Guitars should always be orange. But... NGD: 6118

j_double_u

j_double_u

Electromatic
Mar 25, 2019
60
eindhoven, the netherlands
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Long time i was under the impression that I was not worthy a professional Gretsch. That is, unless I could afford one. I settled for an Electromatic which I think is a great instrument, and after a lot of fun mods a very personal and for me a perfect piece. But having owned a professional Gretsch almost two decades ago, I got a bug that had not left me since I sold that guitar. (A pre-Fender 6118 that I fitted out with a blackface Bigsby)

So... A guitar should be orange, right? It's my favorite guitar colour. But I already have an almost perfect Orange guitar. So I've been on the lookout for a vintage-specd, traditional Gretsch-coloured beauty that I could afford. I got my choices down to a dark red single pu Tennessee Rose and a Double Anniversary. The T-Rose was a couple of hundred bucks more expensive 2nd hand, than the 'new' Anniversary and I've always had a soft spot for the two-tone smoke green... (It hung in a guitar shop since 2016...)

I've been playing it for almost a month now and it has finally settled in. In the beginning it would not stay in tune after using the Bigsby just once! I've never had such a terrible operating Bigsby before (out of 7 in total). I had to take it apart and install the two springs again. Not a fun job to do... But after lots of tweaking the springs, the washer, the bolt and the nuts, I think it handles great. A small amount of graphite lubrication (pencilscrapings) in the nut en bridge slots and the problems have disappeared.
 
Texas Slim

Texas Slim

Electromatic
Jul 30, 2011
23
Dorchester
Very nice, glad to hear you're enjoying your new guitar.
i'm somewhat new to Bigsby trems, you mentioned they have two springs? Mine (B 60 ) only has one that i can see?
 
j_double_u

j_double_u

Electromatic
Mar 25, 2019
60
eindhoven, the netherlands
I've got several styles, and most of them have two springs. The obvious big one, held on its place by string tension, and a smaller one, hardly visable within the bigger spring. The swivel bolt goes through the smaller one, which is held on its place by a nut and washer.

The only one that has just one big spring is the licensed B60...

Maybe there is more info to be found in the Bigsby topic
 
Emergence

Emergence

Gretschie
May 25, 2022
391
New York
Meet your new girl’s older sister. Mine dates from 2006. Annie is every woman I ever dated. Beautiful with a voice that can soothe or cut like a knife. She was nearly unmanageable when I got her but the problem was me. Roll off the highs with the individual volume controls and you’re left with mud. Cut the mud with an equalizer and she sings. She needed a day at the spa to optimize the nut for my style of play. Annie doesn’t wear bling but she doesn’t need makeup either. There’s a lot to love. Good of you to save yours from a life as a wall hanging.
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j_double_u

j_double_u

Electromatic
Mar 25, 2019
60
eindhoven, the netherlands
Emergence said:
Meet your new girl’s older sister. Mine dates from 2006. Annie is every woman I ever dated. Beautiful with a voice that can soothe or cut like a knife. She was nearly unmanageable when I got her but the problem was me. Roll off the highs with the individual volume controls and you’re left with mud. Cut the mud with an equalizer and she sings. She needed a day at the spa to optimize the nut for my style of play. Annie doesn’t wear bling but she doesn’t need makeup either. There’s a lot to love. Good of you to save yours from a life as a wall hanging.
Click to expand...
She's lovely too!
My previous Annie had filtertrons too, but still from the early ceramic age I guess. Sounded fine to me. I chose the Hi lo trons because I like them too and I already have my 5420 with Filters.

Edit:
I noticed gap between fingerboard and neck pu. Do I have a shorter fingerboard on mine, and one fret less compared to yours?
 
Emergence

Emergence

Gretschie
May 25, 2022
391
New York
j_double_u said:
She's lovely too!
My previous Annie had filtertrons too, but still from the early ceramic age I guess. Sounded fine to me. I chose the Hi lo trons because I like them too and I already have my 5420 with Filters.

Edit:
I noticed gap between fingerboard and neck pu. Do I have a shorter fingerboard on mine, and one fret less compared to yours?
Click to expand...
Counting from the 17th fret position marker, I count 22 frets on mine and 21 on yours, if my 72 year old eyes aren’t playing tricks on me. There’s a jazz/blues number I play that has a C on the high E string at the 20th fret. I never thought about the number of frets. 21 or 22 makes no difference to me.
 
Stefan87

Stefan87

Country Gent
May 20, 2019
2,956
Brisbane, Australia
Congrats on the new guitar, I have a 6118, a 6119 and a 6120 and as you said I know gretschs should be orange but I'll take the 6118 and 6119 over the orange one lol (don;t hate me guys).

Seriously though annies are awesome, I love them, and yes your one is a 21 fret model hence the shorter fret board.

Happy playing and enjoy.
 
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