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  #16  
Old 06-18-2018, 07:33 AM
rockabilly69 rockabilly69 is offline
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Long term Gretsch player/owner here (Annie and a Duo) and I say congrats on buying your dream guitar. Filters and Bigbsy with a Chet Arm, how could you go wrong I'll take the bar bridge over a space control rattle trap any day, and I think that bar bridge has the right radius! Play it, love it!


SGR Player's Edition that sounds spectacular through this vintage Ampeg!

I dumped the Space Control bridge on this for a Tru-Arc Titanium bridge, and now, this one rings like a bell. It's featherweight too!!!
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  #17  
Old 06-18-2018, 07:50 AM
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I think perhaps the adverb that best suites the look of these guitars is "Elegant"
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  #18  
Old 06-18-2018, 08:52 AM
jwguitar jwguitar is offline
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Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
They say everything comes to he who waits - and I've been waiting for a double-cut White Falcon ever since I fell in love with the inside back-cover photo as a kid; while the now-discontinued 6136DC isn't the genuine Brooklyn instrument I couldn't afford then (or now) it captures enough of the essential mojo to please this lifelong Gretsch aficionado...

Before I continue I'd like to give a shout-out to Cole Benson and the guys at Twin Town Music in Minneapolis, who set me up with this NOS beauty: first-rate customer service, ongoing follow-up from point of purchase to delivery, and the free leather luggage tag and pair of socks in the case (better for my waistline than Sweetwater's candy pack ) were a nice touch. This is small-operation service the way I remember back in the old days - I wouldn't hesitate to use them again for future purchases, and if you live in the area you might want to consider making them your friendly local guitar shop...

Since I'm not set up to post my own pics, here's a few sample shots of a custom-order version I pulled at random from the 'net for the obligatory photo gallery:







Overall impressions:
Now, as then, this one is the crown jewel of Gretsch's lineup and the former flagship of their Professional Series; while many hardcore fans may lament its Japanese origins, it's head-and-shoulders above a significant majority of the vintage pieces when they were new - and speaking as a Gretsch owner since 1964 who played them back in their heyday, I say this with neither hyperbole nor reservation. While it's obvious to the experienced eye that this guitar sports a poly finish (and as such will never develop that unmistakable "Brooklyn Gretsch" patina) it's not tacky and overdone, and the "whiter" overall shading as compared to a nitro-lacquer finish original only serves to sharpen the contrast with the black/white purfling and orange-gold binding, as well as the ebony "Neo-Classic" thumbnail-inlaid ebony fingerboard - I've seen Louis Prima Jr.'s guitarist use one, and this combination really "pops" under stage lights. IMO Gretsch's early-60's design team scored a perfect "10" with the double-cut Falcon: the visual relationship between the components is just so "on," so "right," that until you actually handle one you don't realize that this is one BIG guitar - I'm 5'11" and been playing flattop jumbos and Advanced L-5/Epi Deluxe-size archtops most of my life, so the 17" body didn't come as too much of a surprise - but if you're just crossing over to electric from a 00/000/OM, or you're used to the compactness of a Strat/Tele/LP/SG, there's going to be a learning curve involved; good thing about the 6136DC is that it's exceptionally lightweight - in spite of the larger body it's a good couple pounds lighter than my 16" MIK E-matic 5622T-CB semi-hollow (I'll say somewhere in the mid-sevens - comparable to my much smaller Epi Ultra 339) - which not only takes a good deal of weight off my upper body for singing purposes (ever notice both John Lennon and Paul McCartney - the Beatles' main vocalists - played very lightweight instruments in live performance?) but allows me to use one of those cool vintage-style skinny straps without discomfort (found a matching white one at StreetSounds in Brooklyn - seems they're the only ones who stock them). Although it didn't come with the Brooklyn-style silver-grey case the factory HSC is well-made and well-fitted - albeit a little tighter in the headstock area than with the comparably-sized Country Gent (there's just about a pinky's worth of room at the top) - and I've got a line on a couple NOS reissue versions should I choose to go that route down the line...

