Should I put 14s on my Gretsch Country Club...

[David B]

I've long admired your lovely 6193 and have been keeping my eye out for one. Unfortunately they're a rare bird, especially in the natural finish. I say go as heavy as you want!

I should received this limited edition 6120 in the next couple of days and fully intend to play straightahead bebop on it!

[David B]

Are you trying to do this because you have a Gretsch (reasonably thin sounding archtop not overly suited to playing things like Bop)?

If so, I would just get a darker sounding guitar. Gretsch are great but not very well suited. Adding exceptionally heavy strings to compensate, won't make it play nicer, perform any better or make it more practical.

Ever listened to Billy Bean?

[TheGrandWazoo]

Mr Benson,
No offense taken. We will just have to agree to disagree. Though, I never said my high end was brittle, just that I wanted more out of it. It's quite full sounding, just feels like it can offer more. I hope someday you get a chance to play a CC set up for jazz. I think you will be quite surprised and pleased. As a straight ahead player myself I find this guitar well suited for jazz.

[TheGrandWazoo]

David B,
I think you will like the 6120. That was my first gretsch and played straight ahead jazz on it for a year. But be aware, it is set up to be more like a solid body than a hollow body. By that I mean it's not meant to be as resonant as a traditional hollow body. I found switch out the bridge to wood really helped darken the tone. Leave the bigsby on. They're cool and removing it won't really make a difference as the top is strongly braced. So, even removing the bigsby won't help the top move. I did find that 12s really brought out the sound. I use my 6120 now primarily for my surf trio. With the dynas I get a great single coil sound. The reason I'm moved to the 6193 was the CCs have a 25.5 scale while the 6120 is 24.5. I needed the room on the fretboard for my fat fingers when playing chord solos. Best of luck. Let me know if you have any questions on the guitar as I spent a lot if time setting mine up.

Ps also a pro set up really helps.

[David B]

GrandWazoo,
Thanks for the tips. My only guitar for almost two years has been my Moffa Maryan, so the 6120 should make a nice contrast. Inspired by a Jesse van Ruller and Billy Bean, I had been looking out for a guitar with Dynasonics and in particular a '50s Electro II (the Billy Bean guitar) or a natural 6193 like yours. When I saw the black 6120 though, I had to have it! This version doesn't have the heavier "trestle" bracing that some 6120s have.

I'd love to see your guitar in action!

[TheGrandWazoo]

If there is no trestle bracing then I'd definitely consider removing the bigsby and switching to a wood bridge, ebony or rosewood. I find rosewood suited me better but the effect was minimal. There shouldn't really be anything else you need to change. She should be good to go stock.

[feet]

if i'm not mistaken, the natural, spruce top country club is a rare legendary mistake amongst gretsch fans. not many out there and were only extant for a short period of time. as cool as they are, however (and they are pretty awesome and i hate you for having one), i really want a purple one. still.

david- that is a damn sharp guitar i was unaware of. that'll get you the ladies for sure. please keep us posted.

as for me, much like the wazoo, i modded my gretsches out the wazoo. pots, caps, tuners, pickups, bridges, and more. it just feels right to mess with your gretsch. while they are perfectly fine stock, at a minimum i would suggest a bridge swap, if only to get something to match the radius. if you don't go with a wood one, tru arc bridgeworks make some perfectly lovely bar bridges in a few alloys that really make a tonal difference.

and lastly, to address the original topic: although you have your heart set on ti's, have you considered everly x-rockers? despite the name, i've come to like their super fat strings, and was able to accommodate the 12-60 set on my 6118 without incident (though tuned down one step). i'm going to try a few more sets in different gauges and hope to find a few single strings to mix and match from sam ash.

[TheGrandWazoo]

Feet,
Thanks for the suggestion about x-rpockers. Never heard of them but I will definitely take a look. Oh, and I felt like the luckiest guy in the world when I got the guitar.

Ooo-Rah about the Tru-Arc. I bought a used brass off a guy on gretchpages.com and I have to say it was the matched radius to the neck that by far made the biggest improvement to my 6120. Much better than the stock floating Bigsby (yuck).

David, I too highly recommend a Tru-Arc or Compton that is matched to your radius. HUGE improvement to playability. Tru-Arc now has glass bridges which are supposed to be, meow!