Crack(s) in finish - new Gretsch USA Custom

[Freewill3]

Yikes, sorry to hear about this. You paid for a brand new kit so I'd expect nothing but a flawless drum. It stinks to have to wait a little longer, but it'll be well worth the wait. Hopefully, they can expedite the repair as well, best of luck to you!

 

[Mcdonap]

Those look like straight lines drawn on at a drafting table, mechanical/tool produced straight lines.
Am I missing something?
Dosen't look like mother nature, random cracking.
My question. Is there a underlying flaw in the wood that was produced mechanically that caused the finish to crack in a straight line? Laminate splices, sanding drum, shop tooling, fouled spray applicator????

I hope not!
My initial reaction was that maybe the drum took a hit on the leg mounts and the crack emanated from that.
After doing some research, I kept finding exactly what Lossforgain said: straight cracks in nitro are usually form humidity changes.
Still, I'm not an expert based on some internet research...

 

[premierplayer]

Just one drum did this?
All the rest are OK, no cracking?

 

[EssKayKay]

If it was me, I'd opt for replacement. If I was planning on spending the money on such a high-end "dream kit", I would not want to settle for something less.

Just me maybe - good luck.

 

[David Hunter]

My sympathies - I recently went through the same issue with a brand new USA Custom set in Walnut Gloss. Set arrived with a 1.5" crack in the lacquer on the mounted tom, with another starting to form below that (bass drum and floor tom were fine). The dealer told me that the temps were -10 degrees when they left the store, so we both suspect it was the temp swings that instigated it. Needless to say, I decided to send them back, as I wasn't interested in waiting 10+ months for a replacement.

 

[Mcdonap]

Yes, that’s correct. The BD and rack tom arrived separately 2 days before the floor tom. (The floor has the cracks. )

 

[Matched Gripper]

I recently received a new Gretsch USA Custom set in a satin lacquer finish and the floor tom has some cracking in the lacquer near the leg mounts.

This isn't a complaint - the store is working with me. I have to decide if I want a partial refund or of I want a replacement made.

The tom came packed really well, and I don't see any noticeable damage to the box. (It was double boxed.) It came basically from across the country, so it did experience some pretty wild temperature and humidity fluctuations. (Over the weekend it was in the teens/20's here, and then on Monday it was 50!)
The cracks look to be in the finish only - the drum itself seems fine.

So I guess my question is, are these nitro lacquer finishes kind of fragile? I haven't had this finish before, and I guess I'm wondering if this is something I should expect going forward? I've read a lot of posts (here and searching other forums) about steps to take to avoid finish checking. I can/will certainly do what I can, but if I ever play these out I can't expect to do all of the recommended acclimation!
If I do go with a replacement, should I expect that some checking or cracks will eventually happen anyway?

Here's an example:

I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. View attachment 545440

Replacement, and ask the factory directly how to avoid it.

 

[Matched Gripper]

“Lacquer” has become a name that is applied to wildly different finishes. Mostly I think because it has that panache, “ooohhh” factor, and familiarity. It’s been used to describe pre-catalyzed finishes, post-catalyzed finishes, conversion varnishes, and even polyester. Of course I don’t know what exactly they use but I do know that some “lacquers” off gas for quite a while which is the solvents leaving the finish and causes cracking. Pre-catalyzed finishes, which are finishes that have nothing added to them before applying, are especially susceptible to this. If the finish is applied thicker than spec it just exacerbates the possibility.

The too long didn’t read version is who knows what exactly the finish is, and expansion and contraction is not necessarily the issue.

Seems to me that the off-gassing, curing, etc., should occur before the drum is shipped.

 

[lossforgain]

Just one drum did this?
All the rest are OK, no cracking?

Yes, that’s correct. The BD ant rack tom arrived separately 2 days before the floor tom. (The floor has the cracks. )

Here's the thing -- if a drum, in a box, took a different route to get delivered, or was left in the cold for less time, it would need less time to warm up. Without a detailed report of where the box was and for how long in what temps, it would be hard to know how cold the contents would be compared to another drum in another box.

Read ANY guitar forum or talk to any Sweetwater (or other) salesperson who sells guitars, and you'll find it's pretty much the industry standard to instruct the end-user to wait 24 hours before opening the shipping box. And that's regardless of the specific type of finish being used. Acoustic guitars made with solid wood are extremely susceptible to this issue because the top, back, and sides are pretty thin and really expand/contract due to temperature and humidity changes.

By their nature as ply drum shells, I'm sure these Gretsch drums are less in danger, but knowing that they use a nitro finish (widely understood as pretty soft and fragile), I am not at all surprised that this happened and can happen.

