Gretsch 6122SP

I recently aquired my first Gretsch, a 2004 Cherry Red Finish 6022sp. Athough made in Japan the workmanship appears flawless. It is all stock so I am sure you are already aware of the features. The TV Jones pickups are the best. The twin mute system is about the coolest piece of useless hardware I have ever seen. I had my doubts about the rocking bar bridge and thought I would have to replace it with a tune-o-matic. Surprisingly the intonation was spot on so I have no reason to. I really like the zero fret because it makes bending easier when doing blues leads close to the nut. This guitar looks so good it should have come with a big stick to beat off the chicks with!

I can't speak highly enough about the TV Jones pickups. Does jazz, blues, country, rock and anything else. I was surprised at how good it sounded through a TS9 tube screamer. Having a switch instead of a knob for tone control is kind of strange but I never used the knob anyway! My amp is a '64 Bassman chassis mounted in a custom combo cabinet with a 12" vintage JBL D130F. The only pedals I use are the Tube Screamer (TS9), Holy Grail Reverb and a Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble.

I bought mine used off of EBay and took it right out of the case and played it. It was still in tune! It has a slight buzz here and there but it is strung with 9s and I suspect it will go away when I put my 10s on it. I have not had time to do a complete set up yet but it is good enough that I have used it in two gigs!

Built like a tank. Everything on the guitar looks solid. I am told that these Japanese models are actually built better than the vintage ones. I always take a backup (who doesn't) but only in case I break a string.

I haven't had to deal with the company but there are so many Gretsch web sites and forums out there that you can get more advise than you can digest (Gretsch is not just a guitar, it is a religion). I don't suppose I would need to deal with them on a used guitar and I do all of my own tech work anyway.

I have been playing for four decades and have owned many guitars including 5 that I have built myself. For solo gigs I use an Epiphone Emperor Regent that has 3 Gretsch Dearmond 2K's instead of the original floating jazz pickup. I have played many nice guitars but this one surpasses them all. If it were lost I would replace it with one just like it or maybe a White Falcon, but definitely a Gretsch.

Well,
I paid $1550 new for the instrument "New" as Gretsch has been blowing out their stock around the end of 2006. Great Guitar for the price but I am disappointed with the Double Mute System as it is really cheesy and not built sturdy. The Mute knobs rattle and not as stiff as I would like them. The finish of the guitar, hardware, intonation is excellent as expected for an Asian made guitar. However, Musician Friends has these 6122-1962 at $1440.00 New as a blow out deal and with a dremmel and a $50.00 mute kit, you could save $1300.00 by putting in the mutes yourself. Not worth $2800.00 in my book but a deal at $1550.00

Sound is great coming through a Fender Twin. Love the TV Jones Pickups.

Perfect for an Asian made guitar.

Time will tell but I would venture to say it will last 20 + years without the fear of Binding Rot that the original Gretsch Guitars had.

N/A

i'm writing this review becase when I was thinking about buying the guitar i didn't find much information about it so now that i own one here i go..
Mine is a Brand New 6122 Sp with same features like the others in this page, Hard shell case with a beutifull kind of Diploma. and a bunch of pappers

Ok, here's the thing, I play Country, Rock & Roll, rocabilly and off course Beatles!!!, this guitar was made for this and much more, I own a long list of guitars and this baby rocks em all, i think that this is the best Guitar i'd ever had in my life, i Just can't believe the incredible job that Tv jones is doing with these pu's, i play it with an 1970 Fender Quad (4 x 12) and a Boss overdrive, that's all my setup.

The guitar came out of the box with 0.11' and the intonation and Action is just grate, the finish is perfect and all hardware is perfect too, no noise no loose controls etc

She looks like she's gonna live for ever!!!

Never dealed with them

I'd never had the chance to give a Full 10 review for any instrument i ever owned until now, there's nothing i can complain, everything is just Perfect, The sound, the color the finish Even The Hardshell case looks as grate as the guitar does, im 28 years old and im playing since i was 15, I have a long list of guitars (a Riken 360, 1982 Gibson Les Paul Standart, 197x Musicman Sabre II, 1980 Gibson Es 335, 1977 Fender mustang, 1998 American Fender stratocaster (with Kinman pk's) Dearmod Starfire, Deamond M75t,1990 Ibanez Radius LTD and a 1995 Parker Fly Custom), and This Babe is just the best of all!!

Year Built 2004
TV Jones Pickups
Spec. 6122SP

Extraordinary duplication of the original. Use it through several amps. Sometimes just a PS system. Other times a Fender Cybertwin. Sound is unbelieveable. Like to just play guitar, rich string sound, no hype, distortion, or wild bullshit, just real music.

