So .... who does proper rockabilly?

Setzer

They look really tasty and its a nice mix having two that are so different in appearance, I can't decide which one I like best. Ibanez make great quality instruments and that pair look no exception.

I see they have roller bridges in them, what are they like? My Gretsch's had those bloody awful tunomatics which rattle and all the different parts in them kill the tone of a semi so I changed mine out for solid rocking bar bridges from Tru-Arc which had the added bonus of actually having the right radius for the neck so I get no rattling, better tone, more sustain plus a lower action! 

Your pickups look great, you should get yourself over to The Gretsch Pages and Gretsch Guitar Discussion websites and mention your pickups there, Im sure you would get a bit of interest as there are a good few UK based guys there and with the 5120's having awful standard pickups in them everybody changes them to TV Jones and you know yourself they aren't exactly the cheapest!

OilCityPickups

I think I'm lucky with my Ibanez roller bridges.Some guys on the Ibanez forum reckon that they are poorly made and 'buzz prone' and have changed them for StewMac roller bridges (takes a bit of woodwork on the bridge base) but mine seem to work really well.

Thanks for the kind words on my pickups I'm always careful on other forums about introducing myself as a 'manufacturer' as most don't have the enlightened attitude to people 'in the trade' that Fretboard does. I usually let customers bring up the subject of my products in those places (like TDPRI etc).

I've turned into a big fan of the DeArmond style pickup ... so my ivory Ibanez does the lion's share at the moment. For what seems to be developing as my own 'style' it has a raw 'cut' in the bridge position that is almost Telecaster like ... and mixed with the P90 gives a sort of 'spanky honk' that seems to cut through nicely.
The sparkle black one has more of the dirty Setzer tone when wound up ...and is a tad easier to manage up the dusty end.

I was looking at a video that said Jim Heath (of Rev Horton Heat fame) has taken to using locking tuners on his Gretsch guitars ... as apart from anything else it makes re stringing with a Bigsby so much easier. I may well convert one or both of the Artcores to that spec ... as I find Bigsby re-stringing to be a serious pain in the derriere.

I guess my only gripe with the Artcore  design is the placement of the pickup selector right under the Bigsby arm! I've sort of got used to it ... but I'm still tempted to move the little sucker to the top bout like a Gretsch.

ThePrettyDamned

Rev Horton heat are ace.

I remember hearing pgs cover it when demoing an electromatic and thinking, Blimey, that's cool.

Setzer

I have a Horton Heat Gretsch and the locking tuners really do make restringing a Bigsby a whole lot easier, they are definitely an upgrade thats really worth doing. 

On the Gretsch Talk forum there is a section for commercial sellers where you could introduce your wares, I understand your reservations as I would feel exactly the same but on that forum they are pretty laid back and I know that a lot of people would value your opinion on pickups as there isnt anyone who makes pickups on the forum. There is a guy who makes pedals specifically for Gretsch guitars on the forum and he will help out with technical explanations in threads and his help is always appreciated.

http://www.gretsch-talk.com/forum/index.php

I have a 6120 with pre Fender Filtertrons in it and I was thinking of maybe putting a DeArmond in the bridge and a P90 in the neck as you have done as I have TV Classics in the RHH, I will have to check your site to see what you make that would fit my Gretsch, I have a set of your single coils in a Strat and they sound absolutely fantastic.

I see what you mean about the pickup selector, that definitely isnt the best place Ibanez could have put it! 

OilCityPickups

mmmmm I've eyed up the Horton Heat Gretsch I'm envious
I think I'll pop over at some point to chat all things Gretsch ... thanks for the link.

If I don't make it in your size yet ... I can always look into it .... I have a huge soft spot for Gretsch and would love to offer some more alternatives in that area.

Setzer

The RHH really is a fantastic guitar and has real character, I had a 6120 Nashville a while ago and I still have a 6120 JR-2 and the RHH is a far better guitar, the neck is just a joy to play. Im actually thinking of selling the JR as I always play the RHH but I have been thinking of putting a DeArmond and a P90 in it so that its a totally different sound, I just cant decide whether to sell it or keep it and change the pickups.

Np on the link, I hope you get a few more customers from the Gretsch players.

Dont forget to keep me posted on how the rockabilly goes!

EricTheWeary

TheGuitarWeasel said:

mmmmm I've eyed up the Horton Heat Gretsch I'm envious
I think I'll pop over at some point to chat all things Gretsch ... thanks for the link.

If I don't make it in your size yet ... I can always look into it .... I have a huge soft spot for Gretsch and would love to offer some more alternatives in that area.

Sooooo not motivated at work today :-L

So, just been reading a thing about Rev Horton Heat (anybody put him in the Vicars with Guitars  discussion yet?) and he was praising 15" speakers for rockabilly, playing through a Gretsch Executive reissue. These are made, I think, by Victoria Amps and would cost, well would cost a lot of money even if you could find one. Takes me back to the Peavey Delta Blues as an option again.

