Understanding Gretsch Guitars | Buyers Guide

[Music] [Applause] [Music] you don't need me to tell you what type of guitar this is without even showing you the headstock you know that this is a gretch they have iconic looks they have a wonderful 50s snappy tone and the best bit is there's so much choice at various different price points to suit everyone but for all their merits it can be quite intimidating for someone new to the range looking down a long list of different guitars with different numbers and codes and trying to decipher what's what so let me break it down for you in this video let's look at the different price ranges and then the different types of guitars that you're likely to see within those ranges and then we can hone in on perhaps which guitar is going to suit which player so let's talk about the different price ranges so the best thing about gretch is that there is a gretch guitar from every single level all the way from beginner up to collector and the best bit is is that there is no exclusion in terms of the types of guitar at each price point so let's start with the entry level these are known as the streamliners now they range in price from around 200 to 500 pounds and a very much great for beginner guitarists or people who are looking to dip their toe into the world of gretch within that range there's still plenty of options and loads of choices of features that will keep every type of guitarist happy [Music] so [Music] do [Music] next up we have electromatic now electromatic are the core range of gretches these are very much going to be the workhorses that are a step up from the streamliner but still at an affordable accessible price point for guitarists everywhere so they're built with more premium woods and electronics than the streamliners but they're going to be more accessible and affordable to the average [Music] buyer [Music] lastly you have the professional range so the professional range is a bit of a broad term for everything that falls above the electromagnetic range in terms of quality so we're talking about the player's editions we're talking about vintage select we're talking about various artists series but basically what you're getting from the professional series are their kind of best quality instruments without delving in to the custom shop [Music] now everybody's budget is going to be different and needs will differ depending on the guitarist but what is great about the gretch range is that you're not excluding yourself from any type of gretch guitar by choosing one at a more affordable price if you want a hollow body gratch with a bixby and a single cutaway you can pay 500 pounds or you could pay 5 000 pounds the choice is really up to you so now that we've talked about the price ranges let's talk about the actual different types of guitars that gretch offer now there's lots of different names you'll hear about when people talk about gretch guitars things like the falcons the penguins broadcasters etc for now i want you to forget those names because fundamentally they all fall into the same three categories of electric guitar now that is solid body center block or semi hollow or full hollow body so let's talk about solid body guitars first now a solid body guitar is going to give you the best attack and articulation of sound the solid wood is going to provide you with a lot of power and control over the instrument and they are perfect for crisp punchy tones and are perfect for overdriven rock and blues so the most common names that will crop up when you're referring to gretch solid body guitars are guitars such as the jets the duo jets the double jets which basically just a jet with a double cutaway and the penguins however outside of the professional series nowadays most commonly they are referred to as jets so notable users of gretz solid body guitars include the likes of malcolm young of ac dc pete townsend of the who george harrison of the beatles and many other guitarists of that sort of period [Music] so [Music] do [Music] next you have center block guitars also known as semi-hollow guitars essentially you have a hollow guitar either side of a central wooden block that runs down the middle you essentially get a best of both world sound with a center block they're focused and articulate enough to be able to handle higher gain tones for things like blues and classic rock but again they have that tonal depth and richness that you would also associate with a hollow body semi-hollow guitars really do have a unique tone and they make them perfect choices for guitarists who like to play all kinds of different music from jazzy cleans crispy crunch all the way up to full blown rock the most common guitar names you'll hear when referring to center block gretches are things like the falcons and the broadcasters but outside of the professional range again they are just generally known as gretch center blocks [Music] uh [Music] so the last type of gretch guitar we're going to look at are the hollow bodies now hollow body guitars are known for their deep rich luscious tones they have that big body sound and you're going to be getting a nice woody timbre and lots of acoustic nuance with them they're perfect for jazzers but they have lovely classic clean and crunch tones that make them perfect for rockabilly and all kinds of different vintage music there are hundreds and hundreds of famous names that have used gretch hollow bodies including the likes of chet atkins brian setzer eddie cochran and so many more [Music] do [Music] there are so many different options with gretch whatever your budget whether you're looking for single cut or double cut away whether you need a solid guitar semi hollow full hollow there's bixby or no bixby there are loads of different pickup variations loads of different color choice and they even cater well to lefties too hopefully this video has provided you with a little bit of context into the gretch electric guitar range and has helped decipher some of the words and some of the phrases that are used when referring to gretches to help you hone in and choose the right one for you if you've already got a gretch guitar if you think there's something important that i've missed about buying your first gretch or deciding what gretch is right for you pop it in the comments let's start a discussion let's help people out help them choose the right guitar for them as always thank you so much for watching don't forget to like and subscribe and we will see you again in the future [Music] you

Channel: GAK

Views: 655,379

Keywords: gretsch, gretach guitars, chet atkins, hollow body, solid body, guitars, hollow guitars, gretsch guitars, gibson 335, 339, gibson guitars, retro guitars, orange guitar, eddie, cocrane, cochrane, bill, chet, rockabilly, vintage, rock n roll, rock n roll guitar, rock guitar, bigsby, whammy, andertons, review, demo, preview, center block, semi hollow body, strings, whats what, what gretsch, should, gretssch guitars, understanding, buyers guide, guide

Id: QP_9Bl7S1V0

Length: 14min 20sec (860 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 24 2021