The really hot days of Summer are upon us. My home state of Georgia frequently has days when the temperature rises above 90 degrees. The color red reminds me of heat, and the set I'm featuring this month is a flaming red sparkle Gretsch Progressive Jazz Set I recently acquired. This is a Round Badge set that was sold to me by my good friend and drum trading buddy, Ron Burns. I'm always glad to hear from Ron. He loved these drums, but started getting rid of all his small bass drum sets, because he couldn't get the sound he wanted from them. I like the smaller bass drums, although I look better behind a larger one. It's all bout the look, you know. Ringo looked good behind a 20" bass drum, but Abe Laboriel Jr. would not look good behind a 20" bass drum. Ron looks good behind any bass drum, but I won't tell him that. I'll just buy all his small ones. Gretsch actually offered a 16" and a 18" bass drum with this set as an option. The small drums were what the working Jazz musicians needed to get around in the city and in the small venues.
This set has a beautiful red glass glitter finish. The drum sizes are bass drum 20X14, floor tom 14X14, mounted tom 12X8. The matching snare is a 14X5. The Round badge was introduced in the 30s and was used until 1969. Updated versions began in the 2003 with the 120th. Anniversary Models. The shells are six ply with the silver sealer paint and orange labels inside. I like the tone control mufflers on top and bottom heads on the toms The large round tone control knobs look great on the drums. The bass drum has a single Jimmy Pratt tone control muffler on the batter side head. The rims on the toms are die cast, and the lugs on the set are the Broadkaster lugs introduced in the 50s. The bass drum diamond shaped cymbal stand holder is over to the right. The earlier sets had the mount in the center of the drum. The floor tom also has diamond shaped leg holders with hidden mounting screws. These diamond shaped holders started in the late 50s and the hidden screw models in the early 60s. The mounted tom holder is a standard rail consolette with a diamond shaped plate on the tom. This common mount was used from the 40s to the 70s.
These drums have a nice round resonant sound with the mufflers not touching the heads. The sound becomes dry and loses the ring as the mufflers are tightened up against the heads. They are such fun to play. Vintage Gretsch drums do have a distinctive tone to my ear. I have a great love for all vintage drums, but the first set that I owned was a Gretsch set, so that gives me a special feeling for them. So many of the great Jazz players used and loved them. There is definitely a reason for that.