Gretsch G6118T-120 120th Anniversary

I love to play Beatles stuff and this is my first hollowbody guitar. I had narrowed it down to the Gretsch or the Casino. Went with the Gretsch. More versitle than the Casino and it has the Bigsby. Went with this model because of the TV Jones pick ups and the Bamboo Yellow/Copper Mist color. Paid $1775.00 from Sweetwater Sound.

The tone and acoustic resonance are awesome. The TV Jones pick ups just ooze vintage vibe. I love the sound. The neck feels really nice and fits my hand well. Kind of like my Les Paul. It's a big body but very compfortable to play and I always play sitting down so that's saying something. I love the Bamboo Yellow/Copper Mist color combo.

The bridge is not anchored the the top of the guitar so it can move. Moving the bridge back and forth is actually how you adjust the intonation. The bridge would have to be anchored to the top to play live because otherwise it needs frequent tuning.

I have not found one flaw in the finish or the fit of any components. The binding looks perfect and the entire instrument looks and feels solid. This is one beautiful guitar. Like their ad says: " Coolness Incarnate".

The quirks of the bridge and the Bigsby causing tuning problems is fine. I knew that going in. The trade off is "That Great Gretsch Sound". Someone once said that's what's cool about a Gretsch, not everyone gets it.This was absoutley the right guitar for me. It fits me and the sound is what I was looking for. I would buy it again and again. Two thumbs up!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Characteristics produced by Gretsch:

MODEL NAME G6118T-120, AnniversaryTM
SERIES Professional Collection
COLORS (863) Yellow Bamboo Mist with Coppercuivre Backfond and Neckmanche
CATEGORY Hollow Body Guitars
BODY STYLE Single Cutaway
SCALE LENGTH 24.6 "(625mm)
TOP Arched Laminated Maple
Bracing N / A
Back and Sides Laminated Maple
Body, 16 "Wide, 2.5" Deep
NECK 3-Piece Maple
PICKUPS 2 TV Jones Pickups FilterTronTM ° classic
PICKUP SWITCHING 3-Position Toggle:
Position 1. Bridge Pickup
Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups
Position 3. Neck Pickup
CONTROLS Volume 1. (Neck Pickup),
Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup),
Master Volume,
3-Position Toggle Master Tone Switch
WIDTH AT Nut 1-11/16 "(43mm)
FRETBOARD Ebony, 12 "Radius (305mm)
BRIDGE Ebony-Based Chrome "Rocking" Bar Bridge
Vibrato Tailpiece Bigsby ¨ B6CB
HARDWARE Chrome-Plated
FINISH Gloss Urethane
MACHINE HEADS Chrome-Plated Grover ¨ V98C Sta-TiteTM Die-cast Tuners
UNIQUE FEATURES Neo Classic "Thumbnail" Inlay
Black Headstock Overlay with Chrome Anniversary Plate,
Multiple Body Bindings, Copper Mist Plexi Pickguard, Knurled Strap Retainer Knobs, Adjustable Truss Rod

Made in Japan.

UTILIZATION

The handle is really nice, thin enough, a slight "V" and with a touch very pronounced notes "resonate" in each finger.
The Bigsby vibrato does not Disagree guitar, but should not jump in with both feet.
The Bridge is very comfortable rocking bar: one can mutate the string with your right hand (for right-handed) very gradually.
Access to treble is not as easy as the more modern guitars.
The volume of the body of the guitar is rather large (compared to solid bodies), but the ergonomics are very comfortable. Standing or sitting, the guitar is balanced and stable. Its lightness is very valuable for me, especially when I have to play long standing.

SOUNDS

This guitar has a sound Excellent. His grave is particularly attractive.

I play on a Mark IV, in styles jazz, blues, pop, rockab, rock, punk, hard rock. Jazz and blues sounds are very round, soft and precise in those rockab pop, slap it and it's very energetic twang, in rock, punk and hard rock is really the class of which are very poignant distos with trunk and presence.
It can go from warm to savagery melody vintage: A really good sound!

Handling the pickup selector with that of the tone provides quick access to the very different palettes, each time with the quality to go.

OVERALL OPINION

Before buying it, I tried several other gretsch which a reverent horton heat. I finally took the 120th Anniversary because I liked the possibilities of sound type and more modern sounds, and sounds incredible serious.

Compared to other Gretsch Pro, it's still cheaper new. The problem is that it is no longer produced today.