THE GUITARS
Brian Setzer and Gretsch guitars
go together like chocolate and
peanut butter, The Captain and
Tenille, sharks and remoras. The
symbiotic relationship Setzer has
with the Gretsch 6120 model
began when he acquired his first
one at 17, after answering an ad
in the paper that said, “Gretsch
guitar, orange, 100 dollars.”
Since that time his relationship
with these unique American
instruments, as well as with
the company that makes them,
has proven very lucrative both
artistically and financially. In fact,
it was the success of the Stray
Cats in the ‘80s that caused the
value of vintage Gretsch guitars
to skyrocket, which in turn put
the company back in business
building reissues. In 1990, Setzer
became the first guitarist since
Chet Atkins to have a signature
model Gretsch, and currently the
company has upwards of a halfdozen Setzer signature guitars
in its product line, including
a custom shop model that
replicates the man’s original 1959
6120 in glorious detail, down
to the stickers on the body and
headstock, and the distinctive
wear patterns in the finish.
The Gretsch 6120 is, in many
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TONE TALK //
ways, the instrument that defines
the Gretsch legacy and most
fully embodies the Gretsch
sound. Released in 1955, the
6120 was developed with and
endorsed by Chet Atkins,
and went on to be a favorite
guitar of Duane Eddy, Eddie
Cochran, Pete Townshend, and
other rock-and-roll, rockabilly,
country and western, and
crossover artists. Its voluptuous
hollow body is married to a
pair of Filter’Tron humbucking
pickups, a combination that can
produce rich, bell-like cleans,
fat overdriven chords, and an
abundance of mid-range growl
and bite. In short, it’s an ideal
combination for a player like
Setzer, who switches rapidly
from clean fingerpicked twang,
mean rock rhythms, and shithot, saturated solos. The 6120’s
Bigsby tremolo also plays a
crucial role in this tonal formula,
both for the extra weight it adds
to the sound of the guitar, and
for its use as an effect.
One of the most important
elements of the Gretsch sound
championed by Setzer and others
is the pickups. The Gretsch
6120 was originally released
with DeArmond pickups, which,
Rock this Tone: The Gear and Sound of Brian Setzer