SUMMER NAMM 2019: Gretsch has announced all-new signature guitars for rockabilly hero Brian Setzer, Black Crowe Rich Robinson and country legend Steve Wariner.
The - astonishingly long model name alert - G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville Hollow Body ’59 “Smoke” with Bigsby is a recreation of Setzer’s longstanding stage guitar, aping ’59 specs, while a number of lower-priced models will also be available.
Rich Robinson, meanwhile, has looked to the Falcon for his luxurious Magpie, which boasts a TV Jones bridge humbucker and Broad’Tron neck pickup.
Steve Wariner’s single-cut hollowbody also offers TV Jones pickups, but adds push/pull coil-splitting for enhanced versatility.
Read on for the full lowdown from Gretsch and head over to their site for more.
G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville Hollow Body ’59 “Smoke” with Bigsby - £3,199/€3,649
PRESS RELEASE: Honouring this pivotal rock ‘n’ roll legend, the G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville® Hollow Body ’59 “Smoke” with Bigsby® is a recreation of Setzer’s main stage guitar since retiring the famed ‘Stray Cat.’ A painstaking homage to one of Setzer’s most treasured guitars, Smoke delivers vintage ’59 vibe with powerhouse performance.
Period-correct details abound including the ’59 headstock shape and logo, pickguard shape, size, and bracket, volume, tone and switch locations and a beautifully rich “Smoke Orange” semi-gloss lacquer finish.
Beneath its vintage hood however, Smoke is a true workhorse with features accumulated over a prolific span of Setzer’s career. Stage-veteran specs include a single-cutaway hollow body with arched laminated maple top, 1959 trestle bracing and oversized F-holes for improved sonic projection. The maple neck has a 9.5"-12” radius ebony fingerboard and a vintage ‘V’ neck shape for comfortable chording or lightning leads. The rolled fingerboard and body edges couple with the semi-gloss finish to create an unparalleled broken-in feel found only in the prized G6120s from the 1950s.
Dual TV Jones® Ray Butts Ful-Fidelity pickups provide timeless tone with excellent bass response and shimmering Filter’Tron™ sparkle. For complete roadworthy stability, Smoke is equipped with an Adjusto-Matic™ bridge with pinned rosewood base, Bigsby® B6CGH vibrato tailpiece, Delrin® nut and Gotoh® locking tuning machines.
G6120T-BSNSH Brian Setzer Signature Nashville Hollow Body with Bigsby - £2,769/€3,149
The G6120T-BSNSH Brian Setzer Signature Nashville® Hollow Body with Bigsby® is a truly rocking instrument that boasts as much swagger as the showman who inspired it.
The single-cutaway hollow body in stunning Black Lacquer is equipped with an arched maple top with 1959 trestle bracing and oversized F-holes for improved sonic projection. The maple neck has a 9.5"-12” compound radius ebony fingerboard with rolled edges for comfortable chording or speedy riffing across 22 medium frets and mother of pearl Neo-Classic™ thumbnail inlays. Dual TV Jones® Brian Setzer Signature Filter’Tron™ pickups deliver tight and punchy lows with a slightly hotter output that captures Setzer’s iconic lively tone.
Other performance-enhancing features include period-correct control locations with a three-position pickup toggle switch, three-position tone switch, master volume control with treble bleed circuit and individual bridge and neck pickup volume controls, Adjusto-Matic™ bridge with pinned rosewood base, Bigsby® B6C vibrato tailpiece, Delrin® nut and Gotoh® locking tuning machines.
The G6120T-BSNSH duly impresses with period-correct gold pickguard shape, size and bracket, white body and neck binding, nickel hardware and rocking, seven-come-eleven dice knobs.
G6120T-HR Brian Setzer Signature Hot Rod Hollow Body with Bigsby - £2,549/€2,899
PRESS RELEASE: Dressed to the nines in either a Candy Blue Burst, Candy Magenta, Extreme Coolant Green Sparkle or Lime Gold finish with nickel hardware, the single-cutaway G6120T-HR Brian Setzer Signature Hot Rod Hollow Body with Bigsby® has an arched maple top with ’59 trestle bracing and oversized F-holes for improved sonic snap and projection. The maple neck features a 9.5”-12” compound radius rosewood fingerboard with rolled edges for comfortable chording or speedy riffing across 22 medium frets and pearloid Neo-Classic™ thumbnail inlays.
Dual TV Jones® Brian Setzer Signature Filter’Tron™ humbucking pickups replicate Brian’s tight and punchy lows with a slightly hotter output that captures his unmistakably lively tone.
His bare-bones Hot Rod controls include only a three-position pickup toggle switch and master volume control with treble bleed circuit. The pinned Adjusto-Matic™ bridge with rosewood base, Bigsby® B6C vibrato tailpiece, Delrin® nut and Gotoh® locking tuners ensure bullet-proof performance night after night.
G6136T-CSTRR Custom Shop Rich Robinson "Magpie" with Bigsby - £8,439/€9,709
PRESS RELEASE: Gretsch proudly announces the all-new G6136T-CSTRR Custom Shop Rich Robinson "Magpie" with Bigsby® model.
“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved Gretsch guitars,” said Robinson. “From Neil Young and Stephen Stills to Steve Marriott and Malcom Young, these guitars have always piqued my imagination. Sonically and visually Gretsch guitars have always been unique in the musical landscape. To have my own signature Gretsch is an honor, and the Magpie is the combination of all of my favorite elements of Gretsch guitars.”
