Why are Gretsch guitars so associated with Rockabilly?

LastMantra · October 2021

It's kinda weird that how a guitar looks so often dictates what music can be played on it.
People often say they don't care what a guitar looks like but I think that's rarely true.

ICBM · October 2021

Rocker said:

Now Ibanez are, as you say, the holy grail of rock/metal guitar tone. In the 1970s, any Ibanez guitars I ever saw were poor quality copies of the usual American suspects. Slightly better than most of the mail order rubbish guitars that were available back then. Nowhere near the quality of the lower end Squier guitars of today.

Indeed, and those same 70s guitars are now referred to as 'lawsuit' - surprisingly, legitimately in the case of the Gibson copies because Ibanez *were* one of the very few companies which Gibson threatened to sue over the use of the 'open book' headstock shape - and held up as desirable...

Cirrus · October 2021

I think we're such visual creatures, and also being social ones we obviously take on board the cultural baggage of certain guitar shapes. What we see influences how we hear (for literal example, look up Mcgurk effect), which is why for example plugin makers tend to use pictures of expensive rack gear on the interface for their effects.

So... it makes sense if strapping on a particular guitar might prime your mind with particular ideas, aesthetics, musical styles etc.

I've got a funny relationship going on with my Gibson Explorer these days - I'm mostly playing clean and lightly overdriven stuff in a band that's quite indie/arty, a far cry from the heavy alt-rock band I was in when the Explorer was my number one. The funny thing is, with two firebird style pickups it actually works sonically for what I'm doing, but so far I can't imagine gigging with it, or if I did I'd be doing so knowing that I was deliberately subverting expectations by playing a pointy guitar mostly clean.

Bringing it back to the thread, I've got a sparkly green Gretsch duo jet, and I find it so much fun to play partly for the looks. I'm happy doing pretty much anything with it.

ICBM · October 2021

Cirrus said:

I've got a funny relationship going on with my Gibson Explorer these days - I'm mostly playing clean and lightly overdriven stuff in a band that's quite indie/arty, a far cry from the heavy alt-rock band I was in when the Explorer was my number one. The funny thing is, with two firebird style pickups it actually works sonically for what I'm doing, but so far I can't imagine gigging with it, or if I did I'd be doing so knowing that I was deliberately subverting expectations by playing a pointy guitar mostly clean.

Two words...

The Edge

Seziertisch · October 2021

“A Gibson or a Fender is like driving automatic, while a Gretsch is like stick shift …”

I’ve no idea what the above means but it’s a sentiment I’ve seen on many of the US-based Gretsch forums.

Philly_Q · October 2021

Seziertisch said:

“A Gibson or a Fender is like driving automatic, while a Gretsch is like stick shift …”

I’ve no idea what the above means but it’s a sentiment I’ve seen on many of the US-based Gretsch forums.

Is a Rickenbacker like a Citroen 2CV?

guitars4you · October 2021

Seziertisch said:

“A Gibson or a Fender is like driving automatic, while a Gretsch is like stick shift …”

I’ve no idea what the above means but it’s a sentiment I’ve seen on many of the US-based Gretsch forums.

I am a big fan of Setzer and that 50's era swing, jazz, jump jive pre/early Elvis kind of era - I love the cool vibe of how a Gretsch looks but I just can't play them in any way shape or form - They just don't fit/suit me - Some of the more later Jap 'player/modern/upgrade' models are more 'user friendly' - But I find a Tele and/or a PRS Hollowbody far more comfortable to handle for me for such styles - So yes I can see what they mean regarding that quote

In a kind of car wreck cut 'n' shunt type of way, I'd like to have something like a PRS SE neck on a Harmony F hole style guitar and/or Stratotone - But it would have to be at the right price as it is just a silly dream/project that probably would never work anyway - I love the old school mojo of some of these old Sears catalogue style boxes, but it needs to play like a PRS

mburekenge · October 2021

They're just awesome. So ridiculously versatile.

Sassafras · October 2021

I find most guitars versatile.

Reverend · October 2021

Bruce's but also van halen

LPManic · May 6

Sorry (not sorry) to bump an old thread but in a MASSIVE Cliff Gallup rockabilly phase and loving playing some rockabilly on my Cunife Jazzmaster. But obviously a hollowbody with those pickups and the bite would be ideal. Sounds good on my LP Special as well, but of course missing the whammy or bigsby.

stickyfiddle · May 6

I don't remember this thread from when it was first posted, but my instinct is that it's not Gretsch leads to Rockabilly, but that rockabilly suggests a Grestch.

As for Explorers, I'm still dying for a good natural one. My band plays a mix of soul, pop and rock I think it'd work absolutely brilliantly as soon as I find a really good resonant one

hollywoodrox · May 6

I love the look of the Gretsch rat Rod in black or white

KevS · May 6

I didn't get the hollow body Gretsch thing until I put some 11's with a wound third on there..Now the Gretsch plays me..I can pick faster than on a Les Paul or Strat for some reason...That wound third makes old style licks come out and half step bends..I know many Rockabilly players used plain thirds,,I'm loving the wound one..I prefer the feel of a Strat trem to a Bigsby though..You can't get everything,,but you can get something else entirely...To me that is an old Archtop style thing with a wound third...Very different from my other guitars,,even a 335 type..Also as an added bonus great unplugged..

