Gretsch 6120 Nashville

Made in Japan '05 6120 in Blue w gold hardware.
I bought this new in '07.
The new ones have "Chet Atkins" sign on the pickguard. This one was produced before FMIC and Fred Gretsch re-aquired the rights, but in all other features is the usual modern Gretsch Nashville 16" hollowbody with a soundpost under the bridge.

Bound ebony fretboard with 22 medium nicely dressed frets on somewhat thinner C shaped three piece maple than say, Anniversary models, which seem a bit beefier and have a more "V" shape. A bit beefier feeling than the Korean made Gretsch 5120's though.

Grover sealed tuning machines.

Two Filtertron humbucking pickups and the two-toggle/three volume pot setup: master vol near the cutaway: pickup selector and "mud" switch on the upper bout; and individual volume controls for each pickup on the lower bout below the lower bound F-hole, near the jack.

The ABR-1 style tune-o-matic bridge has metal saddles and mounts on a surface mounted rosewood base.

Brigsby vibrato tailpiece.

Came with a decent hardshell case.

Gets the Gretsch "sproinky" sound with both pickups on.

I use it for all styles with a Tech 21 TM 60 amp. It doesn't make noise.
It's versatile sounding. I pretty much like clean sounds: Jazz; Country; and some Blues with a dose of grit. I'm not much for distortion or effects. Bit of reverb is all.

It's not as mellow as some archtop hollowbodies. It has more character.

Brian Setzer uses modified models based on the 6120, but this guitar can get most of that keening aggressive sparkle.

I use GHS Nickel Rockers (their old Pro-Formula from decades back) in 0.011" - 0.050".

First rate all the way. Seems pretty perfect. I have uncovered no flaws or shortcuts of any kind. There's a bit of overspray on the braces inside but it doesn't hurt anything.

Looks beautiful from a distance or up close, though I had to get used to the blue finish with gold hardware. At first I loved it. Then I began to wish I had gotten an orange one, but now I love it again.

Everything fits and lines up perfectly.

The action can go much lower than I run it without buzzing.

The components and materials are all industry standard and/or top quality.

The poly finish protects well.

The gold plating may wear thin in time. Gold is like that, especially close to the ocean where I live. Oh well. I've seen worse plating. This looks good still so far. No visible wear yet.

The neck is as straight as the day I bought it. It has never needed any adjustment for seasons. I always use the same gauge strings (11's).

The one year warranty is up now from FMIC.
Never needed anything.

I can't imagine needing any help at this point with anything. I always do my own guitar work.

48 years playing guitar.
I just use the Tech 21 amp.

There's enough parts kicking around the place to assemble a bolt-neck partsocaster in a pinch (I've used lots of Fenders over the years), but this is my main guitar for everything I need to do on once-in-a-while gigs playing Jazz in resturants, or other things that I get invited to.
I used to be in the AFM for about 20 years off and on, but all the Pop and Showtunes concert hall stuff dried up along time ago around here. I play all styles, but nothing much pays any more around here at the club level.

I might get an orange version if something happened to this one. Orange is more usually the Gretsch color on 6120's, and the Blue sunburst might be hard to find again.

When I got this one I had already had a couple Anniversary model Gretches, a Tennesee Rose '62FT, and a 5120. I just wanted a Nashville 6120 because it's "The Gretsch" now, whereas the double cutaway Country Gentleman was the popular model when I was in High School (1960's).

Ok, we're talking about a $ 3000 listed guitar, which does not necessarily sell for such a price. However, the features are of a $ 3000 guitar, as well as an overall delicate context. More expensive guitars are not always more robust...

At first glance, it's absolutely stunning.

At second glance, it's even better.

At third glance, once you start playing, you'll forgive it anything you don't like.

Just keep in mind it has a floating bridge, be aware when you change strings.

If you take all the strings off, set yourself in the chair of a temporary luthier, but don't worry, things work out anyway.

The guitar is excellent for jazz / rock (surf) / improvisation.

The right amplifier will excite you. It's very "Gretsch".

