps right now...

I read about a brand new New Classic kit in a wrap, that's heads were so tight out of the boxes they had to be pried off. The shop had to put all the shells on the router table with a flush trim bit to get Aquarian heads to fit them per the customer's request. How's that for quality on a $2k kit?