Anyhoo, just cause I can:


Reverend Horton Heat’s Gear

Guitars
Gretsch 6120 RHH signature model, 1954 Gibson ES-175D, 1963 Fender Jazzmaster

Amps
Gretsch 6163 Executive, Fender 1978 Super Reverb

Effects
Chandler Stereo Digital Echo, Way Huge Aqua-Puss analog delay, Boss BD-2 Blues Driver, Dunlop DVP-1 volume pedal

Strings, Picks, and Accessories
Dunlop .010–.046 strings, Dunlop Delrin 1.5 mm pick, Mogami cables

Whilst I'm on I'll mention The Palladins who mix up blues and rockabilly, might be worth a look if approaching rockabilly from a blues background.

jpfamps

Get a delay pedal and use a lot of 6th/9th chords!

When I get into a style I like to go back to the origins of that style to try to understand how it developed.

The Sun Rockabilly records are a great place to start, and the guitar playing is not amazingly technical (in fact some of it is fairly ropey, but there are some excellent ideas) and fairly easy to work out (especially if you come from a blues rock background).

Cliff Gallup and Scotty Moore are great too.

Of course you could dive in at the deep end with a Danny Gatton teaching video....

OilCityPickups

So I'm excited ... I now definitely have the guitar spot in a really hot rockabilly/psychobilly band ... almost by accident!  A 'name' punk band (several albums and regular European tours) that wants to broaden out into rockabilly got me to audition ... and it appears I did okay. F--k knows how ... I was flying by the seat of my pants big style
Thanks for your encouraging comments, this place is very supportive.

suspiciousminds

Scotty moore is one of my heroes - his website is great too with loads of info about his (and elvis') gear.
I've read somewhere that he used some type of string damper by the nut.

OilCityPickups

Scotty Moore: amazing, so laid back but so 'right'! I love Cliff Gallop too ... and Cochran ... all pioneers and brilliant in their different ways.

Setzer

Congrats on getting the gig!

Will you be doing mostly originals or covers?

OilCityPickups

Setzer said:

Congrats on getting the gig!

Will you be doing mostly originals or covers?

Mostly originals. The vocalist has a real 'feel' for the genre and for the lyrical content, and has written an album + worth of material already. The idea is that I'll collaborate on some more originals and we'll top off with some covers of stuff that goes with 'our style'. Early days yet, only my audition/first full band rehearsal last night ... but very encouraging.
I didn't take my own amp and played through a Blackstar HT60 and was pleasantly surprised: nice, big, fat clean sound with plenty of bite on my bridge Sun-T-Ron (Dynasonic style) ... kicked it into a bit of grit with my TubeScreamer for the more 'in your face' solos.
Things were a little noisy as I was virtually sitting on the amp in the tiny rehearsal room and single coil buzz mixed with just being on the edge of feedback (we're quite a loud band it seems) meant I 'rode' the volume quite a lot.
The interesting thing was the other guitarist had to swap from his new GretschG6118T Anniversary onto his Tele as, through the Hotrod Deluxe (again the studio's), and through the Blackstar (we tried swapping amps) it sounded flat and 'boxy' compared to my Artcore with the single coils! He's been having that problem at home too ... he has a Fender Blues Junior I believe. The Gretsch sounded better through the Blackstar ... but definitely not as 'open' and ... well ... 'Gretschy' as a vintage instrument. We're going to try it against my other Ibanez semi with the Cow-T-Rons as they are (I have a feeling) a little lower output and a little less blocked up in the mids.  It's really made me think about getting a Electromatic and sticking my own pickups in, rather than saving for a new US model!

Rox

Good luck with it all.    The talk of Mr. Higham suggests the following little guitar he helped design with Peavey - The Rockingham:



Made by Peerless (Peerless then used the design for the Peerless Gigmaster Custom, and even used the same design to produce the discontinued Gretsch G3131! )

EricTheWeary

Mmm, I have long since fancied a Rockingham, especially purple with a bigsby and they don't go for much used ( not like they make new ones). Nice.

Rox

It's funny; the Peavey is the original, but the copies of it tend to go for more.  Just shows the madness of the headstock name game.    (Great for snagging a bargain, mind)

It's great to play, really comfy, and it's just got that 'vibe' that gets you wanting to play some rock n roll.  Sounds smashing even with the stock pickups.  And it's a USA Bigsby, so fantastic value.

Setzer

Its quite a coincidence you should mention the other guitarists Annie as I was at a friends house a while ago and he had that exact guitar and his was brand new too. I brought my RHH with me and we had a go with his Annie through his 70's Pro Reverb then my RHH with TV Jones Classics in it and mine definitely had more chime and sparkle to it. 

Did he have his Filtertrons right up against the strings the way they are meant to be? I would imagine that you would have had a look at that so I guess its probably just the Filtertrons that are a bit dull sounding, fwiw I find Filtertrons a bit dull and prefer the TV Jones pups as they do have more of a twang.

I recently got a Black Falcon with Dynasonics in it and they are great pickups, very different to Filters and if played against standard Filtertrons would definitely make them sound flat.

Almost anybody who buys an Electromatic changes the pickups to TV Jones which is quite an expense but in your case that wouldnt be quite the same issue so maybe you would be better with an Electromatic. The Prolines are definitely a bit nicer to play and are better quality but the Electromatics are good guitars apart from the electrics which need totally replaced which on a Gretsch is a bit of a job but wouldn't cause you any trouble. 

Im glad to hear that you are enjoying the new band, rockabilly is a blast to play and is more alive than most people realise.