Every drum kit needs a set of stands to hold the drums and cymbals, and intermediate and professional drum kits often only come as shell packs. This means that you need to buy a hardware pack separately.
One good option that we’re going to suggest is the Gretsch Drums G3 5-Piece Hardware Pack. These light stands are affordable and work well in any setup.
Here’s our full review of all the hardware in the pack.
This hardware pack comes with a snare drum stand, a hi-hat stand, a straight cymbal stand, a boom cymbal stand, and a bass drum pedal. It just doesn’t come with a drum throne.
The stands all have double-braced legs and plastic memory locks. They also have premium brass brushings to add to their quality.
This is essentially Gretsch’s beginner line of hardware, but these stands can be used with a drum kit of any level.
These aren’t the highest-quality stands out there, but they’re perfect for drummers that are happy with standard stands with relatively good stability.
Gretsch as a brand only offers two lines of hardware, and the G3 line is the more affordable one.
So, the quality may not be good enough for drummers that are used to much more heavy-duty options. However, we were very impressed with these stands, considering that they’re meant for cheaper drum kits.
The designs of all the stands are fairly standard. They have double-braced legs to add stability, and the cymbal stands are maneuverable enough to get a really comfortable cymbal setup.
The one difference is that these stands have plastic memory locks. Memory locks help you save the height setting so that you can set a stand up with the same height every time.
They’re typically made from the same metal material as the stand, but these plastic ones aren’t as durable. They shouldn’t be an issue, but they’ll be the first parts to degrade over time.
You get really reliable performance quality from these stands. There is a really fine line between cheap and expensive hardware stands, but these ones never feel cheap when you’re playing on them.
The pedals on the kick drum pedal and hi-hat stand feel surprisingly responsive, giving you excellent performance quality.
This is why this hardware pack would work just as well for a $3000 drum kit as it would for a $500 one.
While we really love this hardware pack, the price is the one thing that we’re not so sure about. There are several hardware packs from other brands with very similar stands that cost a few hundred dollars less.
If you’re looking to save money, it would be better to get one of those. You won’t feel any difference in the performance quality.
These stands would only be good for drummers that want the Gretsch name if the price is your main consideration.
Boom stands have a top arm that can be angled. This gives you more positioning possibilities, making it easier to set your cymbals up comfortably.
It’s always better to use boom cymbal stands if you can because of this. However, straight stands are fine if you don’t need to do any extensive angling with your cymbals.
Gretsch sells an upgraded hardware pack called the G5 pack. However, these are still fairly basic stands compared to what other brands offer.
If you want really high-end hardware stands, you should look at Pearl, DW, or Tama.
Overall, we really love everything that you get from the G3 Hardware Pack. However, we think this set would be a lot more popular if the price was a bit lower.
Brands like Pearl, Tama, and Yamaha offer comparable hardware packs for a lot less, and the stands in those packs are essentially the same.
With that said, anyone who buys this Gretsch hardware pack won’t be disappointed!
Drum Teacher
Brett Clur has a Drum Performance Diploma from Trinity College London has been playing drums for over 20 years. He is passionate about advanced concepts and uses his years of experience to teach his students about them. While he is a full-time drum teacher, he is also working on growing a YouTube channel where shares his insights. You can see him playing there, or on Instagram where he posts daily videos.
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