Closeup of the bearing edge of my early sixties Gretsch Broadkaster side-tom I am the extremely proud owner and player of a set of Gretsch Broadkaster drums (progressive jazz outfit) from the early sixties, also known as "round badge" era drums because of their characteristic ... well .. round badge. Danish vintage collectors also call this badge "Läkerol" because of its resemblance with a famous danish liqourice brand.

More pictures of my ol' Gretsch Broadkasters

Mine have the "midnight blue pearl" coating, even though the "blue" has faded a bit over the years. They are in the sizes 20", 12" and 14". Yes - a 14 inch floor tom may not sound very impressive - and I am also looking for an additional 16 inch floor tom to go with these - but the 14 inch still has a verly large sound.

These drums have die cast hoops, and that is one the things I really love about them. That means they're solid, robust and have a very firm grip on the heads. They did take some getting used to, because they make the drums feel a bit "harder", or less bouncy if you like. But now I just love being able to play on the hoops as much as the heads. The sustain and tone on these drums are really impressive.

I'm not sure what excactly it is that makes me love these drums so much, but the feeling was just there instantly when I first sat behind them - I felt at home. Everything felt right, was in the right position - and the vibe around old drums like these ... well, I guess you have to be a sentimental fool like me, to appreciate something like this :)

Before I bought the Gretsch drums, I used to play a ridiculously large DC Customline set, comprised of a 22", 10", 12", 13", 16" and 18" and a plethora of bells, cymbals and rides. I even had a double bass drum pedal - oh yes; things went fast back then. Go to the "my bands" page to hear samples of both drumsets, and yours truly, in action.

Current setup

Gretsch Broadkasters (progressive jazz outfit) midnight blue pearl, early sixties
  • 12" sidetom
  • 14" floortom
  • 20" bassdrum
  • 14" x 5.5" Gretsch snare (midnight blue pearl, "stick chopper" hoops, early sixties)
  • 14" x 5.5" Gretsch snare (White marine pearl, die cast hoops, early sixties)
  • 14" Zildjian "New beat" hi-hats
  • 16" Stagg Crash
  • 18-19" hand hammered crash/ride by Spizzichino
  • 20" Sabian ride