Gretsch Advice

[Dmoney]

YO!
i really like the look of solid body gretsch guitars.
i might have the chance to pick one up kinda cheap too!
however, id like to put some BKP humbuckers in it and i have no experience with filtertrons or the cavities behind them.
the gretsch in questions is a duo jet. I can't find much info on this. i guess a gretsch without filtertrons isn't a gretsch. but i think a gretsch with chrome or nickle RY's would be cool.

is it possible? or would it need some routing?

[sgmypod]

er orig gretsch tv jones pickups(not the electromatics) can be odd size depends on model of guitar....give us shout if you sell the gretsch ones

[Dmoney]

well if its going to require routing im gonna have to think hard about it.
for some reason i hoped gretsch might have a wider cavity incase anyone wanted to do a change like that.
or if anyone knows of anything interesting that might fit in there without routing the pup cavities id be interested to hear about them

[Philly Q]

http://www.tvjones.com/home/home.html

[Dmoney]

powertrons look pretty interesting. the use of the word 'twang' concerns me. I always associate that with semi hollow or fendery kinda sounds. not crunchy high gain sounds.

[Philly Q]

I haven't actually tried any TVJ pickups yet - Ratrod or Twinfan could tell you more.

I think the PowerTrons (and PowerTron Plus bridge) are closest to "normal" humbuckers, but the whole range is geared towards Gretsch sounds.  They're not trying to take the jack-of-all-trades approach by offering Metal pickups disguised as FilterTrons.... which is probably sensible really as they have their own little corner of the market.

I'd really like to try them (I've spent ages looking at that website!), but I admit it's the look that appeals, more than what they might sound like.

[Ratrod]

If you want a Gretsch that is suited for heavy rock, it doesn't get better than a Power Jet.

By far my favorite guitar.

Powertron pickups arent as twangy as the classic Filtertrons. There a P90-ish midrange to them. Loads of growl and kerrang.

Putting a full size humbucker in it requires some major surgery but any Gretsch fan would considder it butchery. The guitar will be almost worthless after it.

The Powertron + is an overwound version and sounds very PAF-ish. If you want to know how that sounds, search youtube for Billy Gibbons (ZZ-Top) playing one of his Billy-Bo guitars.

[Twinfan]

Nowt wrong with TV Jones stuff.  I love it  :)

[Ratrod]

BTW, classic Filtertrons can do more than you think.

Listen to: AC/DC, Soundgarden, Social Distortion, Rancid, Reverend Horton Heat, The Living End to name a few.

[Dmoney]

im familiar with all those bands.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xVzm9qrlqo&feature=related

this dude REALLY made me want to try one haha. he's been posted up in here before.

[Ratrod]

I forgot to mention this. They call solid body guitars at Gretsch but in fact they are just as hollow as a Gibson ES335.

[jpfamps]

The neck joint on the new Gretsch guitars isn't that stellar, so I would advise against any routing in the neck position.

I would tend to concur with the view that Filtertrons are the way to go on Gretsches.

Older Gretsch guitars have a wood screw reinforcing the neck joint.

[Ratrod]

The neck joint on a Gretsch is done the classic arch top way. Similar to an acoustic.  The position of the neck pickup is nowhere near the neck joint. The last part of the neck 'hovers' over the body.

I never heard of any problems with necks on modern Gretsches. Vintage ones might need a neck reset at some time.

The reason for the screw on vintage ones is simple. Back then the glue wasn't strong enough and .012 was the lightest gauge of strings you could get. That's alot of tension, especially when played in Nashville tuning.

[jpfamps]

Re necks on modern Gretsches — I've seen several in for repair (including one that was custom made by Gretsch for a big name player who in his words "had the neck of before I'd even plugged it in!") with the neck off and discussed it at length with a guitar repairer who is not overly impressed with the quality of the neck joint.

Vintage Gretsches can be great (I've played loads and own one), however the build quality is very variable, and I've played some real shockers.

Yes, vintage Gretsches often need the neck reset because the break angle is too shallow and they won't play in tune and have no sustain.

[Ratrod]

If bad neck joints are so common on modern Gretsches, how come I never read about it on the Gretsch Pages?

All other common problems are widely discussed. And BTW, several 'big name' players are members.

Boz Boorer, Buzz Campbell, Hot Rod Walt, Billy Zoom, just to name a few.

Almost all neck breaks I read about were caused by abuse of some sort.

I did find out that neck breaks are very common with Gibson guitars, though.