Gretsch Catalina EVO | Gretsch's first e-kit

After 143 years of acoustic drums, Gretsch has launched the Catalina EVO e-kit, with full-size shells and Gretsch samples, from £1,839 / $2,199.

By Chris · 23 October 2026

Overhead view of a Gretsch Catalina EVO electronic drum kit in Walnut Glaze on a rug, with black cymbal pads and a round Gretsch throne

Gretsch has been making drums since 1883. Yesterday, 143 years in, it launched its first electronic kit.

It’s called the Catalina EVO, and the pitch is simple: an e-kit that looks and plays like a real Gretsch kit, with full-size shells and sounds sampled from Gretsch’s own drums.

That is a crowded corner of the market, though, and nobody has actually played one yet. So what does Gretsch bring that the others don’t? Let’s find out.

What is the Catalina EVO?

There are two models, both available in Black Sparkle or Walnut Glaze:

J484 (4-piece): 18x14” bass drum, 10x7” rack tom, 12x12” floor tom and a 14x5.5” snare
F405 (5-piece): 20x14” bass drum, 10x7” and 12x8” rack toms and a 14x14” floor tom

Gretsch Catalina EVO F405 five-piece electronic drum kit in Walnut Glaze, with full-size shells, a white Gretsch bass drum head and black cymbal pads — The five-piece F405 in Walnut Glaze. Photo: Gretsch

Those are proper drum sizes, not pads on a rack. The shells are full-size Catalina shells fitted with 3-ply mesh heads, so the kit takes up the same floor space as an acoustic and looks like one from the back of the room.

Both kits come with a 14” hi-hat, a 16” crash and an 18” ride. The hi-hat is a real two-piece hat with a bottom cymbal on a proper stand, not a single pad on a fixed arm. The cymbals are three-zone with 360° triggering, so you can play them from any angle.

Gretsch’s Explorer hardware is included as well: cymbal stands, a hi-hat stand, a snare stand and a single bass drum pedal. You only need a throne.

How does it sound?

This is the part Gretsch is betting on. The samples come from three of its own acoustic kits: the USA Custom, the Brooklyn and the Broadkaster.

According to Drumming News Network, the samples have multiple velocity layers and round-robin variation, so repeated hits don’t all sound the same. The mic layers are selectable, and there are snare-bottom and subkick mics too.

On paper, that is “That Great Gretsch Sound” in a box. Whether it actually sounds like one is something we’ll only know once a kit is in a room.

See it in action

Until then, here is Gretsch’s own launch video. Bear in mind it’s the official promo, not an independent test:

What about the module?

The black Gretsch Catalina EVO drum module with three orange-ringed knobs, a small display and trigger inputs along the side — The Catalina EVO module. Photo: Gretsch

The module has 50 factory kits and 128 user slots, with 11 trigger inputs and USB sample import for your own sounds. It has Bluetooth audio and MIDI, USB audio and MIDI, and four direct outputs. gearnews also lists 8-channel recording, which is handy if you want to record into a DAW.

There is one thing to mention. The display is a 2.7” monochrome screen, so the deeper editing is done in the Gretsch E-Drum Remote app on your phone. The module itself handles the everyday controls.

Gretsch says it wants players spending less time on technology and more time “doing what they love: playing drums”. That’s fair enough, but some players will still want to edit on the module without reaching for a phone.

How much is it?

According to MusicRadar, prices start at £1,839 / $2,199. In Europe, Thomann lists the kits at €1,999 to €2,499, depending on the configuration.

Prices vary by region, so check your local dealer before you budget.

Where does it sit in the market?

It’s been a busy year for e-kits. Last week Roland refreshed the TD-07 range with the TD-07KV2 and TD-07DMK2, which have bigger pads and a second crash for well under €1,200. Alesis, meanwhile, has teamed up with Zildjian to put sampled Zildjian cymbals on its kits.

The Catalina EVO is aimed at a different player. It isn’t trying to beat a TD-07 on price or size. It’s for drummers who want an e-kit that looks like a real kit, with a real hi-hat stand, full-size shells and a famous drum company’s sounds.

Alesis and Roland already make kits with full-size shells, so Gretsch isn’t first to that idea. What it has that nobody else does is the badge and its own drums to sample.

Where can I buy one?

The right shop depends on where you are: Guitar Center in the Americas, Gear4music in the UK, or Thomann for Europe and the rest of the world.

Gretsch Catalina EVO J484 four-piece electronic drum kit in Black Sparkle with an 18-inch bass drum and black cymbal pads — The four-piece J484 in Black Sparkle. Photo: Gretsch

Final thoughts

On paper, the Catalina EVO gets a lot right. Full-size shells, a real hi-hat and samples of Gretsch’s best kits are exactly what you’d want from an acoustic brand’s first e-kit.

The caveats are the price, the small screen and the fact that no one has played it yet. We’ll reserve judgement until then. If you’re shopping now, our electronic drum kit buying guide covers what matters at each price, and our Gretsch hub has the rest of the brand’s story.