Gretsch hollow body 2016 shootout

[Willabe]

2016 Players Edition Vs. Reissue Edition shootout.

4 Gretsch hollow body guitars, all with Bigsby's, guitar description rundown, then he plays each solo, then he plays each over the same backing track.

I LOVE the 1st 2 the best, 1st guitar slightly more than the 2nd, even though they're supposed to be the same except for color, then the mighty White Falcon, I don't like the sound (or look) of the Chet orange guitar at all.

I LOVE the depth and the pick attack from the PUPs!!!!!!!!!!

I'm wanting to start going around to stores in my area to play a few, maybe buy 1.

What do you guys think about how they sound?

 https://youtu.be/3EdNsjxvDhQ


Another Gretsch hollow body demo, very cool spaghetti western track. 

https://youtu.be/FfYUvnF5ON4?list=RD3EdNsjxvDhQ
   

[tubenit]

OK, everybody's got different taste in tone and music ............... 

I liked the Chet Atkins guitar tone the best.  To me, it was the smoothest with the least chimey/grit & had the warmest clean tone.

I am not a fan of the all orange guitar at all.  I think some orange looks good in sunburst tops but not straight orange. 

Appearance wise,  I loved the red/burgandy guitar ALOT.

White Falcon was my least favorite of all of them in appearance and tone.

With respect, Tubenit

[Willabe]

OK, everybody's got different taste in tone and music ............... 

This is true. 

I liked the Chet Atkins guitar tone the best.  To me, it was the smoothest with the least chimey/grit & had the warmest clean tone.

See that's why I didn't like the Chet and Loved the 1st guitar the best! I Love the chime and the grit/growl!   

I think he didn't change the settings on the amp at all for all 4 guitars he played. So if that Chet was dialed in a little differently I might like it just fine?

The Chet sounded thin to me.  And with no/little sustain and depth, from the G string up, the high notes sounded staccato.

But the 1st and 2nd amp, even the Falcon, what was knocking me out was the DEPTH of the notes! Sounded 3D to me. AND the 1st strike of the pick, that 1st attack was very expressive to me. To me they have a multi layered sound, depth, sustain, chime, growl, fullness. I've never heard anything quite like it that I can recall?

You can back the amp off and the growl will disappear.

The 1st 2 have the same PUP's, the Chet's PUP's are the early Gretsch single coils and the Falcon had a different TV Jones Filtrons.     

Did you hear the amp tremolo? It's there.

Over all I WANT THAT SOUND, the chime, the growl, the expressive pick attack, the BIGSBY, the verb and the amp tremolo!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!

What a sound!!!!! (Well for some things.) Gimmi, gimmi, gimmi!!!!!     

[timbertoes]

2 Gretsches here :)  ...and i'm just a newbie!  Streamliner and electromatic. Addictive.

[tubenit]

I'd be estatic to own any one of those Gretch guitars!   

I do think the two first ones might cut thru a band mix the best?  Especially if there was another guitarist or keyboards or horn or harmonica going on.

With respect, Tubenit

[Willabe]

I went down to Chicago (110 miles round trip) to play this guitar yesterday Gretsch G6136TFM-DCHY. It's a limited edition, only 50 made, of a white Falcon in deep cherry stained flame maple top/back/sides with gold hardware, TV Jones Classic PUP's, bigsby and jeweled knobs.

Played great! Sounded great! Looked as good or better than the pictures. I put $200 down on it and they took it down from display. I got a week to figure out how to finish the deal. 

http://www.chicagomusicexchange.com/products/gretsch-g6136tfm-dchy-limited-edition-falcon-dark-cherry-stain-w-bigsby

[Ritchie200]

WOW!  That is one purdy guitfiddle!  One thing I've always wanted to know with those roller bridges and the Bigsby - what about intonation?  My very first real electric was an early 60's Japanese Audition with a wang bar and a roller bridge, and the intonation was horrible!  I realize you are not going to be playing through a triple rectum fryer, but even clean it has to be noticeable?

Ritchie Blackmore admitted to lusting over the Gretch as a kid and he still loves their look and tone.  He said he goes back and forth between just buying one and then thinking the damn thing would just sit in a corner looking good as it would not work with any music he does!  Too funny as he could obviously afford to buy anything he wants...!

Willabe just left Chicago
And he's bound for a big bank loan
Willabe just left Chicago
And he's bound for a big bank loan
Working on his wife and begging
Telling her he'll be the next Rolling Stone

Have mercy!!!

Jim

[Willabe]

                                 

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls of all ages; The Deep Cherry Flamed Maple Falcon has landed safely into my arms and is now residing/nesting in my home! It will, with Gods help, be well loved and taken care of. Thank you Father, thank you Jesus and thank you Celeste and Larry for making this happen.   

I played it for ~ an hour after I got it home. It plays better than any guitar I've ever owned. And sounds wonderful to me. I love it already. I don't think it will take long to adjust to it at all, even the Bigsby vibrato. I'm already getting a nice feel for it.

