Gretsch Players Edition & Reissue Edition Guitars

95
May 2016 Guitarist
review GRETSCH PLAYERS EDITION & REISSUE EDITION GUITARS
GRETSCH G6118T
PLAYERS EDITION
ANNIVERSARY
PRICE: £1,899 (inc case)
ORIGIN: Japan
TYPE: Single-cutaway
hollowbody electric
BODY: Laminated maple back, top
and sides w/ ML bracing
MAX WIDTH: 400mm
RIM DEPTH: 56mm
NECK: Maple, standard ‘U’ profile
SCALE LENGTH: 625mm (24.6”)
NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech NuBone
Tusq XL/43.25mm
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood, pearloid
thumbnail inlays, 305mm (12”) radius
FRETS: 22, medium jumbo
HARDWARE: Nickel-plated secured
Rocking Bar bridge, ‘String-Thru’
Bigsby B6CP vibrato, Schaller
rear-locking tuners
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 52.5mm
ELECTRICS: 2x High Sensitive
Filter’Tron humbuckers, 3-position
pickup selector toggle switch, master
volume, master tone (No-load),
2x individual pickup volume controls
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.48/7.7
OPTIONS: Colour only
RANGE OPTIONS: The G6118T-60GE
Reissue 1960 Anniversary (£1,999)
LEFT-HANDERS: No
FINISHES: 2-Tone Lotus Ivory and
Charcoal Metallic (as reviewed),
Smoke Green – gloss urethane
GRETSCH G6119T
PLAYERS EDITION
TENNESSEE ROSE
PRICE: £1,899 (inc case)
ORIGIN: Japan
TYPE: Single cutaway
hollowbody electric
BODY: Laminated maple back,
top and sides w/ ML bracing
MAX WIDTH: 400mm
RIM DEPTH: 56mm
NECK: Maple, standard ‘U’ profile
SCALE LENGTH: 625mm (24.6”)
NUT/WIDTH: Graph Tech NuBone
Tusq XL/42.9mm
FINGERBOARD: White bound
rosewood, pearloid thumbnail inlays,
305mm (12”) radius
FRETS: 22, medium jumbo
HARDWARE: Nickel-plated secured
Rocking Bar bridge, ‘String-Thru’
Bigsby B6GP vibrato, Schaller
rear-locking tuners
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 52.5mm
ELECTRICS: 2x High Sensitive
Filter’Tron humbuckers, 3-position
pickup selector toggle switch, master
volume, master tone (No-load),
2x individual pickup volume controls
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.45/7.6
OPTIONS: None
RANGE OPTIONS: G6119T-62GE
Reissue 1962 Chet Atkins Tennessee
Rose (£2,099)
LEFT-HANDERS: No
FINISHES: Deep Cherry Stain –
gloss urethane
PROS Ditto the Anniversary – great
upgrades, including the locking
tuners and String-Thru Bigsby
CONS A very close cousin to the
Anniversary… a model too far?
PROS Workingman’s Gretsch with
great upgrades, not least the locking
tuners and String-Thru Bigsby
CONS Might need a treble lift to
obtain true twang
9 8
GRETSCH G6120T-55GE
REISSUE CHET ATKINS
PRICE: £2,599 (inc case)
ORIGIN: Japan
TYPE: Single-cutaway
hollowbody electric
BODY: Laminated maple back, top
and sides w/ parallel tone bars
MAX WIDTH: 400mm
RIM DEPTH: 70mm
NECK: Maple, standard ‘U’ profile
SCALE LENGTH: 625mm (24.6”)
NUT/WIDTH: Aluminium/42.6mm
FINGERBOARD: Aged white bound
rosewood, aged pearloid blocks
with western motif inlays, 305mm
(12”) radius
FRETS: 22, medium jumbo
HARDWARE: Pinned aluminium
compensated bridge, Bigsby B6GBVF
vibrato, Grover Sta-Tite tuners –
gold-plated
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 51mm
ELECTRICS: 2x TV Jones T-Armond
single coils, 3-position pickup selector
toggle switch, master volume, master
tone, 2x pickup volume controls
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.19/7
OPTIONS: The ’59 spec G6120T-59GE
Chet Atkins Hollowbody (£2,599)
RANGE OPTIONS: There are two
6120s in the Players Edition: G6120T
Nashville (£2,199) and the G6120TFM
Nashville, Flame Maple (£2,399)
LEFT-HANDERS: Not this model,
only the Players Edition G6120TLH
Nashville (£2,379)
FINISHES: Western Orange Stain –
gloss nitrocellulose
GRETSCH G6136T-59GE
REISSUE 1959 FALCON
PRICE: £3,199 (inc case)
ORIGIN: Japan
TYPE: Single cutaway
hollowbody electric
BODY: Laminated maple back, top and
sides w/ 1959-style Trestle bracing
MAX WIDTH: 430mm
RIM DEPTH: 70mm
NECK: Maple, standard ‘U’ profile
SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”)
NUT/WIDTH: Bone/43.56mm
FINGERBOARD: Gold sparkle ebony,
m-o-p thumbnail inlays, 305mm
(12”) radius
FRETS: 22, medium jumbo
HARDWARE: Space Control bridge,
Bigsby B6GVT vibrato, Grover Imperial
with ‘stair-step’ buttons – gold-plated
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 52.5mm
ELECTRICS: 2x TV Classic
humbuckers, 3-position pickup
selector toggle switch, master volume,
2x individual pickup volume controls,
3-position master tone switch
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.89/8.5
OPTIONS: G6136-55GE Reissue 1955
Falcon with Cadillac tailpiece and TV
Jones T-Armond single coils (£3,199)
RANGE OPTIONS: G6136T Players
Edition Falcon with string-thru Bigsby
and Filter’Trons (£2,799)
LEFT-HANDERS: Not this model, only
the G6136TLH Players Edition Falcon
with Bigsby, with Filter’Trons (£2,899)
FINISHES: White – gloss
nitrocellulose
PROS Beautiful repro with sensible
upgrades and TV Jones’s best-selling
Filter’Tron recreation
CONS Not for the meek; it’s also a
big and quite heavy ol’ bird
PROS A classic guitar with high build
quality, great playability and huge
‘twang’ factor
CONS Not the best choice for
playing at high volumes
9 8
VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
GIT406.rev_gretsch.indd 95 16/03/2016 08:09