Who Uses Hollowbody Gretsch with F'trons for Rock & Blues ?

[gillman royce]

I'm seeing a number of players putting down the solid bodies in favor of the 335 - type semi/hollowbody for their main rock & blues axe and was wondering how other players feel about a quality, F'tron fueled guitar filling that need. Does it really boil down to a preference between humbucker and Filtertron ?

[nmiller]

Stephen Stills and Neil Young have been using White Falcons with Filtertrons for face-melting solos since the mid '60s.

[JP]

6120SSL & White Falcon, Love em'

[plagtr2]

IIRC, Pete Townshend used one--"Won't Get Fooled Again" is an example.

[lakehaus]

That's all I play is rock and blues - at home. But I do have a good ear for tone (I'd say), and I love the Filter'Tron pickup. I just put a set of TV Jones Classics in my 6118 and couldn't be happier. Good woody punch (ok, get your mind outta the gutter!) and pretty smooth in the neck position if eq'd to achieve that.

I do prefer PAF type humbuckers over F'Trons though, in both the bridge and neck - but would never put PAF types in my Gretsch... no way!

[drolling]

Oh yeah! "That Great Gretsch Sound" ain't just hype

Straddling the not-so-fine-line between the two iconic electric tones of Fender/Gibson, both FilterTrons & Dynasonics sound fantastic whether sparkling clean or layered with grit & fuzz!

And Gretsch guitars aren't as prone to feedback as many other hollow/semi-hollow designs. I was entirely ready to stuff foam rubber into the F-holes of my 6118 (125th anniversary model) but it just wasn't necessary

[Funky54]

I play mostley hard rock and I used Grestch only for many years. I Use a Les Paul most of the time these days, but in cover bands I used the Gretsch more than the pauls. Cult, Van Morrison, The Cars, Petty, all the radio stuf I used Gretsches.

I'm doing a little project right now for a Sock Hop, so I put away all my Paul stuff and stripped down to three pedals, a Super Reverb and two Gretsches.

[teleguido]

I do!!!

Granted, I went the cheap route and picked up a Gretsch 5120, swapped the stock pickups for Filtertrons and swapped the tune-o-matic bridge for a Compton. I have WAY more fun with this guitar than any of my others. I know it sounds crazy, but the build quality of this $500 guitar approaches the level of my PRS CU22. Crazy. And the Pro-line Gretsch guitars are seriously a big step up beyond that. I think they are they best guitars being made today. Period. I'm thinking about selling my PRS to fund one.

So how does it sound for rock and blues? Amazing!

The Filtertrons are definitely a different animal than "normal" humbuckers. They have a clarity to them that most humbuckers lack, and they growl a bit even when playing clean. When overdriven, they just sound incredible. One word of caution though: Gretsch guitars seem to be fairly bright in general, and combined with the clarity of a Filtertron they definitely have the ability to rip your face off in the same way that a tele bridge pickup can.

OP - you mentioned 335 style guitars. I think it's a mistake to think of a 335 and a Gretsch hollowbody in the same category. They play, sound, and feel VERY different. When played overdriven at gig volume, a Gretsch hollowbody feels "alive". You can literally feel air pumping through the F-holes. It's as if the guitar wants to take off at 100 mph, and you just happen to be along for the ride. It's incredibly inspiring. Some people find them hard to control, and others seem to take to it very naturally. Oh yeah, and the second you touch that Bigsby you're going to be grinning from ear to ear.

Best example of a Gretsch for rock music? The Who - Who's Next

http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/gretsch.html

[alexanderplatz]

Buying my Gretsch 5120 was inspired by Pete Townshend. I put TV Jones pickups in mine and it sounds fantastic.

[CompleteGuitard]

I'm a punk rocker, I play a white falcon






this guy doesn't seem to have any trouble

[Fab4ever]

Originally Posted by lakehaus

That's all I play is rock and blues - at home. But I do have a good ear for tone (I'd say), and I love the Filter'Tron pickup. I just put a set of TV Jones Classics in my 6118 and couldn't be happier. Good woody punch (ok, get your mind outta the gutter!) and pretty smooth in the neck position if eq'd to achieve that.

I do prefer PAF type humbuckers over F'Trons though, in both the bridge and neck - but would never put PAF types in my Gretsch... no way!

Now THAT, friends, is a gorgeous Gretsch!!

I rock out with a Gretsch g5125 Electromatic with Dearmond 2000s, a Fender Jaguar with TV Jones Classic/Classic Plus and an Ibanez "White Trash Falcon" with GFS Retrotron pickups, Bigsby, etc. Love them all but the Jag-with-Jones is my No. 1.

[Twang-o-Doom]

One of the reasons i have a Gretsch



And as far as filtertrons working in rock...

[gillman royce]

Originally Posted by lakehaus

That's all I play is rock and blues - at home. But I do have a good ear for tone (I'd say), and I love the Filter'Tron pickup. I just put a set of TV Jones Classics in my 6118 and couldn't be happier. Good woody punch (ok, get your mind outta the gutter!) and pretty smooth in the neck position if eq'd to achieve that.

I do prefer PAF type humbuckers over F'Trons though, in both the bridge and neck - but would never put PAF types in my Gretsch... no way!

What did you have in before you swapped the TV Jones ?

[dantedayjob]

I love to sound of FilterTrons with lots of gain... Great tones.

[lakehaus]

Originally Posted by gillman royce

What did you have in before you swapped the TV Jones ?

Stock Hilo'Trons, which are great single coils and I loved their tone, but not what I wanted for this Gretsch.