It  ~ IS ~  a different beast then what I'm used to, Strat, Les Paul and 335.
 

[Willabe]

WOW!  That is one purdy guitfiddle!

You like that huh?               Looks even better in person. Now can I plug into your Major? 

One thing I've always wanted to know with those roller bridges and the Bigsby - what about intonation?  ...with a wang bar and a roller bridge, and the intonation was horrible! ...but even clean it has to be noticeable?

Gretsch calls that style bridge a 'space controller'.  I  ~ think ~ they have 3 more types for the ebony wood bridge base, 2 old; a 'rocker' bridge and another I don't know the name of, plus a new(?) type that looks very similar to a Gibby tune o-matic. And they have a stud mount tune o-matic bridge, like on a Les Paul.

I  ~ think ~  they might be drop in replacement/switchable onto the old style ebony wood base? I haven't played it long enough to tell if it's a problem, been playing mostly lead and learning how to use that bigsby. All bets are off once you start shaking cords.

Ritchie Blackmore admitted to lusting over the Gretch as a kid and he still loves their look and tone. .....Too funny as he could obviously afford to buy anything he wants...!

Yeah, Jeff Beck likes/loves Gretsch Duo Jets. He wasn't so much a blues lover when he was young but a rockabilly fan.

Willabe just left Chicago
And he's bound for a big bank loan
Willabe just left Chicago
And he's bound for a big bank loan
Working on his wife and begging
Telling her he'll be the next Rolling Stone

Have mercy!!!

My older cousin helped me out and got a 2 year loan for me, on the phone, from/through Chicago Music Exchange, no interest. She was very happy to do it for me, so was her husband. They said they were honored that I asked them to do this for me. 
She said she hasn't done anything for me since I was little and would love to do this for me.       
I am soooo grateful to them!       

They only made 50 of these, so I didn't have time to wait till I got the $$. Now I can start to sell off some things I really don't need on ebay/Craig's list.

Hey, wanna buy an old Cubs hat Jim? I got a new 2016 World Champs hat for Christmas. 
 

[Ed_Chambley]

Congrats, very nice guitar.  I have owned a Duojet for Rockabilly, but Korean model.  Got it because of hearing Jeff Beck play Racing with the Devil.  I must admit, I do like the orange, but the brown one George Harrison played is my favorite.


I have never seen one like the one you got.  Looks like a keeper.

[Willabe]

Thanks Ed. 

I have that CD with Beck playing with an English Rockabilly band, it's very good.

I have never seen one like the one you got.  Looks like a keeper.

Yeah, that's what sealed the deal, icing on the cake. Only 50 made in that color scheme. It's got to be the Father, the way it all came about and then fell in place so quickly. And God willing I'll keep her a long time. 

They only had that guitar out on the floor for a day or 2 before I went and played it. I put $200 down on it so it was put back in the basement. Had to take the hounds off the trail. 

It was my friend Lance who told me to put some $$ down and I'm grateful to him for cluing me in. I was so knock off my feet by the guitar and stunned by the store, over 2000 instruments, that I wasn't thinking clear enough to do that. 
 

[Ritchie200]

That is SO cool!  Those once in a lifetime purchases that you will create some fantastic memories with.  Now it's time for a Willabe onslaught of recordings highlighting this work of art!

Congrats!

Jim

Ps, I was going to invite you over to plug into a real amp - until you suggested I buy a hat from a pretend team! 

[tubenit]

Congrats Brad!  BEAUTIFUL guitar!  Love the flamed maple and the dark cherry color to it.

Would love to hear soundclips IF it's possible for you to post them.

Best regards and respect, Jeff 

[HotBluePlates]

                                

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls of all ages; The Deep Cherry Flamed Maple Falcon has landed safely into my arms and is now residing/nesting in my home! ...

ENORMOUS Congratulations!!  It sounds like this guitar is a great fit, and I hope you're digging its sounds for many years to come!

...  One thing I've always wanted to know with those roller bridges and the Bigsby - what about intonation?  My very first real electric was an early 60's Japanese Audition with a ... roller bridge ...

In practice, it's not much of a problem.  For everyone else, the Gretsch roller bridge is as much about string spacing at the bridge (via adjustable rollers) as anything else.

My Electromatic-series Gretsch came with a Tune-o-matic on a wood base; I replaced it with a Tru-Arc bar bridge.  Some call those "rocker bridges" as the wood-base-mounted studs sit in conical holes in the bridge, which can then rock a bit when the Bigsby is used.

Even though the bridge is "straight across" you get very close to proper intonation just by angling the bridge (which can then be "pinned" with brads in the bridge base sitting in very shallow holes in the top).  Action height influences the intonation next, and you can get it gnat's-a$$ by string gauge selection.

For me, heavier strings (11's or 12's) both helped nail the intonation, as well as gave the proper amount of resistance for cleaner Chet-syle pull-offs and string-separation of fingerstyle parts.

