Here we have a Gretsch Stop Sign Badge from the early 70's era. The hardware and specifications put this kit in the 1972-1974 era but there have been some changes made to this set along the way. The kit features double internal dampeners on the batter side of the toms and floor tom, the bottom ones have all been removed at some point, the holes are visible from the insides and outsides of the shell. The original Die Cast hoops are also present on the batter sides of the 12 & 13 toms, the 14 has top and bottom die cast hoops. The 12 and 13 reso side hoops are 2.3mm triple flanged, they would appear to be Gretsch especially given the unique 5 lug spec on the 12" tom so it's hard to know if these drums were updated to die-casts or perhaps as was common in the 70's the bottom hoops were removed for single headed concert tom operation and the hoops got lost, this is a fairly typical story and could also explain the missing dampeners which could have been removed to stop rattle if the drums were used as concert toms.
All the original Lugs, T-Rods, Bass Drum Claw Hooks, Disappearing Spurs and Stop Sign Badges are present and correct. The final modification on the set is the Walnut finished hoops, originally this kit would have come with metal Hoops with inlay black finish, the walnut hoops are a nice contrast to the black finish on the set, and nowadays this looks in keeping with many sets you see on the market.
Inside you can see the iconic Gretsch silver sealer and original Gretsch paper badges. The kit sounds absolutely as you would expect from this era of Gretsch, an opportunity to get an authentic 70's USA Custom build. The 70's Gretsch kits just ooze vibe, this one is no exception, fat toms with loads of pleasing give, super immediate bass drum with loads of beater definition and front head low end punch! This will be perfect for many musical applications live or in the studio, a perfect kit to put under mics, ready made to groove!
- Gretsch SSB (Stop Sign Badge) USA Pre-Loved Drum Kit
- 12 x 8 & 13 x 9 Toms
- 14 x 14 Floor Tom
- 22 x 14 Bass Drum with wood hoops
- 4966 Disappearing Bass Drum Spurs
- Modified Double Tom Holder and Brackets fitted to bass drum and toms
- Finished in Black Nitron
- Original DieCast Hoops on both all 3 Batter sides and Floor Tom Reso Side
- Original 5540 Twin Head Dampers on both Toms and Floor tom, perfectly working mechanisms - Batter sides only
- Famous Gretsch Silver Sealer inside Finish and 30 degree bearing edges
- 6 Ply Laminated Wood Shell
- Made in the USA Circa 1970's
- New Evans G2 Batter Heads Fitted to Toms & EMAD Bass Drum Batter Head
- Pre-Loved - 6/10 Modified as described above, lots of surface marks to the finish as you would expect, surface marks on the chrome work. Everything functions as it should, 'That Great Gretsch Sound' and Gretsch Vibes!