I've considered trying a plain third on there,but it may defeat the purpose of my Gretsch..

I think it is partly image with of the Rockabilly thing,,also Gretsch's howl when heavily distorted easier..
Rockabilly is usually clean ish and Gretsch's often look prettier to non guitar people in my experience..
They have the Kitsch of 1950's cars etc...They scream pre 70's Rock basically..
Gretsch's have Roll..That's it..They almost sum up the word Retro,for Rockabilly Revivalists,they are perfect...

I played a 1958 Hofner Senator with a wound third and a neck like a tree trunk last week..
Again it kind of played me..It was £600..I was actually really tempted..
No cutaway was what deterred me..Also I didn't know it's history..

These guitars can pull you in a completely different direction and pull something out you didn't know you had in you....

OilCityPickups · May 6

My two squeezes for rockabilly at the moment: one Gretsch and one with vintage Gretsch pickups.

As others have said, back in the day an awful lot of other guitars were used as well as Gretsch ... Paul Bigsby customs like the this

Grady Martin used one

My personal favorite player Cliff Gallop used a Gretsch Duo Jet ... and there were a good sprinkling of Teles and big Jazz boxes from Gibson etc.

The Irony is really that proper rockabilly was not played in general on humbuckers ... Filtertrons didn't come out till 1958 ... when rockabilly had morphed into mainstream rock and roll, and that itself was dying.
The pickups of rockabilly are actually REALLY important to creating that sound - and I say that not as a pickup maker but as a rockabilly player.
P90s, Tele pickups and DeArmond Dynasonics are what you need ... and as a second choice (for me at least) ... Filtertrons.
I'm looking to upgrade my 5420 to Dynasonics as soon as I can ...

So I think the reason aside from Setzer (though that's super important) that Gretsch is the go to rockabilly instrument is that Gretsch stayed true to 50s esthetics. Certainly for me the the 'feel' of a big, hollow body puts you in the right mood to play ... plus a bit of fight helps with the high levels of aggression in rockabilly licks.

KevS · May 6

I've got a late Korean 5422 Double Cut,,I know it is thinner than the single cut 5420..I love the feel of it,but wonder about Dynasonics myself..
Not periodically correct I know..
I managed to get the pickups pretty near the strings and the output higher..Modern Blacktop Filtertrons..
They don't have that Duane Eddy Twang though..The Gretsch sound in my head..
They are not terrible either though..

It's also adapting the guitar for Dynasonics..

I like Cliff Gallup..A huge fan of his is Roddy from The Specials..
I think his favourite player..Also a Gretsch fan..

I have a slight feeling Wayne Kramer of the MC5 was a fan too..

I find the wound third keeps the Bigsby in tune amongst other things..

I'm now fondling my Gretsch..It was nearly a semitone sharp..
I think the Seasons are changing..

Did Merle Travis not use a Bigsby Guitar too.. ?

OilCityPickups · May 6

KevS said:

I've got a late Korean 5422 Double Cut,,I know it is thinner than the single cut 5420..I love the feel of it,but wonder about Dynasonics myself..
Not periodically correct I know..
I managed to get the pickups pretty near the strings and the output higher..Modern Blacktop Filtertrons..
They don't have that Duane Eddy Twang though..The Gretsch sound in my head..
They are not terrible either though..

It's also adapting the guitar for Dynasonics..

I like Cliff Gallup..A huge fan of his is Roddy from The Specials..
I think his favourite player..Also a Gretsch fan..

I have a slight feeling Wayne Kramer of the MC5 was a fan too..

I find the wound third keeps the Bigsby in tune amongst other things..

I'm now fondling my Gretsch..It was nearly a semitone sharp..
I think the Seasons are changing..

Did Merle Travis not use a Bigsby Guitar too.. ?

Yep Merle Travis had the 'Travis Bigsby'.

I'm probably going to buy a pair of Gretsch Dynasonics purely for the parts, then do Oil City rewinds to the early fifties spec .... considerably hotter than most modern incarnations.
I used my measurements from other early fifties DeArmonds to get my own Tele pair back to the way they left the factory ... folks lower the DCR - I suppose for modern tastes ... but I prefer the hot fifties originals.

Jimbro66 · May 6

OilCityPickups said:
I'm probably going to buy a pair of Gretsch Dynasonics purely for the parts, then do Oil City rewinds to the early fifties spec

Ash, if you're interested, I have a pair of Dynasonics that came out of a 2004 Jet. They were replaced with T-Armonds. I can't see me ever using them.

Jeremiah · May 6

breakstuff said:

Caffeine_Vampire said:

The straight rock 'n' rollers will play all the usual Fender/Gibson suspects but if you try to play anything other than a Gretsch in a Psychobilly band then you're asking for trouble.

P Paul Fenech of The Meteors played a Gibson Flying V in the early days, and you can't really get much more Psychobilly than them. Mostly plays a Strat nowadays. Seen other Psycho bands using Telecasters back in the day too. A lot of the modern Psycho bands do mostly play Gretsch though, from what I've seen.

I saw the Meteors quite recently and he was playing what looked like a Jazzmaster with 3 pickups and a Bigsby

LPManic · May 6

Some fantastic posts here. I'm glad I bumped it!

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Why are Gretsch guitars so associated with Rockabilly?

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