I just bought one of the Gretsch Tennesseans with the HiLo Trons like George's. I'm sure that plenty of folks here are familiar with this model as it's another "Beatle" guitar. I picked it up for half price at Dave's in Wisconson. I Hope that it arrives by the end of the week.
Who else here has one and what do you think of them overall?
I have read some about them on the Gretsch Pages and it seems that the pickups are the main weak part on the whole guitar and most recommended replacing them with the TV Jones HiLo's.
Gretsch 6119 HT '62
Charles: I saw the same deal at Dave's and almost went for it myself. Last year I sold a very nice '66 Tennessean, because the binding was starting to deteriorate and I didn't like the way the floating bridge tended to move around. I've been wanting to give another Gretsch a try. If I do it will be a new one. I'm getting away from vintage originals because I'm tired of dealing with issues like worn frets and checked finishes. Enjoy!
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skeeterbuck
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Thanks Randy!
Yea, I figured that your not going to get a better price on one and I have been looking on and off lately at one of these.
As to the vintage ones, I know what you mean. I had a '67 Tenny and the binding was perfect which as anyone that knows Gretsch's this is very rare for that year. Anyway, I sold it to my best buddy (semi-big mistake) and he still has it, so I still get to see and play it when I visit him. I also had a '66 Nashville and if you looked at it wrong the binding would fall off. LOL!!!
Yea, I figured that your not going to get a better price on one and I have been looking on and off lately at one of these.
As to the vintage ones, I know what you mean. I had a '67 Tenny and the binding was perfect which as anyone that knows Gretsch's this is very rare for that year. Anyway, I sold it to my best buddy (semi-big mistake) and he still has it, so I still get to see and play it when I visit him. I also had a '66 Nashville and if you looked at it wrong the binding would fall off. LOL!!!
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jingle_jangle
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I'm a bit confused...this is a '62 guitar, or one of the new ones? When you say "half price", I'm thinking half off list, which is new guitar lingo...
The people on the Gretsch pages are quite narrow-minded when it comes to pickups. I've owned several pro line Gretsches with HiLo Trons and they're just fine. Depends on what you want in terms of sound.
I recommend that, before you go swapping pickups, you play it for awhile and then try out some TV FT-equipped guitars to see if they are preferable to you.
'67 is when Gretsches started to get a bit dicey and by '69 they were getting into their dark period. Binding has been a problem with the pre-Baldwin-era guitars and may prove to be the same with the Baldwins as well as time goes by. The Baldwins are singularly unattractive guitars anyway, IMO.
If you're talking new Gretsches, Charles, I have a one-month-old 6122-59 Nashville Classic, and also a 2005 6120JR2. The former is an indescribably wonderful direct line to Chet's legacy. The pickups on this are unobtainable on any other other Gretsch, although I managed to score one of the special handwound bridge ones last week for the one I'm building for Aitch. The latter (JR2) is a perfectly-sized sit down picking guitar with wonderful classic Gretsch tone.
Everything Fender is doing wrong with their own line, they are doing right with Gretsch, IMO again.
The people on the Gretsch pages are quite narrow-minded when it comes to pickups. I've owned several pro line Gretsches with HiLo Trons and they're just fine. Depends on what you want in terms of sound.
I recommend that, before you go swapping pickups, you play it for awhile and then try out some TV FT-equipped guitars to see if they are preferable to you.
'67 is when Gretsches started to get a bit dicey and by '69 they were getting into their dark period. Binding has been a problem with the pre-Baldwin-era guitars and may prove to be the same with the Baldwins as well as time goes by. The Baldwins are singularly unattractive guitars anyway, IMO.
If you're talking new Gretsches, Charles, I have a one-month-old 6122-59 Nashville Classic, and also a 2005 6120JR2. The former is an indescribably wonderful direct line to Chet's legacy. The pickups on this are unobtainable on any other other Gretsch, although I managed to score one of the special handwound bridge ones last week for the one I'm building for Aitch. The latter (JR2) is a perfectly-sized sit down picking guitar with wonderful classic Gretsch tone.
