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I was at a local guitar place checking out a trem pedal—didn’t care for the EHX Pulsar so much but liked the Walrus mini trem. I just want a little Fender-like warble, not a massive in-your-face effect.
Anyway, while there I got down a Gretsch from the wall to test out the trem with a Fender Deluxe Reverb. I didn’t pay attention to the model, just that it was a used hollowbody with filtertrons. 2 switches on the right upper bout. Bigsby. Chet Atkins?
It sounded bright with the sound off, but when plugged in, turning down the treble about halfway, I was able to get a jazz tone for the ages. Plunk, thunk and mellow. And the thing almost played itself. I was really interested—but then tried to play do some fingerstyle stuff and found that my fat fingers wouldn’t fit. I couldn’t play a D chord at the 5th fret to save my life.
Oh well. Saved from another impulsive guitar buy.
I know very little about Gretsch guitars. Are all Gretsch necks like that? I normally don’t pay so much attention to neck width, but there is a limit for my hand. Very different from Gibson necks, like my ‘88 175.
As an aside, anyone tried the TCE Choka tremolo pedal? The price is right, and it gets good reviews. Just want to add a little color to accompanying some singers ala Tuck and Patti. TCE only sells through Sweetwater, so no chance of trying one in person.Last edited by Doctor Jeff; 10-14-2023 at 09:27 AM.
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10-08-2023 09:20 AM
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Sounds like you played either a 6120 or a 6118.
Both should have a nut width of 1 11/16”.
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I can not deduct the type of Gretsch you tried. The double switches on the upper bout indicate it could have been a higher end 6xxx model with the PU selector and a tone switch nicknamed "mud switch"
I have had several Gretsch guitars and still have some Gretsches like 6136, 6136DC, 6122 and a G400 Most Gretsches have a kind of a D shape neck, not so deep, but pretty wide. About the same width as my biggest L5 neck. Compared to my 1977 L5CES, they are wide necks.
Here are my both falcons. Both have comparable necks, the DC model is my favorite, as the upper part is more easy to play and the balance when sitting down (I play bigband) is much better
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The newer production Gretsch guitars are made in Japan so their quality of construction is excellent. But for me I never could bond with those or older vintage ones as well.
I always went for Gibson or similar say Benedetto models.
It’s a really great sound for Pop music but not so much for a traditional Jazz tone imo. Again this is just my opinion and how they speak to me.
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I’m thinking it was a 6117 Double Anniversary, with a 1 11/16” neck.
Vintage Gretsch Guitars 1963 6117 Double Anniversary Hollow Body Electric Guitar | Guitar Center
Virtually all my guitars have 1 3/4” necks, but then I have somewhat fat fingers that are even less streamlined as I’ve gotten older.
I am tempted to go play it again. Man it had a sweet tone and playability. Maybe I could make it work—what jazz musician ever plays a D barred at the 5th fret with 2-3-4 fingers?? That’s like one step away from cowboy chords LOL.
I will say I love my 175 but it still feels a bit like work. Maybe that’s a good thing. If the playability and tone were too simple, maybe I wouldn’t appreciate it as much?
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Two things to be cautious about with a ‘63 Gretsch.
1. This era was particularly susceptible to binding rot. Look it over very carefully. Once the rot starts, it’s hard to keep in check.
2. The neck joint on these can be real dodgy. Make sure the neck is firmly attached, and that there are no gaps. A short bridge/saddle is usually an indication that the neck will have to be reset.
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Nearly all the MIJ Gretsch guitars I've played have had exceptionally nice necks and general playability.
Only downside is no nitro finishes, but the upside is that binding rot/neck join issues are not an issue.
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Can't help on the Gretch front but i went down a tremolo path lately
More to it than I first thought- Fender had several variants of tremolo.
I landed on a JHS trem. Simple, cheap, well made and gave an Opto/Standard trem or Harmonic trem without being overly fussy with tap, dotted repeats etc.
I thought about the SurfyBear trem but what I liked about the JHS is that it can go much slower and more subtle to me than a typical Amp style trem.
It is Digital if that bothers you, but quietly in the background I don't know who would notice. It complements my QSBUS nicely.
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Added a modern Japanese-made Gretsch G6609TG to the flock recently and it’s quite the addictive guitar. I mostly use it to scratch my rock itch but also to do things like Sleepwalk or other stuff on the edge of jazz, early rock ‘n roll and blues. As far as getting a traditional jazz tone out of it, I guess that might be challenging. Getting a distinctive, usable jazz tone out of it is easy. And getting heard in a big band setting should be a breeze with this thing.
It’s a very well-made guitar but of course the Bigsby spring is so unstable that the guitar constantly goes out of tune even if I don’t use the trem (that’s like Russian roulette with Bigsby’s), so I had to block it. My dealer will sort that out next time I visit. Now that it’s blocked, tuning stability is excellent.
