Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

...whereas Les Pauls (excepting the low impedance, now-obsolete early Studio, Personal and Professional models) seem to deliver a rather narrow range of sounds. I use mine but only for some stuff, and that's due more to its ability to bend multiple strings with the way it's set up, than to pickup sound. But I have to not want single-coil ring and transparency.

You can't get humbucker snarl from single-coils.

"Stunning, contemporary sound". I like that.

BTW, the most flexible guitar I own is my '59 Duo-Sonic! It's got two single coils, when they're both on it's humbucking and snarly, and when the out-of-phase is set, there's a whole 'nuther range. And it's all passive, too.

I've played my '66 335 through a number of amps and it really sounds the same with minor tweaking.

Whnat I can't understand is why you would want to shootout your amp using your guitar? Wouldn't a gun be easier?

LOL!

Gretsch is only distributed by Fender, but they are not owned by Fender. I heard from a reliable source who knows Fred Gretsch, and this is what he has said. Apparently Gretsch decided that Fender could do a better job with the product than Gretsch itself could, so they struck a deal with Fender to where basically Fender is running Gretsch but the Gretsch family still owns Gretsch.

Fender definitly owns Guild though.

Gretsches are all made in Korea now aren't they?

The Synchromatics are Korean-built but as far as I know (unless something's changed in the last 2 weeks), all the others are made in Japan using parts from various countries (American timber, German bridges, Taiwanese pots, Japanese machine heads, Canadian cases).

Cheers

Low and mid-end stuff in Korea and the higher end stuff in Japan. The Japanese factory will be closing soon, though.

I was under the impression that Fender bought the rights to build the guitars and Gretsch licensed their name to Fender. The Gretsch name, designs, and tooling was what they sold--there was no brick-and-mortar USA factory anymore.

Correct, Paul.

As I understand it they are closing a small factory in Japan and incorporating into the main one.

There was some discussion on this subject in the Gretsch forum a week or two ago.

Cheers

I read somewhere that after the reformation of Gretch that some of the early Gretches were made by Heritage in Kalamazoo, the old Gibson plant. Those may be the ones to look for.

Fender seems to be on a buying binge with the purchase of Jackson and all the others listed. At this rate there will be only a few companies left.

This happened to the toy industry back in the '80s, when I was an independent toy designer, living on royalties from my designs. Mattel started gobbling small and large companies up, then Hasbro started. Where there were once about 200 companies to whom I would present new ideas and inventions, there reamined about 30 after the buying sprees were over.

It's now divided between East coast/West coast; Mattel/Hasbro.

But who will be Fender's competition? A hundred low-to-mid range proprietary labels (Jay Turser, Stellar, etc.), all built in the same handful of factories in China and Korea where Epi, Gretsch, and Inanez build theirs.

Then there's PRS...a company who I just don't get.

"I read somewhere that after the reformation of Gretch that some of the early Gretches were made by Heritage in Kalamazoo, the old Gibson plant. Those may be the ones to look for."

I have a brand new Tennessean 6119-62HT (Dec 2004) and it is absolutely flawless. I'd put it up against a vintage Gretsch any day.

I agree with Spencer; in fact, this has been an ongoing debate on the Gretsch Forum. The new Japanese Gretsches (post-Fender takeover) are truly awesome, whereas it seems that it's necessary to really cherry-pick among the pre-Fender '70s and later ones in order to find such excellence.

I've got my eye on a 6118 T120 Annie and will make a move on one in the next couple of weeks. I can hardly wait!

Couldn't help but put in my 2 centavos in. Got a Falcon, Japanese made, and it seems as good as any other I have touched. It's not a Ric but it will do

Top-of-the-line Buz!!!

"Japanese made" no longer needs a "but"...their quality has come a long way in the decades since the word "Japanese" was followed by the word "junk".

They are as a culture, much more obsessive than Americans about most things. That has extended to cars, electronics and lots of other products, including guitars.

Koreans and Chinese are close behind and closing ranks as we speak...