Vintage Gretsch Drum Sets

Steve Weiss Music collects vintage Gretsch Snare Drums and Gretsch Drum Sets from all time periods and any condition. Please contact us if you have a any Gretsch instrument you are looking to sell or find out more information about. We will give you a fair estimate of value for no cost.

The Gretsch company is one of the oldest musical instrument manufacturers still operating in the U.S. It was founded by German immigrant Friedrich Gretsch in Brooklyn, NY in 1883, and besides a period from 1967-1985 when it was owned by the Baldwin piano company, it is still owned by members of the Gretsch family today. When the company started out, it mainly manufactured drums and tambourines, but during the 1950s, it also became famous for its guitars, which were endorsed by stars such as Chet Atkins and George Harrison. Vintage Gretsch drums from before the sale to Baldwin in 1967 are particularly sought after by collectors today.

Throughout their history, Gretsch drums have been associated with several styles of music, but arguably they made their biggest impact on the bebop jazz scene of the 1950s and 60s, a period that is remembered by many listeners and performers as a peak moment in the evolution of American popular music. During this period, Gretsch drums were played and endorsed by some of the biggest names in the bebop scene, including Max Roach, Art Blakey, and Tony Williams. In fact, Blakey, Charlie Persip, Elvin Jones, and "Philly" Joe Jones, all legendary bebop drummers in their own right, played on a famous LP, Gretsch Drum Night at Birdland, which was recorded at the famous Birdland club, using a famous Gretsch kit, variations of which are the gold standard for Gretsch collecting today. The original Birdland kit featured a Cadillac Green finish and all 24-karat gold hardware. This one of a kind kit is today owned by private collectors, but variations were available on the consumer market. Cadillac Green Gretsch drum kits from before 1967 may be versions of the Birdland kit.

After the release of the Birdland record, many drummers, including rock drummers, like Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, Phil Collins, or more recently, Taylor Hawkins and Stanton Moore of the funk band Galactic, have chosen Gretsch drums both for their sound and for the hip factor that the drums have due to their association with the bebop era, and that Gretsch guitars have with honky tonks, rockabilly, and the Beatles. During the period in which Baldwin owned Gretsch, their drums became less collectible, though there are still some drums from this era sought after by collectors. Gretsch snares with model number 4166 are metal snares that feature what collectors call the "stop sign" style of Gretsch badge. Drum badges are usually metal trademarks affixed to drums by their manufacturers. The Gretsch stop signs are hexagonal badges that look like their namesake street sign. The seventies and eighties versions of the badges, which are still used on some Gretsch drums today, feature the Gretsch logo either in squarish letters or featuring the Gretsch logo with a "Drop-G" that looks like a cursive letter "G." The trademark may be repeated on the badge with the letters "U.S.A.," or it may include the inscription, "DRUM MAKERS SINCE 1983." A rare variation on the 4166 snare was given the model number 4177 and these drums are especially collectible today because of their scarcity.

Gretsch Round Badge

The most collectible Gretsch drums come from before the Baldwin buy out and feature what is known among collectors as the "round" badge. The Gretsch round badge is a simple circle design with the same slogan as the stop sign, "DRUM MAKERS SINCE 1883," written below the Gretsch brand name. The "T" in Gretsch is elongated, so it hangs over the other letters in a symmetrical pattern. The Gretsch logo and the slogan wrap around both sides of the circular badge and have a machine-stamped patina, like a coin. Be aware that Gretsch recently revived the round badge on some of their custom kits. A round badge doesn't automatically mean your drum is vintage, but it's likely that if you have a Gretsch drum with a round badge and you didn't buy it recently, it may be old. Gretsch Gladstone and Broadkaster drums from this era are the most sought after, but anything from this period would be considered vintage and therefore collectible. Note that a drum may not be "Gladstone" or "Broadkaster," even if it has a round badge. Gladstone and Broadkaster snare drums were most popular, but all types of kit drums were made with this trademark, including tom toms and bass drums. Other Gretsch drum lines from this time include Catalina, Renown, and Dixieland.

Gretsch Gladstone Snare Drum

The Gretsch-Gladstone series, named after drum inventor Billy Gladstone, were Gretsch's top of the line models before their association with Max Roach and bebop in the 1950s, and their quality is evident in terms of sound, construction, and visual appeal. Gladstone Snare Drums were made to impress and still possess a "wow factor" many decades after they were first made. Gladstones can be identified by the special badge Gretsch used to manufacture them. The badge specifically contains the "Gretsch-Gladstone" trademark and the drums are individually numbered on the inside of their shell. The badge is also rectangular, as opposed to Gretsch's normal round badge, which was used on most of their drums during this era.

Gretsch Max Roach Snare Drum

Another famous drum from the fifties to feature a special badge was the "Max Roach model" snare. This very special drum does not have a catalog number, but features a special rectangular badge somewhere on its shell. Collectors have found different configurations of the Max Roach badge and Gretsch circle badge on these drums.The drums are notable for their compact 4" shells. The related Broadkaster "Max Roach" Model with catalog number X4175, which was later marketed as the Progressive Jazz snare, is also a must-have for all Gretsch collectors. From 1955-71, the Progressive Jazz snare could be purchased as part of a larger Progessive Jazz kit, developed in consultation with Roach, an innovator who worked with every great jazz performer of the era, from Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk, to Duke Ellington and Dinah Washington. During the sixties, he also released records with a unique social and political perspective, like his legendary recording with Abbey Lincoln and Oscar Brown, Jr. We Insist: Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite, which he released in 1960 on the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, at the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

Gretsch USA Custom

In 1950, Roach began endorsing the Gretsch USA Custom line drums, which are still manufactured today. By 1955, Gretsch introduced its first Progressive Jazz kit, which was partially designed and endorsed by Roach. This kit featured drums designed to Roach's specifications, including a 20" x 14" bass drum, 12" x 8" and 14" x 14" toms, and a 14" x 4" snare. Over the next decade, a who's-who of bebop drummers would play these drums and endorse them, including the drummers who appeared on the Birdland record and Kenny Clarke, Shelly Manne, Art Taylor, and Mel Lewis. Endorsement deals in those days probably only earned the musicians some fresh hardware every year, but these jazz moguls still chose the Gretsch brand because the "great Gretsch sound" uniquely suited the dynamics of the new small-combo bebop music they played better than the other brands, like Slingerland and Leedy, which were more popular during the earlier big band era.

Progressive Jazz drums from this era will feature the round Gretsch badge and may or may not include serial numbers printed plainly inside their shells. These numbers will either be four, five, or six digits depending on when the drums were manufactured. Dating Gretsch drums by serial number is a precise and difficult task, though the number of digits can serve as a guideline. Be on the lookout for classic Gretsch finishes in gold, blue, silver, red, green, and champagne sparkle; black, white, and midnight blue pearl; jet black nitron; and various satin finishes. Because of its association with the Birdland kit, Cadillac Green may be the most iconic Gretsch finish. The brand manufactured metal and wood drums throughout their history, though they didn't offer woodgrain finishes during their golden era. These returned during the 1970s.

If you believe you may own any of the drums listed in this article, please contact Steve Weiss Music using the form below and we will offer you an honest appraisal at no cost.