Synchro
March 19th, 2012, 02:51 PM
6122-1959 Hall of Fame
Reviewing guitars can be challenging. The differences between models tend to reside mostly in the details, the substance being fairly consistent. This model of Gretsch, however, is unique within the line and the example I played is a unique, limited production, variant of that model. The model I'm talking about is the G6122-1959 HOF.
The Ultimate Signature Model
Buying an artist's signature model is nothing new. It's been going on for years; a manufacturer studies the guitar of a well known artist and then clones every salient detail into a signature model. Fender has perfected such reverse-engineering and it's possible to buy an exact copy, for instance, of Eric Clapton's Strat. Likewise, the Brian Setzer models are functionally the same as the guitars Brian might use on stage. When they decided to clone Chet Atkins' personal Country Gentleman they had their work cut out for them. Chet was a tinkerer with enough electrical and electronic knowledge to devise some interesting modifications. So, with the help of Paul Yandell, Gretsch developed the G6122-1959, a copy of Chet's beloved '59 Gent. A trip to the Country Music Hall of Fame yielded the measurements needed, both physical and electrical.
Now, if your nickname is Mr. Guitar and you are an endorser for a company like Gretsch you can bet that they will make certain the your copy of your signature guitar is as it should be and there's no doubt in my mind that Chet's original '59 Gent was the center of attention before leaving #60 Broadway. It had a slightly wider neck than the usual Gretsch neck and this made it perfect for finger style playing. Over the years Chet apparently broke out his soldering iron from time to time and changed not only the pickups but also the wiring scheme. The result was a Gent like no other and it's no coincidence that many of Chet's best recordings were made on this guitar.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I plugged it into the amp and the brightness surprised me greatly. Wide open on both pickups and it reminded me of Brian Setzer's sound. On the bridge pickup alone it was almost like a Telecaster. Did I mention that it was bright sounding? :) Even the neck pickup alone sounded bright to my ear. My other Chet axe, a 6120 DC is much less bright by nature. But bright does not necessarily mean harsh, the sound is smooth even at its brightest.
The Body & Neck
The body depth of 2.25" is one I find very comfortable both standing and seated. It's an easy guitar to play on many levels. The neck and fretwork are beautiful and the action can be set to be comfortable and easy to play. The thickness of the neck is moderate, neither thick nor ultra thin but comfortable to my hand. It's probably a bit thinner than the neck on my 6120 DC or most 6120s I've played but not by a lot.
The frets are fairly large and the fretwork that I saw was beautiful. I really have to hand it the the luthiers that build these guitars, their craftsmanship is top notch. Supporting these frets is a beautiful ebony fingerboard, as dark and consistently colored as anything I've ever seen.
The Pickups
The pickups consist of a Supertron Classic in the neck position and what is called a Plus HT in the bridge position. There are two knobs on the lower treble bout, a tone control and a volume-cut for the bridge pickup. A master volume on the upper treble bout and a pickup switch on the upper bass bout complete the electrical controls. The volume cut for the bridge pickup seems to be the key for reproducing Chet's timbre. Just a little roll-off with that control and you are sounding like Mr. Guitar himself.
But there's more to the pickup story than meets the eye. basically, they are both based upon a TV Jones Classic pickup. The Supertron is a TV Jones Classic with a blade instead of individual pole pieces. The bridge pickup is a TV Jones Classic Plus with a cover that resembles a HiLoTron. There's enough output to get raunchy and to wake up the front end of any amp I could conceive of. But if you back off the master volume ever so slightly it gets über clean in a hurry.
The Controls
The control set of the 6122-1959 is unique among Gretsch guitars to the best of my knowledge. This was apparently Chet's idea and I like what he did. There is a three position pickup switch on the upper bass bout and a master volume on the upper treble bout. On the lower treble bout there are two controls, a master tone and a volume control for the bridge pickup.
Dialing back the bridge pickup slightly with the tone full up is my ticket to Chet's timbre. I've tried this setting in front of others as well and people seem to like that sound.
Those Tuning Knobs
When I first saw the "butterbean" tuning knobs I didn't care for the look. After using them my opinion has changed. They work, and work well. Now I have become accustomed to the appearance and think that the guitar would look funny without them. If they're not cool enough for you, remember, Elvis had them on his Gent too.
