Helpful hints for new Gretsch guitar owners + Vox amp overview

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hi Ashley ! Thanks for the tip, I saw where a guy used baking soda with superglue for a similar repair, cool trick. Have fun shopping for your Gretsch ! I've been thinking of a g2655t streamliner semi-hollow, they seem pretty cool.

[@reportingfromthebunker]

A good tip for the bridge rattle is to "Oil" the bolts with clear nail varnish. It'll wick into the spaces and act like thread locker. If You need to reintonate just add more after. Its also invisible.

[@gregsuarez1309]

If you're holding an orange guitar, you almost HAVE TO wear one of those hats.

[@dickmcshan9778]

Greg Suarez Both are good looking.

[@Jelly1337]

the fairlane blue color is nice

[@starshinestudiosofficial]

Either that or put your hair up in a pompadour.

[@ioodyssey3740]

Nice. I just ordered a Gretch with a burst paint job... I wonder what hat I'm going to need. I hope I'm prepared!

[@fossilmatic]

No. You shouldn’t. Just no.

[@johnnykeller7648]

Gretsch's lineups "Vintage Select" : Made in Japan, these are to-spec recreations of vintage instruments previously only available through custom shop order "Player Select" : Made in Japan, these are a mash-up of old and new with regards to spec, slightly less pricey than the "Vintage Select" "Pro Player" Made in Japan, these have urethane finishes, excluding the Chet Atkins models those are a nitro lacquer. These are modernized Gretsch catalog standards, featuring a slimmer profile (2.25" as opposed to the more vintage 2.75" in body depth), locking tuners and a string through Bigsby. "Electromatic" Made in Korea by WMI these are 5-ply bodies as opposed to the traditional 3-ply construction. These have just recently started to see some hardware trickle down from the Pro Player lineup; like string-thru Bigsby's. Prices range from $500 for the Chinese made Duo Jet's, to $850 for the Korean made hollowbodies. Solid instruments to say the least.

[@aquinojose94]

Awesome video, I found mine for $300 in excellent condition. Changed the nut to a bone and got the bridge pinned. It holds tuning better than my Gibsons

[@derrinballard7239]

I was just thinking of buying my first Gretsch today, and this was very helpful in making that determination

[@jonnadenicek1277]

Something I have found effective (and on the cheap and quick) for buzz on those intonation adjustments is just a dab of crazy glue or Loctite, use the tip of a pin to deliver it just where you need it, you won't need much.. It stops the "BUZZ" and still allows you to turn the screws to adjust the bridge if you move to different strings, tunings etc. I have found this to be effective on tune-o-matic style bridges. Keep on posting, it is fun to listen to you play! Take Care JN

[@alainbrisebois8334]

I use 10-52 gage strings with chaps stik on the nut and on the bridge. I'm a rock a billy kinda rocker style of a player and use that wammy bar alot, and I never have problems with the guitar going out of tune because of the bigsby. Dont be afraid to pull on them to give them a good stretch, when they're new and then you can use that Bigsby use much as you want . ROCK ON !

[@johnnybravoski7048]

Psssst... 100 & 120 grit sandpaper is NOT fine grit. Yikes!!!

[@bondjovi4595]

Sounding really great, clear concise sound.

[@MusicbyLou]

Enjoyed the into. Thanx. I don't have any tuning or mechanical problems with my Electromatic 5420, 2013 vintage. Love the action, sound, and thumbnails.

[@NeonBlade]

Buying a G5120 tomorrow, just found this video, awesome.

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hi Neon Blade, enjoy your guitar !

[@daviddouglas7950]

Thanks Nicholas, I'm kinda thinking about getting a G2420 so this is helpful. Gonna have to sell some other guitar first to keep peace on the home front. By4now, Dave in the Adirondacks

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hi Eusebio ! 5422, cool double cutaway ! A 15 watt tube amp with a 12 inch speaker is worth looking at. They sound nice and full with the big speaker even at lower volume. Fender blues jr, Vox NightTrain 15, Vox AC15, etc...all in the price range you mentioned (ac15 at upper level). Have fun trying them out !

[@sagephillip6119]

the ghost notes is from the bigsby... they all do it in my experience,, have a Epiphone emperor swingster ...same thing with ghost notes.

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hi Dale, I actually agree with you. I do generally prefer a distorted Gretsch sound over an uber clean tone, it is not at all great here. I upgraded to a Vox NightTrain that sounds much nicer. You can check out "Gretsch G5120 gets thick tone with Vox NightTrain". Perhaps you may like it better, or feel free to let me know if it sucks also. Although I would disagree, tonewise anyway. Thanks for the comment !

