So, School Me On Gretsch Guitars...

Wazmeister

Got a big birthday whizzing towards me (50th... I know, I know) and would like to acquire a 'special' guitar for a special birthday.... any excuse....

So, Im interested maybe in a Gretsch... a proper one, not a £400 job....

Are the new ones any good ? Dan on That Pedal Show has a nice video on one, and Guitar Guitar have got plenty in, such as these;

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars.asp?brandname=Gretsch&order=2

Are the Players models the ones to go for ? What are the differences etc ?

Also, must be stable tuning.

Cheers in advance,

Warren

Brize

I've recently got into Gretsch guitars and they're very impressive instruments. The Japanese-made 'pro line' guitars easily stand with US Custom Shop guitars in terms of materials, fretwork, fit and finish. Some of them have TV Jones pickups as well, which generally sound excellent.

The only downside (on paper) is that they're finished in poly rather than nitro, but the necks on all seven (!) of my Gretsch guitars are simply some of the nicest and smoothest feeling that I've played. The neck profiles are nicely rounded and reasonably slim - a really nice profile.

guitars4you

Every used quality Jap reissue I get sells quickly - far more consistent build quality than an original 50/60's model and with the player angle in mind they do what it says on the tin

personally I'd go down any of the 6120 models or White Falcon models

The way they play and sound is there own character and as such it somehow makes you step away from a Strat/335/LP style of playing - I love 50's style swing/jazz/blues/rock n roll and for that they work so well - even tried a few with 9s and 10's if required and they work but many say go 11's

A players/signature 6120 is only a tweak on a 6120 - some of the Setzer models more so - but a classic 6120 or White Falcon be it vintage replica or player/signature model should be fine

Tuning is fine if you keep it slight and not aggressive rock style

Lebarque

I need to learn about Gretschs too. The black penguin has always caught my eye in shops. Dan's one looks great though - the 'real world' mods on the 'player' versions make sense to me.

Moe_Zambeek

Penguins and Jets can feel a bit clunky to play thanks to the neck joint (high off the body) and bridge height. The necks can be too small for some too. Falcons are BIG, and longer scale too, so can be a bit of a fight to play. Melita bridges are a pain (literally) and the space control bridges are a bit...weird...to play. The rocking bars are OK and there are lots of replacement options now. For some reason everyone in Gretsch (internet) land seems to get upset that the bar radius as stock doesn't match the fretboard radius, but I've never had an issue with that.

There are occasional runs of nitro finished guitars - I had a White Penguin and a White Falcon both with nitro, though to be honest there wasn't a big difference in feel. Those were both special editions - the Penguin had a Bigsby & nitro, the Falcon was a Dave Lee model with black binding & Logo, locking tuners, a nickel bigsby and TV Jones Powertrons in black P90 style soapbar covers. Maybe should have kept that one...The penguin I don't really miss. You can get the Setzers in nitro and I think the Rev Horton Heat model is also nitro finished. 

I would recommend having the bridge and also possibly the Bigsby pinned to the top. It can be done invisibly by a good tech and will help enormously with tuning stability. 

I'd keep an eye out for a used CS version as they hold their value pretty poorly (as indeed do the Japanese versions).

Wazmeister

Interesting guys...

I've always fancied a White Falcon (probably from my early days of The Cult) but may be a bit too wide bodies for me...

Thoughts on this below ? And is it USA or Cap ?

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=160901301862008

guitars4you

Wazmeister said:

Interesting guys...

I've always fancied a White Falcon (probably from my early days of The Cult) but may be a bit too wide bodies for me...

Thoughts on this below ? And is it USA or Cap ?

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=160901301862008

all Jap around the 2-4 K - only a few USA models from C/Shop and tend to be big money and small run - great spec with TV Jones and the way forward for me

Yes Cult and indie/pop/rock styles where melody beats speed and they work so well

Moe_Zambeek

Japanese. Basically a fancy coloured 6120 with TVJs. You might get 1800 quid for that if you tried to sell it used...


Though of course the rise in new prices may drag it up a bit.

mburekenge

@Wazmeister I have a Japanese white falcon, with tv Jones and bigsby installed and aged nitro finish. It is an exceptional guitar. Best neck I've ever played.

the falcon is really surprisingly versatile.

it is a big beast to handle, and getting past the 14th fret is a nightmare. 

Definitely give a few a test. They are great guitars.

sounds like you have fun times ahead!

edit - forgot to say when Gretsch shopping, I found the non white falcon scale length too small and toy like to get on with. Personal preference. 

Corvus

Custom Shop is USA, Proline is Japan. There are lacquer finishes but not that many.
Falcon is bigger-body and Fender scale as mentioned, the Country Club is big & deep-bodied. There are some centre-block models like the Panther too. The others can be fully-hollow or trestle-braced (I assume this is still current), a half-way between open & centre blocked.
The Anniversary I had, ex Marlin and now TonyR on here, had ML bracing which is really excellent and I don't know why it's not more common. Was also lacquer finish.

Pickups can be Gretsch HS Filtertrons, TVJ Classics (a more 'polite' version of the Filter), Dynasonics, and others.

6120 is the classic Gretsch, the Annie is pretty much the same with less binding. Creeping Fenderisation means there's tons of models with variations between them.

The Country Gent is another iconic one, at least two variants of that with difference scales, heels and real or no f-holes, mutes and what have you.

