I've tried the batter head at several tensions and never gotten a sound I was happy with. I love the warmth of the drum--it sits really well with those rich, woody toms--but the snare sound has always been just... off.

If I go at it with the sandpaper, what's the technique? I've never worked beds before.

Thanks again for all the tips!

section 2 I'm asking these questions to help you, are you an experienced drummer?the grover and puresound custom snare wires aren't cheap, but they really work! But jonnistix has a good suggestion, buy a cheap pair of snare wires first try them, do you know how to set them up properly?

Gretsch snare drums are an acquired and often debated taste.

I would avoid messing with the edges...Gretsch drums are what they are.

There are a lot of great snare drums that can be had cheaply that sound completely different than Gretsch...

Ludwig Acrolites, chrome Slingerlands, Chrome Rogers powertones and the like can all be had for less than $200.

I have a lot of snares, but lately I've used a red lacquer steel Yamaha that was less than $100 and a 6.5" Pork Pie black brass tube lug snare that was also cheap. (BTW, I'm selling that one if anyone wants it...)

No need to spend money on messin' with your vintage Gretsch.

Thanks for chiming in! I ended up following jonnistix's advice and buying a cheap set of Gibraltar 16-strand snares to try out first. If I'm not happy with them, I might try a more expensive set.

I've been playing for 18 years now. As for whether I know how to set the snare wires up properly... yes and no. I've installed plenty of sets over the years, but from your question it sounds like there's an art to it. I just center them on the drum and tension them up. If there's more to it than that, I'd love to hear tips!

I know what you mean. I've had this drum for 16 years and have always resisted working the edges for this very reason. Rather than messing with the drum, I've simply added others to the collection -- an Acro, a Premier 2000, a custom 6x12 Keller, a Tama King Beat, and so on... but I saw Crowded House play on Monday night (great show!), and Matt Sherrod's snare drum had the most beautiful, warm, woody tone. It got me thinking. He wasn't playing a vintage Gretsch, but his drum reminded me of the warmth of my RB snare, and I started itching to finally solve this snare response problem and get it set up nicely.

While we're on the subject of expanding the snare collection... lately I've been thinking about adding a 6.5" brass model. Can you PM me and let me know what you're asking for the Pork Pie?

Problem solved!

I finally had a moment to replace my 42-strand wires with a new set of 16-strand Gibraltars. While I was at it, I swapped out the old Ambassador batter for a new Fiberskyn, and man! What a difference. The drum used to be unplayable, but now it's sensitive, warm, rich and woody. It's still an acquired taste, and very different from the snare drums I'm used to playing, but it's a beautiful sound. It reminds me of Art Blakey's snare on "Caravan." Now if only my playing sounded like Blakey's, I'd be in business. :) Thanks for the tips, everyone.

If nothing else, this experience has convinced me that 3-ply Gretsch snares were meant to be played with calf heads. The Fiberskyn is a nice substitute, but if I ever get around to it (i.e. when my daughter is grown), I might try tucking calf heads for this kit.

Despite the success, I'm still finding that I have to crank the snares tightly enough that I hear the snares even with the throw-off disengaged. Does anyone know a solution to this problem?