[@nigelthomasse6869]

Awesome!! Thank you for posting, I've been looking for a video about Gretsch

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hey derrin, thanks for the comment. Gretsch's are pretty cool and very distinct sounding, and are unlikely to be confused with anything else when you hear them. But as with any guitar, you never really know if it's for you until you get it in your hands. Good luck whichever way you decide !

[@kurthenry]

The ghost chime discussed here is not picked up, but it can be annoying when not plugged. The noisy bridge can be remedied with the much better roller bridge, which also helps keep it in tune.

[@logicnotfeelings3835]

Was a lot of fun to watch. Enjoyed your playing. Thank you.

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hi Ginny, I'm using a compressor pedal to enhance note clarity and sustain. When I was talking about the amp I meant to say "footswitch", which is different because it doesn't actually do anything itself, other than conveniently access amp functions such as gain or tremelo etc...Thanks, take care !

[@lewistaylor1965]

Great Gretsch new owners vid with helpful tips...on those Gretsch nuances

[@guitarman9922]

I have a gretsch electromatic pro Jet that has buzz on the g string. Knew it wasn’t fret buzz because i could tell it was coming from the bridge area. Did think it was the bigsby doing it until this vid. Thanks!

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

You're welcome Guitar Man, glad I could help.

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Good idea, I have considered something like that and probably will do it. Thanks

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hi James ! I have been enjoying playing alot more clean stuff lately. I picked up a Fender blues jr amp and really dig it clean as well as dirty. Thanks for the comment !

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hi Owen, you're right. I have not used one for a video since then, it sounds better without it. for some reason that day I thought it did.

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Thanks Larry, I think you may be right, I've seen some of the newer Gretschs that have a little sticker on them stating that the bridge is pinned. The piano whippen center pin seems like an idea worth looking into, for those that are not.

[@johnspokus]

The Pathfinder amps did not come with the footswitch when purchased new. I never bothered to get the footswitch for mine. It would only be useful for the tremolo anyway. The difference in volume between the boost and the regular channel is too big to switch back and forth mid song. You just have to set up to use one or the other. I usually only play through the normal setting for a clean sound and use pedals for gain. The boost is supposed to be like the top boost channel of an AC15, but there is no separate volume control for that on the Pathfinder.

[@corruptedCROWN]

I got that amp pretty recently and I love it. Im newer to the guitar world and i didn't know if turning up the sport volume was too high was a bad thing or not so I always have the boost on thinking that's what you were supposed to do. What pros and cons are there to doing that? I know your comment is years old it just seemed like something I've always wondered

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hi Johnny, 120 - 220 is fine grit. Above that goes to very fine, then super fine. Fine grit is as low as I would go, the main thing is to take your time and be careful not to open up the slot too much.

[@rustyjames7207]

Nicholas Brockmueller 120-220 is not really a fine grit. If I was to call one fine I'd start at 400-600 range.

[@braydenyonts3758]

Thank you! About to by my first electric - Rockabilly rules!

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

That's awesome Brayden !

[@1sttvbn]

My Electromatic sounds great with the TV Jones Classics on my Marshall Bluesbreaker reissue. Great jazzy guitar.

[@MikeFromNashville]

Great video! Well informing. You resemble Tim Robbins. Great playing as well.

[@AndrewStokes1966]

Great. Useful information. Thanks for taking the time.

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

you can try thickish fuse wire or a piece of guitar string to keep saddles firm.

[@samgravelle6567]

hey good video dude! wicked informative... i have that same set up i actually use for simple rhythm guitar and subtle leads with effects when I'm recording at home... I actually came across the guitar for a really good deal(a quarter of reefer) when I was on vacation and wanted to play guitar. was gonna just re sell it or use for jammin, but found a very peculiar and interesting sound with it when im making hip hop music, lol... I actually started leasing out instramentals to rappers once o started using this set up. however, ita mainly only effective for recording purposes. I find it to not be a great choice for performing , but still have only been able to find just the right tones and sounds for beats with this equipment. so for that, I love it. still, one of the best deals ive come across in life! anyway, awesome video, thanks homie!!

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Sorry for the late reply, yeah, the bar might help to dampen it a bit, I have never played one, but it makes sense. I guess it would depend on the stretch between it and the bridge.

[@phil393]

Had exactly same issues with my gretsch 5120, fucked the bridge off altogether an bought a compton compensated bridge , job done.

[@1114gabby]

Nicholas- cool video! I have a Grestch Electromatic and the thing sounds great playing Jazz progressions on the clean setting. Just saying it's a really versatile guitar in that way. I tend to play more clean than distortion on it. Regarding the vox- seems like even the low price ones are good quality. thinking about getting one.

