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Post subject: Gretsch Sound
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 8:55 pm
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Hello,

Bit of an idiot here.

I have played acoustic all my life, but I know nothing about amps and electric guitars.

Bought myself a Gretsch 5120 and am looking to get that great Gretsch sound from the amp.

Can anyone help with what preset should use or type of settings I would need.

I have been playing around with it, but I really don't know what I am doing.

Thks in advance for any and all help

Ron


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Post subject: Re: Gretsch Sound
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 10:00 pm
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Location: Chicago, IL
The 5120 has cheaper non-Gretsch pickups that sound closer to PAF-type Gibson humbuckers, so amp tweaking isn't going to do much for you. A good basic amp model like the 65 Deluxe is a good starting point.

Gretsch sound comes from the various pickups found in the higher-end instruments: Filtertrons, Dearmonds, or Supertrons. You can buy good inexpensive replacements from Guitar Fetish like the Retrotrons, which are highly regarded and pretty cheap... They are also a straight drop-in replacement. You can also get the real thing and get some TV Jones pickups which sound amazing but are pricey.


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Post subject: Re: Gretsch Sound
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 10:41 pm
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How to burst a guys bubble.

I will try the 65 deluxe

thks


Ron


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Post subject: Re: Gretsch Sound
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 11:03 pm
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rlefebvr wrote:
How to burst a guys bubble.
Yeah sorry. :cry: The Gretsch sound depends on a snappy clear sound that you won't be able to dial in on the amp if your guitar doesn't sound like that. Don't be discouraged though, the 5120 series are good guitars and it shouldn't stop you from making music. At some point you may get the fever to upgrade the pickups or go for a used Gretsch with Filtertrons in it.

BTW, TV Jones Magnatrons are my favorite humbucking pickups. They sound awesome.


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Post subject: Re: Gretsch Sound
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 7:30 am
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Roadie
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Hi Ron,

I would take a different approach:

1. Try the 65 Twin setting, but go into the speaker cab settings and try a cab that is a little more trebly than the 65 Twin cab. Try the 57 Deluxe cab, the Princeton cab, the 212C cab, and also try turning the cabs to "Off."

2. Try the British 60's (Vox) and turn the gain way way down, and the volume up to compensate. On the MIII and up, if you hit the "Amp" button twice to bring you to Page 2 on the LCD screen, you will find the last setting on the screen is a second volume control that you can use to make it even louder. Again, experiment with the cabinet settings.

3. The 65 Princeton is also a trebly amp model that might work for you. I find it a bit noisy though.

Good luck!

Cor


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Post subject: Re: Gretsch Sound
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 7:47 pm
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O.K. I now realize the famous Gretsch sound won't be possible, but I still want to get as close as I can get to a pure sound from the guitar.

I don't know if that makes sense at all.

So far the 57 deluxe and 65 twin seem close.

I only have the Mustang 2 model, so I am not sure about this "cabs" tuning, but I will look into it.

Ron


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Post subject: Re: Gretsch Sound
Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 10:00 pm
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Hi Ron,

Interesting that you raised this point. I am in a similar situation. I have ordered the Mustang IV and while I have a 91 USA Strat and a HSS Strat that I know will sound good through this amp, I have recently purchased my dream guitar, the Gretsch White Falcon and I am keen to know how this will sound through the Mustang and which settings would be best.

I guess the answer is to dig into and tweak the settings until you get the sparkling Gretsch tone. As someone else mentioned on one of these posts, you can't damage anything by altering any settings. Even if you save over a preset and then don't like it, you can easily restore the factory default presets.

On the issue of your 5120. I actually owned one of these a couple of years ago and was playing it through a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. Never really sounded that good, because the standard pickups are pretty ordinary. That said, don't despair, this is actually a very good guitar for the money and since I sold mine, I have seen Mr. Jones himself fitting a set of his brilliant pickups into a 5120 on Youtube, check out the video. I think the price you would pay to have a local luthier fit a set of these to your guitar, would be well worthwhile and the difference is very notable. You would probably then be able to get a nice Gretsch sound through your Mustang with a little tweaking.

Regards,
8beggars


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Post subject: Re: Gretsch Sound
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 11:11 am
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You can for sure put in TV Jones pickups into that guitar, but keep in mind you may be in for a $500+ pricetag if you aren't doing the work yourself. The pickups and wiring harness alone about $395 ($280 for pickups, bezels, screws + $115 for the wiring harness). Add in labor and you are getting spendy. Don't get me wrong, i'm a huge fan: i put a pair of TV Jones Magnatrons in a guitar that i love but i did all the work myself.

At the end of the day, for the amount you invested in the guitar, pickups, and labor, you could find a good used professional-level Gretsch. If you want to replace the pickups, i would start with the GFS Retrotrons. Worth thinking about.


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Post subject: Re: Gretsch Sound
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 11:25 am
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+1 on GFS Retrotrons! I put the Memphis pickups in a pawnshop Epi SG and turned a nasty sounding guitar into a great sounding guitar. :D


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Post subject: Re: Gretsch Sound
Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 2:24 pm
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Thanks to whoever suggested Twin amp with Princeton cab. It's the magic combination for a nice clean jazz sound with my Gretsch Electromatic 5120 with flatwound strings.


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