Gretsch Country Gentleman For Jazz?

[Burrellesque]

Sal Salvador played a Gretsch Convertible.

Jazz On a Summers Day - 1958 Newport Festival

[mr. beaumont]

Salvador sounds great!

Some of these other gretsch examples...notsomuch.

[Burrellesque]

I think that Bill Jennings played a Gretsch too.

[floatingpickup]

Floatingpickup,

Thanks for the great brief on Bickert. The mind can play tricks, sometimes. I bet I am conflating my memories of Cal Collins playing a Nashville with memories of Bickert playing whatever. When Collins had the gig with Benny Goodman, he used a mid-60s Gretsch Nashville.

Another fine Canadian guitarist, named Nelson Symonds, played a Gretsch. It had a floating pickup - maybe a Sal Salvador model? He never achieved the level of recognition that he should have, but he was one of Wes Mongomery’s Favorite guitarists, which says a lot. I never got to see Mr. Symonds unfortunately. He was a mainstay of the Montreal jazz scene for years. For those of you who never heard of this guy, there is a video of him, sounding great on his Gretsch here (kind of long though).
Keith

[kraml]

In the pic above (a ways back) Chet appears to be playing a 1958 not a 1959 CG. The 59 had a zero fret, butterbean tuners, and a (slightly) thinner body. kraml

[Hammertone]

Jazz on a CG - sure, throw a set of flats on it and go nuts. Even better on a Country Club (especially a Cadillac Green CC).

Another fine Canadian guitarist, named Nelson Symonds, played a Gretsch. It had a floating pickup - maybe a Sal Salvador model? He never achieved the level of recognition that he should have, but he was one of Wes Mongomery’s Favorite guitarists, which says a lot. I never got to see Mr. Symonds unfortunately. He was a mainstay of the Montreal jazz scene for years. For those of you who never heard of this guy, there is a video of him, sounding great on his Gretsch here (kind of long though).
Keith

When I moved back to Montreal (@'80-'86) from a few years in the US, I heard Nelson a lot, first at Rockhead's, then L'Air du Temps, Tulipe Noire, and a few other places. I got to know him pretty well. I had the good fortune to play upright with him a bunch of times as well, as well as hear him play with Freddy McHugh, Skip Bey (two fantastic upright players, IMO) and various lesser bassists. He was a shy, unassuming guy, who turned down offers from some of the world's best-known jazz artists who came through Montreal, because he had zero interest in being on the road. At his best, his up-tempo improvised chord-soloing was exhilaratingly good.

His Gertsch Convertible/Sal Salvador model was pretty cool and beat - refinished, with a Gibson-style humbucker replacing the original pickup (for those who aren't familiar with it, it's a carved-top. 17" full-sized archtop with a suspended pickup). He played it so much he eventually had to replace the fretboard. He used a mid-'60s Ampeg Reverberocket 2 GS-12R (that very amp is still in use on Vancouver Island, at a friend's place). He also had a blonde Japanese ES-175 clone (I much preferred his playing and sound with the Gertsch), and a Yamaha G50-112 (or something very similar from that period) ss combo, which was his spare amp until he sold the Ampeg to me.

Norman Marshall Villeneuve (great drummer and peer of Nelson's, who started in Montreal, moved to Toronto in '74, then back to Montreal in '13) recently released a couple of CDs of live tracks recorded with Nelson and others - King Dog and Montreal Sessions - nicely restored and mastered from old reel-to-reel tapes, and both available from him at Norman Marshall Villeneuve as CDs or downloads.

[Litterick]

Here is Bill Frisell playing one of the many Gretsch Anniversary models, I am not sure which one. The video is for Frisell's forthcoming solo album, Music Is, which will be released on 16th March.

[Scotto]

Here you go, just pretend it’s a six string with flatwounds.

[Mark 63]

I strung my Country Gent with TI flats, and it sounds like heaven.

[Greentone]

Here you go, just pretend it’s a six string with flatwounds.

That would be a great guitar in 6 strings.

[feet]

Here is Bill Frisell playing one of the many Gretsch Anniversary models, I am not sure which one. The video is for Frisell's forthcoming solo album, Music Is, which will be released on 16th March.

interesting. it is set up like a setzer model with the one switch and one master volume (though did he add concentric pots?) but i don't think they ever made a two tone like that, which looks to be the standard smoke green. maybe some mods or some custom shop tomfoolery is afoot? doesn't sound all that different from my 6118t.

That would be a great guitar in 6 strings.

would be neat if it had a bridge pickup and a bigsby, too