Gretsch has announced the release of the Brooklyn Standard Snare Drum - designed in collaboration with leading drum educator, Mike Johnston, to be a versatile, dynamic, pro-level snare.
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Featuring a 14”x5.5”, 6-ply North American Maple/Poplar shell, double-45-degree bearing edges, the Brooklyn Standard is the result of nine months of prototyping, offering drummers an uncomplicated entry point into the world of professional-level snare drums, while maintaining the heritage of Gretsch’s sound and design.
As well as the shell construction, the Brooklyn Standard includes a vintage-style Gretsch batter side tone control for muffling, as well as 42-strand snare wires, 302 hoops, tube lugs, Lightning throw-off.
Inside, the shell is finished with Gretsch’s signature Silver Sealer, and each drum includes an ID label signed by Mike Johnston and denoting the year of the drum’s production, meanwhile, the drum is finished in a ‘goes with anything’ Satin Black Metallic finish.
“I just really wanted to have a standard for my students, for myself and for the Gretsch brand. Like, if you could take one snare drum with you anywhere, what would that be?” says Mike Johnston.
“So I had to figure out, ‘Well what does ‘snare drum’ mean to everyone else? Even though I knew what I wanted, what I didn’t know was ‘Well what does that sound like?’. So that started the process of asking my students, asking other professional drummers to try to find out what is ‘snare drum’? If you’re a little confused and are shopping all over the place for snares, just get this one. It’ll do the homework for you, I’ve done the research for you.”
The Gretsch Brooklyn Standard is available to order now, with a street price of around £650. You can hear Mike Johnston, Mark Guiliana and Victor Indrizzo playing the snare in a variety of tunings in the video above.