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Doctor Jeff,
That 1963 Gretsch 6118 Double Anniversary you played at Guitar Center was made in Brooklyn, New York.
The biggest difference between it and the modern Japanese-made Gretsch 6118 is that it has HiLo’tron pickups on it. They are single coils, unlike Filtertrons, which are hum buckers.
Looking at the sparse photos in the ad, I can see that the heel cap is rotting. Do you recall seeing discoloration on the binding elsewhere?
These guitars can be great players. I own a Japanese-made 6118, and it is a mean, nasty rock-n-roller. But as I mentioned, it has Filtertrons. HiLo’trons are not wound as hot.
Under $1500 for a ‘63 Double Annie is a fair price, if you can handle the rot (which is purely cosmetic), and if the heel and neck angle is correct.Last edited by 1charlie; 10-09-2023 at 09:58 AM.
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I agree, getting a good jazz tone out of a Gretsch is not easy. However, I do believe that Gretsch for jazz is underrated. Using Flatwounds and fiddling with both the pickup height and pickup screws while maintaining the neutral 12 o clock settings on the amp tone knobs is both time consuming and helpful. It took me a couple of hours (I use 3 flats and 3 plain single strings) to get that the way I wanted it soundwise.
Originally Posted by Oscar67
No issues with the tuning stability after correcting the nut slot width on my Gretsches. It takes some time to determine which string it is that wont return properly..
O, some of the greatest players used Gretsch. George van Eps and Freddie Green.
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Are you saying you played that specific guitar, or is it that you think what you played is that model? If it’s that specific guitar it’s very cheap, almost suspiciously so. If that’s what it is and it doesn’t need the neck reset that these often do, I’d say grab it. Double Anniversaries are great (with the vintage Gretsch reset caveat). Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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^^OK I should clarify I didn't play that exact guitar at GC. I played a similar guitar at Dietze Music in Omaha.
I didn't pay attention to the model. I am going from memory as to the attributes of the guitar, and the guitar linked to above is what it most resembled. It did not seem decades old and had no major defects that I saw. It was priced at $1599. I assume it was made in Japan.
The Bigsby is a mixed blessing of course. I have one on a Tele, but don't really need one on a jazz guitar. I guess I could play Sleepwalk on the Tele...
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Cal Collins played a Gretch, in addition to Gibson, Epiphone, Benedetto, etc.
As a young person interested in Jazz guitar in SW Ohio, he was the man!
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There are some Japanese models with 1 3/4" nut width, the 6122-59, 6120 CGP, and some Tennessee Rose and Anniversary models made around 2004 with JF serial number prefixes. I have one of each.
I like Gretsches just fine for jazz, but I'm not a straightahead dark sound purist. Still, it's never hard to get rid of highs you don't want.
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Got it. EIther Sleepwalk, or go all in on an early Beatles tribute band. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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OK I went back and checked it out again. The guitar was a ‘13 G6117T-HT—a reissue of the famous ‘60’s era double anniversary Gretsch archtop. It’s a laminated guitar with trestled bracing and HiLo-tron pickups.
I played it again, and I really liked it a lot. I noticed one thing I missed earlier—it has adjustable string spacing on the bridge. Therefore, I should be able to space it out a bit for better fingerpicking and fat finger fretting.
It was made in Japan, and to my eye the fit and finish are flawless. I would put it up against any off-the-shelf American-made guitar of that time.
The want is strong for this one. Priced at $1500. Hard to resist…
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On another note, I got the Choka tremolo pedal. Great bit of gear. Very sturdy, and does just what I want it to do. Priced reasonably at $49.
I am tempted to say a lot of us think of chorus in expanding our sound, but what we really want is the organic warble of a slow, subtle tremolo. I think I will be using this a lot.
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Oh well. Guess what followed me home…
Pristine case—looks never used.
Beautiful face.
Not bad from the back either.
I like big bursts, I cannot lie.
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Looks like it fits right in, enjoy.
Thanks John
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I have a confession. I did not know it didn’t have tone knobs until I brought it home.
I made some adjustments in the store and THOUGHT I was dialing off the treble. No, I was turning down the neck pickup.
There is an interesting tone switch which is either neutral, bass augmented or slight treble roll-off.
Still liking this guitar. I can adjust the string spacing a mm or 2 with the bridge, but don’t feel a need to right this moment.
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Well bought at $1500. She is a beauty.
Mine is a 2004, with Filtertrons and a soundpost. The extra switch used to be called the “mud” switch because that is what it did to the tone. The Japanese reissues made the mud switch into something truly useful. I can get a greater variety of tones out of this Gretsch than any other guitar I have owned.
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Beautiful guitar! Gretsches are great guitars, with a really distinct voice!
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