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Post by budg on Feb 17, 2020 13:55:55 GMT -5
Last year I was looking for something different from my 335/ LP/strat guitars. Thought I’d give a Gretsch hollowbody a try. Bought a 5420T. Great guitar in every way a Gretsch should be . Build quality , setup ,etc all outstanding. Adjusted the blacktops accordingly . I know it wasn’t the guitar . For some reason I just couldn’t embrace it like my Gibson’s and strats ,but I can’t seem to put my finger on it. When I went to pick it up inspiration went to zilch, nada.
To be fair , most of my playing is not clean , but with a dirt pedal. Amp I usually played is a drri or Princeton custom. Love playing my strats and Gibson’s every time I pick them up. Any ideas other than maybe it just not my thing? Maybe try out some of the Gretsch offerings like duo jet ? What say you?
I will say it wasnt anything about the neck that I found bad. I was t crazy about the pickups , but didn’t think new ones would help.
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Post by LM on Feb 17, 2020 14:13:13 GMT -5
I'm not crazy about the pickups in my Streamliner but I like the guitar itself. I'm trying to decide whether to replace them or just sell it.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Feb 17, 2020 15:00:51 GMT -5
Some guitars just don't float your boat--and there's nothing wrong with that at all. You may even be a huge Strat fan, and some Strats are just underwhelming to you.
The result of this very personal experience and emotional connection to any guitar is that we all win! Makers have flooded the market with many choices and we can 'cherry pick' a guitar that works for us.
A good example for me is Rickenbacker. I love the tone and aesthetics of them, and every one I've played just didn't speak to me...except one. One out of many Rics over many years. It spoke to me, and I bought it because I knew if I walked away, I'd be playing Rics years later and kicking myself for not buying That One. It's a 660 and everything about it is magic and perfect. Every other one is just 'meh'. I don't know why.
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Post by SoK66 on Feb 17, 2020 15:53:43 GMT -5
About 10 years ago we had a thread on FDP about guitars you liked but never owned. My contribution was Gretsch 6120. I found a smokin' deal on a brand new Japanese reissue from a place in Brooklyn. As mentioned, build quality was superb, it sounded great. My only two gripes were the bridge didn;t match the fingerboard radius, and. well, it just wasn't my kind of guitar. Loved looking at it, but sold it to a friend for what I had in it.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Feb 17, 2020 16:03:01 GMT -5
SoK66, good to see you here!
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Post by budg on Feb 17, 2020 17:01:46 GMT -5
You guys just backup what I thought . Sometimes you just don’t bond with guitars. That’s why I’m a Martin/ Gibson (335 and Les Paul) and strat kind of guy.
Now my next part of the journey is to play a tele for the first time in my life. I’ve been playing electric since 2001 and have yet to play one for some reason. Gonna at least find out what all the ruckus is all about !
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Post by LM on Feb 17, 2020 17:09:41 GMT -5
Now my next part of the journey is to play a tele for the first time in my life.  |
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sirWheat
Wholenote
For a better future, play Stevie Wonder for your children.
Posts: 318
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Post by sirWheat on Feb 17, 2020 18:07:01 GMT -5
Before you sell it try this, if you haven't already; make that the first guitar you pick up every day for a few days. I have found that new and/or different types of guitars often suffer by comparison to my old favorites such that if I pick it up after playing my familiar ones then I have a hard time finding a good tone, etc. There have been a couple that I just couldn't love but some ended up sticking around a while once I gave 'em the chance to speak to untainted ears.
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Post by LTB on Feb 17, 2020 21:16:01 GMT -5
Several years ago I bought a Gretsch Tennessee Rose. It was a nice guitar but I couldn't get into the Gretsch Filtertrons. I tried some TV Jones Filtertrons and they were nicer sounding but in the end I decided I don't care for the Filtertron sound so I sold it.
