What does IMM think of NU-GRETCH?

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Picked up a 2006 new product Gretch brochure in the guitar shop today:

This thing looks great!! Like that Guild/DeArmond jet star thing from a few years ago, but even more retro-futurist.

Why in the name of all that is holy would anyone produce a BONO signature model guitar?? Plus that slogan on the scratchplate, ugh.

I dig the shape & style of the double-cutaway solidbodys, they look really nice. The semis that stay on the right side of gaudy/tacky look nice too. I have never in my life played any Gretch guitar. The only knowledge I have abt them is that members of bands who were part of the local R&R society a few years ago prized them highly, and they had a rep for being somewhat fragile. I see the items from the "Electromatic" range in quite a few local shops, so I guess they must be fairly popular @ the moment. What d'yall think?

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 27 February 2006 21:25 (twenty years ago)

Used to lust after a kit like this.

http://www.gretschdrums.com/pics/models/alacarte_lg.jpg

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 27 February 2006 21:29 (twenty years ago)

Here is the sum total of my Grestch knowledge:

Yes, they are pretty, and stay just on the right side of blingin'.

I was disappointed in the Rancher acoustics.

Billy Duffy's White Falcon rules with a mighty hand.

http://www.artistwd.com/joyzine/zoe/images/cult_billyduffy.jpg

It looks good on Neil Young too...

http://www.getthatsound.com/General%20Assets/Images/neil.jpg

― rogermexico (rogermexico), Monday, 27 February 2006 21:51 (twenty years ago)

Oh, and you're seeing a lot of Electromatics because they are cheap, cheap, cheap. I haven't tried one though, so I have no idea if they're also fun, fun, fun.

― rogermexico (rogermexico), Monday, 27 February 2006 21:51 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I noticed they were cheap, and some of them look pretty styling for the money. I wonder how big a step down they are construction & tonewise.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 27 February 2006 21:55 (twenty years ago)

xpost

No, they are pretty much just plain, plain, plain. Like most cheap guitars... not necessarily bad, bad, bad, just boring, boring, boring.

― martin m. (mushrush), Monday, 27 February 2006 21:57 (twenty years ago)

Nu-Gretsch drums are deece but they're nowhere near as good as heyday late 60s Gretsch drums. The Catalina kits are like the best cheap jazz kits on the market -- in fact they might be the only brand making a starter jazz-size kit at all, and with a wood snare to boot.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Monday, 27 February 2006 22:12 (twenty years ago)

I remember now, it was the Gretsch Broadkasters that I was after. I really think that those sound as good as the old ones, but it looks like they've been discontinued. :(

http://www.gretschdrums.com/pics/models/GBR1418KSWO_lg.jpg

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 27 February 2006 22:22 (twenty years ago)

I like the gunmetal finish hardware on the broadkasters, though I'm not always so crazy about the finish on the drums themselves.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Monday, 27 February 2006 23:46 (twenty years ago)

Always liked Lou Reed's Gretsch

http://www.robinsonarchive.com/images/photolarge_500/Velvet01.jpg

― The Equator Lounge (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 00:18 (twenty years ago)

I have an Electromatic Gretsch bass. It does what it's supposed to -- which is furnish quick and dirty bass lines for home recording -- and looks nice. I'd buy another. It was definitely cheap, cheap, cheap and still is fun, fun, fun. Sounds great through a Bassman and a Hiwatt.

― George 'the Animal' Steele, Tuesday, 28 February 2006 04:16 (twenty years ago)

POV: Moderately-priced basses that DON'T sound good through a Bassman and a Hiwatt.

― rogermexico (rogermexico), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 04:49 (twenty years ago)

The new-Gretsch basses I have played were very well made. The Bono guitar exists because rich yuppies buy expensive guitars.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 08:53 (twenty years ago)

Moderately-priced basses that DON'T sound good through a Bassman and a Hiwatt.

Well put. A jaw harp would probably sound great through my Bassman and my Hiwatt.

― George 'the Animal' Steele, Tuesday, 28 February 2006 09:03 (twenty years ago)

Most mid-line basses with active electronics won't sound as good through an all-tube set-up as a cheap-o passive bass.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 11:24 (twenty years ago)

Argh I just noticed that I spelled "Gretsch" wrong every time, despite having the catalog right next to me while posting.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 11:57 (twenty years ago)

of my three favorite guitarists that used Gretsch early on- Lou Reed, Neil Young, and George Harrison- all three abandoned them for more 'conventional' designs before the end of the 60s. ES-335 then later custom Teles for Lou, Les Paul for Neil, and Teles, Les Pauls, and Strats for George.

in the best case scenario, vintage Gretsch guitars have alot of character and only SOME issues. in the worst case scenario, they're worse than Epiphone yet three, four, five times the price.

― b mulvey, Tuesday, 28 February 2006 17:03 (twenty years ago)

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000005GX6.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 17:15 (twenty years ago)

Is that record any good? I mean how could it not be unless it's just too much of a drum clusterfuck, I guess.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 21:20 (twenty years ago)

I've never heard it!

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 28 February 2006 21:27 (twenty years ago)

bought an electromatic jnr jet from windows - one pickup, tobacco burst, twangy rather than rockin'. it played better than a few guitars of a similar pricerange (the tanglewood memphis they've had in stock forever - very muddy p.u.s) and it sounds good with my set-up (gretsch>guv'nor pedal>laney gc60) but it is very limited.

― sean wills (geordie racer), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 15:11 (twenty years ago)

Everytime I look in Windows, I look at that duesenberg doublecat they have on the wall, knocked down from 959 to 599. Still too much, we'll see what it winds up at in next year's sale, heh.

They also had an electromatic double-cutaway model in silver, like the duo-jet in the more expensive range. I looked at it, and I didn't like the look of the construction & finish too much tbh. It looked cheap, & not in a good way.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 16:09 (twenty years ago)

ugh yeah - saw a tacky silver one last time i was in. windows always stock an odd selection of gear - spent more time drooling in 'guitar guitar' in the newgate centre.

― sean wills (geordie racer), Tuesday, 7 March 2006 22:43 (twenty years ago)

All of the Electromatic Jets weigh a metric ton, they are literally some heavy guitars.

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Thursday, 9 March 2006 01:25 (twenty years ago)

The only people who'd say 599 is too much for a Duesenberg are people who haven't played one.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Thursday, 9 March 2006 09:41 (twenty years ago)

I'm a terrible cheapskate, Colin. Sorry!

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 9 March 2006 09:51 (twenty years ago)

No, I'm not saying THAT -- they're just really very nice guitars!

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Friday, 10 March 2006 09:36 (twenty years ago)

what Earl Nash said - OTM, not a touring guitar unless you're a muscle freak.

― sean wills (geordie racer), Saturday, 18 March 2006 22:08 (twenty years ago)

More Duffy White Falconage, from the Chicago show, I think...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/allreet/3b4aa4a1.jpg

― rogermexico (rogermexico), Monday, 20 March 2006 02:22 (twenty years ago)

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