Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitars
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Guitar Amps
  • Drums
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Lemmy vs Dylan
  • Are 'Friends' Electric?
  • Flava D - DnB is hard
  • Prince's drummers
  • 95k+ free music samples
Don't miss these
Gretsch Electromatic CVT: The bolt-on double-cut assumes a familiar form to the Jack Antonoff signature model, and features dual humbuckers, a wraparound tailpiece, and some neat vintage finishes.
Guitars Like the Jack Antonoff signature Gretsch? Then you are going to love the CVT Electromatic
Dickey Betts [left] and Warren Haynes trade licks onstage with the Allman Brothers Band at the 1993 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Haynes's Strat would soon be stolen in New York.
Artists How Warren Haynes turned to Les Pauls after his favourite Strat was stolen
Kirk Hammett plays his Mummy ESP onstage with Metallica. In the middle of this comp'd image is the Thinline custom Triplecaster Hammett commissioned then gifted to White. On the right, White plays his Fender Triplecaster with the yellow pickguard.
Artists Kirk Hammett orders up custom version of Jack White’s Triplecaster – and gets one for White, too
Orbit Culture's guitarists
Electric Guitars Orbit Culture show us their ESP guitars – and tell us why the EverTune bridge is a game-changer
Fender Custom Shop Ariel Posen Stratocaster: Posen's new signature model was inspired by the Jazzmaster and has custom-wound AP-90 pickups. Check out those cupcake-style control knobs.
Artists Ariel Posen’s new Custom Shop signature Strat is A) stunning and B) inspired by a… Jazzmaster?
Duesenberg Alliance Series Tom Bukovac: the new semi-hollow signature model is a stunning singlecut with a quilted maple build in a natural finish.
Electric Guitars “Unbeatable... A play-anything guitar”: Duesenberg Alliance Series Tom Bukovac Session Man review
Otoha holds a blue Fender Strat in a staged setting with neon pink and blue lights overhead.
Artists IDLES, Wet Leg and Sam Fender all graduated from the Fender Next programme – meet its Class of 2025
Jackson Pro Origins 1985 San Dimas: these retro S-styles take the high-performance electric guitar brand back to the '80s, offering single and dual-humbucker platforms for shred with the choice of rosewood or maple fingerboards – and what about that "Two-Face" black-and-white finish?
Guitars “These guitars empower metal artists with the authentic, crushing tone that built Jackson’s legendary reputation”: Jackson takes us back to the heyday of shred with the Pro Origins 1985 San Dimas series – and what about that Two Face finish?
Brent Hinds plays a bespoke ESP offset live in Mexico as he performs with Mastodon in 2022.
Artists “My mind’s the most cosmic place I could ever visit. All I have to do is zone out and play the guitar, and before you know it, I’ve visited places unheard of”: Remembering Brent Hinds, the maverick who trampled metal guitar underfoot with Mastodon
The Gibson Les Paul Music City Special – 50th Anniversary is a limited edition hybrid that combines the old Marauder and Music City Junior, and offers them in wine, tobacco sunburst and ebony finishes.
Guitars Gibson celebrates 50 years in Nashville with limited run twist on a cult electric played by KISS
Brandon Small of Metalocalypse fame in his studio with a black Ibanez Iceman – now fretless – that he is selling in his official Reverb store.
Artists Brendon Small of Dethklok is selling some crazy gear on Reverb – including a fretless Iceman
Yungblud
Artists Yungblud reveals his secret to making acoustics sound massive – and hints at future signature model
Zach Myers of Shinedown plays a hunter green PRS NF53 live onstage at Download Festival 2025.
Artists Zach Myers on Shinedown’s secret weapon, the limits of shred guitar, and getting schooled by BB King
Don Felder plays his iconic white Gibson doubleneck electric guitar onstage. Note the double jack: that mod is crucial when playing Hotel California, which he surely is in this picture.
Artists Don Felder on why he had to mod his white Gibson doubleneck to play the Eagles’ biggest hit – and how he got the idea from Chet Atkins
Rick Graham is photographed in a dark setting with a warm stagelight in the background; he holds his new signature electric guitar, a shell-pink S-style with a reverse headstock
Artists Charvel and Rick Graham team up for Pro-Mod signature model with relic'd nitro cult colour finish
  1. Guitars

9 alternative Gretsch guitar icons

News
By Total Guitar ( Total Guitar ) published 28 July 2016

Gretsch heroes who don't fit the rockabilly stereotype…

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Introduction

Introduction

There's a rich world of lawless music out there, and numerous icons have long put Gretsch guitars to use in territory far beyond the Stray Cat Strut

Ahead are a few of our favourites from the worlds of rock, punk and grunge…

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
1. Tim Armstrong

1. Tim Armstrong

The Californian punk was honoured with his own G5191BK signature hollowbody model in 2010 but it’s a battered 1971 Country Club that it was based on; a right-handed model flipped for southpaw Tim.