I use a vox amp, and the combination is decisively neo-vintage, which I like a lot. After all, those who choose a guitar like this are more interested in the lighter side of music. I certanly confirm metal is not for this one...

...but that's not always the case. It depends on your tastes. A guitarist who plays exclusively one genre is a limited guitarist, so I'm sure those who doi play metal may want to check this out, especially if they don't want to sound like "Manowar", which most of them do...

...try something new, this guitar will extract new moves out of you, especially with an extra glass of wine...!

Factory set up is not applicable. You'll want to change strings on it every so often, and with a floating bridge, you'll probably never get the same set up unless you're using a millimeter ruler.

Hey, that's what I think is so great about a guitar like this. Life is transformation and learning, and this guitar plays the part. You'll need to learn how to change strings, position the bridge correctly, choose the right strings to install. In other words, like Gretsch calls it: the "Workingman's Workhorse"!!!!!

Overall, action is low, fit is perfect, the finish blows your mind...If you're not a phat ass, you can impress a chick with this one everytime you pull it out from the case.

As mentioned previously, this is a delicate guitar.

1) If you live in the swamps, get a humidifier to attach to the f-holes. Otherwise, don't buy one.

2) If you live in the sands, keep it out of sunlight, forever.

3) At all times when not playing, keep it in its case, away from jack ass hands. I wouldn't trust anyone on the case either.

The gold plating is not great, and I think it will lose over time. Of course, I also think well maintenance will prevent any issues.

I sent an email to Gretsch / Fender. It doesn't seem they'll get back to me soon or with worthy anwers. When you buy an expensive electric guitar, you're on your own.

I traded the following guitars for this baby:

1) Gibson Flying V Faded.

2) Gretsch Electromatic with Bigsby.

3) Cort style ES 335 electric guitar (in bad condition).

4) I paid a difference of $ 1700.

I was glad to make the trade, even though sales reps at Sam Ash appear to have been to an aggressive marketing college couorse.

I'm glad with the purchase: the fact the guitar is made in Japan is a plus because I find "Made in USA" guitars to not be exceptionally made, even if they're a Gibson.

Actually, let me add the main reason why I bought the guitar is because it was made in Japan. Cars and guitars are following the same quality trend. Why would you buy a worthless Chevy truck which will rust in 2 years, when you can buy a nice Toyota 4x4 whose dashboard is intact even after 20 years?

If you like style, choose this guitar, but maintain it as the best thing you have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2005 6120 nashville..nice features,.looks all shiny....beware, all things that glitter are not gold..

i didnt plug it in..

ok...this review is for the new reissue 6120 nashville...i dropped in to a local music store that carries gretsch...i spied the 6120 nashville and picked it up...looked promising, despite the high (over 2 grand) price.,..first thing i noticed was the action was way high....second thing i noticed was the bridge was adjusted all the way down...this is a very bad sign..theres no way to improve the action...plus the neck was bowed too...a truss ord adjustment will only help slightly...what you got here is plain junk......the quality of the build on this guitar was miserable.....i would be totally afraid to buy one sight unseen..i know gretsch guitars backwards and forwards....i have an old 1967 grestch nashville that is superb...the quality of it is ten times the new one i tried....the wood is far superior....mine has super low action and sounds amazing...and i got it for 500 dollars less than the miserable reissue costs....

i wouldnt play one of these except on a gig that was underwater...

i rate it 4 for looks and zero for quality...so that averages to a 2.

Gretsch 6120 Nashville in trademark orange, gold hardware. Made in 2004 in Japan. I am a 'made in USA' snob and didn't look at imports at all. But you have to admit that Japan makes some great Gretschs and Fenders. I can't say anything new about the specs, other than I miss the zero fret. Woods look super and everything functions as it should.

With both selector switches in the center position this guitar sounds like a classic Gretsch, full and thick. The other positions don't thrill me but I don't care. When people hear me play this for the first time they say; let's go surfing. No shit. Gotta love it. I play through an early Roland JC120.