 

[Squirrel Man]

I know I'm not contributing much to the thread but why would someone want to purchase a product so volatile?

Like one gig during the winter time and it's cracking.

 

[1988fxlr]

Seems to me that the off-gassing, curing, etc., should occur before the drum is shipped.

Nitro continues to off gas and harden for months or years after it has cured to the point where it can be polished

 

[JDA]

I know I'm not contributing much to the thread but why would someone want to purchase a product so volatile?

Like one gig during the winter time and it's cracking.

you're being overly scared Squirrel.

 

[Matched Gripper]

Nitro continues to off gas and harden for months or years after it has cured to the point where it can be polished

There has to be a shorter time when the finish isn’t so easily susceptible of cracking, off gassing or not. If it took months or years to reach that point, I think it would be a much more frequent problem.

 

[1988fxlr]

There has to be a shorter time when the finish isn’t so easily susceptible of cracking, off gassing or not. If it took months or years to reach that point, I think it would be a much more frequent problem.

A few weeks, which is when its hard enough to polish. Finish cracking of true nitro due to extreme temperature swings is an inherent drawback of that style finish, regardless of how long it has cured. Cured catalyzed poly will also crack under extreme temperature changes, albeit more extreme than a drum is likely to experience

 

[JDA]

16 years Satin here no flaws

but my stain...err.....Is it the same
mine just seems like water color on wood
"nothing to crack" solid color I mean..

wonder if being "duco" made/makes a difference
you kids



--signed Milton Berle

doesn't seem to be - guess there is - much of a "top" coat of "clear" here: I don't know how they do it; It's magic..

 

[Santino]

I don't believe it's the age of the cure of Nitro Cellulose. It's just the materials' inability to expand and contract equally as the wood it envelops.
I played with a guitarist who's pride and joy was an early 60's Les Paul Gold Top. He left his home to come to rehearsal and put the guitar in his toyota tacoma's camper shell in sub-zero temperatures.
When he took the guitar out at practice, the entire top had cracked/crazed. He was devastated.
For that reason, my shells always ride in my truck's back seat in the winter.

 

[Redbeard77]

I know I'm not contributing much to the thread but why would someone want to purchase a product so volatile?

Like one gig during the winter time and it's cracking.

Gretsch has been using this type of finish for many decades. While there certainly have been issues, if it was very common you'd hear more about it and one would hope Gretsch would make some tweaks. However, I'm surprised they (and the dealers) aren't more clear about the acclimation period when receiving new drums.

 

[daysleeper]

If it is really a nitro finish, and it's hard to believe that nitro would be used on a drum kit, then this kind of "character" is inevitable, and just a foreshadowing of what's to come -- among other finish related issues.

 

[T_Weaves]

Unacceptable. I'd pack the whole kit up and send it back. I probably wouldn't order another one either. I mean c'mon, it's a brand new kit and I've seen this issue WAY too many times with Gretsch. They need to up their finish game.

Regarding the leave in the box for 48 hours idea........ how would that translate to taking them to a gig in a winter climate??

 

[Mcdonap]

Unacceptable. I'd pack the whole kit up and send it back. I probably wouldn't order another one either. I mean c'mon, it's a brand new kit and I've seen this issue WAY too many times with Gretsch. They need to up their finish game.

Regarding the leave in the box for 48 hours idea........ how would that translate to taking them to a gig in a winter climate??

I can see your point. That is my main concern - what can be expected of this finish in the future.

 

[lossforgain]

I know I'm not contributing much to the thread but why would someone want to purchase a product so volatile?

Like one gig during the winter time and it's cracking.

Unacceptable. I'd pack the whole kit up and send it back. I probably wouldn't order another one either. I mean c'mon, it's a brand new kit and I've seen this issue WAY too many times with Gretsch. They need to up their finish game.

Regarding the leave in the box for 48 hours idea........ how would that translate to taking them to a gig in a winter climate??

Not having owned a nitro-finished drum set, I can't tell you from experience, but I can apply my acoustic guitar knowledge and say that the key is GRADUAL temperature changes. If you take your nitro-finished instrument out and play it in a very cold environment, you're going to need to GRADUALLY warm it back up. It's the drastic swings in temperature that hold the danger for the finish. That said, I probably would be taking an instrument NOT finished in nitro if I knew that big temperature swings were part of the equation. There are tons of guitars that have been through temperature changes and NOT had their finishes damaged, but only if things are gradual enough -- so it can be done, but it takes a lot of intentional care.