Who doesn’t drool over a Gretsch? Who hasn’t looked at a
big, hollowbody White Falcon or Country Gentlemen and dreamed? Who wouldn’t
want that “Great Gretsch Sound?” Whether it’s Eddie Cochran, Brian Setzer,
Billy Duffy, or the hordes of others, the question remains- who wouldn’t want
to look as frickin’ cool as those guys?
Maybe you’re in that camp, and maybe you’re not. I always
was, but they were way out of my reach, with prices starting at about $2500, going
up to $3500 for the revered White Falcon. Then, suddenly, that changed. Fender
took control of the company and somewhere the brilliant idea was hatched- the G5120.
This awesome guitar entered the market at a ridiculous $599. (They’ve since
come to their senses a bit, and jacked the price up.) I instantly had to have
one, no matter what it took! I didn’t have the scratch to be able to plunk down
on one, and realizing that my pooch was far too dumb to be farmed out as a
seeing-eye dog for extra money, I had to take a different approach. Looking
around at my already sizeable guitar collection, I scanned for one I could sell
in order to fund my pending purchase. The hardest things in life are seeing
your child go off to college, crashing your first nice car, realizing that your
wife really does poop, and selling a guitar. It’s like losing a little part of
yourself, and putting it in the hands of some stranger, who you’re convinced
cannot be nearly as cool as you are. I was about to part with one of my babies,
but I had to just suck it up and get one for sale on E-Bay as soon as humanly
possible.
I chose this Ibanez that I had built up from parts. It had a
body that had been crudely swirled. It was someone’s first venture into the
mystical world of swirled paint, and really wasn’t that great. As such, I think
I got it for about 40 bucks. Still, I loved it for its imperfections and naked
honesty. Plus, since you’re reading a blog called “Guitargain Hunter,” you
already know I’m a cheap-ass. I put, like, 12 coats of clear on it to protect
the interesting finish, which I called “Blueberry Puke.” When I was done, it
looked awesome (and really shiny!). I added a maple RG270 maple neck and
Dimarzio pickups. I spent about 2 years with this guitar, and had taken it on
stage with me a few times. But still, it wasn’t my main guitar… and I wanted
that Gretsch badly!
So, I sold it for 600 bucks and off to Guitar Center I went.
I couldn’t hand the dude my money fast enough.
I haven’t bought a lot of guitars new. Most of mine are
these amazing E-Bay victories, bought cheaply at two in the morning or
assembled in my shop from parts. I wasn’t used to seeing a guy come out of the
back with a brand new box in his hand. I certainly wasn’t used to that new
guitar smell as I pulled it out of that box at home. But there it was, in all
its big orange glory.
Now, the first thing I do with any guitar is to put my own
strings on it. I use Fender 250XLs, 9-46, or sometimes DR Extra Lifes, which I
use on guitars I hate changing strings on. I would later come to find that the
Gretsch falls into the latter category. As I cut the old strings off, I got the
surprise of my life. This was my first hollowbody, and wasn’t expecting the
floating bridge to fall right off. Surprise! I had wrongly assumed that these
bridges were pinned in place. Nope. So now I was going to have to try to line
this bridge back up as I put new strings on. Easy, right? Just put new strings
on it. Also a surprise. In addition to this being my first floating bridge, this
was my first Bigsby tremolo, and I wasn’t quite prepared for how tricky these
are to restring. The ball ends (good thing I wasn’t using bullets) have to hook
onto these tiny little pins and wrap around the wrist pin (for lack of a better
term). Easier said than done. I did get the hang of it, but only after running
down the list of words you can’t say on TV.
Finally, the strings were on, and I had the bridge lined up and
intonated properly. Ahhhhhhhh. Now to play it.
I’m a firm believer that all guitars need some break-in
time, and while this guitar was no exception, it did play awfully nicely out of
the gate. I’ve had it for a few years now, and believe me, once these are
broken in, there’s nothing quite like them! The action is great, and string
tension is low, making bends as smooth as warm butter. The Bigsby has a great
feel to it, too. Now, since mine is the earliest run of these guitars, my trem
says “Bigsby Licensed,” where the new ones just say “Bigsby.” That might
partially account for the rise in prices.
Recently, I was in Los Angeles. I hooked up with a buddy of
mine out there for a tour of some cool music stores. Our first stop was the
famous Truetone Music, the ultimate playground for us gearheads. There, just
sitting out on the floor, was a used 6120, priced at $2200. I had to pick it up
and play it. I prepared myself, that this expensive, well broken-in Gretsch
might ruin my feelings for my lowly, Korean-made 5120. Shock. This guitar
played no better than mine. In fact, I actually preferred the feel of mine. So
there it was, the epiphany, the realization that my 5120 was indeed a true
Gretsch.
Yeah, but Muppet, how does it sound??? Exactly like you
would hope it would. As you would imagine, these are not high gain-friendly. At
high volumes, with the overdrive cranked, these things howl and whine like
Paris Hilton with no credit card. However, at an appropriate gain level, and
through my Line 6 Duoverb, Carvin Legacy 3, Fender Bassman 50 head, and every
other amp I’ve ever plugged it into, the sound is gorgeous. Even with the stock
pickups, the sound is open and woody. It rings with a little twang to each
note. Articulation is great, with each note in the chord poking through. As
such, it can be somewhat unforgiving. Clunker notes in the chord stand out like
a creepy old dude at a nightclub. Fortunately, these guitars are so easy to
play that your chances of this abomination are minimized.
What also does it for me are the nice touches on this guitar. Chrome knobs with the G and arrow, chrome pickup selector, knurled screw-in strap buttons, and the coolest tuners on the planet. The controls are versatile, with a volume for each pickup, and master tone knob, and the quintessential master volume out front. You can balance the pickups any way you want while still having a single master volume to pull down.
Lightweight this guitar is not. It's a whole lot of lumber to strap on, and you know it when it gets on your shoulder. But because of that, it feels and sounds well made. I'm just in love with this guitar.
This guitar has given way to lots of siblings in the
Gretsch/Fender lineup, including single and double cutaways. There’s a new one
I’m drooling over that is basically a poor man’s White Falcon, coming in at
only $1100. Since I have no other guitars that I’m willing to part with at that
price point, my only hope it that the execs over at Gretsch adore my biting wit
and timeless humor, and insist on granting me an endorsement deal. Hey, it can
happen.
Michael "Muppet" Laurance
Want to contact me? thecrimsonrabbit@msn.com