Setup is super. I owned a original 62 double cutaway and it sucked as far as intonation. No matter how much I wanted to like that 62, I just couldn't make it work for me. This new 6120 kills the 62 except for the vintage factor.

Seems like a solid guitar but it only comes with a 1 year warranty. Whats with that? I'm sure this guitar will go the distance, But come on Gretsch, step up to the plate.

I have owned more guitars than any person should. They come and they go. If I trade it away, I'll probably regret it.

2000 USA made 6120 Nasvhille. 22 fret...you know the deal.

I have been touring with a few bands playing a lead blues style. This guitar does it ALL. I play with a Line 6 Spyder II amp, and as you may know the amp is chock full of guitar model choices. This guitar hangs with all of them. Sometimes ill use a twangy,warm effect to get a tube sound, and sometimes ill just play it clean. The "gretsch" sound is the best part of this guitar. Just crank that reverb and go to town.

Action is outstanding. Pickups are perfectly in place and sound great, the guitar was put together with perfection. The color is a warm orange with gold accents. i have been using a soft shammy-type cloth to rub the metal down after a night of playing.

this guitar can do everything. it is a hollowbody, so it needs to be cared for and even babied a little, but its great for live shows. the gold finish on the knobs and bigsby seem like they might wear down after a long time. but hey, you have a lot of sweet guitar action before that happens. I only take the nashville to gigs. sometimes i take my Gibson ES, but its never needed.

NA

The basic idea, i love the smoothness of this guitar. i know that when i plug into my amp, nothing but smooth,warm gretsch sound its going to come flowing out of it. i love the bigsby tremolo bar. i love that its custom on most gretsch guitars. i wish i had a small tube amp to fool around with and find out what it sounds like in its raw form. if you are serious about playing guitar and you want something sweet rather than a piece of crap, BUY A GRETSCH.

This Is a 2002 Gretsch 6120 nashville with 22 frets and the whole deal. it has one master volume, which is placed in the perfect spot, a volume for each pick up, a master tone, and the three way pickup selector. it came with the filtertorn pickups that gave me that "great gretsch sound" that ive always wanted.

i play pretty much rockabilly, surf, punk, and many other styles, and this guitar does it all!!! of course it'll handle the rockabilly with a stray cats bite, but it really does good with a nice overdrive for punk, set your reverb to 10 and hear a great surf sound. i run this through a DOD 250 preamp overdrive, and a danelectro reel echo and a peavey studio 60 amp for that great rockabilly sound, and it does the job! ill also run it through a series of boss pedals(chorus, Flanger, Delay DD-5) for a very curish sound it has an amazing sound!!!!

ive read reviews where people said that they're pickups werent really balanced but i gotta tell you mine has a really good balance. i purchased mine used so i dont know if it had been worked on, but i gotta tell you i love the way it feels. like butter. my only complaint would be, of course the 6th string "E" pops out of the saddle, but also there is a buzz on my "D" string that i cant get rid of. but it comes and goes so i let it be, and it really doesnt come through my amp, but it is a bit of a nuisance. also the pickup selector is a little scratchy, but nothing major.

i havent had the chance to plat it live yet, but i gotta tell you i take this thing EVERYWHERE!!! all over town to jam with friends and it always shines through!!! the gold on the hardware is starting to rub off the bridge pickup where i rest fingers and the top of the handle on the bigsby bar, but this is expected because i play it soooo much. this guitar seems very reliable. a nice touch are the strap buttons that you screw in.

ive been playing for about 15 years now and i gotta tell you this was my dream guitar from the get go. i have a fender strat that i also play, but thats been in its case ever since i picked up this baby. i love the position of the master volume, i can do some great volume sells with it and dont have to invest in a volume pedal, and the pickup selector doesnt get in the way like on some other guitars. i did take the pickgaurd off cause i felt that it got in the way, but other then that, its a great guitar. these guitars have a very distinct tone and feel. the only thing i wish this thing had was the tone selector that comes on the 6120-60. just adds more versatility. but this thing is a great buy!!!! i am VERY VERY VERY HAPPY with my gretsch!!!!

