Robs Avatar got me thinking... who here plays/has a hollow?

[WizardSouth-JP]

bending notes on the 356 was different that my Suhr, the 356 played kinda like doing bends on an acoustic...so I traded it on a BE100

 

[kasperjensen]

I have a solid body 335, and my back wishes it was a hollow body.

 

[rlord1974]

Bump simply to push some of the Metallica threads down off of page 1!

 

[2112]

Just to put a different one in the mix, my Artinger - don't have access to my files right now, so this is from Mat's site.

 

[rlord1974]

Very nice!

 

[IndyWS6]

Gretsch 5120. Orange stain...

I always wanted a 6120 because it's just a freakin' cool guitar, but knew I wouldn't play it often, so I went the import route. It's a surprsingly well-built guitar. With a proper tailpiece to replace the Bigsby and some better tuners, I'd use it more often. If anyone knows where to find a tailpiece, let me know...

 

[blackba]

Here are mine. I hope to add an ES335 or ES339 style at some point.

Pre Fender Gretsch Brian Setzer hot Rod with TV jones pickups:


Ric 360/6 and 360/12, both with high gains. I found that Curt Mangan is making a coated set of strings for the ric 12 and that is exciting as its a bear to change strings.

 

[rlord1974]

That Setzer is a brilliant colour!

 

[blackba]

That Setzer is a brilliant colour!

Thanks, I like it. Its the guitar my 5 year old daughter always wants me to play.

Putting those TV jones classic and classic plus really made a world of difference. The stock filtertrons were okay, but I think the bridge needed a little more adjustment. Anyway, the TV jones sound great and this guitar just has a great classic sound that I can't get from my other axes.

 

[toasterdude]

I have the same guitar in the same color. Got it after the announced they were discontinued. I get a weird buzzing from the bridge area. Some have recommended I swap the bigsby for a B7. Right now she sits in the corner of my bedroom with rusted old strings. I may have to set her up when I get home. I hate changing strings on bigsby guitars.

Here are mine. I hope to add an ES335 or ES339 style at some point.

Pre Fender Gretsch Brian Setzer hot Rod with TV jones pickups:

 

[rlord1974]

You'll never get a Gretsch hollowbody to be 100% "buzz" or noise free. There will always be some interesting sounds/resonance coming off the Bridge. It's simply part of their quirkiness but doesn't' affect the amplified tone or playability. Players either dig the whole Gretsch vibe, or they just don't. If you're used to a dead silent guitar like a Strat or LP, you just have to get used to the Gretsch - or sell it!

 

[rupe]

Putting those TV jones classic and classic plus really made a world of difference. The stock filtertrons were okay, but I think the bridge needed a little more adjustment. Anyway, the TV jones sound great and this guitar just has a great classic sound that I can't get from my other axes.

Can you go into a bit more detail on the pickups and the differences you noticed? I still have the stock ceramic Filtertrons (new FMIC ones are alnico) and had planned on swapping them out but they actually sounded pretty good so I left them alone. That said, if there is significant room for improvement, I may go ahead and do the swap.

FWIW, part of the reason that I kept the stock ones was A/B'ing my Falcon with a TVJ loaded 6120 and liking my Falcon more. Seeing as they are two very different guitars though, that was likely a fairly meaningless comparison.

 

[blackba]

Putting those TV jones classic and classic plus really made a world of difference. The stock filtertrons were okay, but I think the bridge needed a little more adjustment. Anyway, the TV jones sound great and this guitar just has a great classic sound that I can't get from my other axes.

Can you go into a bit more detail on the pickups and the differences you noticed? I still have the stock ceramic Filtertrons (new FMIC ones are alnico) and had planned on swapping them out but they actually sounded pretty good so I left them alone. That said, if there is significant room for improvement, I may go ahead and do the swap.

FWIW, part of the reason that I kept the stock ones was A/B'ing my Falcon with a TVJ loaded 6120 and liking my Falcon more. Seeing as they are two very different guitars though, that was likely a fairly meaningless comparison.

With the stock Filtertrons, the neck sounded pretty good, but was overall bassy and kind of muddy. The Bridge was very thin and kind of lifeless. Together they sounded pretty good and more balanced. The TV jones Classic and Classic plus helped with the muddiness of the neck pickup and really brought the bridge to life. They have this classic glassy shimmer, that I love and never heard with the filtertrons. Its a rich buttery sound from the bridge, that you hear on a number of classic recordings. The guitar now matches the tone in my head.

My first experience with Gretsch was in the late 90's. I visited a small music store where I had bought my Martin in Indy. They had a bunch of Gretschs on the wall and I asked to play a few and they just played great and sounded great. I felt like I could fly on those necks.

