So, School Me On Gretsch Guitars...

Moe_Zambeek

It's the only one I ever seen, too. I bought it used at Guitarguitar, it had been traded in by  German guy, so there may never have been any officially imported here.

It was an OK guitar, but it recorded really well.

leerocker

The stills falcon is a great guitar . I own one and it will be buried with me. The one I've played at peach is also a stunner.  I have the stills and the setzer sslvo both cracking guitars. The new tv Jones setzer pickups I absolutely love as they can handle some gain and still sound great clean. The power trons are more paf and darker sounding and not like a gretsch sound at all

guitars4you

Wazmeister said:

Brilliant input and info folks - superb

Im wondering what the various outputs of the TV Jones pick ups are ?

Some great knowledge on here...

If you were to buy today, which model would you go for ?

TV Jones Classic are fairly weak - under 5K but like a 69 Strat pick up it ain't about power - it is the tone

a Classic Plus is hotter around 7K whilst a Power Tron can come in again over 7K

lots of info on here http://www.tvjones.com/pickups.html

as a Setzer fan I'd go some form of 6120 with TV Jones - as a Cult fan I'd go White Falcon - you won't get a bad guitar either way
http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=160106292023008 or http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=160106292018008

Corvus

Filtertrons have big ¼" mags so resistance doesn't tell the full story (if it ever did). I wouldn't get hung up on TVJ, nice as they are in a certain way, Mojo Marc does Filters too in different heats and there are others too.

crunchman

I've got a White Falcon.  It's a great guitar.  I think it does sound better with 11s though, which can be quite hard work with a 25.5" scale - although you don't tend to play many big blues bends when playing it.  You do tend to play a different style.  I've got mine tuned down to Eb at the moment.

I do like the look of the Panther - which is a bit more like a 335 with a centre block but that didn't come out until a couple of years after I bought mine.

I did try 3 on the day I bought mine.  Mine was definitely better than the other one in the same shop.  I didn't have them side by side but I'm pretty sure it was better than the one I tried in another shop as well.

Sometimes I wonder if I would be better with a shorter scale Gretsch but my wife loves the Falcon.  She probably wouldn't be happy if I tried to sell it.

steer

I "only" have an Electromatic G5420t, which I love. I stuck a Reverend soft spring into the bigsby, which does improve matters greatly. Fantastic guitars.

BintyTwanger77

Wazmeister said:

Brilliant input and info folks - superb

Im wondering what the various outputs of the TV Jones pick ups are ?

Some great knowledge on here...

If you were to buy today, which model would you go for ?

I've got TVJ Powertrons on my Gretsch EM Doublejet and they're great. Very articulate and a great mix of sparkle, twang and grit. Very hot and responsive (which is how I like my women, coincidentally).

CountryDave

I had a 2004 Setzer Nashville. Fantastic guitar - basically a 6120 with all the niggles sorted.  Pinned bridge, switches moves (so you don't catch the mud switch when changing pickups), mud switch a bit more usable, locking tuners and the best bit - TV Jones Classics (new models have the Setzer signature pickups).  The bracing is different so it reduces the feedback.
Honestly, one of the nicest guitars I've owned.  Very well built and played great.  Only moved it on as I'm really a telecaster man and the physical size was not as comfortable for a shorty like me.

meltedbuzzbox

Have you got an update Warren?

Wazmeister

meltedbuzzbox said:

Have you got an update Warren?

Jack, my aim is to head to Guitar Guitar and try a few.

musicman100

Wazmeister said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

Have you got an update Warren?

Jack, my aim is to head to Guitar Guitar and try a few.

where abouts r u?

Wazmeister

musicman100 said:

Wazmeister said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

Have you got an update Warren?

Jack, my aim is to head to Guitar Guitar and try a few.

where abouts r u?

Appreciate your offer of trying some... im near sunny Wolverhampton but i do travel about a bit...

musicman100

anytime ur near Wakefield ur more than welcome. I have a few different guitars.

Wazmeister

musicman100 said:

anytime ur near Wakefield ur more than welcome. I have a few different guitars.

You're a good man !!!

I might try and engineer a work appointment that way...

TheMarlin

Wazmeister said:

musicman100 said:

Wazmeister said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

Have you got an update Warren?

Jack, my aim is to head to Guitar Guitar and try a few.

where abouts r u?

Appreciate your offer of trying some... im near sunny Wolverhampton but i do travel about a bit...

