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Gretsch for surf?
Joined: Mar 16, 2016 Posts: 217 Highland CA |
Posted on Mar 22 2016 07:44 AM
Was in GC yesterday and saw this: It was the gold model. Plugged it in for a while and it sounded great. The price is certainly right. Finding when I play my strat sometimes I hit the switch and knock it out of position. Also the middle pickup gets in the way. Thinking a two pickup guitar with a Bigsby would eliminate those problems. Any thoughts? |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1054 Chicago IL. 
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Posted on Mar 22 2016 07:57 AM
Anything is better than a Strat! You can use whatever you want for surf. Are you chasing traditional first wave tones? Remember a lot of that was cut on Fender guitars with single coil pickups. I had a Gretsch Duo Jet with Dynasonics and that cranked through a reverb tank was pretty good. Really it comes down to what you want out of your "surf" tone? —"as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there" https://www.facebook.com/reluctantaquanauts/ Last edited: Mar 22, 2016 07:57:58 |
Joined: May 09, 2008 Posts: 1249 Isle of Kent, MD 
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Posted on Mar 22 2016 08:17 AM
Brian Setzer plays some pretty mean surf/rockabilly stuff and he is a Gretsch guy. BillAqua is right, in the end it comes down to your surf tone. I worked with Mark English of the Space Cossacks and played a lot of different guitars and amps. In the end I chose my Green American Strat (Annette) with factory pickups that I had rewired so that the 4th position switch engages the neck and bridge pickups and bypasses the middle one. Then I picked up a 65 re-issue Twin Reverb. It gives me the huge tone I want, a little different sound, but my idea of surf guitar. Have fun with the journey and make it your own!!! —Surfcat 2023 SG101 Compilation - Tribute to Noel From Atlantis with Love - Released - July 2023 Surf, the most dangerous of all musical genres... |
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Joined: Mar 16, 2016 Posts: 217 Highland CA |
Posted on Mar 22 2016 08:22 AM
Thanks for the replies! I think the tone of that Gretsch could get me there. There's a lot of variables with an amp, pedals and the guitar itself tonewise so I'm not too worried about it. It's the playability I'm looking at for the reasons stated above. Had a Gretsch Setzer model a few years ago when I played in a rockabilly band and am not reticent at all about the Gretsch line. Good stuff! |
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Joined: May 09, 2008 Posts: 1249 Isle of Kent, MD
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Posted on Mar 22 2016 08:31 AM
Sounds like you got a plan!!! Go forward and surf-a-ply! —Surfcat 2023 SG101 Compilation - Tribute to Noel From Atlantis with Love - Released - July 2023 Surf, the most dangerous of all musical genres... |
Joined: Mar 14, 2006 Posts: 2141 Kiev, Ukraine 
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Posted on Mar 22 2016 08:33 AM
I used a 6118 model for a couple of years for surf stuff and was pretty happy but then somehow moved back to Fender) If picking a Gretsch for surf would go for Duo Jet with Dynasonic singles) —Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine New Single is out! https://waikikimakaki.bandcamp.com/album/rhino-blues-full-contact-surf-single Waikiki Makaki https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki Lost Diver https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com |
Joined: Mar 04, 2016 Posts: 10 |
Posted on Mar 22 2016 09:17 AM
I've had a couple electromatics- Last edited: Mar 22, 2016 09:19:24 |
Joined: Aug 30, 2012 Posts: 399 Twangsville
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Posted on Mar 22 2016 09:36 AM
I use a 6120 for surf - and LOVE it. —To Boldly go where no Tiki has gone before... |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle
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Posted on Mar 22 2016 09:53 AM
My 6119 definitely handles such a thing. Just a good guitar, clear and focused. It has an old Filtertron, which are different sounding to later ones as far as I can tell. |
Joined: Mar 13, 2009 Posts: 2351 Twin Cities, MN
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Posted on Mar 22 2016 11:07 AM
Hey Greg, I had one of those Korean Electromatics. I put in TV Jones T-armond single coils and it could get that twang and surf sound. I liked that guitar a lot, but I ended up not playing it once I picked up some Fender offsets. |
