Gretsch Appreciation Thread

RocknRollShakeUp · Apr 13, 2018

slimdave said:
This is my old 1956 Duo Jet. I play with her in my Mediterranean indie band. She sounds bright, fat and clear. And cuts like a knife.

....oh Lordy!!! man...that's one of my dream guitars right there..I think it will be hard to go vintage, so I think I will try to get a Gretsch Custom Shop master built 56 duo jet at some point

..my dilemma with a jet will be Dynasonics or Filtertrons..I'm leaning Dynasonics in a Jet, either the Seymour Duncans or TV Jones TArmons, what do you guys think?

RocknRollShakeUp · Apr 13, 2018

rockabilly69 said:
Player's Edition, and both guitars have HS Filtertrons!

Love it

RocknRollShakeUp · Apr 13, 2018

sonar said:
Gretsch spec their Vintage Select necks to a "U" shape. A fuller profile for sure.

In my old age I've grown to like the slimmer necks Gretsch used to have, pre-VS series. For the artist models the Duane Eddy model is still pretty thin. Not sure about the Cochran?

I have to say the slimmer neck on my Falcon doesn't bother me a bit, whilst the modern C necks on Fender Standard Strats for example I found annoyingly thin. I love my .93/1.00" necks on my R4 and R7, but there's something really great about the slimmer neck on that Falcon, so I know what you mean about growing to like the slimmer Gretsches.

I also think the Custom Shop Made in the USA Gretsches have thicker necks.

Root66 · Apr 13, 2018

RocknRollShakeUp said:
Very nice! do those come with HS Filtertrons or TV Jones pickups? For me it is pretty hard to beat fltertrons as a general pickup.

It has HS Filter'Trons - which are more to my liking than TV Jones based on the sound I'm looking for.

slimdave · Apr 14, 2018

RocknRollShakeUp said:
....oh Lordy!!! man...that's one of my dream guitars right there..I think it will be hard to go vintage, so I think I will try to get a Gretsch Custom Shop master built 56 duo jet at some point

..my dilemma with a jet will be Dynasonics or Filtertrons..I'm leaning Dynasonics in a Jet, either the Seymour Duncans or TV Jones TArmons, what do you guys think?

Unlike Gibson Guitars, on Gretsches there’s not a big difference on price between vintage and custom shop marerbuilts. It’s up to you if you prefer old or new. I like old, but that doesn’t mean it’s the path everyone should prefer.

RocknRollShakeUp · Apr 15, 2018

Root66 said:
It has HS Filter'Trons - which are more to my liking than TV Jones based on the sound I'm looking for.

fair enough I can dig it, I went to Setzer Signatures cause I needed more chime and twang, but the HS Filters are very cool pickups too

RocknRollShakeUp · Apr 15, 2018

slimdave said:
Unlike Gibson Guitars, on Gretsches there’s not a big difference on price between vintage and custom shop marerbuilts. It’s up to you if you prefer old or new. I like old, but that doesn’t mean it’s the path everyone should prefer.

I'll have to keep my eye out on some vintage specimens..I had read that vintage Gretsch binding can rot and pulverize, any thoughts on that?

montesada · Apr 15, 2018

RocknRollShakeUp said:
Somehow I missed this post! What a cool Gretsch! I know nothing of this model..a Power Tennessean? Can you please tell us more about it? Body size and depth, pickups, bracing, center block?

Check it out here:
http://gretschpages.com/guitars/models/6116-ptv-power-tenny/

latestarter · Apr 15, 2018

I have a couple that I use regularly.

A 1969 DuoJet, just like Joe Walsh had (can't find a photo).

And this - a 1967 Nashville 6120.

The Guitar Hunter · Apr 16, 2018

2013 6128 Duo Jet - Stern Masterbuilt

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latestarter · Apr 17, 2018

That Stern Jet is very nice!

RocknRollShakeUp · Apr 17, 2018

latestarter said:
I have a couple that I use regularly.

A 1969 DuoJet, just like Joe Walsh had (can't find a photo).

And this - a 1967 Nashville 6120.

ultra cool...I've never had a double cutaway Gretsch, how do they balance, any neck dive?

I know this isn't the same, but I've held off getting a Penguin cause with the double cutaway and that big headstock I'm afraid of neck dive, which I can't stand

RocknRollShakeUp · Apr 17, 2018

Steve Rose said:
2013 6128 Duo Jet - Stern Masterbuilt

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Holy Smokes of the Baby Buddha! I way dig it! :3zone

TV Jones Classics? Neck size? Weight?

rockabilly69 · Apr 18, 2018

RocknRollShakeUp said:
fair enough I can dig it, I went to Setzer Signatures cause I needed more chime and twang, but the HS Filters are very cool pickups too

I would like another Gretsch with TV Jones as I like his pickups, but I've never heard more twang and chime than my double cut Chet which had the HS Filtertrons. I think certain runs of HS Filters were more chimey than others. And I always thought what gave my guitars the twang were the bridges (tru-arc titanium). I have that same bridge on my Duo-Jet and it sounds almost identical to my old Chet, but the newer Anniversary has the stock bridge and it's a bit darker than both of those guitars (in a good way). The Anniversary feeds back in the most musical way you can imagine! I play it through a Fender Reverb unit into a TopHat Club Royale and it is a glorius sound. And lately I've been playing it through my recently restored 1961 Ampeg Mercury (refurbed by forum member Professor Twang), another killer sound. Yesterday I dropped my Anni over to Professor Twangs house to loan it to him as he wants to check out Gretschs. We played it through some cool amps yesterday and it really sounded great through his vintage Supro 1696T (altec 417H speaker) vintage Fender Reverb unit, along with his 6V6 Early 60's Reverbrocket!