Have you been to PMT inn Birmingham.  They had about ten Gretsches in last time i passed by. 
Dont forget to try an Annie.  I love Annie's.  The inbound neck with ebony makes the a joy to play.  No plastic binding, to aid friction

meltedbuzzbox

TheMarlin said:

Wazmeister said:

musicman100 said:

Wazmeister said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

Have you got an update Warren?

Jack, my aim is to head to Guitar Guitar and try a few.

where abouts r u?

Appreciate your offer of trying some... im near sunny Wolverhampton but i do travel about a bit...

Have you been to PMT inn Birmingham.  They had about ten Gretsches in last time i passed by. 
Dont forget to try an Annie.  I love Annie's.  The inbound neck with ebony makes the a joy to play.  No plastic binding, to aid friction

When I was last in brum guitar guitar had the far bigger selection. 
I think pmt only had 3 or 4

olafgarten

meltedbuzzbox said:

TheMarlin said:

Wazmeister said:

musicman100 said:

Wazmeister said:

meltedbuzzbox said:

Have you got an update Warren?

Jack, my aim is to head to Guitar Guitar and try a few.

where abouts r u?

Appreciate your offer of trying some... im near sunny Wolverhampton but i do travel about a bit...

Have you been to PMT inn Birmingham.  They had about ten Gretsches in last time i passed by. 
Dont forget to try an Annie.  I love Annie's.  The inbound neck with ebony makes the a joy to play.  No plastic binding, to aid friction

When I was last in brum guitar guitar had the far bigger selection. 
I think pmt only had 3 or 4

GG Epsom always has at least 10 gretsches on the wall. 

StuartMac290

I've had four, and also had an old 60s Anniversary in Smoke Green "on loan" for a year or so - still kicking myself that I didn't buy that one when I was offered it for £450

Mine have been a 6120TM, a 6118T Anniversary in smoke green, a Duo Jet in Cadillac Green, and the one I've kept - a 125th Anniversary from 2008 fitted with Powertrons. All these were post-2003 guitars. I've also played numerous vintage ones that have been hired in for sessions.

My thoughts: ALL the modern, Fender-made Japanese guitars have been better-made than any of the vintage ones I've played over the years.

The best-sounding one I've played is my 125th Anniversary - but it's not a classic Gretsch sound, because it's fitted with Powertrons. The most significant difference in this guitar though is the positioning of the neck pickup; if you look at the picture above you'll notice the Anniversary has 21 frets as opposed to the 22 of the 6120 pictured next to it. This obviously pushes the neck pickup further away from the bridge and gives this particular guitar the best neck pickup sound I've ever heard - seriously, it's just glorious. I play 335s most of the time but the neck pickup on that Gretsch wipes the floor with them. The mix sounds are different too because of the different spacing.

That particular guitar is lacquer-finished (and smells beautifully like Play Dough) and has a pinned bridge. I got it for my 40th birthday and it's a guitar I'll never sell. It's a beautiful looker too. My girlfriend has commandeered it for live use, right enough!

Of the rest, the 6120 looked fabulous but was a bugger to keep in tune and it sounded a little shrill with the Gretsch Filtertrons (can't remember what they call them now). The Anniversary was essentially the same guitar in a less blingy form but had TV Classics, which I'd thoroughly recommend. I also prefer the unbound necks.

The Jet was fun and absolutely beautiful, but really I was just on a massive Grestch kick at that point and sound-wise there was always something else lying around that did the same kind of job but better - it had dynatrons though, which I found a little plinky.

They're quite wonderful guitars. I virtually never play them live because I'm just more comfortable with 335s or teles on stage, but I use them for recording all the time and there's a glorious definition and precision to the note envelope - regardless of the tone of the pickups. Wonderfully articulate guitars.

My advice? Head for the Anniversaries and 6120s (I personally prefer the sound and feel of the 24.5" scale models) and make sure it has a Bigsby. For now, consider it a luxury purchase rather than a new main guitar and get one that looks fucking great too.

Wazmeister

@stuartmac290 ; Brilliant reviews mate, BUT can't see any photo !!!

StuartMac290

Wazmeister said:

@stuartmac290 ;; Brilliant reviews mate, BUT can't see any photo !!!

It was one on the previous page showing an Annie (specifically a 125th Anni), a 6120AM and a 6120 with a Florentine cutaway). Here's the only one I can find for the moment of mine, though, having been rudely taken from my grasp!