Playing impressions:
In my NGD review of the 5622T from a couple years back I commented on how the current Korean E-matics feel uncannily like an old Gretsch in an A/B play test; whereas they take their structural cues from the iconic British Invasion-era models, the 6136DC's heart and soul are squarely rooted in the Duane Eddy/Eddie Cochran era: the 25-1/2" scale neck - a full inch longer than the 16" hollows/semis - has a definite late-50's feel (unquestionably Gretsch, but chunkier than later versions) and, combined with the '59-style trestle bracing (which TMK prevents installation of the double mufflers of the original) and Brooklyn-correct thin-plate construction provides an airy, resonant, harmonically-rich (for a laminated guitar) unplugged tone that hearkens back to my original '64 Double Annie. While the action with the factory 11-49 nickel-steel roundwounds was a match for my 5622T - the absolute lowest I've ever seen on any factory-new electric guitar, at any price, and a testament to the exceptional quality control of both the Japanese and Korean divisions - with a set of flatwound 11's I was able to drop it even lower. I might change this somewhere down the line; as sweet as it feels and plays (with a perfect neck set angle - something virtually unheard-of on the Brooklyn originals) there's a point where I feel a guitar is "running away" from me - in the long run I need a little resistance for both my right and left hands - but until then I'm pulling out all my hammer-on/roll-off/chicken-pickin' country licks and having the time of my life. They've also done some tweaking on the traditional Space Control bridge which, although allowing for smoother Bigsby operation (this was really the first commercial "roller bridge"), was notorious for its inability to intonate correctly; the new version uses staggered-size string wheels that allow for proper tuning within a given range of string gauges - a very minor movement gave me near-perfect intonation with my Snark, while not strobe-tuner accurate more than acceptable for an unmodified guitar of this type...

Electronics:
I've yet to meet an experienced electric player who's neutral about Gretsch pickups/electronics: you either love them or hate them, pure and simple, and I'm unequivocally in the former category. The early-60's style "High-Sensitive" Filter'trons are sparkly and crystalline without getting metallic and edgy, with a surprising amount of gain (there's a bit of TV Jones mojo going on here) - chimier than a P-90, but with less raw face-melting power (Gretsch pickups - in any incarnation - are all about tone rather than volume anyway) and an airy "bloom" to the notes (also attributable in part to the aforementioned lightweight body construction); even with the not-too-beloved "mud switch" kicked in it never gets woolly or indistinct, rather taking on a Guild-like character through my Fender Frontman 212R clean-tone test-mule amp - this one's a hollow-body for the Fender crowd. That said, this guitar is capable of a broad variety of tones associated with the Gretsch Filter'tron PU's - plug in a Vox AC30 or tweed Bassman and wail away till the Cavern closes and all the stray cats go home for the night, recapture the tones of the golden era of Top 40 AM radio through a blonde/blackface Fender or blue-check Ampeg, or get some smooth early-50's sweetness (or Neil Young crunch) through a darker-sounding amp (I'm taking it to my next band practice and running it through my Bugera V5). IMO the new-for-'62 standby switch is unnecessary with a master volume control but hey, isn't stuff like that what Gretsch was/is all about...?

