Any anniversary celebration is special. But when it’s a double anniversary, that’s extra-special. And when one of those anniversaries marks 130 years…well, that’s unique.
So it was with the Gretsch 130th Anniversary celebration, which was held this past May 4 at Randy Wood’s Pickin’ Parlor in Bloomingdale, Georgia. The location was appropriate, since Bloomingdale is just “down the road a bit” from Pooler, which is where my wife Dinah and I reside. And the Gretsch USA Custom Drums factory is located just across the river, in Ridgeland, South Carolina.
The setting for the event had a somewhat rural... Read More
The Magic Carpet
December 01, 2011
Many drummers consider their drum rug as nothing more than a means to keep drums and stands from sliding on hard surfaces. And a good drum rug should certainly do that. Several commercially available drum rugs have built-in barriers to keep your bass drum from moving. Some also have reinforced sections under the spots where bass drum and hi-hat pedals are likely to go.
But whether you use one of these hi-tech drum rugs or a household carpet remnant, that rug can also provide you with an invaluable service. It can be the take-everywhere blueprint for your perfect drumkit configuration. All you need in order to create this blueprint is a roll of gaffer’s or duct tape and a permanent marker. (Gaffer’s tape is more durable; duct tape is less expensive.)
First, lay out your rug, making sure that it’s smooth and flat, with no wrinkles. Next, set up your kit, carefully putting everything in the optimum position. Keep stand legs untangled, and be sure your pedals are exactly where you want them. Finally, tear off short strips of tape and use them to mark on the rug where the foot of each stand and the tip of each bass drum spur is located. Do this in a U-shape, with the open end pointing back up along the stand leg or spur. Do the same around the heels of bass drum and hi-hat pedals. For floor-tom legs, create small squares around each foot.
Whether your setup is complex or simple, it’s a good idea to put pieces of tape on one or more foot of every stand, as well as on the foot of each floor tom leg. Mark a code number or letter on these pieces of tape, and put the same number or letter on the tape markings attached to the rug. That way you can match them up quickly and accurately, ensuring that you have the correct foot of the correct stand in the correct location every time.
The beauty of this system is that it’s completely flexible. As you add, subtract, or reposition items on your kit, you can simply remove and replace the tape markings on your rug and your stands. In addition, if you should happen to use different kits (or kit configurations) for different gigs, it’s a simple matter to use different-color tape for each one.
There’s actually no “magic” to this process. It’s really simple to accomplish. But you’ll be amazed at how quickly and easily your set-ups will become—to say nothing of how comfortable you’ll be on every gig. And that’s a pretty magical feeling.
GRETSCH 130th ANNIVERSARY
Gretsch Drums is proudly celebrating its 130th Anniversary with a series of Limited Edition American-made drum sets
and snare drums. These drums will be released throughout the year and each will include a specially designed 130th
Anniversary interior shell label and a hand-signed Certificate of Authenticity. The labels and certificates will be numbered
to indicate the production sequence of each drum.
Carefully developed to produce tones that explode a balanced amount of warm low end frequencies
The Catalina Maple series starts with the Gretsch maple formula shell. We carefully developed the maple shell specification to produce tones that explode with attack and volume and project a balanced amount of warm, low-end frequencies. All Catalina Maple shells are 7-ply, 7.2mm.
The Catalina Maples are available in two configurations - a 6-piece shell pack set and a 5-piece shell pack set. Add-on drums are also available to allow for further drum set expansion.
