Gretsch Brian Setzer 6120 Nashville + 6120 Hot Rod Demo

Reviewed in Guitarist issue 398
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[@rydes68]

Love my 6120, favorite guitar by a mile! Extremely versatile, rock, jazz, blues can all be covered along side the traditional rockabilly, country tones. Every time i pick it up, it will be a couple of hours before I can put it down. Guitarist, fantastic reviews, keep it up...

[@Powertuber1000]

Damn nice playing! I have the orange 6120 Setzer... no other guitar sounds like a Gretsch.

[@bobtaylor5932]

What a great idea to play some "staple" guitar sounds with the Strat and DGT. Seems as though many folks are not as familiar with the Gretsch sound as they are with others (that is how I was for quite some time). Great demo as always. I love the Guitarist channel, and I could listen to Mick's playing all day, err'y day.

[@paulssounds7129]

I agree

[@pipoquiltro5369]

I wish every review was like this one. Thank you!

[@teddyleather9079]

Gretsch all day long baby!!

[@scaredypicker]

Love the neck pickup sounds on the Nashville. Just so thick and punchy.

[@jihwan7828]

Great review!! Love the Gretsch!

[@lance134679]

Thank you for the demo. I've noticed that Brian would remove the tone switch on some of his guitars. I'm guessing the hot rod basically does that for you, along with the other differences. The overall sound of the hot rod seems a bit less "messy", with less distortion than the Nashville, assuming all other variables were constant.

[@chrisnedbalek2866]

The comparison was really helpful. I didn't realize how much more I like the gretsch.

[@jamescoughlan8193]

shocked you didn't mention Eddie Cochran in your list of Gretsch greats ?

[@bcjaliu]

Great review, enjoyed it. Very nice playing and gorgeous sounding Gretsches! Is the tone/mud switch completely bypassed in the middle position ? I have a Player's Edition Black Falcon that I royally dig btw, that forgoes the mud switch altogether, and is sounding magnificent with Setzer Signatures that I had put in replacing the HS Filtertrons that where nice in their own right, but the Setzers have a lot more top end sparkle and clarity.

[@DMSProduktions]

Just lovely. Both great guitars, but the Nashville was just a bit nicer with more sparkle, however the 'mud' switch did almost F/A with overdrive added. Clean its effect was quite pronounced, but OD evened it up a lot. But a CLASSIC sound!

[@adrianlindsay3194]

Great video thanks for the info.

[@musket-hc1fc]

I like the single toggle switch and single volume control on the Hot Rod, but not the color combinations or the thicker body diameter. Were I designing a Gretsch, I'd make the 6120 with a single toggle switch and single volume control. Also a sunburst nitrocellulose finish.

[@FlorianStollmayerMUSIC]

Do you have any videos on Classical/Spanish Guitar? Just asking. That's what I play. I just saw you on here. NIce site. Very nice guitar too.

[@harringtonbenton334]

Sounds like I'm hearing the difference in the Nitro is brighter than the poly Question: Does pinning the bridge deaden sound and resonance?

[@James-hb6ee]

WOW! Love that Nashville sound and looks. The Hot Rod is cool, but the Nashville leans more to my taste. I just bought a Gretsch G2420 Streamliner today and when I get better, I'm gonna get me one of those Nashvilles!!!!!! Love your playing Mick!

[@iaincobain3594]

I hope you kept playing your gretsch and have bought more. I got a electomatic 5420T about 7 years ago and have just bought a 2010 6196 in Cadillac green. Eventually a white Falcon and an orange 6120 will be in my possession. 😊

[@belo1971]

What is your Gretsch pickup height setting ? Mine has treble "e-string " sounding a bit thin compared to other strings ? Raise the pickup or polepieces ? Thanks a lot , regards from France !!!!

[@whodunitpros8555]

Good comparison demo!

[@ftera4]

WAY TOO COOL !!! BOTH OF THEM. AND YOUR PLAYING!!!