The "Chet-Style Arm"
The Bigsby has a Chet-style wire arm which I'm starting to like. I'm not ready to convert all of my guitars to such an arm but I'm not ruling it out in the future either. The wire arm is conducive to a subtle touch. If you use a Bigsby the same way that Chet did this handle is an asset. The more I use it the more I like it.
Legend has it that Chet designed this Bigsby handle himself. It definitely works well for fingerstyle playing but I have seen no disadvantage for flat picking either.
So, What Good is this Guitar?
Of all the Gretsch guitars I have ever played I would say that this has the most personality, perhaps I should say personalities. After what I've heard about the G6122-1962 I had expected a somewhat darker sounding guitar but that has not been my experience. It's actually a chameleon of sorts going from Brian Setzer bright to very warm with just a few control adjustments. Even with the tone control rolled back it doesn't get muddy sounding, just warm. Beyond the range of timbres it also is a commanding sound. It never sounds thin or strained even when playing pinch-harmonics.
I have long been attracted to the idea of a guitar I can play for any purpose on any gig. Several of my Gretsch guitars are capable of this although they all have both strengths and weaknesses. My Duo Jet is very strong on Country (Chik'n Pick'n), Surf and early Rock but not as strong on the mellow stuff. Likewise, my 6120 DC is strong on the mellow end but somewhat lacking in definition as a Surf axe. The 6122-1959 probably has a better ratio of strengths to weaknesses then the average Gretsch. It sounds good for Duane Eddy stuff and/or Surf music but it sounds just as good in full-mellow-mode. In between there's a whole lot of guitar sounds on tap. Most of my playing time is spent on both pickups and this instrument really puts its best foot forward in that mode.
In Summary
It strikes me as the guitar equivalent of the full-sized Mercedes sedan. It's big and comfortable yet faster and better handling than the average sport coupe. Hanging in a music store it could leave the impression of being an old man's guitar but in fact it can get as raunchy and raucous as most of the classic rock axes hanging nearby. It will feedback but standing in front of the amp and off a bit to the right tends to keep it controllable. When I pushed hard into my Deluxe Reverb the overdriven sound was nice and even-handed, not to harsh, not timid either.
All that having been said, this guitar is a purpose built tool for fingerstyle playing. It has the right feel, the right sound and the right vibe for anyone that wants to add a touch of Mr. Guitar to his or her playing.
Reviewing guitars can be challenging. The differences between models tend to reside mostly in the details, the substance being fairly consistent. This model of Gretsch, however, is unique within the line and the example I played is a unique, limited production, variant of that model. The model I'm talking about is the G6122-1959 HOF.
The Ultimate Signature Model
Buying an artist's signature model is nothing new. It's been going on for years; a manufacturer studies the guitar of a well known artist and then clones every salient detail into a signature model. Fender has perfected such reverse-engineering and it's possible to buy an exact copy, for instance, of Eric Clapton's Strat. Likewise, the Brian Setzer models are functionally the same as the guitars Brian might use on stage. When they decided to clone Chet Atkins' personal Country Gentleman they had their work cut out for them. Chet was a tinkerer with enough electrical and electronic knowledge to devise some interesting modifications. So, with the help of Paul Yandell, Gretsch developed the G6122-1959, a copy of Chet's beloved '59 Gent. A trip to the Country Music Hall of Fame yielded the measurements needed, both physical and electrical.
Now, if your nickname is Mr. Guitar and you are an endorser for a company like Gretsch you can bet that they will make certain the your copy of your signature guitar is as it should be and there's no doubt in my mind that Chet's original '59 Gent was the center of attention before leaving #60 Broadway. It had a slightly wider neck than the usual Gretsch neck and this made it perfect for finger style playing. Over the years Chet apparently broke out his soldering iron from time to time and changed not only the pickups but also the wiring scheme. The result was a Gent like no other and it's no coincidence that many of Chet's best recordings were made on this guitar.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I plugged it into the amp and the brightness surprised me greatly. Wide open on both pickups and it reminded me of Brian Setzer's sound. On the bridge pickup alone it was almost like a Telecaster. Did I mention that it was bright sounding? :) Even the neck pickup alone sounded bright to my ear. My other Chet axe, a 6120 DC is much less bright by nature. But bright does not necessarily mean harsh, the sound is smooth even at its brightest.
