Country Gentleman/ Gretsch v Gibson

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Re: Country Gentleman/ Gretsch v Gibson

Postby thenorm » Mon Oct 04, 2010 9:37 am

you´ll find a wealth of information on Chet´s ´59 CG, thanks to Norm..."

Thanks to Paul, actually since most of the info I post is based on his posts here.

But thanks, Vidar

What he needs is more input on the Gibson guitar and I can't help him except to say if one of each were offered at similar price I think he'd be much happier with the 6122-59. Quite simply it has more presence due to those pickups.
thenorm
 
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Re: Country Gentleman/ Gretsch v Gibson

Postby tyguy » Mon Oct 04, 2010 2:43 pm

[quote="David Elliott"]"Gibson had poor quality years from basically 1967 to 2000.Starting in 2008 the quality is poor again(you can check these years on line so,please don't comment back as I realize there are exceptions of course).Quality relates directly to quantity produced and Gibson sells a lot of gits(still no excuse)"

Hi Ty,
I really have to disagree with you on this one. I've had several Gibson guitars manufactured (CG - Studio Classic - 'CE', etc. in the time period you mention, and they're all very well made instruments, showing top notch quality control! I understand there were some quality problems with the guitars made at the Memphis facility, but just for a short period of time. I think possibly you've had some bad experiences with a few guitars, but that's too much of a generalization to say "they" are all bad guitars.

I also ran across a comment by you on the 'Premier Guitar' site in which you refer to the Gretsch 'Tennessean' guitar as "junk" which is simply not true in my opinion! I had a 1965 Tennessean and it was a great guitar! (See Link) http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/I ... ssean.aspx If you "READ" the post you will note I said "there are exceptions".You are probably a lot younger than I am.I've seen "dozens" of Gibsons CG's and they "all" had quality issues(yuk!)I have a CE also and the workmanship is OK but that almost natural lite mahogany finish cheapens the guitar(it's ugly).Gibson being too distasteful and lazy to add the right stain.As I stated,the "years I cited" are "common knowledge" among Gibson folks on the web( read my lips,THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS).I have been here so long I can spot quality issues instantly.Apparently "you are" younger than me.I was moaning and groaning to my son about the cheapo Gibson truss rod cover on my Tennessean and he said "it's according to what you're used to".My '55 175 and '62 335 and my '67 335(to a degree)have truss rod covers made from 2 pieces of plastic glued together(the '67 335 is laminated)with the white showing mightily on the edges(same with the pickguards).This is quality to me but to him it's not.I have old Gibson(got them all years ago as gifts and the others bought for next to nothing)and Epiphones('63 Casino)and newer ones.In quality,just like playing music,it's the "subtle" things that matter.As far as the Gretsch Tennessean(it is junk compared to the Gibson Tennessean),I can't remember any "great" player(George,Neal?)ever using one.With no frets they are certainly not adaptable to today's(or 40 yrs. ago)playing styles(same with a vintage Fender) and neither are the new ones for that matter.If you prefer a very woody tone with no sustain(the feedback roaring around in your 6120 body is not sustain)and no string flexibility then a fretless guitar is the way to go.For me I want all the fret material that my left hand is fairly comfortable(I want a little discomfort because,tone is more important than playabiity)with enabling me to not be pushing wood.I want to push the string up the fret(or wiggle it)not push my finger into the wood.I just "barely" want to feel the wood when I control the string.How can I,at almost 70 yrs. old be more modern(hip) than someone many years younger?Like my son said it's according to what you're used to.Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder."Only A Gibson Costs Enough".PS The real truth is that any guitar(any brand)will sound wonderful(the same)in a great players hands(it's just a tool for expression).Ya need a good amp though! "Good pickin' to ya" and remember "exceptions aren't the rule". The Best Ty M.
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Re: Country Gentleman/ Gretsch v Gibson

Postby smokymtguitar09 » Mon Oct 04, 2010 3:00 pm

I have both the Gretsch 6122-59 and a 1993 Gibson CG and I like both. They sound and play different, but both are excellent for the Chet sound (his early and later career) as well as other genre of music. The Gretsch came ready to play with only minor user-adjustments while the Gibson production model needed to be setup by a guitar tech who also dressed the frets a bit more. I later swapped out the Gibson neck pickup for a Ray Butts custom PU and turned the Gibson bridge pickup around for a more mellow sound. The Bigsby on the Gibson has a nice feel especially after switching to the bent-handle. Both have nice finishes and show some 'flame' although the Gretsch has much more flame but that doesn't contribute any to the sound of the guitar.

I've been lucky to also get a Gretsch 6120-CGP which, here again, is altogether different than the other two I mentioned.

Regardless of which guitar you choose I think it is equally important to add your own playing style and preferences into the equation along with the valued opinions being submitted on the CB and elsewhere.

Good luck,
Ronnie Evans
Ronnie Evans
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Re: Country Gentleman/ Gretsch v Gibson

Postby Mike Nye » Thu Oct 07, 2010 10:27 pm

I've owned a 62 Gretsch Country Club & 63 CG for almost 40 years. I like the tonal quality of both guitars since I replaced the Mud Switches with 500k audio taper pots to give me an infinite tone adjustment. It makes a world of difference . . .

I almost traded a guy a Tele for a Gibson CG, but it sounded almost identical to an ES355 that I owned at the time.

IMHO Gretsch CGs seems to have a three dimentional tone & depth that Gibson CGs just can't touch . . .
If BRUTE-FORCE isn't working, you're not using enough ! ! !
Mike Nye
 
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Re: Country Gentleman/ Gretsch v Gibson

Postby BillB » Fri Oct 08, 2010 8:25 am

I feel like my Nashville Classic/CG is sort of like a muscle car with a big engine and nice throaty exhaust. It cruises nicely, but it's got that extra oomph when you kick in the 4-barrel. Love that guitar!

Bill B.
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