2003, Japanese, blah blah blah, I am not going to restate all this stuff. If you really want to get the 411 on the specs of this bad boy, check out www.gretschguitars.com.

Holy Moses, this guitar is a real champ. I started playing this thing with blues/classic rock in mind with that sorta funky twist, but Ive found myself playing more and more jazz lately. Goes through my Vox Wah and Addrock overdrive to a special Fender custom shop hot rod deluxe with jensen speakerhead. Love the range of tones this thing puts out: you get that "great gretsch sound," really low output pickups produce a mellow mellow ultra clean sound-- roll the tone back halfway in the necl position and youve got some badass jazz and hit up the bridge pickup and youve got a twang like no other. I think this guitar goes particularly well with my telecaster-- I get a real brassy clean out of it with the overdrive and such, but my gretsch does the same but with a mellow tone, especially useful in the bridge setting because the ol tele gets ear piercing at times. Other than that, no complaints, youve got to know thought when youre getting a gretsch that its not really gonna sound like most other guitars... very unique tone all around.

I dont know what everyone complains about with the setup on these things for: ive had mine for a while now and I have not had any trouble whatsoever. Right before I went to college I tunned the strings down because it wasnt gonna follow me, and the bridge wasnt tacked to anything... big deal! Its really not that hard to set it back, and if you use anything heavier than 10s on it itll stay put, unless youve got a thing about beating the shit out your guitar, in which case youve got bigger problems than a movable bridge. The action was off the wall fantastic when I got it, still is... I have not seen any of the troubles with fit and finish of this thing that people like ot moan about. Everything works well, no complaints at all.

Be careful, dont play it like a hollowbody and youll be straight... thats all there is to the matter. Its built to be played, not abused.

Ive heard the guys at gretsch are ass holes... I dont care, mine works fine.

BUY A GRETSCH

1970, USA made
22 frets
Laminated top maple body
3 way pickup selector, "mud switch", standy switch
2 filter-tron humbucking pickups
pumpkin orange
tune-o-matic bridge with Bigsby

I play everything under the sun and this guitar sounds great for just about anything. With Pyramid flatwounds its got the Harrison sound. With round wounds, it'll growl like a Gretsch should or get a better-than-Gibson balanced humbucker tone. Filter trons are SO superior to Gibson style humbuckers its not even funny. Filtertrons give the advantage of bucking the hum without making the guitar sound like a pillow. .

The neck feels like heaven, and it plays like a wet dream. The original finish looks great and feels great like an old guitar should. the new reissues are cheesy and feel like junk with their heavy plastic finishes. Spend a few extra bucks and get the real thing. Double cut Nashvilles are a great deal. This transitional model features a tune o matic and no mutes.

Old Gretches are relatively fragile but I've gigged with mine often. You just have to baby them but its worth it.

N/A

This had been a dream guitar since I was a youngster...It's great and I love it. It looks cool as hell, and sounds superb. It plays sooooo well. If it were stolen I'd cry.

2001 Gretsch 6120 Nashville. Orange. All gold hardware including Bigsby, but I swapped it out for a brushed B-6. Ebony stained rosewood neck and pearl block inlays. Dual Filtertrons. Knobs everywhere. It also has that roller bridge, but I yanked it and put a tune-o-matic on. I have some sperzels that are ready to go, just haven't gotten around to doing it yet.

Iplay rockabilly,surf, country, some jazz(on a good day), and, get this, some heavy rock. It can handle it too, the Filtertrons growl really well. You just need to stand a ways away from the amp. It can be warm and mellow, or loud and abrasive.

It was ready to go from the get go. Other than swapped parts, it was set. The bindings all look strong and the finish was A-ok.

It's a hollowbody. PLay it hard, but don't kill it. It's not a tele.

I've had nothing but good times with the folks from Gretsch.