[@Kaelan66]

Riff at 6:57 is really cool- always love that gretsch sound!

[@TheseusTitan]

I really liked the way you showed four different examples of guitars to hear the differences. It’s funny how thin and tinny Fender’s sound without a pedal. I actually liked the tone from the humbucker’s tone the best.

[@aquabot]

My Gretsch Brian Setzer 6120 is clearly the best guitar I've got, plays like butter and sounds awesome, especially plugged into a Twin. And with some distortion, just as great.

[@MrSpock]

Are you a Setzer fan or is it really versatile?

[@andrewweintraub987]

Nice review. One inaccuracy however. A number of Gretsch models are finished in nitro including a 6120, anniversary, a few falcons and the phoenix.

[@filipragusa5344]

Okay Mick, so the gretsch sounds great the “ 6120 “ but I’m digging the strat and PRS all of a sudden. Now what to do ? 😂

[@marksc1929]

...nice review

[@kervinrodriguez1833]

What's the price range?

[@timgroves3606]

great dem, how it should be done

[@miketaylor6053]

The difference in sound of these two shocked me. The Nashville has a much more natural open tone that I can only assume is the nitro finish. I know which one I want. Great video as always Mick.

[@fixedgear37]

Nitro finish has nothing to do with it. "I listened to a video on youtube and could hear the difference between the chemical make up of 2 finishes on an electric guitar being amplifed, mic'd, processed digitally and then compressed and streamed over the internet where i could then enjoy it streamed via wifi to my computer..." MAYBE it has to do with the fact that the Hot Rod has NO tone circuits in the signal path at all..hmmm

[@dennisobrien2578]

❤️

[@LUCKYB.]

the Duo Jet and 6120 are the go to's .. but still need a strat in the mix .. but you know Aint a damn Guitar made that spells RockaBilly But the King of RockaBilly GRETCH ..

[@soundknight]

Hollow is best...

[@heathwatsonguitar]

Bloody love my hot rod. Don't like the v shaped neck so much. Everything else is great. Save up and get one, forget the Electromatics lads.

[@guitarplayer5932]

+Heath Watson james smith ...see above posts thinks theyre garbage guitars hahaha I guess hes jealous

[@onlinemrwats]

+Blaine gullion Thanks Mr Gullion. I sent him a reply. Rock on!!!!

[@guitarplayer5932]

+Heath Watson Guitar the hot rod is a 6120 model it's a high quality guitar I don't care what that other idiot says

[@guitarplayer5932]

+Heath Watson Guitar nobody and I mean nobody ever in the history of guitar building has put ebony for a fretboard, spertzel tuners, bigsby tremolo, and tv jones pickups on a cheap guitar, ill buy a tennesse just to compare, I make tons of money in the oilsands anyway

[@heathwatsonguitar]

What are oilsands?

[@nojyeloot]

"Hello..."

[@jixxxxer17]

Oh no I just ordered the Hot Rod I never knew about the Nashville oh shit looks like I might be doing a return ugh lol Great Video learned a lot Thank You, Sir !

[@jixxxxer17]

@@whome3911 nope I still have the Brian Setzer Hot Rod , i'm good but I do think my clean tone is ok, I wish i could sing better too but these are the tools I was dealt , kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJTFeqWagK6IY7M

[@DesertScorpionKSA]

The Nashville sounds better to me as it was slightly clearer.

[@jacobbrown1690]

white falcons are 4400 in canada....just saying

[@maxcuthbert100]

Atkins,Setzer,Eddy -great stuff.....shame you forgot the most widespread Gretsch player of them all ; George Harrison ! Great review,though.

[@imannonymous7707]

i do prefer the orange tho at least in colour

[@soundknight]

What does jazz sound like on one of these?

[@greatvanzini]

Brian Cullen Quite nice actually but,,,, I like to use flat wounds on my jazz boxes. On my Gretsch I use round wounds to get a bit more grit. Chet used round wounds as I recall.

