Brooklyn, New York and Gretsch Drums share an inseparable legacy that is reflected in the Gretsch Brooklyn Series.Proudly hand-crafted in Gretsch’s Ridgeland, SC, USA factory, Gretsch Brooklyn produces a sound that is immediately recognizable, yet distinctively reinvented. Brooklyn drums feature 6-ply North American maple/poplar shells and are made slightly thicker than Gretsch’s USA Custom Drums and have a 30-degree bearing edge.Shell interiors are finished with classic Gretsch Silver Sealer. Each shell comes with a distinctive Brooklyn internal shell label that identifies the drum shell model number and serial number.Brooklyn toms and snares feature the distinctive Gretsch “302” hoop. Its 3mm thick and double-flanged and is reminiscent of hoops used by Gretsch until the mid 1950’s. Brooklyn delivers classic Gretsch tones that are full, punchy and warm. Brooklyn’s innovative specifications created a new Gretsch tonal characteristic that is slightly more open and satisfyingly ambient. There is no denying that Brooklyn drums possess the sound of classic Gretsch drums, but deliver their own sonic personality.Gretsch S1-6514 Gold Series 14x6.5in Seamless Aluminium SnareGretsch welcomes another new member to the Gold series snare line.

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Nov 08, 2011  I wanted to provide a progress update on the Gretsch Serial Number Dating Guide and make one more push for information from owners of vintage Gretsch drums. Back in 2006, member gsw started a thread on DFO in which he kept a log of serial numbers for Gretsch drums.

The thin brushed aluminum shell creates a drier, more sensitive tone due to the inherent qualities of aluminum.The tone is more focused with less overtones. These qualities are offset by the sharp tonal contrast of the 13 ply rock maple hoops. The wood hoops are low profile to enhance playing comfort and feature beveled edges to provide a unique look.Sonically, these hoops produce an earthy, warm timbre with explosive cross-stick clicks. From delicate buzz rolls to piercing back beats, the new Gold Series Aluminum/Wood hoops snare is visually and sonically differentiated.

From my knowledge of this seller he is both knowledgeable and honest about his work and the instruments. He has always felt that the Aristocrat stencils are essentially early Aristocrats without snaps and Nortons (as stated in the description).If you're interested in the horn, I would question him about the exact nature of the sound differences he noted between the Gretsch and Aristocrat and how heavy the metal is in the Gretsch. If he is correct about the dating, I would guess that this may be a a horn that would rival the early Aristocrats for a lot less.BTW I do not know if the numbers on the neck are the same for the stencils and the early 'crats.

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However, I have seen Mark Aronson comment that for the 'transitional' period Aristocrats (with split bell keys) #3 necks were considered the best overall. The #1 had the best intonation, but greater resistance. I looked through my pile of Buescher stencils this weekend I saw that I have two 'Elkhart - Made by Buescher', two 'FE Olds Ambassador' and one 'Great Gretsch American'. The bodies and keywork are essentially identical.

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Only the key guards are different. I don't have an Aristocrat to compare these to, but pictures indicate that the keywork is different than the Aristocrat's.I don't have too much experience with Bueschers, but I'm still believing that these 'student' Buescher-made stencils will turn out sounding somewhat like the top end models that Buescher was producing at that time.

One can dream, right?:-).