Hello to all, new here, & hoping your collective wisdom/experience can aid me in furthering my understanding - I'm inching my way towards deciding on which hollowbody to pursue, & would like to know how great are the similaries/ differences between older (50s/60s) Dynasonic-loaded Gretsches & Guilds? Given that the body-sizes are similar, & scale-lengths close, I'd think that there would be tonal similarity too, & yet Gretsches seem to sell for much more - is it just 'cool'-factor associated with the name? Any enlightenment appreciated..
vintage Guild/Gretsch comparison?
- Thread starter quark
- Start date
Welcome Quark! You're apt to get a lot of one-sided answers on this one (pro-Guilld, of course), but I'll toss in my two cents worth and try to keep it objective. First, I've never owned a Dearmond-equipped guitar of either brand, but I have had a Gretsch Tennessean & DuoJet from the 60s, and I have a Guild X500 currently (and will never let it go...) It has been my experience that in almost all cases, Guild's are of superior quality if you compare relative model to relative model. Pick up nearly any 40 year old Gretsch, and it's likely to either have issues with the binding, need a neck reset, or both. Gretsches also have a lot of gimmicky design things that people find a) charming or b) stupid. A switch to turn off the pickups? Next to useless. No tone knobs, but tone switches instead that turn your tone to mud? Again, next to useless. Zero fret... back pads... and on and on. Gretches are cool guitars, and the models from the 50s, which is when they had Dearmonds, might have had better build quality than later models, I don't know. But the 1960s models just aren't in the same class as Guilds quality-wise. Compare a bunch of 65 Country Gents or Tenesseans to the same number of Starfires from the same year, for instance, and I'll bet the Starfires have held up a lot better. Having said that, if you're interested only in Dearmonds-equipped guitars, I think Guilds came with those pickups only for a few years (62 - 64 maybe? Help me out guys...) And they tend to fetch higher prices than, say a CE150 from the late 50s with the Franz pickups. So, there might not be as much of a difference. Keep us posted on your search!
guildzilla
Senior Member
Little first-hand experience with Gretsch guitars here, but the reputation of their vintage stuff is that the binding shrinkage and deterioration issues are very common. I've read that it has to do with the chemistry of the plastic, etc.
I've watched Gretsch stuff on e-Bay. I like the New Yorker acoustic archtops.
But you do see many examples of the binding problem on an awful lot of the older stuff.
All guitars are susceptible to binding issues, I suppose, but it seems that older Guilds have fewer issues than older Gretch guitars.
But if anyone wants to give me a vintage White Falcon, I'd find a spot for it.
I've watched Gretsch stuff on e-Bay. I like the New Yorker acoustic archtops.
But you do see many examples of the binding problem on an awful lot of the older stuff.
All guitars are susceptible to binding issues, I suppose, but it seems that older Guilds have fewer issues than older Gretch guitars.
But if anyone wants to give me a vintage White Falcon, I'd find a spot for it.
Thanks muchly for those responses, guildzilla & northbayj, that's what I needed to know - Guilds have obviously stayed more under-the-radar as desirable/collectable (presumably due to lack of famous-player-association), which should be good news for me, cost-wise; I specified Dynasonic p/ups cos I'm looking to get close to that vintage Duane Eddy neck p/up tone (meaty bass, top-end bite that will also soften up for jazzier sound), & I assumed those would be the closest...as a 'greenhorn' in these matters, I'm still trying to figure out the relative tonal characteristics of the various single-coils - I'm located in the UK, by the way, where it's pretty-well impossible to lay hands on any of these instruments to try them, so I'll probably end up buying from a US dealer & having it shipped over, which is why I'm trying to learn as much as I can so as to make the right choice..
thanx again for your help.gents, it's very much appreciated,
quark
thanx again for your help.gents, it's very much appreciated,
quark
Quark -
Tonal characteristics are not determined by body size, scale and pickups alone. Some models (like the Guild X170) have a block inside connecting the top and bottom just under the bridge - this will tend to reduce feedback while not altering the woody tome of the archtop. And strings - you'd probably want to use flat 12s or 13s for that kind of sound.
Tonal characteristics are not determined by body size, scale and pickups alone. Some models (like the Guild X170) have a block inside connecting the top and bottom just under the bridge - this will tend to reduce feedback while not altering the woody tome of the archtop. And strings - you'd probably want to use flat 12s or 13s for that kind of sound.
Darryl Hattenhauer
Venerated Member
I have only one thing to add. With every Gretsch, you got a pretzel. But to get the pretzel, you had to wait a few days for the neck to turn into one.
Darryl Hattenhauer
Venerated Member
On a Gwretch I had, the neck was useless in a year. I'm surprised they don't make aftermarket neck replacements for Gretches.
On the other hand, filtertrons were one of my favorite buckers. And Hi-LoTrons were a decent P 90 type pickup. But now that Fender owns them, I suppose they'll try to use jumbotrons.
On the other hand, filtertrons were one of my favorite buckers. And Hi-LoTrons were a decent P 90 type pickup. But now that Fender owns them, I suppose they'll try to use jumbotrons.
Walter Broes
Enlightened Member
Vintage Gretsches don't compare to vintage Guilds, build-wise, IMO.
Post-1958 Gretsches, the ones with the heel dowel, are often very badly put together, hardly anything is straight, pickups and tailpieces out of alignment more often than not, and the neck joints are terrible.
Post-1958 Gretsches, the ones with the heel dowel, are often very badly put together, hardly anything is straight, pickups and tailpieces out of alignment more often than not, and the neck joints are terrible.