GEAR REVIEW
GRETSCH STEVE WARINER SIGNATURE NASHVILLE GENTLEMAN WITH BIGSBY | Doug Doppler
One of my favorite things about a great guitar
KEY FEATURES
is that you don’t always notice how amazing
• Laminated Maple Archtop Body it is until you remember things like, “Wow, I’m
• 25.5” Maple Neck reaching for the Bigsby without worrying about
the guitar staying in tune when I use it!” The
• Ebony U-shaped Fingerboard
string-through Bigsby B6GP tremolo is a joy to
• TV Jones Humbuckers play, and thanks to the brass nut, pinned Tru-
• Master Volume + Tone Arc bridge, and locking Gretsch Gotoh tuners,
this guitar stays in tune better than any Bigsby-
• Push-Pull Coil Tap
equipped Gretsch I’ve ever played.
The iconic sound of Gretsch guitars have Silky-smooth is the best way to describe the
enabled players as diverse as Chet Atkins, Brian action and the sound that exudes from this
Setzer, Nigel Hendroff, Michael Guy Chislett, guitar acoustically. From lovely chords that sing
and Malcolm Young to capture tones that thanks to subtle overtones, to speedy single
simply aren’t available on any other instrument. note runs, this guitar defies expectation. Further,
The aforementioned list would not be complete the 25.5” scale, 12” radiused U-shaped maple
without the addition Steve Wariner, CGP. neck, and ebony fingerboard keep reminding
me of what a long-scale Les Paul Custom
For those few who are not in the know, CGP might feel like. Strange perhaps, but true just
(certified guitar player) was the title Chet Atkins the same!
bestowed on but a handful of players whose
sound was as iconic as that of the Steve The three-way pickup selector, Master Volume
Wariner Signature Nashville Gentleman. I’ll add and Tone controls behave just as you’d expect
that if you like Gretsch guitars, you’re going with the exciting addition of the push-pull coil
to love this guitar, and if you love Gretsch split function on the Tone control. Interestingly
guitars, this is a must own instrument. enough, it’s kind of like the opposite of the boost
function on the Lincoln Brewster Stratocaster
The 15 ¾” body is smaller than the we reviewed in the last issue. Instead of
White Falcon, and the comfort factor adding more girth, this function does a lovely
is a big part of what makes this guitar job of cleaning up overdriven tones, and in
is a total joy to play. Thanks to the faux combination with the Tone control, this Gretsch
f-holes, the G6120T-SW is more delivers a whole other dimension of tones that
than capable of waking up the
are great for just about any style!
congregation, sans hollow-body
howl. That is not to say that Speaking of style, the dual TV Jones humbucking
this guitar won’t sustain and pickups do a great job of traversing tones. The
feedback with the best of them, Paul Yandell Duo-Tron in the neck position is
because it will. Moreover, this defined and warm, while the Classic Plus in the
is hands down one of the most bridge is clear and chunky. Combining the two
versatile instruments I’ve ever brings out the best of both pickups, especially
played.
Whether
it’s
Worship,
Country, Jazz, Blues, or Rock, this
when navigating the additional tones available
with the coil split.
guitar will open musical doors like none
other I’ve played. Seriously, it’s that good.
114
December 2019
And then there’s the drop-dead gorgeous
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