Gretsch corner for Gretsch lovers

[Fred Archtop]

Hey jazzers,

It's been a while I've wanted to put more light on my Grestch archtop guitars. Here is a new video featuring these babes. Gretsch White Falcon with a Bigsby and 2 dynasonic mics, all lacquered, so not as white as you would expect from a White Falcon, but more "cream". The second is a Tennessee Rose '62 reissue with 2 filter tron mics in Bordeaux (or Burgundy, choose your bottle) wine red.

Cheers.

[entresz]

Gretsch lover over here.
This is mine - a G-400 Synchromatic. The pickup is a floating CC pickup made by Pete Biltoft. It's an absolute joy to play.
I tried once a Stephen Stern White Falcon in a music shop - was beyond my price range but it was an absolutely stunning instrument - and would be excellent for jazz.

..

[Fred Archtop]

Gretsch lover over here.
This is mine - a G-400 Synchromatic. The pickup is a floating CC pickup made by Pete Biltoft. It's an absolute joy to play.
I tried once a Stephen Stern White Falcon in a music shop - was beyond my price range but it was an absolutely stunning instrument - and would be excellent for jazz.

..

Great looking guitar. Cat eyes hole give a nice classy look whereas the CC PU adds a ton of mojo. Congrats!

[neatomic]

nice!!! longtime gretsch fan..my first guitar!... love dynasonic pups for jazz..very vintage focused/cut thru the mix tone

great demo


cheers

[Hep To The Jive]

Yeah, I found the Dynasonics works better for jazz here, even though I'm usually more fan of Filtertrons.

[pilotony]

Great job Fred, very smooth playing easy to listen to. Love my Gretschs: Tennessee Rose and Country Gentleman.

Tony D.

[Zigracer]

Nice,Fred! Gretsch is my brand as well. I've got a couple of other nice guitars in the stable, but mostly Gretsch. My Dynasonic equipped "oops model" Country Club sounds great for jazz and so many other genres. I too have a Tennessee Rose with Filtertrons that is very versatile. I also have a G400 Synchromatic which is awesome, but I haven't found the right pickup yet.

Entresz - tell me a little more about your pickup. Do you have any close up shots of the pickup as it is mounted? Sound clips?

Thanks,

Zig

[m_d]

I don't have a Gretsch, but became interested in them following a renewed interest in early rock n' roll / billy styles which can sound so great, including in their 21st century evolutions. Guys like Brian Setzer and the more obscure Walter Broes are truly amazing guitar players. And among the earlier players, let's not forget that some of them were fluent in other styles including jazz, like Hank Garland. Of course Gretsches aren't the only possible guitars for this style, but it seems their current lineup are some of the best ever produced by the brand, even the more affordable ones.

[BigMikeinNJ]

Well here is my one current Gretsch, a 1959 I got from Rhode Scholar in a trade. I had a '59 before, back in the 80s and I loved that guitar to death... Many said here it was modded and are probably right. This one isn't EXCEPT for the lovely ebony bridge on her. I don't know who made it but it compliments the tone. Love me '59 Double Anniversary !!

Big

[GNAPPI]

Wow! The double anni hasn't changed much over the years. My 2005 FugiGen:

[entresz]

Entresz - tell me a little more about your pickup. Do you have any close up shots of the pickup as it is mounted? Sound clips?

Thanks,

Zig

Hi Zig,

I don't have any photos on me but I will take some later and put them here.
Here's a clip of this guitar in action - the amp is a Quilter Aviator Twin Ten. The pickup is made by Pete Biltoft- I asked him to wind it with 38 gauge wire instead of 42 gauge so that it was voiced to sound a bit more like the 'real' CC pickup (lower dc resistance, 'stringier' tone).

[neatomic]

classic gretsch clip..with the great mickey baker on dearmond dyna gretsch cc and finger snappin'! hah

cheers

[2bornot2bop]

Great playing on that 1966 hit 'Sunny'! It's reported after becoming an immediate hit for Sunny, songwriter Hebb toured with the Beatles. The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in late August 1966, during the closing dates of the Beatles' final concert tour, making it more popular, at the time, than any song in the Beatles' repertoire. Another commonly unknown fact is that Hebb wrote Sunny a day after Kennedy's assassination, and his brother being killed in Nashville the next day.

[omphalopsychos]

Damn those dyna's sound amazing.

[Zigracer]

Very nice playing, Entresz! Love the tone. That's what I'm looking for. Any more info you can give me would be great. Been using a Shadow Nanomag pup, but it is very brittle sounding.

Thank you,

Zig

[Fred Archtop]

Entresz, great sound and fantastci playing !

[rabbit]

Fred & entresz: very nice sounds, Thank You!

Also, thanks for the Dynasonic illustrations.
I'd kind like to put one in my Eastman AR371 (since I'm beyond buying another guitar at this point.)

[neatomic]

Also, thanks for the Dynasonic illustrations.
I'd kind like to put one in my Eastman AR371 (since I'm beyond buying another guitar at this point.)

just be aware that dynas sit on top of the body..so they require the right neck/body angle..not all guitars can accomodate them

cheers

[rabbit]

just be aware that dynas sit on top of the body..so they require the right neck/body angle..not all guitars can accomodate them

cheers

Thank you!

[mad dog]

Filtertrons are really sweet, great sound for jazz. Which is one reason I always lusted after the spruce topped Country Club. Finally found this beauty:



The long scale, 17" body instantly did not agree with a chronic left elbow injury. So I had to consign it for sale. Really heartbroken about this. Love these p/us!
MD

[cosmic gumbo]

I'm writing to Santa to bring me my very own Gretsch for Christmas! Bang! Bang!

[rabbit]

Leg Lamp, too!