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TBird
Wholenote
Posts: 298
Formerly Known As: greg1948
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Post by TBird on Feb 18, 2020 8:06:54 GMT -5
 I have a 6120 DC with stock filtertrons. The guitar itself is gorgeous. Not as buttery to play as some of my other guitars as it has 11's, I believe. It's the pickups that leave me cold. Just not a lot of high end sparkle or chime. I'm not ready to replace the pickups for the cost factor, plus, as LoveThatBass reports, the upgraded pickups didn't really change his opinion. I don't intend to sell this guitar yet, though. It has a bit of history with me, as it was the first guitar I really lusted after as a kid but never could afford. |
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Post by budg on Feb 18, 2020 8:38:22 GMT -5
Before you sell it try this, if you haven't already; make that the first guitar you pick up every day for a few days. I have found that new and/or different types of guitars often suffer by comparison to my old favorites such that if I pick it up after playing my familiar ones then I have a hard time finding a good tone, etc. There have been a couple that I just couldn't love but some ended up sticking around a while once I gave 'em the chance to speak to untainted ears. I’ve already tried this method. It didn’t change my opinion. It got the point that I would pick up the case , open it , then close it up and just say nah. Like I said , I’m just not liking the sound and I know a pickup change won’t help. It does appear I’m not an isolated case. |
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Post by Leftee on Feb 18, 2020 8:43:26 GMT -5
My go-to guitars are Les Pauls and Teles. That said, my 5420 fills a little niche where I want some ker-ang in my rawk.
I’ve also got a 5220 that is cool, but I will ditch the stock blacktops, at some point. They don’t do much for me.
I’m also at a point where I’m not selling guitars like I used to. I used to rotate through my herd, selling and buying. For the last few years it’s been mostly buying. I let go of too many that I regret selling, at some point.
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Post by SoK66 on Feb 18, 2020 9:48:23 GMT -5
SoK66, good to see you here! Thanks! Good to see you as well! |
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Ryder
Wholenote
Butterscotch Blues
Posts: 856
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Post by Ryder on Feb 18, 2020 10:14:27 GMT -5
My go-to guitars are Les Pauls and Teles. That said, my 5420 fills a little niche where I want some ker-ang in my rawk. I’ve also got a 5220 that is cool, but I will ditch the stock blacktops, at some point. They don’t do much for me. I’m also at a point where I’m not selling guitars like I used to. I used to rotate through my herd, selling and buying. For the last few years it’s been mostly buying. I let go of too many that I regret selling, at some point. I agree. I bought a Gretsch 2655 P90. I love P90s in semi hollows or hollows, not so much in solid bodies. I bought this one because it has a P90 in the bridge. It’s also Rivera Blue. Never had a blue guitar. Obviously I was looking for something a little different. I wasn’t holding my breath for a good one. This guitar surprised the heck out of me. It came with a great setup and that helps a lot. The P90 sounds great. So, I’m left with the broad-tron in the neck. The blue is quite understated and I’ve grown to love it. I play in the middle position and with the P90 mix, again I love it. So then I play in the neck position and it sounds real nice. Back to the bridge and wow, this thing cooks. I'm not sure I would like this guitar as much if it just had two broad trons in it. But, with the combination of the P90 I am very satisfied. This guitar is light weight (semi-hollow), real purtty, and sounds real good, clean or dirty. I’ve had it three months and I’m still in love with it. Honeymoon is over, and what can I say, it’s a keeper. |
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RogerD
Wholenote
Fraternity, Dedication, & Passion
Posts: 181
Formerly Known As: Roger D
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Post by RogerD on Feb 22, 2020 15:00:48 GMT -5
 I have had an interest, with the Gretsch guitars, for quite some time. It was quite the rabbit-hole to go down to figure out what was what with all of the different versions that have been and are currently available. Recently introduced was a new Brian Setzer model, 'Smoke' that mimic's his current vintage 6120 that he uses during his performances. It was somewhat pricey but with some trade in items it helped to ease the pain. So far, to me, it seems to be quite an awesome playing and sounding instrument. Here's a link to an image; ibb.co/CvPW08S |
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