Final thoughts:
They say that old dreams die hard, and you never get a second chance at your first love - the double-cut White Falcon has been a dream of mine for the last 55 years and, though discontinued in this form (there's a 16" Players' Edition double-cut semi that's not my cuppa tea - and my 5622T covers the same territory at one-fourth the price anyway), thanks to the crew at Twin Town I've gotten my second chance. While the hardcore Gretsch guys could nitpick details - neck/body junction (18th rather than 14th fret, no body "extension" to meet the neck heel or reinforcing dowel/screw), knob/jack placement, lack of mufflers, modified bracing, cosmetic/structural changes to the Space Control bridge, black side dots in the gold-sparkle fingerboard binding (um, ya blew this one, guys; the original red dots - or better still, white - would be easier to see), "long-stem" Grover Imperials (not under their control, but something I personally dislike nevertheless) - I see most of these changes as evolutionary, something that current honcho Fred Gretsch would most likely have done had the company remained in Brooklyn under family control and, taken as a whole, beneficial to the prospective player; in the grand scheme these are comparatively minor points that IME have little bearing on functionality or playability - overall I give it a 9.9/10...

That is beautiful!
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  #19  
Old 06-18-2018, 12:46 PM
Dove 37 Dove 37 is offline
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Default 1966 Country Club 6192

Bought new in 1966 and picked up 1967 to celebrate Canada’s centennial.

What’s the trick to post pics?

Larry
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  #20  
Old 06-18-2018, 02:22 PM
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KevWind KevWind is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dove 37 View Post
Bought new in 1966 and picked up 1967 to celebrate Canada’s centennial.

What’s the trick to post pics?

Larry
If you sign up for a charter membership you post images from your computer.
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=511949
If you have a mobile smart phone you can download the app
Or you can sign up with a free image hosting sight like Imgur (what I and many do, because you can sort, edit, etc. as well post)
https://imgur.com/
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  #21  
Old 06-18-2018, 05:03 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rockabilly69 View Post
Long term Gretsch player/owner here (Annie and a Duo) and I say congrats on buying your dream guitar. Filters and Bigsby with a Chet Arm, how could you go wrong I'll take the bar bridge over a space control rattle trap any day, and I think that bar bridge has the right radius! Play it, love it!


SGR Player's Edition that sounds spectacular through this vintage Ampeg!

I dumped the Space Control bridge on this for a Tru-Arc Titanium bridge, and now, this one rings like a bell. It's featherweight too!!!
My man - my first "good" guitar was a sunburst Double Annie I bought new in May 1964, along with a companion Ampeg R-12A top-panel/no 'verb Rocket; both presently in semi-retirement - the Annie developed the dreaded Gretsch binding decomposition issues, the amp is in near-mint condition (still has the original tubes, still operating to spec as per Ampeg guru Dennis Kager when he gave it a going-over a couple years ago) and I'm looking to keep it that way...

A couple points:
  • As I stated above the photos are from a custom-order version made for another dealer, since I'm not set up to post my own pix on AGF - mine has the standard '60s-style flat Bigsby arm (no plastic tip), and since I "palm" mine I'm perfectly fine with that...
  • Mine also came with the standard-issue Space Control bridge, comments posted above - while the original Brooklyn versions were hideous (replaced the one on my Annie with a TOM in the early-70's and never looked back) the one on my Falcon is trouble-free with nary a rattle, and IME it's the first of its kind that ever played in tune...
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  #22  
Old 06-18-2018, 09:38 PM
rockabilly69 rockabilly69 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post
My man - my first "good" guitar was a sunburst Double Annie I bought new in May 1964, along with a companion Ampeg R-12A top-panel/no 'verb Rocket; both presently in semi-retirement - the Annie developed the dreaded Gretsch binding decomposition issues, the amp is in near-mint condition (still has the original tubes, still operating to spec as per Ampeg guru Dennis Kager when he gave it a going-over a couple years ago) and I'm looking to keep it that way...

A couple points:
  • As I stated above the photos are from a custom-order version made for another dealer, since I'm not set up to post my own pix on AGF - mine has the standard '60s-style flat Bigsby arm (no plastic tip), and since I "palm" mine I'm perfectly fine with that...
  • Mine also came with the standard-issue Space Control bridge, comments posted above - while the original Brooklyn versions were hideous (replaced the one on my Annie with a TOM in the early-70's and never looked back) the one on my Falcon is trouble-free with nary a rattle, and IME it's the first of its kind that ever played in tune...
I love those old Ampeg amps and they just seem to sound great with Gretsch guitars. I have heard nothing but good about Dennis Kager!

