Fender operates Gretsch. Fender also owns Kaman music, i.e., Hamer, Takamine, Ovation, and Charvel guitars, and Genz-Benz amplifiers.
So, all these brands are Fenders rebranded.
—Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com
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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »
Gretsch?
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Joined: Aug 22, 2010 Posts: 1019 Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers 
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Posted on Nov 18 2012 10:29 PM
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Joined: Jul 31, 2012 Posts: 4054 Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted on Nov 18 2012 10:31 PM
morphball, I don't think any of the Gretsch models come with coil tap switching but we've built some guitars using TV's with four conductor wiring and modded some Gretsch with them as well. —http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic |
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Joined: Jul 31, 2012 Posts: 4054 Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted on Nov 18 2012 10:37 PM
Not exactly surf but definitely instrumental, on the White Falcon with TV Jones Classics. —http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic |
Joined: Oct 05, 2012 Posts: 1725 Austin, Texas 
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Posted on Nov 19 2012 05:37 AM
Squid wrote:
Not so. Gretsch and Fender have an advertising agreement. They are made in different factories, by different people, using different techniques. As for the other brands, most are the same story. —IMO. |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle
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Posted on Nov 19 2012 08:50 AM
Altar wrote:
I think he said that as a joke. |
Joined: Mar 13, 2009 Posts: 2367 Twin Cities, MN
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Posted on Nov 19 2012 11:22 AM
Altar wrote:
A lot of Gretsch custom shop guitars are built at the Fender factory in Corona. I was drooling all over them on the tour 2 years ago My Gretsch was made in Korea. Not sure if any Fenders are made there. |
Joined: Aug 17, 2012 Posts: 85 Tucson, AZ
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Posted on Nov 19 2012 11:54 AM
CrazyAces wrote:
Dynasonics are great pickups and would be a good choice for surf. However, I had a Gretsch though w/ TVJ filtertrons and didn't really dig 'em that much. Bridge pup was good but the neck was really disappointing. The stock HB neck pup in my SG sounded quite a bit better, which surprised me. Setzer and the Rev sure sound good w/ them though, so what do I know. |
Joined: Oct 26, 2007 Posts: 542
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Posted on Nov 19 2012 12:30 PM
Gretsches are awesome for surf. If you're going for the tried-and-trad sound of Fender singles, they won't quite get you there, but if you want something a bit more roundness and heft to it, they're awesome. The Electromatics with cheaper humbuckers in them won't impress you for surf. Any of the G512X hollow bodies with Dearmond-style pickups are twangtacular, and once you move into TV Jones territory the FilterTrons can definitely be surf approved. I have a Gretsch Anniversary that alternates as my main surf guitar with my Hallmark. The stock PowerTron pickups didn't twang enough, so I swapped the bridge for a TV Classic and love it. Granted, most of my stuff tends to have a touch of overdrive going, so there's a bit of garage influence instead of squeaky-clean trad going on, but the Gretsch is awesome for that. And, truthfully, it's kind of amazing how those two completely different guitars sound and feel very similar for me. — |
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Joined: Aug 22, 2010 Posts: 1019 Portland, Oregon with Insanitizers
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Posted on Nov 19 2012 12:48 PM
"In 2003 Gretsch entered into an agreement with Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC), under the terms of which Fred Gretsch III would continue to own the company, with FMIC handling most development, distribution and sales." [quoted from Wikipedia. They cited a publication "Guitars of the Fred Gretsch Company" by Jay Scott.] This is the basis for my writing that Fender operates Gretsch. —Insanitizers! http://www.insanitizers.com Last edited: Nov 19, 2012 12:50:57 |
Joined: Aug 02, 2012 Posts: 162 Nashville, TN
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Posted on Nov 19 2012 01:18 PM
"The Electromatics with cheaper humbuckers in them won't impress you for surf. Any of the G512X hollow bodies with Dearmond-style pickups are twangtacular, and once you move into TV Jones territory the FilterTrons can definitely be surf approved." Ty, while that was true of the old 51xx series Electromatics with Gretschbuckers, the new 54xx series sports Blacktop FilterTrons, which are way twangier. Some even say they twang better than any other Filtertrons, including the TV Jones versions. Last edited: Nov 19, 2012 13:19:50 |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1054 Chicago IL.
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Posted on Nov 19 2012 01:40 PM
I've had a few Dynasonic Equipped Jets and 6120s but I have trouble calling those "Gretsch" pickups. Yeah they sound great. But I'd be more inclined to say Filtertrons and Hilotrons are whatever the "Gretsch sound" is supposed to be. Filtertrons can be a little bassy depending on the guitar. They even sound different in the varios 6120s depending on whether or not the guitar has sound posts or trestle braces. "as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there" https://www.facebook.com/reluctantaquanauts/ |
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Joined: Jul 31, 2012 Posts: 4054 Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted on Nov 19 2012 01:57 PM
"Filtertrons can be a little bassy depending on the guitar." http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic |
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Joined: Oct 26, 2007 Posts: 542
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Posted on Nov 20 2012 12:28 PM
mike_fried wrote:
That's good to hear! I haven't tried any Electros in the past couple years, but the Gretschbuckers were kind of a "must mod" for anyone wanting some snap and twang out of an otherwise great series of guitars. — |
Joined: Jun 14, 2012 Posts: 462 Ohio!
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Posted on Nov 26 2012 12:24 PM
I use my Corvette to surf it on up all the time, sounds fantastic! |
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Joined: Jul 31, 2012 Posts: 4054 Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted on Nov 26 2012 12:54 PM
Nice Corvette! http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic |
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Joined: Jun 14, 2012 Posts: 462 Ohio!
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Posted on Nov 26 2012 01:10 PM
Thanks! Picked it up for a song a few years back. Yep indeed, a '67 Melody Maker. |
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Joined: Jul 31, 2012 Posts: 4054 Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted on Nov 26 2012 01:37 PM
I bet that Melody Maker Surfs great as well. http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic |
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Joined: Dec 05, 2008 Posts: 56 |
Posted on Nov 26 2012 02:29 PM
I used my Gretsch with filtertrons for several years. We did instrumental rock so not totally surf. It did what I thought was great until I switched to Jazzmasters. The Fender single coil just adds that last ingredient I was missing. It helpes that the JM has a fairly large body so the switch between the two is easy to manage. Still nothing wrong with Gretsch. |
Joined: Sep 06, 2012 Posts: 1300 Lawrenceville , GA
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Posted on Dec 06 2012 12:38 PM
I've got a 5120 that I love to use for surf. The Gretschbuckers were kind of muddy so I put in GFS surf 90's about a year ago. Swapped the bridge with a Tonepros ( I'm picky about intonation.) and replaced the clear pickguard with a cream colored pinup girl one that I found on Ebay. I'm still on the fence about the pickups though and may do the TV Jones swap at some point. The only complaint is the hollowbody is a pain for working on electronics. |
Joined: Jul 18, 2009 Posts: 499
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Posted on Dec 06 2012 01:54 PM
. Last edited: Mar 01, 2020 09:10:36 |
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