chilipeppermaniac
Ambassador of Decibels
Anyone here play a Gretsch?
- Thread starter Ghostwolf
- Start date
Yup. Very similar.
eSGEe
Ferengi Ambassador of Trade
here ya go @smitty_p
dbmusicgear.com
Gretsch G3976 Historic Series - DB Music
Gretsch G3976 Historic Series electric guitar. Overall in good shape! Some signs of aging on the finish. No large dings or scratches. . The electronics work on the guitar as they should. It will come shipped in a gig bag. Make an offer today
dbmusicgear.com
Session 5
Ambassador of Strings & Wings
In 2002, Gretsch entered a business agreement with Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC). Under the terms of the agreement Fred W. Gretsch retains ownership while FMIC has the exclusive rights to develop, produce, market and distribute Gretsch guitars worldwide.[ From what i see here Gretsch still has ownership of the company..
This according to Wilkpedia
This according to Wilkpedia
SG John
Ambassador of Cool Guitars and Amps.
Yes! Very nice work too. You have an otherworldly skill level in that department which is a huge plus.
There are a lot of reasons that I do not like Gretsch, other than styling, control layout and feel and these feelings go back 30 years. More recently, my feelings have shifted to less of personal preference and more of a time management thing.
One major issue i have with this line (Gretsch) in general is the labor-intensive nature of the setup. You gotta pull the pickguard to adjust one side of the pickups. You also have to remove a truss rod cover to make relief adjustments.
On the 3 screw models, you have to loosen two strings to keep from 'nicking' them and on the models with 4 screws, you gotta slacken the 'a' and 'd' and pull them from the nut to access the screws.
As you may or may not know, all the Japan builds (starting at $2,899.00) have a Gibson-style truss rod.
Due to the space between the hex flats, you need to loosen the strings for the wrench to swing enough without making contact with them.
On the China made and Indonesian built Gretsch models, I can go in with a 24" Allen T-handle, which makes things a lot faster.
Another thing that I do not like, is going in through the F-holes and securing the wire harness so it doesn't show. My past experience as a kid building ships in a bottle certainly was helpful here.
On the P-90 models, the pickups never rest squarely in relation to the strings. This bugs me, but it's part of how Gretsch does things. You just accept it.
Now, I will say that the difference in quality, fit and finish between a Japanese model and the Indonesian models is immediately visible even from arms-length, especially the size, profile and finish of the fretwork.
There just isn't any comparison between the two of them. Even the colors are different hues between two models (Japanese and Indo/Chinese) so much that two blue guitars actually look like two completely different colors, even though both are actually the same color.
I'm just not really passionate about all these different guitar types.
A guitar is a tool that I use to earn money. Whether that's gigging, teaching at my music academy classes or doing session work.
I tend to favor a Gibson Les Paul for session work.
I tend to favor my lightweight Stratocaster (4 pounds) for live performances. YelloStrat was built from the body I got from you, @SG John.
Beyond that, I do not need or want any other guitars. I gave away a Schecter Hellraiser C1FR PurpleBurst and a Jackson Adrian Smith recently because I never play them any longer.
But, I realy like to see the look on student's faces when you give them something that they've been dreaming of.
Now, I've always been a minority, probably more so now, and I'm simply voicing my opinion, which nobody will "get" unless they have a similar background, but 7 years of commercial Kos Angeles session work and working for a guitar maker changes you.
There are some guitars that are built better than others. There are different colors. There are different feels.
But once you plug them in, at a live performance, they all sound the same. All the subtle nuances that people strain to hear through headphones is gone...they vaporize the minute the music starts.
Some may not have experienced this (im sure you have, John) but you can stand right next to a loud amp on a stage and not hear it. The sound literally goes right past you out into the crowd.
If I did not have a guitar at all and i needed one for a paid performance, I'd probably buy one of these thinline, lightweight, twin humbucker Telecasters.
I'm not by any means a Telecaster fan, but they are simple, lightweight and have none of the resonance/feedback issues of a hollow or semi-hollow exhibits on a loud stage.
In the end, personal preference is just how we examine things and its how we assign a value to things.
I don't collect gear and I've given away more stuff than I've kept. I really like keeping my stuff simple and effective.
If I'm performing, and it doesn't fit in the trunk of my Mustang, I can't use it.
That's another reason I don't collect gear.
I'm just a worker bee.
I'm happy that I'm not working on Gretsch's full time. I think I would honestly quit if I had to deal with them on a daily basis, but if people buy them, then that's great!!!