My Ampeg a 1961 Mercury, was just recently gone through (new filter caps, 3 prong cord, all NOS tubes, and some new caps in the trem circuit to bring it back to spec), and it sounds incredible! The guy who works on my amps has two perfectly maintained Reverbrockets (6V6 version) and a Gemini I so we had a blast cranking up my Anni through all of them. I recently installed Thomastik Flatwounds on it (needed a bit of a truss rod tweak) and my oh my it was instant 60's Gretsch tone and they feel so slinky with the lower tension cores even though they are a heavier gauge than the roundwounds I was using .


I know it seems weird to mod a brand new Gretsch, cause frankly they are built very good, but....
If you think think the modern space control is good, you owe it to yourself to try an aluminum, brass, or titanium Tru-Arc on that Falcon. You won't have to worry about intonation if your Space Control is intonating correctly. I replaced three different space controls with Tru-Arcs and the notes don't die in the round saddles like they do in the Space Control, and the bridge matches the neck radius perfectly, meaning you can adjust the outer strings the perfect playing height. It just seems like the guitars resonate more with the True Arc. I would never go back to the stock bridge. This isn't modding for mods sake, if you know what I mean. My favorite is the Titanium as it totally took my Duo to another level! Check the reviews and you'll find many serious Gretsch guys are rocking them for the reasons I listed.
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  #23  
Old 06-19-2018, 12:20 AM
Dove 37 Dove 37 is offline
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Default 6192 pics

https://imgur.com/gallery/TRpZeYQ
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  #24  
Old 06-19-2018, 01:03 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EasyEd View Post
I too joined the Gretsch hollowbody club a couple weeks ago with this...



Black with gold hardware...
I'm thinking it looks a little lonely in that photo - here's a companion:



No need to thank me...
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  #25  
Old 06-19-2018, 01:47 PM
Johnny K Johnny K is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steel and wood View Post
Yep, pretty much my dream Gretsch also (6120DC Chet Atkins in Western Orange) but who doesn't love a White Falcon or a Country Gentleman?
No one I know!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiaHj3vn...by=jkrawczykjr

I did grab a picture while I was there.
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  #26  
Old 06-19-2018, 02:04 PM
Johnny K Johnny K is offline
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Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa View Post

You probably read that in my earlier posts - I've been playing Gretsches for the last 55 years, and the current Japanese and Korean instruments rank among the finest ever to bear the name. That said, if you've got a jones for a '63 6120 but can't afford a vintage Brooklyn original (or even one of the circa-2010/2011 reissues at around $2K used), at under $900 street you might find this of interest:

https://www.gretschguitars.com/gear/...sby/2509300520
You're probably right!

Thanks for the link. I guess I should try playing a brand new one at Guitar Center. I've played a few used 5xxx series Gretschs at the used guitar emporium I visit once a week and they dont seem to be very well cared for.
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  #27  
Old 06-19-2018, 04:22 PM
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Love the white Falcon! Congrats and enjoy!
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  #28  
Old 06-20-2018, 10:44 AM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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Congrats Steve! Well worth the wait, a classic for sure. Enjoy.
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  #29  
Old 07-29-2018, 05:19 AM
The Growler The Growler is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dru Edwards View Post
Congrats Steve! Well worth the wait, a classic for sure. Enjoy.
Agreed. Congrats on getting a dream guitar. Classic!

How did I miss the original post? (head shaking)

I love that "Great Gretsch Sound"!
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  #30  
Old 07-29-2018, 05:45 AM
grandstick grandstick is offline
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Congrats!

I picked up a G5422-TG in trade for a PRS SE (a really great deal, IMHO). I have had a couple of 5120s (still have one, in fact), but this one is definitely a keeper!

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