Joined: Feb 26, 2008 Posts: 540 Copenhagen, Denmark 
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Posted on Mar 22 2016 02:51 PM
My 6120jr2 which I got back in 1999 keeps getting a lot of action. It's hard to beat if you're looking for that twangy in-between classic surf and classic rockabilly sound. After I started playing with flatwounds it's just even more fun. — |
Joined: Sep 29, 2015 Posts: 470 |
Posted on Mar 22 2016 07:13 PM
The Other guitarist in our band "the bull kelp surfers' uses a 60s gretsh double anniversary almost exclusively. |
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Joined: Mar 16, 2016 Posts: 217 Highland CA |
Posted on Mar 22 2016 07:33 PM
Well, I have an Epi 339 P90 Pro that I stuck a Bigsby on last month. P90s are single coil, right? Thinking it could be a backup for my strat. Pulled it out today and plugged it into my rig and you know what? It ain't bad at all. In fact, it sounds pretty darn good! Surprised the s*** out of me. |
Joined: Sep 11, 2007 Posts: 667 Sonoma, CA
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Posted on Mar 22 2016 07:41 PM
My wife has one of the newer center block White Falcons (with filtertrons), and it gets more drip than all my guitars. But for me the sound is a little too garage-rock gnarly for surf, which other people may find to their liking. Last edited: Mar 22, 2016 19:41:59 |
Joined: Jan 09, 2014 Posts: 600 Vancouver BC 
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Posted on Mar 22 2016 10:40 PM
Was powering my way through Misirlou up on stage in front of about 120 people with my floating-bridge Strat when the low E snapped...I waved the band to keep going...quickly swapped guitars and finished the song with my P90 Les Paul. It worked. Lorne |
Joined: Jul 24, 2012 Posts: 2762 Finknabad, Squinkistan 
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Posted on Mar 22 2016 10:58 PM
How about Harmony Rocket, the poor man's Gretsch? I had one with a Bigsby and two T.Rowe DeArmond 'gold foil' pickups, strung with 12 flats that was a damned good guitar with a mood of its own. Great for atmospheric feedback-laden chords, jazzy rockabilly, tough and gutteral R&B. A little to squishy for double-picked 1st wave surf though. — |
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Joined: Mar 14, 2006 Posts: 2141 Kiev, Ukraine
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Posted on Apr 30 2018 07:48 AM
Got the Gretsch again. Just love it for some heavy surf rock Huevos Rancheros style or some western inspired. Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine New Single is out! https://waikikimakaki.bandcamp.com/album/rhino-blues-full-contact-surf-single Waikiki Makaki https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki Lost Diver https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com Last edited: May 12, 2018 01:18:01 |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 3742 North Atlantic
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Posted on Apr 30 2018 09:44 AM
Nice! Brent J Cooper sure gets some amazing soungs out of his Gretsch, as does Brian Connelly ( Shadowy men, Atomic 7). I got to hang out with Brent a couple of years ago and talked about lots of instro guitar stuff, and gear. His choice to use a Gretsch was strongly influenced by Shadowy Men. Rev —Canadian Surf |
Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4127 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Apr 30 2018 09:51 AM
I use Gretsch guitars for pretty much everything. They are pretty good for Surf, Filtertron pickups being mini humbuckers with tight focus. Dynasonic pickups are sort of like Fender single coils on steroids, they will definitely chunk out some Surf tones. Here's my main Surf machine, a Tennesseean wit Supertrons. Excellent articulation and note separation.
The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. |
Joined: May 24, 2008 Posts: 418 Land Locked CINCINNATI OH
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Posted on Apr 30 2018 10:18 AM
My second electric guitar is a GRETCH. maybe someone can help with the plating problem I'm experiencing. All gold plated hardware has gone to rot. Tuners, bridge, bigsby, knobs and anything else is not just tarnished but decayed beyond buffing. Seems their idea of gold plate is not very valuable. —Don't Fear the Reverb ! Grateful Surf ! SURFIN' Tiki Bandits ! www.donschott.com |
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