I think most people would be hard pressed to tell a difference sonically between a Renown kit and a USA Gretsch kit. I've played lots of both and I think the Renowns are awesome drums. If you want the gretsch look and sound but don't want to lug a $3000 kit around to crappy clubs, this is a no-brainer.And the Chevrons can be removed easily with just a little heat (hair dyer) and a gentle hand - the finish underneath is not bothered. So at worst you remove them and you have a beautifully lacquered maple kit with (OH GOD) no badges.So let's recap - for $1000 you can buy a brand new Gretsch Renown kit (with a nice throne!) that sounds every bit as good as kits costing twice or three times that much. Sounds like a great deal to me.People around here are pretty snobby sometimes about Asian-made kits - especially funny when I've seen so many American made kits with bad bearing edges, crooked lugs, etc. - I've seen USA Gretsch kits with drill dings, rough edges and crossthreaded screws holding the lugs on - never seen that on an 'upper-tier' Asian kit. I bet the people who complain the loudest are the ones who couldn't tell the damn difference if they played 2 kits blindfolded."beginner's kit"?! - I mean -COME ON. If Gretsch Renowns are nothing more than a beginner's kit, you're ruling out all the top-of-the-line stuff from Mapex, Pearl, Tama, Yamaha, etc. as well. And sorry, but many of the world's best-selling and best sounding albums in all genres have been recorded with drums made in Asia. Get over yourself.
I'm reading you loud and clear. Only a matter of what I like and look for in drums, not doctrine for all to follow, blindly. Sheesh! You ARE an Ogre! I'd still use that $1,000 for a vintage kit. You seem to like thrones. Hmpf.
B