And here's some other rigs I use with my Gretsch

slimdave · Apr 19, 2018

RocknRollShakeUp said:
I'll have to keep my eye out on some vintage specimens..I had read that vintage Gretsch binding can rot and pulverize, any thoughts on that?

Some Gretsches have binding problems, but not all of them. You just have to check the guitar out before buying or you just ask for pics of the binding.

With old Gretsches you just realize that their build quality was lower than on Gibsons. But still, great guitars that sound incredible for a very good price. If you consider that Duo Jets were competing directly with Black Beauties in the 50s, nowadays BB are 4 times more expensive.

latestarter · Apr 19, 2018

Right on the money slimdave - and somehow I like that kinda almost agricultural build quality on some of the Gretsch I've owned. My DuoJet has a crooked neck pickup...yep, came that way from the factory. And my 6120 logo is kinda wonky too. All part of it.

Binding replacement can be done but it's a biatch!

RocknRollShakeUp · Apr 20, 2018

rockabilly69 said:
I would like another Gretsch with TV Jones as I like his pickups, but I've never heard more twang and chime than my double cut Chet which had the HS Filtertrons. I think certain runs of HS Filters were more chimey than others. And I always thought what gave my guitars the twang were the bridges (tru-arc titanium). I have that same bridge on my Duo-Jet and it sounds almost identical to my old Chet, but the newer Anniversary has the stock bridge and it's a bit darker than both of those guitars (in a good way). The Anniversary feeds back in the most musical way you can imagine! I play it through a Fender Reverb unit into a TopHat Club Royale and it is a glorius sound. And lately I've been playing it through my recently restored 1961 Ampeg Mercury (refurbed by forum member Professor Twang), another killer sound. Yesterday I dropped my Anni over to Professor Twangs house to loan it to him as he wants to check out Gretschs. We played it through some cool amps yesterday and it really sounded great through his vintage Supro 1696T (altec 417H speaker) vintage Fender Reverb unit, along with his 6V6 Early 60's Reverbrocket!

And here's some other rigs I use with my Gretsch

Wow dream rigs! Thanks for sharing! To me there is nothing like "That Great Gretsch Sound" through a killer tube amp on the edge of breakup in my opinion.

Right now I'm playing through a Vintage Sound 22 and 15 (Deluxe Reverb and Princeton (with 12" speaker) clones, respectively), a Goodsell Super 17, and a UK made Orange AD15, from the early 2000's (discontinued). Lately I've been running a two amp set up with the AD15 and Super17, which makes for a superb and massive clean on the edge of break up sound that I really dig.

I hear what you are saying about the twang. Maybe in my bigger Falcon, with the stock brass bridge the HS Filters where a bit darker sounding. I didn't know that certain runs of HS Filters where brighter than others! Maybe I had a darker sounding set as well.

I thought about getting another bridge material to brighten up the sound before going with the Setzer Signature pickups, but I ended up just getting those pickups, and putting an ABM2400 bridge (the new model) on there that I had, and those changes took me exactly where I wanted to go so mission accomplished.

I'm definitely wanting to get more Gretsches though, especially after seeing y'all's beautiful specimens!

RocknRollShakeUp · Apr 20, 2018

Since I unfortunately don't have anymore Gretsches to show here are two more pics of my Falcon. As it originally came, and then another one after the mods.

RocknRollShakeUp · Apr 20, 2018

slimdave said:
Some Gretsches have binding problems, but not all of them. You just have to check the guitar out before buying or you just ask for pics of the binding.

With old Gretsches you just realize that their build quality was lower than on Gibsons. But still, great guitars that sound incredible for a very good price. If you consider that Duo Jets were competing directly with Black Beauties in the 50s, nowadays BB are 4 times more expensive.

Got it. So if it is in good shape it should stay in relatively good shape for some time to come?

I did read that the old 50's Gretsches could have a "relaxed" build quality, let's say. But man, to me they have the most beautiful guitar designs and aesthetics around. Ironically nowadays a Japanese made Gretsch is close to flawless and Gibson's quality control is at times shocking! My Falcon really is absolutely flawless.
I really dig Black Beauties too by the way, and in addition to my R4 goldtop and R7 ebony, a BB would be the other Les Paul that I really want to have one day.

RocknRollShakeUp · Apr 20, 2018

latestarter said:
Right on the money slimdave - and somehow I like that kinda almost agricultural build quality on some of the Gretsch I've owned. My DuoJet has a crooked neck pickup...yep, came that way from the factory. And my 6120 logo is kinda wonky too. All part of it.

Binding replacement can be done but it's a biatch!

agricultural build quality, LOL! agricultural on the inside, and painted up like beauty queens on the outside :dude:

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