Hot on the heels of the bodacious Richard Fortus Signature Falcon, Gretsch has once more dug deep to roll out something special with a comprehensive update of its Player Series hollowbody guitars.
Old favourites including the Falcon, Country Gentleman, Nashville, Tennessee Rose and Anniversary models have been given fresh finishes, the all-new FT67 Filter’Tron pickups, and updated hollowbody designs with ML and Parallel bracing patterns to maximise resonance and that big-bodied acoustic energy that helps give these electrics that Great Gretsch Tone.
Other primo appointments include Luminlay glow-in-the-dark side-dot fret markers – not like your Granddaddy’s Country Gent – and rolled fingerboard edges, with Gretsch promising that the updates enhance the guitar’s performance while maintaining that old-school vibe.
That’s been Gretsch’s strongest suite in recent years; and for a guitar brand whose storied heritage carries much water, it has not been afraid to shake things up.
The updated FT67 Filter’Trons sound like an update to one of our favourite electric guitar pickups of all time and they are described by Gretsch as having “open and pristine top-end chime, glassy midrange, robust low end and balanced harmonics”, and a tone that’ll sit nicely in a mix.
The DynaSonic pickup remains an option if you plump for the G6120TG-DS Players Edition Nashville, and elsewhere you’ve got set necks with a “U” profile, string-thru Bigsby vibratos, and control circuits with a treble bleed on the master volume, no-load master tone controls and “Squeezebox” paper-in-oil capacitors in the recipe to ensure a nice taper on the dials.
Jason Barnes, VP Category Management-Gretsch, says the new models are aimed at Gretsch die-hards, serious amateurs and the gigging professional looking for “the best of the best”.
“These new Players Edition Hollow Bodies represent the pinnacle of Gretsch performance and give players full control over a powerful sound that lasts every song, every night,” says Barnes. “With incredible features like our all-new FT67 Filter'Trons, these guitars drive a robust and vibrant voice with control sets that allow tone shaping possibilities and maximum versatility.”
Sounds good. Let’s take a look at the new models and their key features…
G6136TG Players Edition Falcon
Available in Midnight Sapphire or White gloss urethane finish, the G6136TG has gold hardware, with Grover Imperial locking tuners and matching gold jewelled G-arrow control knobs, with a little gold sparkle on the bound neck, body and F-holes. The gold is reprised on the vintage thick plexi pickguard – complete with Gretsch and Falcon logos.
This updated model has a 2.5“ deep body with “ML” bracing, a pair of the new FT-67 Filter’Tron humbuckers, and a string-thru Bigsby for kicks.
It is priced £3,509 / €3,889 / $3,599 for right-handed models, with a left-handed model available for £3,629 / €4,029 / $3,899.
G6122TG Players Edition Country Gentleman
Still dapper after all these years, this Country Gent breezes in with a rich Walnut Stain gloss urethane finish with complementary gold hardware a la its fine-feathered sibling above.
Again, we have the new FT67 Filter'Tron 'buckers, this time seated in a 2”-deep maple body with Parallel bracing under the hood. It takes its Electrotone-body from a vintage '60s design; its shallow depth promises a comfortable playing position, while the simulated f-holes and sealed top help keep a lid on feedback control and maintain a little authority in your low-end.
The G6122TG Players Edition Country Gentleman is priced £2,809 / €3,119 / $3,099.
G6120TG Players Edition Nashville
This one is going to be tough; how do you choose between the Azure Metallic or Orange Stain gloss finishes? That's not an easy decision.
As for the rest of the appointments, this is a FT67-equipped model, with gold hardware and controls, a string-thru Bigsby for wobble. The black Gretsch logo and Nashville post sign on the gold pickguard add a nice level of detail.
Fundamentally we have a 16”-wide, 2.5”-deep maple body with ML bracing and a 24.6” scale length, and a guitar that's begging for a vintage-voiced tube amp, some spring reverb and slapback echo.
The G6120TG Players Edition Nashville is priced £2,749 / €3,049 / $2,599. A left-handed model is available in Orange Stain and is priced £2,989 / €3,319 / $2,899.
G6119T-ET Players Edition Tennessee Rose
Here we have nickel hardware complementing a Deep Cherry Stain on what is one fo Gretsch's most-loved designs.
Says Gretsch: “This Electrotone-body style revisits a vintage design from the 1960s, and its shallow depth, simulated f-holes and sealed top provide additional feedback control and low-end thump.”
The Tennessee Rose has a 16” wide, 2” deep maple body and has parallel bracing and a 24.6” scale, and it is priced £2,379 / €2,639 / $2,699.
G6118T Players Edition Anniversary
The G6118T Players Edition Anniversary is available in two distinct two-tone finishes: Copper Metallic/Sahara Metallic with silver pickguard or Vintage White/Walnut Stain with a tortoise pickguard.
It has nickel hardware, with the same Gotoh locking tuners as the others in the series, with a white bound body and F-holes, Neo-Classic thumbnail fingerboard inlays, and it has a 16”-wide, 2.5”-deep maple body with ML bracing and 24.6” scale length.
It is priced £2,379 / €2,639 / $2,299.
See Gretsch for more details.
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