The Body & Neck
The body depth of 2.25" is one I find very comfortable both standing and seated. It's an easy guitar to play on many levels. The neck and fretwork are beautiful and the action can be set to be comfortable and easy to play. The thickness of the neck is moderate, neither thick nor ultra thin but comfortable to my hand. It's probably a bit thinner than the neck on my 6120 DC or most 6120s I've played but not by a lot.
The frets are fairly large and the fretwork that I saw was beautiful. I really have to hand it the the luthiers that build these guitars, their craftsmanship is top notch. Supporting these frets is a beautiful ebony fingerboard, as dark and consistently colored as anything I've ever seen.
The Pickups
The pickups consist of a Supertron Classic in the neck position and what is called a Plus HT in the bridge position. There are two knobs on the lower treble bout, a tone control and a volume-cut for the bridge pickup. A master volume on the upper treble bout and a pickup switch on the upper bass bout complete the electrical controls. The volume cut for the bridge pickup seems to be the key for reproducing Chet's timbre. Just a little roll-off with that control and you are sounding like Mr. Guitar himself.
But there's more to the pickup story than meets the eye. basically, they are both based upon a TV Jones Classic pickup. The Supertron is a TV Jones Classic with a blade instead of individual pole pieces. The bridge pickup is a TV Jones Classic Plus with a cover that resembles a HiLoTron. There's enough output to get raunchy and to wake up the front end of any amp I could conceive of. But if you back off the master volume ever so slightly it gets über clean in a hurry.
The Controls
The control set of the 6122-1959 is unique among Gretsch guitars to the best of my knowledge. This was apparently Chet's idea and I like what he did. There is a three position pickup switch on the upper bass bout and a master volume on the upper treble bout. On the lower treble bout there are two controls, a master tone and a volume control for the bridge pickup.
Dialing back the bridge pickup slightly with the tone full up is my ticket to Chet's timbre. I've tried this setting in front of others as well and people seem to like that sound.
Those Tuning Knobs
When I first saw the "butterbean" tuning knobs I didn't care for the look. After using them my opinion has changed. They work, and work well. Now I have become accustomed to the appearance and think that the guitar would look funny without them. If they're not cool enough for you, remember, Elvis had them on his Gent too.
The "Chet-Style Arm"
The Bigsby has a Chet-style wire arm which I'm starting to like. I'm not ready to convert all of my guitars to such an arm but I'm not ruling it out in the future either. The wire arm is conducive to a subtle touch. If you use a Bigsby the same way that Chet did this handle is an asset. The more I use it the more I like it.
Legend has it that Chet designed this Bigsby handle himself. It definitely works well for fingerstyle playing but I have seen no disadvantage for flat picking either.
So, What Good is this Guitar?
Of all the Gretsch guitars I have ever played I would say that this has the most personality, perhaps I should say personalities. After what I've heard about the G6122-1962 I had expected a somewhat darker sounding guitar but that has not been my experience. It's actually a chameleon of sorts going from Brian Setzer bright to very warm with just a few control adjustments. Even with the tone control rolled back it doesn't get muddy sounding, just warm. Beyond the range of timbres it also is a commanding sound. It never sounds thin or strained even when playing pinch-harmonics.
I have long been attracted to the idea of a guitar I can play for any purpose on any gig. Several of my Gretsch guitars are capable of this although they all have both strengths and weaknesses. My Duo Jet is very strong on Country (Chik'n Pick'n), Surf and early Rock but not as strong on the mellow stuff. Likewise, my 6120 DC is strong on the mellow end but somewhat lacking in definition as a Surf axe. The 6122-1959 probably has a better ratio of strengths to weaknesses then the average Gretsch. It sounds good for Duane Eddy stuff and/or Surf music but it sounds just as good in full-mellow-mode. In between there's a whole lot of guitar sounds on tap. Most of my playing time is spent on both pickups and this instrument really puts its best foot forward in that mode.
In Summary
It strikes me as the guitar equivalent of the full-sized Mercedes sedan. It's big and comfortable yet faster and better handling than the average sport coupe. Hanging in a music store it could leave the impression of being an old man's guitar but in fact it can get as raunchy and raucous as most of the classic rock axes hanging nearby. It will feedback but standing in front of the amp and off a bit to the right tends to keep it controllable. When I pushed hard into my Deluxe Reverb the overdriven sound was nice and even-handed, not to harsh, not timid either.
All that having been said, this guitar is a purpose built tool for fingerstyle playing. It has the right feel, the right sound and the right vibe for anyone that wants to add a touch of Mr. Guitar to his or her playing.