Gretsch Drums

Gretsch Drums is a division of American musical instrument manufacturer Gretsch. The company was founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 1883. Gretsch drum kits have been used by many notable drummers including Max Roach, Tony Williams, Art Blakey, Vinnie Colaiuta, Mark Guiliana, Phil Collins, Charlie Watts, Taylor Hawkins, Mitch Mitchell and Steve Ferrone.

Gretsch Drums manufactures and commercialises drum kits and hardware.

History
Gretsch was founded by Friedrich Gretsch, a German immigrant who opened his own musical instrument shop on 128 Middleton Street in Brooklyn, New York in 1883. The operation moved to South 4th Street in 1894. After Friedrich's sudden death in 1895, his enterprising son, Fred Gretsch Sr., took over the business as a teenager. He expanded the business, adding Gretsch Building #1 at 109 South 5th Street in 1903, Gretsch Building #2 at 104–114 South 4th Street in 1910, and a new ten-story Gretsch Building #4 at 60 Broadway Street in 1916. The company ultimately owned or operated six properties in the immediate area, including a warehouse on Dunham Place. Gretsch Building #4 was owned by the Gretsch family until 1999, at which time it was sold and redeveloped into luxury condominiums.

Fred Gretsch Sr. handed over the family business to his son, Fred Gretsch Jr., after retiring in 1942. Soon after taking over, Fred Jr. left to serve in WWII as a Navy commander, leaving the business in the hands of his younger brother, William Walter "Bill" Gretsch. Bill Gretsch died in 1948 and the company was again run by Fred Jr. Both guitars, and drums were manufactured at 60 Broadway until the mid-1960s, at which time drum production was consolidated at 109 South 5th Street so that guitar production could be expanded. Fred Gretsch Jr. ran the company until 1967 when Gretsch was sold to Baldwin Piano Co. In 1969 Baldwin moved Gretsch instrument manufacturing operations from Brooklyn to a plant in DeQueen, Arkansas.

Acquisitions
In 1985 Gretsch was bought back by a member of the Gretsch family, Fred W. Gretsch, the son of the late William "Bill" Gretsch and great-grandson of original company founder Friedrich Gretsch. At that time, drum production was relocated from DeQueen, Arkansas to Ridgeland, South Carolina, where it remains today.

In the late 1980s, Gretsch bought the remnants of the Slingerland Drum Company, which was later sold to Gibson, with Gretsch retaining the Leedy brand which had been part of the Slingerland purchase.

Distribution & Manufacturing
In 2000, Gretsch entered into an agreement with Kaman Music which granted them exclusive rights to manufacture Gretsch USA Custom and Signature drums. They also purchased the majority of the equipment used to make Gretsch drums. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation acquired Kaman Music Corporation (KMC) in 2008 and subsequently sold the licensing rights for Gretsch in 2014 to DW (Drum Workshop).

In January 2015, the Lombardi Family announced that Drum Workshop had become the exclusive manufacturer and worldwide distributor of Gretsch Drums. Lombardi stressed that the factory in Ridgeland would remain open and that the Gretsch Family still owned the company. And in 2017, Hal Leonard joined the Gretsch Drums Team as the exclusive US distributor of the Renown, Catalina, and Energy series drums.

In January 2024, the license to distribute, market, and manufacture Gretsch Drums was sold to GEWA. “GEWA music will continue to maintain all international distributions of Gretsch Drums for the foreseeable future. The Gretsch Drums factory in Ridgeland (SC), previously managed by DW, will be taken over by GEWA music USA. From there, instruments manufactured in the USA will be directly supplied to North American retailers or shipped to foreign distributors. Hal Leonard will continue to act as the USA distribution partner for Gretsch popular priced drums produced by GEWA music in Asia.”