Bigsby tuning is down to the nut and bridge. Personally I'm not keen on zero frets, fast wear/notching and string hang-ups don't go well with a trem. With some fettling they can work well, I was able to deck the handle on mine and have it come back to tune.

Brize

Moe_Zambeek said:

Melita bridges are a pain (literally) and the space control bridges are a bit...weird...to play. The rocking bars are OK and there are lots of replacement options now. For some reason everyone in Gretsch (internet) land seems to get upset that the bar radius as stock doesn't match the fretboard radius, but I've never had an issue with that.

Agreed, those Melita bridges are horrible to play. The rocking bars feel really nice on the side of the palm and, like you, I have no issue with the radius.

Moe_Zambeek said:

I would recommend having the bridge and also possibly the Bigsby pinned to the top. It can be done invisibly by a good tech and will help enormously with tuning stability. 

Not necessary - a bit of cello rosin will provide the necessary friction to keep the bridge stable on the top without modifying the guitar. It also allows you to re-position the bridge to get good intonation, which is especially important on a rocking-bar bridge.

BintyTwanger77

A Gretsch Penguin is on my bucket list, it plays beautifully. Sounds great into a BF Fender.

Moe_Zambeek

I like to be able to stop worrying about the bridge moving, so I prefer the pinned bridge approach. As ever though, YMMV.

chris45

I had a Japanese Setzer 6120 about 5 years ago and it was a very well put together instrument, great neck.  But I struggled with the size of the body (I am a skinny 5' 5) and moved it on easily. Look for images of Malcolm Young with his White Falcon!

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=malcolm+young+white+falcon&client=safari&hl=en-gb&prmd=ivsn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiosL-QxIzQAhXGnBoKHcbyDp4Q_AUIBygB&biw=375&bih=559&dpr=2

stickyfiddle

Don't discount the DC models. They're a little more goth than psychobilly but they're much easier on the upper fret access

musicman100

Brize said:

I've recently got into Gretsch guitars and they're very impressive instruments. The Japanese-made 'pro line' guitars easily stand with US Custom Shop guitars in terms of materials, fretwork, fit and finish. Some of them have TV Jones pickups as well, which generally sound excellent.

The only downside (on paper) is that they're finished in poly rather than nitro, but the necks on all seven (!) of my Gretsch guitars are simply some of the nicest and smoothest feeling that I've played. The neck profiles are nicely rounded and reasonably slim - a really nice profile.

ur new to gretsch n you already have 7. wow.

Gassage

Paging @TheMarlin ... this is your field my man....

meltedbuzzbox

@Wazmeister i went to guitar guitar cash in hand with the intent of leaving with a white falcon. I was sooooooo disappointed it's untrue. I really didn't like it, I was heart broken. 
The necks never felt right on every model I tried. 
I think I played every single one in guitar guitar Birmingham and the best for me was the Chet Atkins. The problem was I wasn't willing to pay more than a grand for it. The pricing doesn't seem to match the feel of the guitars, dare I say it they feel cheap. 

I ended up leaving with a CS 345 which wiped the floor with the Gretschs

All my opinion of course. I'm still disappointed, I love the looks and sound of a Gretsch, I just wish I found one I liked playing

meltedbuzzbox

@impmann can probably share his thoughts too, he was with me

Wazmeister

meltedbuzzbox said:

@Wazmeister i went to guitar guitar cash in hand with the intent of leaving with a white falcon. I was sooooooo disappointed it's untrue. I really didn't like it, I was heart broken. 
The necks never felt right on every model I tried. 
I think I played every single one in guitar guitar Birmingham and the best for me was the Chet Atkins. The problem was I wasn't willing to pay more than a grand for it. The pricing does seem to match the feel of the guitars, dare I say it they feel cheap. 

I ended up leaving with a CS 345 which wiped the floor with the Gretschs

All my opinion of course. I'm still disappointed, I love the looks and sound of a Gretsch, I just wish I found one I liked playing

Jack,

Interesting that.... Last Sunday, I had a very brief look into the new extension at GG in B'ham.
The shop looked very nice indeed, BUT I did think the Gretsch looked at bit cheap somehow... I didn't have time to play one, as Mrs Meister was sitting in the car

musicman100

Wazmeister said:

Got a big birthday whizzing towards me (50th... I know, I know) and would like to acquire a 'special' guitar for a special birthday.... any excuse....

So, Im interested maybe in a Gretsch... a proper one, not a £400 job....

Are the new ones any good ? Dan on That Pedal Show has a nice video on one, and Guitar Guitar have got plenty in, such as these;

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars.asp?brandname=Gretsch&order=2

Are the Players models the ones to go for ? What are the differences etc ?

Also, must be stable tuning.

Cheers in advance,

Warren.


First of all if possible the best thing to do is try to get out and play some of the models n different price ranges as well. Don't just listen to people's thoughts.
A lot of people buy gretsch guitars on the strength of reviews or posts then only to find that after a short while they don't get on with them.
I find gretsch guitars are like marmite.
I guess when you say want a proper gretsch you mean a Japanese made One? 
If you want to be anal a proper gretsch is a 50s or 60s gretsch before the Baldwin era.
The Japanese gretsches are great guitars.
You obviously have two eras of Japanese gretsches.
They started in 89 been made in Japan.
They are still made there now under control of fender.
Try narrow down ur search to what model you want then look for a good second hand one.
There's a few guys on here that know a bit about gretsch guitars so just ask. 
Regards dave