I got tired of playing junk. So I sold all of my gear except for my beloved Stratocaster and got the guitar I've wanted for years. The 6120 isn't a guitar for everyone like a Les Paul is, but if it fits you, it really does.
I just had to have that Great Gretsch Sound!!!

This is the 2000. If you are reading this you know everything about it.

If you havent heard one of these played you must live in a BOX. These things sound great. Surf,Rock-a-billy,Blues,Jazz and Yes even some Metal (with a little help from an RP2000 or anything else). The only thing I could say Neg about the sound is the Distinct Volume Diff between the 2 pickups. Kinda bugged me at first but you learn to look past that.

I cant say to much about Factory Set-up. Didnt play it from the factory. Got had it set-up to how I wanted it. I could tell it had a high action so had to have it lowered before even playing it. I hate to put the thing down now...It plays like a dream Neck is great and it just tells you to play it more. BIRDSEYES man there are about 5 or 10 good ones on mine, Uncle has one that the finish is just a little less cool looking. Same color and all just not as EYE CANDYISH. Same Problem with the low E (6th String) popping of Saddle every once in awile, but...Everything else is great.

This guitar will withstand about everything, ASLONG, and I cant stress that enough, ASLONG as it is taking care of and not tossed around. But if you pay the money why would you....I would play this thing Anywhere anytime.....and not have 2nd thoughts about it. Cant give it a 10 because it's a Hollowbody...One good blow and it could be a tramatic thing.

N/A

been playing for awile now....Got alot of other stuff but this thing is my baby, I think I love it more than my wife sometimes.

This is a 2000 model. With 22 frets. The controls are a main volume, volume for each pickup, tone control, and a 3-way pickup selector. It comes with 2 filteron pickups. Finished with that great transparent Gretsch orange. All gold-plated hardware. It's a hollowbody with a floating bridge and a Bigsby tailpiece. Locking tuners. Pearl block inlays, and the Gretsch logo on headstock (also pearl inlay). And a Gretsch hardshell case.

The reason i bought this guitar is for it's amazing sound. And I got what I payed for. It's great, you can get so many styles out of it (not recommended for the metal music). I play rockabilly and surf. You can get that great sound of The Reverend Horton Heat, Brian Setzer, Man...Or Astroman, and even some Dick Dale. Trust me, I've got a Fender Mustang to compare it with. I play through a mid-70's Fender Twin Reverb. And for effects i use an outboard tube Fender reverb (best reverb there is), tremolo, delay, and a distortion pedal. The sound is so thick and full. You've got the neck pickup for jazz stuff, and the bridge pickup for bright solos. Or both pickups together for that full sound. The guitar does tend to feedback since it is a hollowbody, i'm still trying to get used to that. And the neck pickup isn't as loud as the other pickup selections. Though that is handy when i want to quiet down. Just plug it into a Fender amp and your set for life.

The set-up was pretty good. I've heard a lot of horror stories about the factory set-up. But I think I was lucky. Just had to do some minor adjustments to kill some buzzes. Even with the Bigsby the guitar stays in tune (and I play hard). Though sometimes I hit my low E string too hard and push it off the saddle. The finish is perfect! I couldn't find one flaw on it. All the bindings look strong. It has the black pin line down the back of the neck (nice touch).

The guitar feels very sturdy. Very solid even though it's a hollowbody. I use this guitar live and intend to use it in the studio. The finish looks strong enough to handle all the use. Hardware feels sturdy, though some of the gold plating is rubbing off on a few of the saddles. But that was expected to happen. The strap buttons screw on. They stay on tight (good thing!). I have a backup, but don't even bother taking it to shows. I feel I can trust this guitar live.

I've heard they are bad to deal with. But I haven't had to yet.

I've been playing for about 7 years now. I was always looking for the guitar that fit me. And now I have found it. I love the feeling of that big guitar, and big that sound. If it was stolen someone would have to die, no mercy. After that I would go get the same exact model. The Bigsby is great, it adds so much to the guitar. If you want a guitar that is big and full sounding, then this is your guitar. It might be expensive, but it will last you a lifetime.