[@WadeLucas]

great clip, Nick! keep it up!

[@logicnotfeelings3835]

FYI-- ironically, the bridge on the less expensive Gretsch Streamliner has posts that hold it in place, as opposed to the with the Electromatic.

[@cameronc.362]

FYI-- I bought an Electromatic a week ago and it has anchored posts on the bridge as well. Depends on the year and style I suppose.

[@Cascademenace]

Thank you for the review. Like your playing too.

[@DanielHorner-i5u]

I used pipe cleaners, the kind that has little nylon teeth. I cut out u shaped pieces to shovel down into the spaces behind the bridge saddels. Fill in any space a u shaped piece won't. No rattles and guitar sounds like it's suppose to.

[@LSTRAW1234]

i BELIEVE the newer Gretschs have pinned bridges. if NOT easy to pin it from on top with a piano whippen center-pin. find your local piano tuner and ask!

[@Erowens98]

All bigsby vibratos have that issue, the same thing happens on the headstock end of most guitars or anywhere there is extra string not on the scale. Just take a piece of soft foam or other fabric and wrap it in the strings outside of the scale. ¨That should dampen the ring.

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hi Skyflyer, it's a cheap solid state amp, and I had the gain up way too far, rookie mistake.

[@joshcb3540]

Thanks man... all good, enjoyed this - I have a Gretsch 5438, rings like a bell :)

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hi Lou, 5420 is a nice guitar, thumbnail fret markers are cool as hell are'nt they ?

[@eusebiohernandez3874]

Hello, Great Gretsch demo! thanks for sharing. I am looking to get an Gretsch 5422 Electromatic. What guitar combo amp would you recommend on a 500 to 750 price range??

[@HiggaionSelah_EWFMG]

got an Orange 35RT - don't know why except for online searching - it's probably the only Orange amp I'll ever own 👌✅. I usually play only acoustic guitar 😕 I like that it's Analog , light weight , loud and players seem to like them A lot and it's relatively inexpensive ❕😀

[@keithdmello]

I have the exact same guitar.

[@scotttee1581]

So this is life after Bewitched...I'm 93.3% certain this is Darren Stevens.

[@leascaart]

I have a Gretsch and play through a small Marshall practice amp. But it distorts with clean and distortion settings. My Gibson doesn't do that. Is the VOX 10 Watt amp? THANKS!!

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hi Lou Lou, yeah the pickups can be pretty hot. The amp is a Pathfinder 15, so 15 watt (solid state)

[@georgearagon2546]

Cool rig!

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Thanks very much David !

[@lar57jsy]

Thanks Nicholas :-)

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hi Larry, You're Welcome

[@TRICK-OR-TREAT236]

WHAT ARE IDIOSYNCRACIES AND WHERE CAN I GET SOME ? THANKS !

[@aquinojose94]

Cool video, I bought the same guitar and it’s awesome

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hi Shaun, yes, Fender medium.

[@blimeylimey13]

Useful info... thanks

[@carldubcats3385]

Hi, thanks for the tips.

[@joegagliardi9066]

Oh, yes! That bridge!

[@Erowens98]

2 drops of superglue would work better than double sided tape tbh, If you're worried about it being too permanent, put masking tape on all the points of contact and burnish it before putting the superglue on. It will hold, and be removable without residue. Search "Greatest luthiers trick of all - Down with double sided tape" for a more detailed description of what i mean.

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Thanks Derico !

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hey Garret, just standard round wound electric guitar strings, G string is not wound.

[@Quijibo13]

Dump the bridge, get a tru-arc or compton if it's not fixed. If it's fixed, there are plenty of adjustable bridges out there (Faber) that are relatively cheap and are much better than the stocker. Oh, before you have a "heartbreaker", get a jackplate.

[@derico12345]

Excellent!

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Thanks very much !

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Thanks John, I agree.

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Thanks samo !

[@-_AjB_-]

Your guitar face cracks me up.

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Cool ! Thanks !

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Fair enough.

[@paulmurro9304]

some investment in the axe . roller bridge, locking Grover tuners. great idea with the Velcro all those type of guitars have that chime. double side tape great idea. check out Dr. groovy KZbin site he has some ideas on that chiming sound also I own 6120 a reissue the better ones are coming out of Japan but they are much more expensive the one I have is a 6120 one of in Amber that is absolutely beautiful

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Thanks !

[@DoktorLorentzBig]

What that kind of Guitars need Is a roller bridge.

[@shaunmcinnis566]

Nice technique, are you using a pick?