Rich Robinson has been at the forefront of rock ‘n’ roll for nearly three decades, ever since his high school days when he co-founded the Black Crowes. Heralded as one of the best live rock acts, the Black Crowes went on to sell over 35 million albums and churn out several charting singles including “Hard to Handle” and “She Talks to Angels,” which Robinson wrote the music for at the tender age of 15. Robinson continues to forge his indelible music legacy as the founder and guitarist for the Magpie Salute, whose 2018 studio album debutHigh Water I earned instant critical acclaim.
Summoning the light and dark of thundering tones, the G6136T Custom Shop Rich Robinson “Magpie” with Bigsby® commands the utmost respect.
A veritable hollow body cannon, this signature Falcon-style guitar features a highly resonant 3-ply maple body with solid spruce top and 1959-style trestle bracing with a spruce block under the bridge, and oversized F-holes for explosive sonic projection and maximum feedback control. A 12”- radius ebony fingerboard with 22 medium frets and mother of pearl Neo-Classic™ thumbnail inlays tops off a maple neck for playability as impressive as its style.
A TV Jones® Classic Plus humbucking bridge pickup provides pristine highs and stout lows with balanced harmonics, while a Broad’Tron™ BT65 neck pickup drives the guitar’s unique voice with a robust and punchy midrange and an uncommonly smooth high-end. The control layout— separate bridge and neck volume knobs, three-way position toggle switch, master tone and master volume with treble bleed circuit—allows for infinite tonal variations.
The G6136T-CSTRR is the epitome of style in Raven’s Breast Blue Relic, silver pickguard adorned with Magpie logo, silver sparkle body and neck binding, Rich’s "Feather and Circle” symbol carved into the top and nickel hardware. Other premium features include Grover® Imperial™ tuning machines, amber jewelled G-arrow control knobs, bone nut, Adjusto-Matic™ bridge with pinned ebony base and Bigsby B6 tailpiece with string-thru shaft. A Gray Speckle premium hard-shell case is also included.
This exclusive model is limited to 25 pieces globally.
G6120T-SW Steve Wariner Signature Nashville Gentleman with Bigsby - £3,339/€3,799
PRESS RELEASE: Gretsch is excited to celebrate the incredible talents of revered country musician Steve Wariner with the G6120T-SW Steve Wariner Signature Nashville® Gentleman with Bigsby® model.
“I have wonderful memories of standing, drooling over the row of beautiful Gretsch guitars at Vic Zinn music store as a kid,” said Wariner. “Owning one was a huge dream —having your very own signature model, the Nashville Gentleman, is that very dream coming true and more. Believe me, I understand the rich history of this guitar company. I'm humbled and proud to be alongside the likes of Duane Eddy, Malcom Young, Brian Setzer and of course my mentor, Chet Atkins, to mention a few.”
A Grand Ole Opry and Kentucky Music Hall of Fame Member, Wariner is also one of five guitar players in the world to be given the “Certified Guitar Player” award by the legendary “Country Gentleman” himself, Chet Atkins. During his illustrious career, the four-time Grammy-award winning artist has released 19 studio albums spawning more than 50 charted Billboard singles including 14 No. 1 hits, plus songwriting hits such as Garth Brooks’ “Long Neck Bottle” and Keith Urban’s “Where the Blacktop Ends.”
Wariner’s new state-of-the-art signature instrument packs Gretsch style with plenty of twang in honor of the man who inspired it.
The single-cutaway hollow body combines with TV Jones® TV Classic Plus neck pickup and a TV Jones® Paul Yandell Duo-Tron bridge pickup for that classic powerful and big-body Gretsch sound. Paired together specially for this model, these pickups deliver articulated notes with a slightly rounder top-end and a touch more output. Designed with finger-picking styles in mind, the Duo-Tron never loses the character of the treble strings, resulting in fuller, bolder tone that is more rounded and focused.
Sonic power of the G6120T can be flexibly harnessed by a master volume and master tone control with a push-pull pot for coil splitting and a three-way toggle switch for even more tonal possibilities.
A smooth 12”-radius ebony fingerboard with classy aged mother of pearl Neo-Classic™ thumbnail inlays and 22 medium jumbo frets sit atop the aged white bound maple neck with a standard “U”-shaped profile and 25.5” scale length. A Bigsby® B6GP String-Thru tailpiece adds personality to playing, while the pinned vintage-style Tru-Arc™ brass rocking bar bridge and brass nut provide incredible tuning stability, allowing the notes to ring bright strum after strum.
Dressed in a Magic Black finish, this musical treasure is also decked in classic Gretsch style— shiny gold G-arrow control knobs and matching hardware, aged white binding with black and white purfling, and a gold plexi pickguard with black Gretsch logo and signpost graphic featuring Wariner’s signature.
“This guitar has taken nearly two years to design and bring to life,” shared Wariner. “I know I'm picky, but I believe great things are worth waiting for. Jeff Senn and Ryan Wariner certainly had a big, big hand in the design and appointments. That's what makes this a serious player's guitar — from the unique coil-splitting pickups to the dazzling Magic Black finish. This guitar is so versatile — easily transitions from the fingerpicking to more crunching rock or alternative styles.
“I'm absolutely confident with all these appointments, this guitar will blow away not only the finger pickers, but also the more crunchin’ rock or alternative player.”