If you need absolute intonation (who really has that on ANY fretted guitar??), then you do the Bill Frisell-type tricks of subtly bending individual notes within a chord or double-stop.

I found that I got very, very close (measured with a strobe tuner) after only setting action height and then intonating the High- & Low-E's.

[Willabe]

Thanks Tubenit and HBP. 

[Willabe]

I've been spending some time playing this guitar, just played a ~ couple hours and man this thing plays great. 

I lubed up the head nut and it's staying in tune much better. I used D'Addario lube kit, I wanted 'big bend sauce'(?) but this seems to be fine. 

I'm not sure but it might be a set of .011's on it? I got them to throw in a couple sets of nickle wound .010's when I bought it, so I'll know when I put a new set on if it came with .011's. I'll oil up the fret board with boiled linseed oil, because I have some/have always used it, when I change the strings. 

Sounds surprisingly good with my Champ, NOS 6V6/5Y3 on ~4, tone ~6 through the 15" WGS and my Fender clone verb. I'll try a NOS 6L6/GZ34 and see how that sounds.

This Gretsch is a 3 knob not a 4 knob, so it has a 3 position tone switch instead of a master tone control. I was a little worried about that when I bought it, but that tone switch seems to be enough/works well.     

[Ed_Chambley]

Brad, everyone I have ever known to buy a nice Gretch has become a big Gretch fan and Jimbob is correct, you will create a lot of fond memories fingering this thing.


I know you are just on the cusp of teaching Ry Cooder some new slide licks and my do they sound great to me using a slide.  Are you planning to tune her to a chord or is this one going to be standard mostly and become you main Axe.  I know you cannot be sure until the honeymoon is over, but thought I would ask.


I went this weekend and played one to see what it is like.  It had the Ebony Fingerboard, which I loved and the frets felt like Dunlop 6505, which are narrow and tall.  Before I played it, I loosened the strings and chapsticked the nut.  I was very impressed with everything especially how well it held tune with the Bigsby.  Actually, I was surprised after hitting it a couple to times and re-tuning I was able to shake it real hard and is held tune.


Sort of got me wanting one and after I was a Photo of HBP Les Paul and this one of yours I feel left out.


That's ok, I am truly happy for you and hope the honeymoon never leaves.  A drive down to the city is well worth it to find out if the bond is there.  I don't really understand how so many folks these days can buy from a merchant off the internet, but they do.


I drove from Atlanta to Raleigh NC on my quest for a Strat type guitar, I am sure you remember me looking for one.  The one I went to look at was not the one I bought, but I now a lot of people who have purchase this way and are very happy.


Glad you got to play yours.  Chicago Music is a store I have wanted to visit for years.  Man, they carry a lot of nice gear.


You know you gotta find the right thumbpick now.  Everyone who owns a Gretch has to play this:
! No longer available

[Willabe]

Thanks Ed, I'm really over the moon with this git fiddle.      I lubed the head nut and mine is staying in tune very well now. I love shaking the cords or double/triple stops.

Are you planning to tune her to a chord or is this one going to be standard mostly and become you main Axe.

Main axe, it's the Bigsby and the PUP's. You can get some very haunting/crying tones on this guitar. Plays like a dream too. I couldn't be happier with it. 

It was well worth the trip down to Chgo. Just haven't done it in soooo long. And you have to be careful in the city now with all the photo/camera stop lights.     

When I went to pick up the guitar I got a parking spot right in front of the stores front doors!     Couldn't have timed it better. Papa's got his hand in this. 

Chicago Music is a store I have wanted to visit for years.  Man, they carry a lot of nice gear.

Well what are you waiting for? Come on up here and well go together and I'll take you around town a bit if you like. 

Yeah, A LOT of GEAR, that's the truth all right. I need to go back and check out some things when I get a chance.
 

[Mr.Woody]

wow.......i'm not jealous or anything.....but WOW!!!!

[Willabe]

Hi Steve, call me! 

I'm hoping to come by TCC (we went to the same church guys) and show you guys in 2 or 3 weeks.

I just left you a voice mail.


       Brad Willy Willabe      

[Mr.Woody]

Hi Steve, call me! 

I'll try to call on my lunch break tomorrow (if i actually get one lol). Behind on getting this week's worship night put together, but looking forward to catching up!

[Willabe]

I'll try to call on my lunch break tomorrow (if i actually get one lol). Behind on getting this week's worship night put together, but looking forward to catching up!

 

[SILVERGUN]

Just wanted to say Congrats!
Love the guitar and enjoyed the video comparison.
I really like how you did your homework and got the best guitar for you.
It's great to see how inspired you are by it, and that has always been one of the best parts about picking up some new wood.
 
Spring fever can be a beautiful thing and I'm glad you found a new love. I 've had a similar experience this spring....
 
 

[Willabe]

Thanks my friend.