The Gretsch Sound?

  • Thread starter Thread starter blackscot
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blackscot

blackscot

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Earlier I posted a thread asking which archtop to get. See:

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=251281

Yesterday I went to the local dealer and handled a few. The one that felt best to me was a Gretsch Tennessee Rose. I'm most used to a Strat, so I think the narrower neck on the Gretsch was helping a lot compared to some others.

I didn't plug anything in though, and am going back this afternoon to re-try the Gretsch along with probably a couple of others through an amp. I need to know what to listen for. I'm familiar with the tonal qualities of the Strat of course, along with the Les Paul which I used to own one of.

I've heard a lot about how the Gretsch has it's own sound, which is "unique" but not much beyond that. Is this something that will jump out at me and be obvious, or are there subtleties I should be searching for?

Any help would be appreciated - thanks.
 
True hollow-bodies with open sound holes have a unique sound ala Stray Cats rockabilly or Chet Atkins, that I don't think can be produced otherwise. I had a Country Gentlemen years and years ago when I played a lot of quiet country. Fed back like hell at high volumes and the sound was too bottom ended so I got rid of it and moved to solid bodies when I started playing rock.

Tom
 
If you can, take your amp with you. It would be even better to take the Strat too. It would be best to take the guitar home overnight with a bulletproof return policy, but that is not often an option. Using the Strat and your amp gives you a chance to see how the room affects the sound of your rig. It will help when critically listening to the Gretch.

An electric guitar is the guitar AND the amp. Unless you hear that Gretch through your amp you don't know what your rig will sound like. Most stores are not good listening environments. But, do the best you can with that. It's not a perfect world.

If you think about it, telling you what to listen for won't help other than to say listen for a sound you love. Tone is personal. Aretha Franklin and Ella Fitzgerald are/were very different from each other, both great, and I wouldn't tell you what to listen for when you compared them.
 
When I think of a Gretch sound i think of early Beatles. George Harrison played a Gretch hollowbody on a lot of stuff back in those days, of course some of that sound may have been the combination of the Gretch guitar and Vox amp.
 
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