In 1954, the Fred Gretsch Company introduced
its own artist-endorsed guitar in
response to the success of Gibson’s Les Paul
model. The virtuoso country artist Chet Atkins
was chosen, and with his input, the model
6120 Chet Atkins Hollowbody was born.The guitar included features requested by Atkins, such as a 24 ¾" scale length, a metal nut, and a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece. It also initially sported “kitschy” Western designs intended to appeal to country music fans, although Atkins disliked the extra cosmetic decorations. They were gradually removed as he and the guitar became more popular.
The early 1961 version featured this month
has the typical characteristics of 6120 models
produced that year. These include an
ebony fretboard with neoclassical inlays
(1958), Filter’Tron humbucking pickups
(1958), a zero fret (1959), V-style Gretsch
by Bigsby tailpiece (1960), and a bar bridge
(1957). By 1961, the body depth had thinned
to just 2.25" (from 2.75" in ’54, to 2.5" in
’60). Possibly due to the thinner body, the
neck joint changed from a dovetail to a mortise
and tenon. The reinforcing dowel was
moved from the back of the heel to the side
located in the cutaway. Later examples from
’61 would also be equipped with a standby
switch before the model changed to a double-
cutaway design in 1962.Detailed, in-depth information on 6120s can be found in the new book Gretsch 6120—The History of a Legendary Guitar by Edward Ball. More information on Gretsch guitars can be found in The Gretsch Book by Tony Bacon and Paul Day, and in The Guitars of the Fred Gretsch Company by Jay Scott.
Dave’s Guitar Shop
Daves Rogers’ collection is tended to by
Laun Braithwaite and Tim Mullally
Photos and words by Tim Mullally
Dave’s collection is on display at:
Dave’s Guitar Shop
1227 Third Street South
La Crosse, WI 54601
davesguitar.com
Diamond Pedals Dark Cloud
True to the Diamond design ethos of our dBBD’s hybrid analog architecture, Dark Cloud unlocks a new frontier in delay technology which was once deemed unobtainable by standard BBD circuit.
Powered by an embedded system, the Dark Cloud seamlessly blends input and output signals, crafting Tape, Harmonic, and Reverse delays with the organic warmth of analog companding and the meticulous precision of digital control.
Where analog warmth meets digital precision, the Dark Cloud redefines delay effects to create a pedal like no other
But by gosh, if delay—and its sister effect, reverb—haven’t always been perfect for the music I like to write and play. Which brings us to the Fishman EchoBack Mini Delay. The EchoBack, along with the standard delay controls of level, time, and repeats—as well as a tap tempo—has a toggle to alternate between analog, tape, and digital-delay voices.
I hooked up my Washburn Bella Tono Elegante to my Blues Junior to give the EchoBack a test run. We love a medium delay—my usual preference for delay settings is to have both level and repeats at 1 o’clock, and time at 11 o’clock. With the analog voice switched on, I heard some pillowy warmth in the processed signal, as well as a familiar degradation with each repeat—until their wake gave way to a gentle, distant, crinkly ticking. Staying on analog and adjusting delay time down to 8 o’clock and repeats to about 11:30, some cozy slapback enveloped my rendition of Johnny Marr’s part to “Back to the Old House,” conjuring up thoughts of Elvis trapped in a small chamber, but in a good way. It sounded indubitably authentic. The one drawback of analog delay for me, generally, is that its roundness can feel a bit under water at times.
Switching over to tape, that pillowy warmth evaporated, and in its place came a very clear replication of my tone—but with just a bit of the highs shaved off the top. With the settings at the medium-length mode listed above, I could see the empty, glass hall the pedal sent my sound bouncing down. I heard several pronounced pings of repeats before the signal fully faded out. On slapback settings (time at 8 o’clock, repeats at 11:30), rather than Elvis, I heard something more along the lines of a honky-tonk mic in a glass bottle. Still relatively crystalline, which actually was not my favorite. I like a bit more crinkle—so maybe analog is my bag....“That pillowy warmth evaporated, and in its place came a very clear, pristine replication of my tone—but with just a bit of the highs shaved off the top.”
Next up, digital. Here we have the brightest voice, and as expected, the most faithful repeats. They ping just a few times before shifting to a smooth, single undulating wave. When putting its slapback hat on, I found that the effect was a bit less alluring than I’d observed for the analog and tape voices. This is where the digital delay felt a little too sterile, with the cleanly preserved signal feeling a bit unnatural.
All in all, I dig the EchoBack for its replications of analog and tape voices, and ultimately, lean towards tape. While it’s nice having the digital delay there as an option, it feels a bit too clean when meddling with time of any given length. Nonetheless, this is surely a handy stomp for any acoustic player looking to venture into the land of live effects, or for those who are already there.
