Gretsch BillyBo Jupiter Thunderbird

110 DECEMBER 2005
Verdict
It would be easy to dismiss the ‘Billy-
Bo’ as yet another example of rock star
excess. But that really is the point. Bo
Diddley’s original vision was all about
ash and Billy Gibbon’s reinvention, not
to mention love of cars and guitars,
makes us wonder why we haven’t seen
the ‘Billy-Bo’ before. It’s not a cheap
guitar and doesn’t exude the features
we’ve come to expect of a £2,000
instrument. But you don’t play a
Gretsch because it’s value-for-money.
You play one because they look damn
cool and that sound – albeit in a beefi er
version here – is frankly unique. A great
electric guitar, whatever its price or
quality, should inspire you. “Like I say,
it’s all in the voodoo!” signs off Billy.
He’s got a point.
Gretsch ‘Billy-Bo Jupiter Thunderbird
RATING
GRETSCH ‘BILLY-BO’ JUPITER THUNDERBIRD £2,099
ELECTRICS CD TRACKS 6 & 7
Gretsch’s designs may well be fi rmly
rooted in the past, but Billy Gibbons isn’t
the only major artist to get a signature
model this year. Long-time Gretsch
disciple Brian Setzer epitomizes the fl ash
’n’ twang of the G-brand, and launched
earlier this year was the G6136SLBP
Black Phoenix (£2,349). The iconic
single-cut hollowbody design features the
1959-style trestle bracing, a pair of TV
Jones Classic humbuckers and pinned
Adjusto-matic bridge – just like the Billy-
Bo. Added for essential shimmer is a
Bigsby B6C vibrato tailpiece, and check
out the silver sparkle binding, Schaller
Straploks and Grover Imperial tuners for
that retro vibe. Finish options are basic:
just black nitro-cellulose.
He might not be known for his guitar
playing, but Bono needs little introduction.
The G6136I Irish Falcon (£2,399) was
also launched this year and is based on
the classic Gretsch Falcon and features a
typical Bono soundbite – ‘The Goal Is
Soul’ – on the pickguard. Available only in
evergreen with gold-plated fi ttings, we get
a pair of High Sensitive Filter’Tron
humbuckers, a ‘rocking’ bar bridge and
Grover Imperials. Clearly, Gretsch’s A&R
department has been working overtime.
Mixing it with the stars
Many thanks to Nick Ryan for the
loan of this guitar.
The input jack is
tidied away neatly
on the inside of the
treble-side tailfi n
Left: the Bono Irish Falcon. The goal is
indeed soul, since a percentage of the profi t
goes to www.data.org to help Africa
Below: the Black Phoenix was designed and
built to Brian Setzer’s demanding specs
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