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Does anyone here play jazz on a Gretsch?
It helps to make a couple of mods (funny pickups, an extra string, chicken head knobs, swiss army TOM).
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12-14-2012 11:41 AM
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Yeah. I have a stock 100CE and it is my beater guitar - and sounds just fine.
I am well aware of the ability of the fine family of Gretsch guitars to make great music in a player's hands. So I do not mean to disparage the guitars at all. If aesthetic comments are off-limits, then I am definitely out of line in not liking the brand ethos as promoted by the very skillful folks at FMIC.
I do like the Jimmie Vaughn guitar quite a bit, so I claim no sense to my views.
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haha Awesome Chris. No worries bro. I just like to point out that you can make a guitar what you want it to be to a certain extent. My 100CE does not look at all like a standard 100CE.
'Mike
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Jazz on a Gretsch? Sure.
(a video from the 1960s with Swedish top musicians who are all gone now.)
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What about the Synchromatic G400C?? How is it?? There's one for sale locally, I am tempted to go try it out.
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Well.... the Syncromatic is a an Asian version of the Japanese version of the American original. I've never owned a bad Japanese built guitar and Ibanez's top end are made in Japan (maybe the same factory as Gretsch?).
I always wanted one back in the sixties - but the one I found, a G6120, was so poorly finished and played so badly it put me off. I bought a Rickenbacker 330 with the f holes and toaster PUs. Wish I still had it. Heard some great players doing jazz on them later on in the 70s.
BTW - I'm not getting into that stupid debate about where instruments are made - I know what I think and it's only relavent to me. Read J B Preistley's "An Inspector Calls"Last edited by ChrisDowning; 12-15-2012 at 05:56 AM.
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I take some classes with Brad Shepik, he sounds marvelous with his Tenesee Rose
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How's zis for jazz on a Gretsch.
And this isn't all of it.
I wish we would table the discussion of what is a proper jazz guitar or not. I for one don't believe that there is such thing as a definitive or proper jazz guitar. It bears repeating that it's all about what you do with the guitar and amp i.e. your settings and what and how you play on a guitar. My opinion about what isn't a suitable jazz guitar is one that plays so badly and is such a mess that you couldn't even play a decent Mary Had a Little Lamb on it.Last edited by hot ford coupe; 12-14-2012 at 07:49 PM.
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I used a 1965 6120 for several years...until I bought my 1977 Ibanez 2355 (ES-175)...in 1978..
play it everyday...
gretsch always had a distinct sound....not liked by all...
time on the instrument...
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How about the Country Club Gretsch?
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I agree with you and the traditional mellow 'jazz guitar' sound in the video examples does not surprise me. I tried a couple Nashville models with ceramic pickups about 10 years ago and I was able to dial in the traditional jazz sound very easily. The expected rockabilly tone was there too at the flick of a switch. There's no reason that a Gretsch should be ruled out of the jazz guitar realm. Hell if a Tele with single coil can be accepted, there's no reason the big Gretsch hollow body guitars with humbuckers (Filtertrons) shouldn't be too. And George Van Eps is probably the best example of that.
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I never said they had to be. I don't even have the stock floater on my Heritage built Gretsch. Players even change the stock pickups on Gibsons and Fenders. It's a very common practice.
Originally Posted by SamBooka
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Hmmm.. I should try changing pickups sometime...do you think it is difficult? Originally Posted by hot ford coupe
What I didnt say was a huge part of the gretsch sound is the pickups.
It would have been cool if Dutchbopper had thrown a gretsch in his gibson blindfold test and didnt tell anyone!
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I changed some pickups in a Gibson L5CES and it wasn't too difficult at all. The main thing was keeping the wires organized. In the case of Gretsch, I don't know how they're wired up. It should be similar. Before changing the pickups (if you didn't do this first before the change already), I would try to dial in the best sound I could with the amp and guitar controls to see what was possible. I'd also experiment with heavier strings and flatwounds. That way, you may be able to solve the tone problems easier and less expensively. Hope you find what you're looking for. Originally Posted by SamBooka
Hmmm.. I should try changing pickups sometime...do you think it is difficult?
It would have been cool if Dutchbopper had thrown a gretsch in his gibson blindfold test and didnt tell anyone!
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I play jazz on my Gretsch Duo Jet with Seymour Duncan Antiquity Dynasonics. The neck pick up is incredibly lush and warm.
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I always have wanted a Gretsch. Chet's tone on a couple of tunes like So Rare and Satan's Doll sounded pretty jazzy to me.
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I have a late 60's Gretsch 6120 and the jazz tone is definitely there. If'n you dig the 25.5" scale, then this model is for you. I put Power'trons in mine and that really helped round out the tone.
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+1! A nice Gretsch with Powertrons really gets the big box jazztone. I claim it to be there in the Country club that I modified with Powertrons (together with a few other things). These are really nice, high quality guitars. Originally Posted by barrymclark
There are also a few nice clips of Brian Setzer playing his 6120 which sound really good (I mean those clips where he decides to go jazzy - a great player with a wonderful feel for music he is!).
.... but I guess we had this discussion a number of times before here at the forum :-)
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He is my favorite guitarist and absolute favorite performer with the BSO. I've never enojoyed myself so thoroughly at a show. Originally Posted by FrankLearns
It really does sound good especially when the roundwounds start to go dead.
I am still having difficulty warming up to the longer scale. Not difficult to play... just not my comfortable old 24.75" shoe. haha. Still considering selling it to someone who'd enjoy it and getting something more up my alley.
Killer sounding guitar though. Resists feedback pretty well. Mine is the late 60's double cutaway one that is sealed but for an access panel in the back.
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Try this:
TV Jones Power'trons or some other similarly Gibson-type PAF inspired pickup choice.
Get rid of the Bigsby and put on a trapeze type tailpiece. Lets the body vibrate a little more freely. Not a HUGE difference but it helps.
Replace the adjustable bridge with a compensated wood one.
Flatwounds.
I did this to my old Gretsch 6210 double cut I have and it gets a wonderfully sweet tone on the neck pickup.Last edited by barrymclark; 09-07-2013 at 09:50 PM.
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I totally concur, even without the hardware changes. Filtertrons give a great focused sound that translate single notes and complex chords wonderfully. If it's too bright, flatwounds smooth it out and sound great.
I've been eyeing the 6120DC lately and would love to own one. Is yours vintage?
[edit]
LOL. I just saw your post on Gretsch-Talk. I would love a black 6120dc. Good choice on the pickguard too.Last edited by spiral; 09-08-2013 at 12:13 AM.
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I played a 6120 for a few years in a jazz trio (GBD)....a sound all it's own as we all know...
In 1978 I bought a 1977 Ibanez 2355 (ES-175) and have played it everyday since then...
The Gretsch was great for country and Duane Eddy rock and roll...and of course when doing my Chet Atkins impersonation...
time on the instrument...
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Originally Posted by spiral
It is a vintage. It was made in the late 60's. A precise date of manufacture can't be determined as the serial number was removed during an attempt at refinish by a previous owner. Some tell tale features made it possible to put this in a few years in the late 60's.
The pickguard was done by Paul Setzer. Same with the truss rod cover. The artwork on the pickguard I provided. It was a joke of sorts. A jab at the Suicide King imagery you see in the rockabilly culture. The joke has long worn off for me and I may end up just having a basic one made with no special artwork.
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How does changing to flatwounds affect the plain strings? So then you have unbalanced tone? Originally Posted by spiral
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