Action from the factory was perfect. Wasn't sure what stings were on it new. maybe 11's. restrung with 10-46 , then restrung with 11-48's. Think I'll go back to 10-46's. Pickups adjusted well. Everything right on target. I replaced bridge with gibson tune-omatic for intonation control, perfect fit. Lightly sanded surface and used two drops of Elmers glue to fixe bridge so it wouldn't scout around. From a kid who watched George Harrison that night in Feb 1964 on the Ed Sullivan Show, I was so pleasantly surprized to get my hands on this guitar. I also have an ES-335 and a Telecaster. This guitar hold every bit equal quality to my others and sentimentally will always hold a place in my heart.

Have played several live gigs with this instument. Wonderful results. I believe the finish and hardware will hold up quite well. This is a dependable instrument. I never do a gig without a backup; the backup to this instument is a Gibson ES-335.

No experince with the company. I understand that Fender is handling the manufactuering and marketing for Gretsch. As with My Fenders (guitars and amps) I expect little occasion to deal with the manufacturer. My default rating therefore will be TOPS !

42 years. Gibson ES-335, Fender Nashville Telecaster, Epiphone Sheridon II, Fender Cybetwin Amp, Line 6 Spider 212, Behringer PA system, various acoustic guitars.
I would definitely buy another one of these if something were to happen to mine.
I looked for this guitar for 40 years; here and there in pawn shops, etc. I was so pleasantly surprized when Gretsch reproduced it and I got a chance to play one. The quality and the sound in every way lived up to my image of this guitar. If I never get another guitar, that will be just fine with me. An Old George and Chet Fan.

NEW 2004 JAPAN MADE BY FMIC
See WWW>GRETSCH>COM for technical info.
BAR BRIDGE(Floating)
Electromatic Body style Double Cutaway
Grover Imperial tuners
Gretsch Case,tool and Papers
Bigsby trem
Dual Mute system
Power cutoff switch
Filtertron Pick ups= TV Jones classics

I had a 6122-62 from 1998 and this SP has a lighter feel to it almost like the old Gretschs. The neck feels much nicer and the fret work is way better than my other one. The TV Jones pick ups are a world difference when comparing the ceramic ones in the 6122-62. The Tvs sound so much better! More articulate and livelier and a much more even response from string to string. Great definition in the low end strings with nice growl and a nice crisp,responsive bite from the higher end strings. I can't believe the difference. I am really not a gear head but I'm telling you the difference is a great surprise. There is a big difference in feel when comparing the two. You have alot of variety in the sound department. I owned many guitars and I have to say that these TV Jones pickups are one of the best I have ever heard. As I said this SP feels lighter and less cumbersome than the 6122-62. The bigsby trem arm feels a little less stiff than my other one. Good or bad-I have no clue. The guitar tuned well out of the box with some string height adjustment and bridge setup. No big deal. The grovers are very nice tuners. No excess play/tune well. I think the strings on this one are 11s roundwounds. They sound great.

Action set up was very good. Guitar was very nice. It needed a little wipe down from travel. The bigbsy had some stuck on fingermarks in it which was easily removed using a polish. The grovers needed a little polishing as well but not bad by any means. Case is plush and really cool with the Gretsch sign plate on the side. Love it. It also came with all papers and truss tool,keys etc. The back strap button was loose but was tightened. Nothing wrong with construction/binding, pickups set up well. Nut cut very well. Pickup selector sounds good. I think the back pad was a little better quality on my 6122-62 but its still nice. There is also a tiny bit of glue smear by the mute pads. These pads surprised me though. Since I never saw them in person they always looked like they had thickness to them, like a piece of felt. They basically are very flat -like paperthin and are glued on the guitar and have what looks like velcro on the top. Kind of surprising.

Seems like a well built guitar with alot of vibe and great sound. Time will tell how it holds up. The big difference in this SP versus my 1998 6122-62 are many. The 6122-SP feels lighter and has a different neck feel. It sounds way better and feels alot better! The color/shade-walnut on the SP is a tiny bit lighter brown than the SP which was an issue because I like them very dark brown like Harrisons was. Gretsch uses the same number walnut but my 98 was a bit darker than this one is. I can live with it. Don't get me wrong it looks great but I liked my older one's color better. It does not, however, detract in final rating because that is only a color issue.

Gretsch Warranty. No dealings with comapny yet.

I have been playing many years and I collect guitars and basses. I play out live as well.