If your Gretsch card is stamped "INSP #20" then that guitar has been precisely set up and it's as close to perfect as it can be.
I realize that I'm just a "little-guy" and my opinion doesn't matter to anyone, and that's cool, because I am happy and comfortable being the "outcast" which is a space I've occupied my entire life, but I won't tell you anything that doesn't gave a solid reason behind it.
So, since it's open discussion, like it or not, I just dropped my 2 cents into the guitar case.
Wishing you all the very best...
-Rob
Just a couple of small observations.
It seems that only with the lower end Gretsches that you need to remove the pickguard to adjust the pickup height. I do love how they have four screws, so you can angle the pickup to the string angle. I'm sure they listened to customer complaints/suggestions, and went with this method. Maybe with enough input, this can also be modified. If you go with the Japanese models, you will get more accuracy to a vintage Gretsch, and have the adjustment screws inside of the pickup, not attached to the trim ring. Filtertrons and DeArmonds have the screws inboard.
Don't pretty much all guitars except some Fenders require removal of a truss rod cover to make adjustments?
The sound of an amp is usually at my ankles, unless I angle it back and point it to my head. That's why I like my Bandmaster and AC-30, or just use something the same height as me.
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Good observations.
I always get a mix of Gretsch...some USA, some Japan, some China and some Indo, so it's a crap shoot , but yes, most of the Japan models are appearing with TV Jones and the ones with Filtertrons have exposed adjustments.
Jackson is good in that the truss rod cover has only one screw. It just takes less time.
Our target for a 9 hour work day is 82 guitars. Saving a few seconds here and there really adds up.
Fender is still my favorite from a setup standpoint.
On Gretsch, there's a lot of paperwork to fill out too.
67plexi
Ambassador of Amps
I like Gretsch made in USA drums I had a 1937 snare drum one of three made peacock swirl
paid a lot made a lot never did bond with the guitars owned a few 1957 G branded and a 3 pickup 1976 both made in USA
When I was in collage bought and sold a 1957 white falcon that was a good one nice $5,000.00 profit the three day's.
I'm impressed with John's build that's a cool guitar.
paid a lot made a lot never did bond with the guitars owned a few 1957 G branded and a 3 pickup 1976 both made in USA
When I was in collage bought and sold a 1957 white falcon that was a good one nice $5,000.00 profit the three day's.
I'm impressed with John's build that's a cool guitar.
chilipeppermaniac
Ambassador of Decibels
I agree, 67. John built a sweet Bo guitar for sure.
Old Punker
Well-Known Member
Old Punker
Well-Known Member
HNGD! Everyone should have at least one Gretsch.
I've owned a G5120 Electromatic since 2009. Looks, sounds, and plays great, and better bang for the buck as compared to the pro line IMO. I use it for stuff like the Cult and Nugent. Years ago I used to play some psychobilly as well.
Enjoy!
I've owned a G5120 Electromatic since 2009. Looks, sounds, and plays great, and better bang for the buck as compared to the pro line IMO. I use it for stuff like the Cult and Nugent. Years ago I used to play some psychobilly as well.
Enjoy!
Lotsa love for a double bass!
Wow, you can even find psychobilly lessons!
Who knew?
From just listening, it seems having just the right type and amount of delay is important, too.
eSGEe
Ferengi Ambassador of Trade
I must ask COOL or stupid?
will the rates jump after all the signers have left stage ?
reverb.com
will the rates jump after all the signers have left stage ?
Gretsch TW-100T Traveling Wilburys | Reverb
Gretsch's Traveling Willburys guitars came in four different models, each with different pickup and bridge configurations. The TW-100T featured a tremolo bridge and a lone single coil pickup, the TW-200 featured a string-through bridge and single humbucker, the TW-300 featured a tremolo bridge an...
reverb.com
Old Punker
Well-Known Member
Love The Cramps! I was introduced to them when I was in my mid twenties, a magical time in my life, by my then best friend's (crazy) sister who had fled to England and let me hold on to her LP's while she was gone. She lived in London with a guy who ran a chemicals lab and she worked a peep show to bring in extra cash. She also sent me hits of acid they produced in the mail to sample. My girlfriend at the time was a real pothead and part time coke fiend. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll, all while doing my best to hold down a steady job. Not sure how I survived but no regrets!Gretsch's are cool. Hey, good enough for Poison Ivy