When the chance to get the Brian Setzer hot rod came up on the forums on jumped on it and have been happy every since.

 

[blackba]

I have the same guitar in the same color. Got it after the announced they were discontinued. I get a weird buzzing from the bridge area. Some have recommended I swap the bigsby for a B7. Right now she sits in the corner of my bedroom with rusted old strings. I may have to set her up when I get home. I hate changing strings on bigsby guitars.

I think I know what you mean about the buzzing near the bridge, but it has never been that annoying to me and I don't hear it plugged in.

The key to changing strings on the Gretsch and Ric for that matter is to use a Kapo. I get the string on the bridge, pull it, then Kapo it. Makes restringing it so much easier. On the Gretsch I use painters tape to tape down the bridge, since it is not pinned to the top.

I have used my Gretsch in the past for some late night acoustic practicing. Its not as loud as my dreadnaught acoustic and is easy to play.

 

[Norton666]

I had a '65 ES-335 that was flat out amazing . Guitar sounded great unplugged , great clean tone and it could get downright nasty with some high gain . I would still have that guitar today , but.............. my wife just happened to be at the show where a guy came up and offered to buy it . When she heard how much it was worth , she gave me no choice but to sell it . A '65 ES-335 to pay off all of our credit card debt . Sure it was the mature choice , but I sure miss that guitar . Here she is

 

[rlord1974]

The key to changing strings on the Gretsch and Ric for that matter is to use a Kapo. I get the string on the bridge, pull it, then Kapo it. Makes restringing it so much easier. On the Gretsch I use painters tape to tape down the bridge, since it is not pinned to the top.

I assume you always use the same gauge strings and standard tuning on this guitar?.....If so, you should pin that bridge down. If you don't want to have it pinned through the top of the guitar (i.e., involving drill holes), two-sided tape is an expedient solution. The bridge won't move at all and it makes intonating and string changes MUCH less frustrating. I used two-sided tape on my current Black Falcon and it's working brilliantly. With care, it can also be removed in the future with no damage to the finish.

 

[rupe]

I used two-sided tape on my current Black Falcon and it's working brilliantly. With care, it can also be removed in the future with no damage to the finish.

What kind of tape specifically? Did it affect the tone in any way?

I knocked the bridge on the Silver Falcon about a 1/2" back during a song at a recent gig...not good for tuning
I was going to pin it but tape may be the way to go.

 

[blackba]

I used two-sided tape on my current Black Falcon and it's working brilliantly. With care, it can also be removed in the future with no damage to the finish.

What kind of tape specifically? Did it affect the tone in any way?

I knocked the bridge on the Silver Falcon about a 1/2" back during a song at a recent gig...not good for tuning
I was going to pin it but tape may be the way to go.

The tape sounds like a good idea, I too would like to know what the best is to use. I always use 10-46 strings on my Gretsch. I too have knocked it out of position. On the new Brian Setzer hot rods the bridge is pinned down.

My Gretsch is due for a string change too.

 

[rlord1974]

I used two-sided tape on my current Black Falcon and it's working brilliantly. With care, it can also be removed in the future with no damage to the finish.

What kind of tape specifically? Did it affect the tone in any way?

I knocked the bridge on the Silver Falcon about a 1/2" back during a song at a recent gig...not good for tuning
I was going to pin it but tape may be the way to go.

The tape sounds like a good idea, I too would like to know what the best is to use. I too have knocked it out of position.

Use double-sided carpet tape. You should be able to get it at any hardware store. It does not need to be super tack to accomplish the task.

As the newer Japanese Gretsch guitars use a polyurethane finish, the tape should be able to be removed, with care, leaving no damage.

You could probably even remove it from an older Gretsch hollowbody with a lacquer finish, but ensure you exercise extreme care. I will not be held responsible for damage to your vintage '59 Gretsch!

I always use 10-46 strings on my Gretsch.

I use light top, heavy bottom (10-52), so we're not far off from one another. I find the heavier bass strings give the guitar even more growl, throatiness and depth.

On the new Brian Setzer hot rods the bridge is pinned down.

The only problem with the bridge being permanently pinned down is you can run into intonation issues if you change the gauge of your strings significantly from the gauge that was used at the factory. There is only so much travel in the bridge saddles to compensate for this.

In fact, some of the Gretsch hollowbody models have the 'blade' style bridge which does not even allow you to individually (or collectively) adjust the saddle positioning!

 

[blackba]

I have some 10-52 strings in stock, I may give those a try.