Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have noticed that Gretsch does not seem to list the weight of their instruments in their online specifications. While I have played very few of them, I have noticed quite a variation in weight even among the proseries models. I played two newer high end Duojets (2003 versus 2009) with the latter being much lighter than the former. I also suspect that the trestle bracing might make for a much heavier instrument. I would be interested in knowing your experience. The Tennessee Rose, I have read, is around 3.3 kg or about 7 pounds.

I can't speak for the RI Tenny models, since my Tenny is an original `65, but my 6120 Western is very light. Like Danotron, I love the RI models; no one makes "American" guitars better than Japan . . . except Rickenbacker, of course.

I have a 6129T w/Bigsby http://gretschguitars.com/gear/index.ph ... 2=&q=&st=1 `57 RI Silver Jet that's 12 years old, and a fixed arm Bigsby Duo Jet that's about six years newer. http://gretschguitars.com/gear/index.ph ... 2=&q=&st=1 The Silver Jet is noticeably heavier, though not uncomfortably so, than the fixed arm Bigsby, which is amazingly light as a feather, much like the Billy Zoom Silver Jet. Gretsch CT scanned Zoom's Gretsch to get the size of the chambers and light weight correctly, and since then it seems as though every Gretsch Jet model I've tried at NAMM has been similarly light as a feather. I changed out the fixed arm for a Duane Eddy arm on the Duo Jet, and the Melitta Bridge for a Space Controller, which has far superior sustain; other than weight and the bridge, the guitar is identical to my Silver Jet wrt controls and pickups, yet when I bought the guitar it did not have as much sustain. I switched out the bridge and presto-problem solved.

All the guitars play and sound great. The 6120 usually just stays in its case because I can't bring myself to wear the gold off the hardware yet.

Paul: Thanks for your great comments. I see you have made mention of lighter Gretsch instruments as of late, perhaps due to more accurate reproduction in some of the reissues.

When I get my Gretsch 6120 I will do my level best to play it until I get the gold off the hardware.

admin wrote:Paul: Thanks for your great comments. I see you have made mention of lighter Gretsch instruments as of late, perhaps due to more accurate reproduction in some of the reissues.

When I get my Gretsch 6120 I will do my level best to play it until I get the gold off the hardware.

I'm generally not a big fan of gold hardware, but it looks so brand new and shiny it's hard for me to wear it off. Jeff Levenson said I should just remove all the hardware, throw each piece at the pufing wheel with some polishing compoud, and whirl away until I get down to the nickel. . . .

After I finish wearing the rest of the finish off the back of my silver Jet, I might have the chambers routed out when I have it refinished, to match the newer and original Gretsch models, but then again I might not; it's always had a fantastic, rockin' sound, and I'm not sure I want to change that significantly.

I forgot to mention; all of the Gretsches play wonderfully, but the 6120 has an amazingly thin (shallow) C-shaped neck.

Gretsch gold wears off if you look at it cross-eyed...

Paul: Are the gold ones heavier or lighter?

Depends upon whether you look at them cross-eyed.

Paul: You are worth your weight in gold.

$1,000/ounce X 16 ounces X 198 pounds = $3,168,000.00.

Are you sure?

jingle_jangle wrote:Gretsch gold wears off if you look at it cross-eyed...

I think that is true of any brand of instrument; of course, only Gretsches have Gretsch gold.

Nope. The Schaller stuff that I use (bridges, tuners) is pretty long-lasting...

Fender gold is better than Gretsch, but only slightly.