Gretsch...NOW WITH PICS!

[marty bradbury]

Originally Posted by PTony

Hello Friends.

It’s been a while so I thought I’d post an update on my NGD Gretsch.

I’ve added the “Biggs Fix & “Squishy Spring”. As always, a great addition to any Bigsby. I also added locking tuners and applied some pencil lead to the nut and saddle (temp till I get my new nut). These come with “synthetic bone”
1 11/16” inch nuts. Very comfortable nut width for me, but I want to swap it out for a TUSQ. Tuning seems to hold steady with Bigsby use. Of course I typically use it more for “shimmer”...not heavy usage.

I am waiting for my pots, caps, treble bleed kit, jack, switch, and switch tip from TV Jones. I’ll use some vintage pushback wire that I have on hand. I’m going to move to 500k CTS pots, and an Orangedrop .022 cap, as well as a SwitchCraft jack and switch. I believe that will “wake” it up some. It sounds decent, but seems to be a little dark at times.

The BT FT’s are really great sounding pickups! I adjusted them to the TV Jones recommended specs and that made a big difference in tone. Again, they sound great, but need a little help with upgraded wiring.

The neck is absolutely fantastic. Very comfortable. This is the first black walnut fretboard that I’ve owned. It’s very smooth. Not quite Ebony smooth, but definitely smoother than rosewood as far as feel goes.

I’m planning on running it through the paces live tomorrow. At least through rehearsal. If it holds steady then I’ll run with it live. I haven’t been able to play it out until now. I wanted to keep it here in my home studio until I got the “Biggs” stuff installed.

Honestly the stock bridge will need to go. It’ll work for now...but it’s not a long term piece. I’m going to try a Reverend roller for $20. Can’t hurt. If it’s terrible I’ll remove it and look for an ABM2400, or...possibly a Compton. I still haven’t decided what I want to do there.

The build quality really is impressive. It’s chambered and definitely lighter than my solid centerblock 5620cb-t, and my E series Jap Strat. I think my Reverend is lighter than this...but not by much. It’s an absolute blast to play. I just can’t believe how far import guitars have come. It truly is remarkable.

I’ll post more as I go.

As to pics...idk. I tried to upload/embed them here. Seems imgur allowed me to upload some...anyway, these are stock pics from Sweetwater. They do not do it justice. The silver metal flake is gorgeous when the light hits it.

IMHO the darker grey background that Sweetwater used to use was better. Regardless, until I can get better pics these should do.

https://imgur.com/a/LHUO4bB

Well. I understood about a third of what you posted, lol. (I have yet to enter the electric guitar world but have been looking) But does sound like its coming along. Would love to see it. Pics?

[PTony]

It’s definitely been fun. I really enjoy upgrading guitars and building project guitars.

Years ago I was primarily an acoustic player. I enjoyed upgrading them as well. And while many things “transfer” from acoustic to electric...there is a bit wider learning curve when speaking about electrics.

[PTony]

Well...it’s been a while but I finally found enough time to get her finished...mostly. What a great guitar. Truly impressive. But, it wasn’t that way out of the box. I feel like I’ve broken a wild stallion lol!

The guitar had great fit and finish to begin with....but, actually too much finish around the nut. Replacing it was a bit of a challenge. I managed to get the nut out without ripping off any finished part of the headstock or neck. It took quite a bit of time. But, it was worth it.

I had tuning issues with this Gretsch from the rip (maybe some of it was due to the B50).

I’ve replaced the nut with a bone one, the tuners with lockers, the pots, caps, wiring, Jack, switch, tip have all been changed for CTS/SwitchCraft/Orangedrop. As mentioned in an earlier thread the bridge was replaced with a roller from Reverend and a BiggsFix and Squishy spring we’re installed as well.

Now I can play it very heavy handed and use the B-50 and it holds tune like a champ.

The BTFT sound great with some dirt. Whether it be my TS, Morning Glory, or Archer Ikon those pickups seem to be very content.

I would be curious to see how swapping the neck out with a Super Hi Lo would affect it? Anyone have a spare you’d care to part with? (*please pm me if so).

It’s been a bit of a journey but has been a great project and a lot of fun. Thanks for reading!