“To me, it sounds like a piano,” Tim told Gretsch. “Like, it’s full-bodied and thick. I hear the chords as if I’m playing a piano. That’s just a simple way for me to explain it.”

Hear: Life Won't Wait (1998)

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
2. George Harrison

2. George Harrison

The Beatle dubbed his 1957 Duo Jet G6128 his ‘first real decent guitar’ and it was indeed a massive step up from his Futurama when he saw a newspaper advert for what was an extremely rare find in 1961 Liverpool.

He eventually paid £70 (with an extra £20 on IOU) and the Duo Jet served him through the band’s hard-working Cavern Club and Hamburg days, and made a Gretsch fan for life out of George. A limited edition Tribute model was released in 2011.

Hear: Please Please Me (1963)

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
3. Patrick Stump

3. Patrick Stump

The Fall Out Boy frontman’s signature is packing three Mega’Tron humbuckers to power the band’s pop-rock, but throws in a couple of curveballs, too - its TV Jones-designed circuitry allows a two-position rotary switch for different combinations of the three pickups, and a two-position killswitch.

“When I’m playing live, I want to get as many tones as I can out of one instrument,” Stump told Gretsch. “This is the most versatile guitar I own and it’s everything I need in a guitar.”

Hear: Soul Punk (2011)

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
4. Billy Duffy

4. Billy Duffy

Duffy’s mid-70s single-cut mono Falcon became a huge part of the seminal early Cult era, and has popped up frequently since.

It’s the Falcon we hear spreading its wings on She Sells Sanctuary’s expansive delayed riffs, and is the guitar his recent signature is based on, but with his preferred Bigsby tailpiece installed.

Hear: Love (1985)

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
5. Malcolm Young

5. Malcolm Young

The rhythm king rarely deviated from his 1963 double-cut Jet Firebird, even when his G6131MY model took flight in 1987.

The guitar was originally red when it was given to him by the band’s early producer, Harry Vanda, but stripped to the maple top around the ’77 Let There Be Rock tour.

The neck and middle pickups were also deemed surplus to requirements, and Malcolm stuck a sock into their cavities to reduce feedback.

Hear: If You Want Blood You’ve Got It (1978)

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
6. Chris Cornell

6. Chris Cornell

Cornell has proved the Duo Jet’s hard-rocking credentials with his 1989 reissue.

“I’ve been using it ever since Gary Lee Conner from the Screaming Trees gave it to me,” he told us in 2012. “That’s a guitar I used a lot for a specific texture I always like.”

As well as being put back into service for Soundgarden’s King Animal comeback album, its wholesome tones were employed for Superunknown’s classic Fell On Black Days.

Hear: King Animal (2012)

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
7. Neil Young

7. Neil Young

He’s best known for his 1953 ‘Old Black’ Les Paul, but Young has actually played plenty of Gretsches, indeed he traded a 6120 from his Buffalo Springfield days for that legendary Gibson.

Still, Gretsch remained ever-present in his career; Neil even introduced his old Springfield compadre Stephen Stills to White Falcons in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young helping establish Gretsch with a new generation. Young’s long-owned rare 1961 White Falcon is still part of his rig to this day.

Hear: Déjà Vu (1970)

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
8. Richard Hawley

8. Richard Hawley

Hawley was gifted his first Gretsch (a Country Gent) by his dad, “The cadillac of guitars,” as Richard remembers fondly.

Today, there are a few Gretschs he treasures; several vintage 6120s and a 2003 Country Club he’s fond of due to the DynaSonic pickups – the sound of which, so says Richard, has “colossal testicles”…

Hear: Hollow Meadows (2015)

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
9. Jack White

9. Jack White

White used a 1957 White Penguin at the end of The White Stripes, and loves the bass response of a Rancher Falcon acoustic.

But his most-used Gretsch is his White Penguin Billy-Bo model that he plays with the Dead Weather, and also featured in the video for Jack’s Bond theme, Another Way To Die.

Hear: Sea Of Cowards (2010)

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
Total Guitar
Total Guitar
Social Links Navigation

Total Guitar is Europe's best-selling guitar magazine.

