Gretsch launches Catalina Evo, its first electronic drum kit

Gretsch has launched the Catalina Evo, an electronic drum series built on full-size shells. According to MusicRadar, it is the company's first move into electronic drums in its 143-year history. The series is out now in two finishes, Black Sparkle and Walnut Glaze.

Gearnews lists two configurations. The four-piece J484 has an 18-inch bass drum, a 10-inch rack tom, a 12-inch floor tom and a 14-inch snare. The five-piece F405 has a 20-inch bass drum, 10- and 12-inch rack toms, a 14-inch floor tom and the same snare. The mesh heads are dual-zone, and all three cymbal pads are three-zone: a 14-inch hi-hat made of two actual pads, a 16-inch crash and an 18-inch ride. Stands and the chain-drive pedal come from Gretsch's Explorer hardware line.

The module holds 50 factory kits with 500 instruments, sampled from Gretsch drums including the USA Custom, Brooklyn and Broadcaster, plus 128 user slots. Up to 128 user samples can be loaded from a USB stick, and each pad has its own EQ and compressor, alongside nine multi-effect algorithms and reverbs. Connections include 11 trigger inputs, four individual outputs, a stereo input, Bluetooth audio and MIDI, USB-C, and eight-channel recording into a DAW. Deeper editing, trigger settings and firmware updates go through the Gretsch E-Drum Remote app; Gretsch says the kit lets players spend more time "doing what they love: playing drums".

According to Gearnews, Thomann sells the four-piece for €1,999 in Black Sparkle and €2,199 in Walnut Glaze, and the five-piece for €2,299 and €2,499. US pricing starts at $1,880, UK pricing at £1,699.