Gretsch USA Custom Drums: It’s All About Options

Gretsch’s top-of-the-line drums are called USA Custom for two very good reasons. The first reason is the fact that every drum is hand-crafted in Gretsch’s Ridgeland, South Carolina factory. The second reason is the staggering number of options available to drummers who want to create truly personalized kits.

USA Custom Gold Glass Nitron

USA Custom toms and bass drums all start with legendary Gretsch 6-ply shells. They’re given the famous Silver Sealer interior coating, 30-degree bearing edges, and Gretsch’s trademark die-cast hoops. From there on, the choices are almost endless.

Decisions, Decisions
Sizes? How ‘bout twenty bass drums, thirty-eight rack toms, and nine floor toms. Finishes? Pick from twenty-six Nitron wraps, twenty-three nitro cellulose gloss lacquers, and fourteen nitro cellulose satin lacquers. Any of those lacquers can be combined with black in a diamond pattern called Harlequin, and any lacquer finish can be applied over an outer ply of highly figured curly maple.

USA Custom Satin Ebony

But the options don’t stop there. Gretsch USA Custom bass drums can be ordered with a variety of hoops, T-rods, spurs, mufflers, tom mounts, and cymbal holders. Floor toms can be fitted with four different models of leg brackets, including Millennium or Vintage Diamond. And virtually all of these hardware components are available in chrome, black, and gold finish.

That Special Drum
Most drummers consider the snare to be their most personal drum. The USA Custom line of wood snare drums offers seven sizes and five lug configurations (ranging from six to twenty) to suit virtually any musical application. And if those aren’t enough, four solid-maple and four solid-walnut G-5000 models are also hand-crafted in the Ridgeland factory…along with unique signature snares designed with and for Vinnie Colaiuta, Stephen Ferrone, and Stanton Moore.

Any snare drum may be ordered with the drummer’s choice of the classic Gretsch Lightning, Nickel Drumworks, or Dunnet strainer and butt. And now there’s a fourth choice: the fabled and much-loved Gretsch Micro-Sensitive strainer.

Just like it used to be, only better.

Making History…Again
The 2011 Micro-Sensitive strainer is actually a re-launch of a design that graced Gretsch snares from the mid-1950s to 1969, and that’s been a favorite of players and collectors alike ever since. But the new version has the added advantage of updated internal mechanics designed to meet contemporary standards of functionality. It’s a classic case of “just like it used to be…only better.”

Also available in a revamped and improved version is the new G5463 bass drum claw. It’s modeled after the classic G5462 claw hook, which has been in use since the 1950s. The new version is die-cast and triple chrome plated, and it features an interior pad that acts as a buffer between the claw and the bass drum hoop.

Along with the dozens of other options available, the return of the revered Micro-Sensitive strainer and the G5463 claw hook provide even more choices to make your USA Custom kit truly your own.

To see the complete line of Gretsch drums, visit the Gretsch Drums website.