NGD! I just bought my first Gretsch!
Oct 8, 2022 4:16:04 GMT
thunderbird and blindwilly3fingers like this
Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2022 4:16:04 GMT
Just wanting to share what has been an especial NGD moment & guitar limerence with my Harley Benton Forum friends.
Bought with a specific tonal purpose in mind rather than brand attraction per se. The motivation fueling desire was George Harrison's "my first good guitar" '57 Duo Jet Gretsch he used on the earliest Beatles recordings, and through 1963 and '64, his Gretsch Country Gentleman. Much as I'd love one of each, I had no intention nor truly the need nor fame providing the pocket to justify outlay on either genuine current Gretsch Signature George Harrison Duo Jet or Chet Atkins Country Gentleman, especially given my buying in AU in AUD vs the absurdity of the USD despite the US national debt of a whopping 31 trillion USD$!!!! - but I digress. So I was looking for pragmatic compromise. So what did I end up choosing?
After considering my early Beatlesque Harrison tones purpose, I knew definitely wanted a model with FilterTrons. Listening and researching followed. Gretsch segmentation and pricing (Fender Corp managing sigh, so no surprises when it came to the latter) decided for me that their BlackTop FilterTrons would effect the tonality I was trying to achieve well enough, but pretty much eliminated anything fitted with BlackTop BroadTrons. That narrowed it down to a choice between a G5232T ELECTROMATIC® DOUBLE JET™ FT WITH BIGSBY® or G5230T ELECTROMATIC® JET™ FT SINGLE-CUT WITH BIGSBY®. In truth, I'd probably have preferred either in their V-stoptail versions for pragmatic purposes, but Gretsch currently only produce those either fitted with BroadTrons or weirdly, in the LH version only with FilterTrons. Go figure. So "with B50 Bigsby" it was. So which, did I buy?
Drum roll. .....REVEAL, and in this colour. It's sibling here for a demo of those FilterTrons with Roll over Beethoven and tell Tchaikovsky the news
Would I buy it again? Yes. In a word, delighted. WOW! Not easily impressed nor in awe of either Fender or Gibson brands, I now know why Gretsch have such a strong following. Made in PRC, the finish and BQ of this Gretsch is second to none, kudos indeed when compared with Yamaha's Indonesian production standard and finish of my Revstars. Here's the important part, it's such a truly comfortable neck and superb sounding guitar to play. One thing which surprised me considering it is chambered, was the weight. It's not Les Paul heavy, and I haven't weighed it quantitatively yet, but qualitatively it feels about the same weight as the heavier of my solid body Revstars. That's a comfortable weight however, and balance on the thigh is far better than that of a body heavy Les Paul. Can't perceive a functional need for anything more in guitars, although I have a feeling this is my first Gretsch, but not my last.
Bought with a specific tonal purpose in mind rather than brand attraction per se. The motivation fueling desire was George Harrison's "my first good guitar" '57 Duo Jet Gretsch he used on the earliest Beatles recordings, and through 1963 and '64, his Gretsch Country Gentleman. Much as I'd love one of each, I had no intention nor truly the need nor fame providing the pocket to justify outlay on either genuine current Gretsch Signature George Harrison Duo Jet or Chet Atkins Country Gentleman, especially given my buying in AU in AUD vs the absurdity of the USD despite the US national debt of a whopping 31 trillion USD$!!!! - but I digress. So I was looking for pragmatic compromise. So what did I end up choosing?
After considering my early Beatlesque Harrison tones purpose, I knew definitely wanted a model with FilterTrons. Listening and researching followed. Gretsch segmentation and pricing (Fender Corp managing sigh, so no surprises when it came to the latter) decided for me that their BlackTop FilterTrons would effect the tonality I was trying to achieve well enough, but pretty much eliminated anything fitted with BlackTop BroadTrons. That narrowed it down to a choice between a G5232T ELECTROMATIC® DOUBLE JET™ FT WITH BIGSBY® or G5230T ELECTROMATIC® JET™ FT SINGLE-CUT WITH BIGSBY®. In truth, I'd probably have preferred either in their V-stoptail versions for pragmatic purposes, but Gretsch currently only produce those either fitted with BroadTrons or weirdly, in the LH version only with FilterTrons. Go figure. So "with B50 Bigsby" it was. So which, did I buy?
Drum roll. .....REVEAL, and in this colour. It's sibling here for a demo of those FilterTrons with Roll over Beethoven and tell Tchaikovsky the news
Would I buy it again? Yes. In a word, delighted. WOW! Not easily impressed nor in awe of either Fender or Gibson brands, I now know why Gretsch have such a strong following. Made in PRC, the finish and BQ of this Gretsch is second to none, kudos indeed when compared with Yamaha's Indonesian production standard and finish of my Revstars. Here's the important part, it's such a truly comfortable neck and superb sounding guitar to play. One thing which surprised me considering it is chambered, was the weight. It's not Les Paul heavy, and I haven't weighed it quantitatively yet, but qualitatively it feels about the same weight as the heavier of my solid body Revstars. That's a comfortable weight however, and balance on the thigh is far better than that of a body heavy Les Paul. Can't perceive a functional need for anything more in guitars, although I have a feeling this is my first Gretsch, but not my last.