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Floor toms are 16"x16" and 18"x16".

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• Manufacturer's Description

Big is not always better. Tax bills and mobile phones prove that point fairly well. But as far as drums are concerned, there's always been a large segment of the market obsessed by monster kicks and massive toms, players who prefer the long-wave boom of at least a 24" drum beneath (or in front of) their right foot and the walloping retort of 16" and 18" floor toms. Of course, such set-ups back you into a corner as far as stylistic applications go.

They're not versatile all-rounders, and they certainly won't be right for polite jazz-funk, but if you're into the big drum sounds of anyone from John Bonham to Mark Richardson, the only way to get them is to supersize your kit and let it dictate the way you play. 'Supersized' is an accurate description of Gretsch's latest Catalina Series drum kit.

The Catalina Club Rock set is by far the biggest kit in the company's good value line-up and miles from the 16" and 18" bass drum standard Catalina Club and Catalina Roll versions. Gretsch say it's a kit to "let everyone know you've arrived", so let's see if it lives up to that claim.

Size wise

The actual statistics of the Catalina Club Rock's ample curves are as follows: 26"x16" bass drum, 14"x10" mounted tom, 16"x16" and 18"x16" floor toms and 14"x6½" snare. And it's not simply their diameters that are eye-catching. This particular set-up is finished in a rather tasty vintage wrap from Gretsch's Nitron palette - the one pictured is called White Swirl and looks fab, but you could also plump for Black Flake if you fancy something a little moodier (and cheaper).

The swirl effect of the wrap is welcome on two counts; it suits the 'classic rock' nature of the Rock array, and it's less predictable than a marine pearl or sparkle finish. Plus it will work amazingly well under blisteringly bright stage lights.

Aside from its swanky set of clothes, the kit is actually pretty stripped down in terms of fanciful fittings. That's not to say that everything isn't entirely serviceable and up to the task, but the lugs are simple, hoops are straightforward triple- flanged jobs (other than those on the kick drum, which gets White Swirl-festooned wood hoops), the bass drum spurs are hefty but uncomplicated affairs and the snare throw-off is hardly esoteric either.

But rather than an image of bargain basement corner cutting, the kit has an air of the honest-to-goodness about it.

Built in Taiwan, the Catalina range is far from Gretsch's flagship series, but the fact that you're not not paying for flashy, easily marketable features, can only be a good thing. Admittedly the odd tuning rod proved a trifle stiff, but other than that the kit hangs together in confident fashion without histrionics.

Shell suits

More important than whether the bass drum claws are rubber-lined (at this price point at least), is the quality of the shells themselves. All-mahogany types are used for each of the drums that go to make up the Rock kit and each has a 30º bearing edge. Edges are pleasingly well cut, which will please those with an eye for such things, and shows that while fixtures and fittings might be simple, the Far Eastern production facility from which these kits emanate is keeping a close eye on construction details.

All the Rock drums are mahogany shelled and this includes the deep 14"x6½" snare, which is no bad thing. While a decent steel, brass or copper snare would work equally well with this set-up, there's something 'right' about this snare completing the kit. And in terms of saleability, a wood shell snare is still a very real plus point on a spec sheet.