Scottsdale, AZ (January 22, 2016) -- The new Gretsch Players Edition is designed to provide ultimate stability, maximum comfort and powerful sound, resulting in a line of workhorse guitars meant to be played throughout the entire set—every song, every night. These professional-grade instruments come loaded with new features, including string-thru Bigsby® tailpieces, thinner bodies, locking tuners, all-new Gretsch “Squeezebox” paper-in-oil capacitors, No-load tone pots and Gretsch “ML” bracing and High-Sensitive Filter’Tron pickups. Available in the most classic and iconic Gretsch designs, including the Falcon™, Country Gentleman®, Nashville®, Tennessee Rose™ and Anniversary™.
G6136T-WHT Players Edition White Falcon with String-Thru BigsbyOne of the most-desired guitars in production today, the G6136T Players Edition White Falcon with String-Thru Bigsby is an uncompromising instrument — from the classic aesthetics to the deep, complex sound.
This White Falcon presents total sophistication—from the gold Grover® Imperial™ locking tuning machines and gold jeweled “G Arrow” control knobs to the gold sparkle bound neck, body and F Holes, white gloss urethane finish and gold vintage thick plexi pickguard with Gretsch logo. A bold visual and sonic statement, the G6136T Players Edition White Falcon with String-Thru Bigsby updates the archetypical hollowbody electric guitar for modern players who demand uniqueness from themselves—and their tools.
The G6136T Players Edition Falcon is also available in Black finish and in White, left-handed versions.
G6122T Players Edition Country GentlemanReinvigorated for modern players who demand the pinnacle of performance and tone from their guitar, the Players Edition Country Gentlemen with String-Thru Bigsby is packed with the sound and style that made the original a classic.
The G6122T Players Edition Country Gentleman also features shining gold Gotoh® die-cast locking tuning machines, gold “G Arrow” control knobs, F Holes, gloss urethane Walnut Stain finish and gold vintage thick plexi pickguard with Gretsch logo.
G6119T Players Edition Tennessee Rose™A solid performer in any playing situation, from the studio to the stage, the Players Edition Tennessee Rose with String-Thru Bigsby takes a classic Gretsch model and updates it with modern player-oriented features that provide maximum performance while retaining the original sound and style that made it famous. Hot-rodded for players who demand the best of the past and present, the Players Edition Tennessee Rose with String-Thru Bigsby is a pure powerhouse of sound.
A treat for the eyes and ears, this guitar is a highly-tuned modern music machine—from the Schaller® locking tuning machines and “G Arrow” control knobs to the F Holes, gloss urethane Deep Cherry Stain finish and silver vintage thick plexi pickguard with Gretsch logo.
G6120T Players Edition Nashville®Designed from the ground up for modern players yet retaining all the timeless style that made the 6120 famous, the Players Edition Nashville with String-Thru Bigsby is a marvelous example of art and performance. Player-oriented features, wide, open sound and comfortable playability combine to create a playing experience like no other.
Constructed with sterling fit and finish and an eye for detail, the Players Edition Nashville with String-Thru Bigsby is a marvel of modern instrument design, fashionably treated with shining gold Schaller® locking tuning machines, gold “G Arrow” control knobs, F Holes, gloss urethane Orange Stain finish and gold vintage thick plexi pickguard with Gretsch logo.
The G6120T Players Edition Nashville is also offered in a left-hand model — the G6120TLH.
The G6120TFM Players Edition Nashville shares all of the above features as the G6120T but with an Orange Stained laminated flamed maple body.
G6118T-SGR Players Edition Anniversary™At the intersection of innovation and tribute is the G6118T-SGR Players Edition Anniversary with String-Thru Bigsby—a guitar that honors its inspirational past while remaining firmly rooted in the future of music. Engineered for optimum performance and responsiveness it reacts instantly to a player’s every musical move.
Also features the appointments Gretsch fans desire—nickel “G Arrow” control knobs, white binding with black purfling, pearloid thumbnail inlays, gloss urethane two-tone Smoke Green finish with matching Smoke Green vintage thick plexi pickguard and Gretsch logo and Schaller locking tuning machines.
The G6118T is also offered in a two-tone Lotus Ivory finish with a charcoal grey vintage thick plexi pickguard.
For more information:
Gretsch Guitars
This Japan-made Guyatone brings back memories of hitchin’ rides around the U.S.
So, as I’m prone to do, I started digging around hitchhiking culture and stories. Surprisingly, there are organized groups that embrace the hitching life, but the practice remains on the fringe in the U.S. Back in the 1950s, writer Jack Kerouac wrote the novel On the Road, which celebrated hitchhiking and exposed readers to the thrill of maverick travel. Heck, even Mike Dugan (the guitarist in all my videos) hitched his way to California in the 1960s. But seeing that fellow on the side of the road also sparked another image in my brain: Yep, it always comes back to guitars.
Let me present to you a guitar that’s ready to go hitching: the Guyatone LG-180T, hailing from 1966. The “thumbs-up” headstock and the big “thumb” on the upper bout always made me think of thumbing a ride, and I bought and sold this guitar so long ago that I had forgotten about it, until I saw that hitchhiking dude. Guyatone was an interesting Japanese company because they were primarily an electronics company, and most of their guitars had their wooden parts produced by other factories. In the case of the LG-180T, the bodies were made by Yamaha in Hamamatsu, Japan. At that time, Yamaha was arguably making the finest Japanese guitars, and the wood on this Guyatone model is outstanding. We don’t often see Guyatone-branded guitars here in the U.S., but a lot of players recognize the early ’60s label Kent—a brand name used by an American importer for Guyatone guitars.
With a bit of imagination, the LG-180T’s “thumbs up” headstock seems to be looking for a roadside ride.
Kent guitars were extremely popular from the early ’60s until around 1966. The U.S. importer B&J fed the American need for electric guitars with several nice Kent models, but when the Guyatone contract ended, so did most of the Kent guitars. After that, Guyatone primarily sold guitars in Japan, so this example is a rare model in the U.S.
“Unless you are a master at guitar setups, this would be a difficult player.”
This headstock is either the ugliest or the coolest of the Guyatone designs. I can’t decide which. I will say, no other Japanese guitar company ever put out anything like this. You have to give the Guyatone designers a thumbs up for trying to stand out in the crowd! Guyatone decided to forgo an adjustable truss rod in this model, opting instead for a light alloy non-adjustable core to reinforce the neck. Speaking of the neck, this instrument features the most odd-feeling neck. It’s very thin but has a deep shoulder (if that makes any sense). Totally strange!
Another strange feature is the bridge, which offers very little adjustment because of the three large saddles, which sort of rock back and forth with the tremolo. It’s a shame because these pickups sound great! They’re very crisp and have plenty of zing, but unless you are a master at guitar set-ups, this would be a difficult player.
This could be why the LG-180T only appeared in the 1966 and 1967 catalogs. After that, it disappeared along with all the other Yamaha-made Guyatone electrics. By 1969, Guyatone had gone bankrupt for the first time, and thus ended guitar production for a few decades. At least we were blessed with some wacky guitar designs we can marvel at while remembering the days when you could play in the back end of an explosive 1973 AMC Gremlin while your mom raced around town. Two thumbs up for surviving our childhoods! PG