Every month we feature interviews with the biggest names and hottest new acts in guitar land, plus Guest Lessons from the stars.

Finally, our Rocked & Rated section is the place to go for reviews, round-ups and help setting up your guitars and gear.

Subscribe: http://bit.ly/totalguitar

Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition. image
Stay up to date with the latest gear and tuition.
Subscribe and save today!
More Info
Read more
Gretsch Electromatic CVT: The bolt-on double-cut assumes a familiar form to the Jack Antonoff signature model, and features dual humbuckers, a wraparound tailpiece, and some neat vintage finishes.
Like the Jack Antonoff signature Gretsch? Then you are going to love the CVT Electromatic
 
 
Dickey Betts [left] and Warren Haynes trade licks onstage with the Allman Brothers Band at the 1993 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Haynes's Strat would soon be stolen in New York.
How Warren Haynes turned to Les Pauls after his favourite Strat was stolen
 
 
Kirk Hammett plays his Mummy ESP onstage with Metallica. In the middle of this comp'd image is the Thinline custom Triplecaster Hammett commissioned then gifted to White. On the right, White plays his Fender Triplecaster with the yellow pickguard.
Kirk Hammett orders up custom version of Jack White’s Triplecaster – and gets one for White, too
 
 
Orbit Culture's guitarists
Orbit Culture show us their ESP guitars – and tell us why the EverTune bridge is a game-changer
 
 
Fender Custom Shop Ariel Posen Stratocaster: Posen's new signature model was inspired by the Jazzmaster and has custom-wound AP-90 pickups. Check out those cupcake-style control knobs.
Ariel Posen’s new Custom Shop signature Strat is A) stunning and B) inspired by a… Jazzmaster?
 
 
Duesenberg Alliance Series Tom Bukovac: the new semi-hollow signature model is a stunning singlecut with a quilted maple build in a natural finish.
“Unbeatable... A play-anything guitar”: Duesenberg Alliance Series Tom Bukovac Session Man review
 
 
Latest in Guitars
Source Audio dials up the ambience with the Encounter – six reverbs, six delays, one tricked-out pedal for “deeply immersive soundscapes” featuring MIDI I/O, full stereo operation, and a black enclosure with blue swirly graphic.
“Players have asked us to push further – into more adventurous, exploratory delay and reverb”: Source Audio dials up the ambience with the Encounter – six reverbs, six delays, one tricked-out pedal for “deeply immersive soundscapes”
 
 
Andy Fraser in 1971
“The notes he didn’t play were more important than the notes he did play”: A salute from one great bassist to another
 
 
Joe Bonamassa wears a blue suit and plays his P-90 loaded Epiphone signature Les Paul [left] and BB King cups his hand to his ear to ask for some more from his audience at a 1991 show in Chicago.
Joe Bonamassa announces all-star album celebrating life of BB King on the King of the Blues’ 100th birthday
 
 
Loog Guitars x Gibson: these child-friendly 3-strings reimagine the Les Paul and SG for young beginners.
Gibson teams up with Loog for child-friendly 3-string versions of its most famous electric guitars
 
 
Fender Vintera II Road Worn 60s Telecaster
Fender’s Vintera II Road Worn series has Golden Era vibe, tone and feel with era-correct pickups and aged nitro finishes
 
 
Gibson Tony Iommi Humbucker
"It's unlike any humbucker I've tried before": Gibson Tony Iommi Signature Humbucker review
 
 
Latest in News
Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam performs live on stage during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at Fair Grounds Race Course on May 03, 2025
Matt Cameron explains why he left Pearl Jam and insists that the final Soundgarden album is coming
 
 
Modular synth
SampleRadar: 497 free modular percussion samples
 
 
NASHVILLE - MARCH 10: CBS presents RINGO & FRIENDS AT THE RYMAN, a two-hour special celebrating the music and legacy of Ringo Starr through the lens of country music, airing Monday, March 10 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S. (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs). Pictured (L-R): Jack White and Ringo Starr. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/CBS via Getty Images)
With A Little Help From His Friends: Jack White joins Ringo Starr on stage for a Beatles classic
 
 
Klaus Meine of The Scorpions, 1991
“The whistling was a result of me having no guitar": The making of The Scorpions' Wind Of Change
 
 
daphne oram
Daphne Oram's centenary celebrated in compilation featuring previously unheard archival material
 
 
subterra
Music studio complex opens in former nuclear bunker in The Hague
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...