[@PubliusRutiliusLupus]

DGT sounded best to me! :-D

[@fromthenorth2]

TheTritoneTerror Same here :3

[@paperviewcast]

+Nicholas Paul What you gain from a hollowbody guitar IS the Gretsch sound. That's what makes it a Gretsch. A Les Paul or Fender could never get near that Gretsch sound being solid bodied guitars.

[@kimhansen6384]

The orange one sounds more traditional and much better.

[@daijones101]

Nashville wins

[@jaimegomezdelcampo1212]

Strat gana seguida de grestch

[@sugarlife485]

Boy the strat was in the ball park but that Clunky Prs sounded like shit compared to the sweet juicy Gretsch

[@GeneMcCahill]

On a computer,.....the Nashville definitely sounds more "Gretchy"...anyone else notice?

[@samuelzetterman]

Well yes the nashville is designed and set up pretty much like a classic gretsch. The hot rod has a very new consept, Brian himself found that the less controlls you have the clearer sound you get. Thats why it sounds very unique

[@imannonymous7707]

If ya want twang...gretsch gots lt

[@sorinbanoiu7259]

That PRS is from the wrong movie 🤔

[@antoniosantorini9355]

Talker

[@theprogrammerrolandmc3039]

Fender really did try and convince us that brain seltzer play's gretsch guitars and want us to buy fender gretsche's with Brian setzers name on it

[@JamesSmith-rd8sl]

The Hot Rod is designed for 2 things: To have the Gretsch name on it and to have Brian Setzer's name on it so they can capitalize on the cheapest, most inexpensively designed guitar that Setzer fans that can't afford a REAL instrument just MIGHT go for. It's a PILE. If it wasn't, you just might catch 'ol Setzer HIMSELF playing one. Not a chance. My old Auto Shop Teacher used to say: "You get what you pay for". The same thing applies to instruments in many cases. Gretsch would not be selling $15500 White Falcons if they were not worth it believe me.

[@guitarplayer5932]

+James Smith cheap? hmmm...the hot rod in Canada was 4100.00 the Nashville was 4700.00 I doubt the 600 bucks would make the difference in someone buying the hotrod over the Nashville, the hot rod has an ebony fretboard, tv jones pickups , etc etc I'm not sure why it would be called cheap, I bought one because its different and I know 10 people who have the Nashville mine is as good imo.

[@JamesSmith-rd8sl]

You're money went straight to Brian Setzer's wallet and not to quality in my opinion and if you can't hear the difference between what you can do with the Nashville vs. the Hot Rod then I just don't know what to tell ya Sir. But I can tell. And Gretch can tell or the price wouldn't be different and you can believe that. The Hot Rod looks like plastic Regardless of what it actually is. Everyone has to feel their own good about their own instrument though. Everyone has to like what they feel they look like when they go out there. To me, it looks like an embarassment.

[@guitarplayer5932]

that's your opinion and youre the minority

[@JamesSmith-rd8sl]

Did you take a scientific poll? How do you know I am in the minority? I am not in the minority in the largest chain of guitar stores in the USA that I work at. You are clueless and upset because you bought one of these pieces. NOBODY in their right mind would take a hot rod over any 6120.

[@guitarplayer5932]

+James Smith get some anger management dude...geeze, who are you anyway? nobody....its just a guitar get over it go go troll elsewhere I'm bored of you

[@mbradshaw6760]

if the person doing his job was making the review enjoyable it would be a lot easier to (listen to the sounds)... Are you one of these wanna be guitar slingers can't see you being someone of talent with a ridiculous comments like that . well ?

[@antoniosantorini9355]

They all sound the same especially with all the same stupid effects you got going

[@brickbreaker8148]

As Joe Bonamassa once said "Gretsch guitars...take off the G and there you have it"

[@MrSpock]

Huh?