Experience a Legend: The Gretsch Broadkaster Drum Kit
Step into a golden age of music with the legendary 1930s-1940s Gretsch Broadkaster drum kit—a landmark set that helped define the vibrant soundscape of jazz, swing, and big band music.
Introduced in 1935, the Broadkaster series was named to capture the spirit of a world newly connected by radio. As music crackled across the airwaves, reaching living rooms and dance halls alike, Gretsch designed the Broadkaster to meet the moment—bold, resonant, and built to carry a beat as far as the broadcast towers could send it.
This kit includes a snare drum, floor tom, mounted tom, bass drum, three cymbals, three silver accessories, a hi-hat, and a variety of attachment components. At its heart are Gretsch’s groundbreaking three-ply shells of North American maple, poplar, and maple—thin, flexible, and crafted without reinforcement hoops. These shells produced a rich, resonant tone so distinctive it became known simply as "That Great Gretsch Sound."
The magic lay not only in the materials but in the craftsmanship: a reverse roundover bearing edge that allowed the drumhead to hug the shell more closely, creating deep, full-bodied tones that responded with remarkable warmth and clarity.
The influence of the broadcast spirit echoed beyond Gretsch drums. In 1950, Fender introduced its first solid-body electric guitar, proudly naming it the "Broadcaster" to ride the wave of excitement around radio and modern music. But Gretsch, still holding the Broadkaster trademark, issued a cease and desist. Fender agreed, and for a brief time produced guitars with no model name—today’s famously rare "Nocasters"—before christening the instrument the "Telecaster," in honor of the next great communications frontier: television.
Meanwhile, the Broadkaster drum kit quickly became a trusted companion to some of music’s greatest innovators. Louie Bellson, "Papa" Jo Jones, Shelly Manne, Max Roach, and Art Blakey all chose Gretsch to amplify their groundbreaking rhythms, shaping the future of drumming one resonant note at a time.
Today, the Gretsch Broadkaster remains a symbol of innovation, craftsmanship, and the electrifying spirit of an era when music, technology, and imagination came together—and set the world humming.