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hi jack, D'Darrio .10 - .46

[@Erowens98]

240 grit would be too rough for that purpose, id say 600 at least to avoid making the slot too wide which would cause a buzz. All you want is to slightly round the entrance and exit of the nut and smooth it, not change the size of the slots. But nothing will beat a professionally cut nut done with professional nut saw's to the exact gauge of strings.

[@alainbrisebois8334]

Just take your own string gage, for each slot and slide the string Inside the slot ,like if you would with a saw. Going a little side to side too. It dont take much time and the string will sit in its place comfortably . Specialy if you go with heavy gage strings, wich is recommended with the Bigsby.

[@Erowens98]

That works if you have round wound strings. But flat wound and thin strings have more trouble with this. Still possible but very time consuming.

[@alainbrisebois8334]

Flat wound and thin strings dont stick to the nut IF the nut is lubricated before instaling the strings. The trick IS FOR round wound strings. Try it, dont Knock it. It work like charm for me. I'm just charing with you all. Good luck.

[@Erowens98]

I have tried it, i know it works. And believe me, any string will bind in a poorly cut nut ;) Unfortunately common in cheaper guitars. Of course you could just buy round wounds of the same gauge as your flat wounds.

[@sophiebrown2622]

Can I ask, what kind of a "pedal" are you using? I'm confused about that particular thing and nobody every says anything about it.

[@jackblack-zu7ed]

what string gauge...?

[@rustbeltgypsy3713]

Nut sanding (Use fold in half wet sand paper edge , 400-600 or fine steel wool maybe, not 100 or 120..that's way .too course, will make it worse grabbing) woah ?!

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Fair enough

[@Mrkywes1]

hi , what amp you using in video?

[@jamesritchie3327]

your playing gives mad eric johnson vibes

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Thanks James, that's nice of you to say

[@popoaggie]

Dump the saddle and replace it with a Compton or Tru-Arc saddle. Way better especially with a Bigsby Vibrato.

[@chickenngeorge]

Bought a 1966 anniversary. It had a wooden bridge like a jazz guitar. I wanted to fit a bigsby so I copied the wooden bridge saddle shape in solid aluminum and just made the two post holes underneath a little elliptical so she can rock a tiny bit when you use the bigsby. This gave a lovely bright tone and no fiddly rollers or saddles

[@Hungry_Hunter]

I've played owned and repaired many Un-pinned archtop guitars. Never had a problem with the bridge moving. Its the players technique. Using glue or tape is bullsh1t. I have two 15w Pathfinders put 8" Speaker's, bigger caps an LM2050 output ic and What not!

[@robiacullo4141]

The Gretsch in this video appears to be an "Electromatic". The Electromatics are the low end models. They run around $1k. I have a Tennessee Rose at $2.5k, and have never heard the ringing from below the bridge. Also, around here the common thing to have done (by a professional) is to have the Bridge "pinned" to keep it from moving.

[@DaleDunphy]

Given the beautiful and distinctive tones of a Gretsch, I found it odd that you chose to make it sound cheap by using so much distortion.

[@riphopfer5816]

Those rattling bridge saddles are NOT normal. Is that a Streamliner or an Electromatic?An Electromatic should DEFINITELY not have any issues like that.

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

I invite you to also check out "The wonderful sound of a Gibson Les Paul" from my channel !

[@renegrondzi]

+Nicholas Brockmueller I have a classic giutar (vicente sanchis constructor, year 1915, mod 28, ano 88). What does it mean i need help please? I'm searching on the net but nothing

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Hello Rene, as best that I can find out , the vicente sanchis company was founded in 1915. Your model 28 guitar was made in 1988. All their guitars are handmade, high end models are built with all hardwoods by master luthiers, and will be signed by the luthier that built it. Production models are built using some laminated wood components,( the back of the guitar in particular ).These guitars are made by the less experienced craftsmen working their way up to be master luthiers. So values will vary greatly due to these factors as well as condition of the instrument. Looks like anywhere from under $100 to a few hundred for a production model, and into the thousands for those built by master luthiers.

[@renegrondzi]

So it's nothing special at all, not even when it's model 28 ? But, Thank you so much for the Information Mr Nicholas.

[@hollowmenrule]

Don't like Vox amp distortion. Mine sounds nice with dirt pedals

[@Noel6031]

N

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Or if you're old and bald.

[@Paul1963music]

HORRIBLE TU HEAVY METAL, USA UNA GIBSON LES PAUL

[@thewilderfanclub7896]

if its not made in usa its not gretsch .even if it plays better

[@HAKJOBSautomotive]

I’m disappointed that I brought mine back. I paid $1000 for a Gretsch hollow body and it had a bridge buzz. Refunded it, played another one and it also had a bridge buzz. Now I wish I kept it. 🥲

[@NicholasBrockmueller]

Thank you !