Everything Fender is doing wrong with their own line, they are doing right with Gretsch, IMO again.
“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
― Kurt Vonnegut
Charles: I think it was The Curmudgeon who explained me why my binding was deteriorating. I had made the silly mistake of leaving the guitar tucked away safely in its case (as I do with all of my guitars). Apparently, older Gretsches don't like this. I found that the binding started having problems and that the hardware would be severely tarnished every time I got the guitar out. I always wiped it down before putting it away, but it always looked terrible when I opened the case. Something about the finishing chemicals and/or the case lining was causing a reaction. It was a gorgeous guitar, but I could never get comfortable with it. At least I almost tripled my money when I sold it for $1800. Live and learn...
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skeeterbuck
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Yea Paul, It's one of the new Gretsch's from Fender. The '62 indicates that it's a copy of the 62 Tennessean model like George played. Daves Guitars in Wisconson is selling them for $1379 which is 1/2 off the list. Apparently Fender has authorized the 1/2 price sale to move out some of the slow movers in the Gretsch line. North Coast Music also had several they were selling off. The rumor over at the Gretsch Pages is that possibly Fender has come to an arrangement with the Chet Atkins estate and will re-issue these Atkins models with his signature like the originals were. Remember this is JUST A RUMOR!
I plan on doing just as you say and playing it awhile before changing anything. It is my understanding that IF there is one place that you MAY want to consider a change is the pickups. On some of the new Gretsch models, like the one you described and some others that come equipped form the factory with the TV Jones pickups, you already have great pickups.
Randy, That was the thing with my '67 Tennessean that I was referring to in the thread above, I bought the guitar from a dealer at a show who had just bought the guitar just several days earlier form the original owner. I was able to contact her, ( it was a grown woman) and she told me that it was purchased form a music store outside Chicago where she had been taking lessons at the time. It had all of the original hang tags and warranty certificate. The only thing that was missing was the polishing cloth!!!
Anyway she had not played it for years and it has been put away in its original case for years and she had just re-discovered it and decided to finally sell it to raise some cash. She told me that the dealer gave her $800 and I bought it for $1200 which was to going price for one at that time. Now you would think that the binding would have been rotted all to hell being in its case all that time, but it was just as nice as you could want. As they say...Go figure!
Paul, what make and gauge of strings do you use on your Gretsch guitars?
I plan on doing just as you say and playing it awhile before changing anything. It is my understanding that IF there is one place that you MAY want to consider a change is the pickups. On some of the new Gretsch models, like the one you described and some others that come equipped form the factory with the TV Jones pickups, you already have great pickups.
Randy, That was the thing with my '67 Tennessean that I was referring to in the thread above, I bought the guitar from a dealer at a show who had just bought the guitar just several days earlier form the original owner. I was able to contact her, ( it was a grown woman) and she told me that it was purchased form a music store outside Chicago where she had been taking lessons at the time. It had all of the original hang tags and warranty certificate. The only thing that was missing was the polishing cloth!!!
Anyway she had not played it for years and it has been put away in its original case for years and she had just re-discovered it and decided to finally sell it to raise some cash. She told me that the dealer gave her $800 and I bought it for $1200 which was to going price for one at that time. Now you would think that the binding would have been rotted all to hell being in its case all that time, but it was just as nice as you could want. As they say...Go figure!
Paul, what make and gauge of strings do you use on your Gretsch guitars?
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jingle_jangle
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I use the strings which came on them, as they each have less than ten hours of playing time and I always wipe them down. I do plan to try some TI flat .012s on the Chet '59. Don't know about the JR2 yet.
“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
― Kurt Vonnegut
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skeeterbuck
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jingle_jangle
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The D'Addarios would be a good choice. I'll road test them when I restring the JR2.
“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
― Kurt Vonnegut
