[COLOR="DarkRed"]...there seems to be a subtext running through this thread.....Hmmmm[/COLOR];)

We really need to clarify the Gretsch snare...

Honestly, my 4105 has long since been a "Go To" drum.

Gretsch is a strange beast. If you approach them in comparison

to your Acro or Dyna, well not so good.

With that said ( and as the Grammy's prove yet again )

the oddball sometimes gets the cupcake.

When a piece calls for it or the artist says "Ya' know

I'm hearing a maple flavored rattly thing with no real

projection..." there you have it.

Crank it to near extreme or de-tune to a furt with buzz and

sometimes...

"Yes. Drummer, that's it!"

If it were me, I'd grab the Camco. We have an Oaklawn Badge WMP Camco at the school where I teach and it is one of the NICEST snares I've heard/played. I like to play my drums, not look at them, but that's just me.

I agree also that a Gretsch snare's sound has it's place in the right situation. I recorded a blues CD with a round badge kit w/matching wood snare a few years back and the sound was excellent. I never even thought about reaching for a different drum during the session as the Gretsch just sounded right.

Kent snares can be boxy sounding and not very loud, but they can sound very good for the right type of music. I use my various Kent snares all the time in recording sessions, assuming it's the right sound for the tune. If not, then I reach for something else.

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Heeere's a Q, then: how different is the sound of the Kents vs. the Gretsch, in your ears' opinion ?[/COLOR]

Well, Kent's have been called "The Poor Mans Gretsch" by a few folks I believe and supposedly, Bill Kent was a Gretsch employee for a while. Since I have not had the opportunity to compare them side by side, I really can't say for sure how close the sound is. The above mentioned kit I played was owned by the studio. It would be a cool comparo though.

My guess would be that if you took the two kits, same heads, same tuning, same room, and had the same drummer play them, they would sound very close. I'd give a slight edge to the Gretsch kit for volume though as I think their shells were a bit thicker than the puny 2 ply Kent's were.

Also, the Kent kit would have to be given a fair shake and have proper bearing edges. A stock Kent can't compare to a stock Gretsch kit - The finish quality just wasn't the same, with a few rare exceptions.

If someone want's to ship me their round badge kit, I can set it up next to my Kent's and really do a proper comparison. I promise to take good care of the Gretsch kit :)

Hey BD,

Kent sound very similar to my 1st snare.

A 3 or 5 or whatever vertical-ply mahogany

Revelle ( yes, yes, Japanese... )

Did I mention that I never met a drum that I

didn't like?

S

Burger Kin

The idea that Gretsch was Max, Elvin, Tony, Charlie and Mickey Dolenz...

This Guy Too.

And that stands to reason, seeing as how many of the import drums had roundover bearing edges. Shells were thicker than Kent's usually and some had re-rings, but the roundover bearing edge tends to produce a very warm, woody sound (lots of head contact with the shell). Some might find that sound to be "boxy", especially when compared to a wood Ludwig or Rogers snare from the same era. The metal shelled Kent snares are far from boxy sounding however and generally require a fair amount of damping to get the ring out of them.

Small pic, but I can see that it's Mitch Mitchell playing a monster set of Gretsch drums - Cool! Not sure if he used Gretsch drums for all the recordings he did w/Hendrix, but they sure sound like Gretsch. Warm, woody, sweet sounding drums on those old recordings. Funny contrast compared to Hendrix's biting guitar tone.

Here's a link to a youtube vid of Mitch playing that same Gretsch kit in the picture. Snare sounds and looks like it's metal though.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYgvK9u7-N8[/ame]

Sounds a lot like the kit I recorded with. I'll have to post some sound examples of Kent snares I own. The stubby Kent snare I cut down from 5" to 4.25" and put 45 degree bearing edges is quite snappy and bright sounding. Clearly the edges make all the difference on these drums. I prefer the warmer roundover edges on the toms and kick though - More vintage sounding.

[COLOR="DarkRed"]There is the tale of the Kents having modeled their shells after Gretsch.

I have found, with the few I have renovated, their edges really weren't good at all...if they were shaped, they were shaped minimally.

Simply putting a bona-fide Gretsch-type edge on them would probably improve 'em significantly. Going a 45 sharp even moreso, although it changes the sound away from vintage.

OK, end of the Kent digression for me...sorry 'bout that, folks.Guitar Dude Man[/COLOR]