Following a record-breaking year for guitar-playing interest in 2020, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) continues to lead with player centric and innovative tools tailored to fuel musical creativity across genres-from hard rock and high performance to Americana. As one of the largest musical instrument brands in the world, FMIC instruments are played on more stages and by more diverse artists, who subsequently contribute their feedback to make these innovations a reality. FMIC have announced a slate of new products from its portfolio of owned and licensed brands, including Jackson®, Gretsch® guitars, EVH® and Charvel® via its second online meeting experience for global dealers. The introductions come as a means to support a growing cohort of pandemic players, songwriters, creators on social media, beginners and, of course, loyal professional musicians. New additions include products across categories–from the striking Jackson Artist Signature Series, powerful Gretsch electrics and new artist collaborations to Charvel’s U.K. artist collaborations and EVH’s powerful amps. Dealers can access these products via a private interactive portal to explore executive and product video, as well as other visuals via an easy-to-follow user interface.
Over four days this week, HEAVY will present a comprehensive wrap on each release, today featuring Gretsch.
With roots in the past while maintaining an eye to the future—from the cavernous clubs of Liverpool to the main stage headliner at Coachella, Gretsch has been the voice of inspiration, personal expression and musical invention. It’s no accident that the sound of a Gretsch has been heard loud and proud on some of the most pivotal recordings ever created. The instrument of choice for musical revolutionaries due to their rich, full sound, smooth playability and boldly classic visual style, Gretsch and rock ‘n’ roll have been—and always will be—inseparable partners. The world’s greatest hollow body guitars just got even better.
Designed for the working professional, the all-new Players Edition Hollow Body instruments feature authentic Gretsch® sound and style while incorporating cutting-edge features that are designed to instill complete confidence in the instrument, from tailpiece to tuners. Modern bracing patterns, all-new FT-67Filter’Tron™ pickups, rolled finger board edges and Luminlay® side markers are just a few of the appointments that make the Players Edition perfect for today’s performer. The all-new FT-67 Filter’ Tron™ humbucking pickups were designed to capture authentic vintage Gretsch® voicing but with a more well-rounded tone for modern playing styles. This powerful pair of pickups provid eopen and pristine top-end chime, glassy midrange, robust low end and balanced harmonics for tone that blends seamlessly with other instruments. Players Edition guitars can be trusted on every song, every night for powerful sound, tonal flexibility and full control of that classic Gretsch® power.
Models include:
●G6136TG Players Edition Falcon™ Hollow Body with String-Thru Bigsby® and Gold Hardware($3,599.99 USD, £3,509.00, €3,889.00, $6,199 AUD, ¥ 528,000 JPY).Boasting powerful sound ands tage-ready tonal flexibility, this Falcon presents total sophistication—from the Midnight Sapphire or White gloss urethane finish to the gold Grover® Imperial™ locking tuning machines and gold jeweled G-arrow control knobs, to the gold sparkle bound neck, body and F-holes, to the striking pearloid Neo-Classic™ thumbnail inlays and gold vintage thick plexi pickguard with Gretsch and Falcon logos. This model features “ML” bracing, a comfortable 2.5”-deep maple body and set “U”-shaped maple neck with 25.5” scale length.
●G6136TG-LH Players Edition Falcon™ Hollow Body with String-Thru Bigsby® and Gold Hardware($3,899.99 USD, £3,629.00, €4,029.00, $6,699 AUD, ¥ 572,000 JPY).A bold visual and sonic statement, the left-handed G6136TG-LH Players Edition Falcon Hollow Body with String-Thru Bigsby® and Gold Hardware comes in a White gloss urethane finish. This model features “ML” bracing, Grover® Imperial™ locking tuning machines, comfortable 2.5”-deep maple body and set “U”-shaped maple neck with 25.5” scale length.
●G6122TG Players Edition Country Gentleman® Hollow Body with String-Thru Bigsby® and Gold Hardware($3,099.99 USD, £2,809.00, €3,119.00, $5,299AUD, ¥ 462,000 JPY)A lively playing partner, this Country Gent presents sterling sophistication—from the Walnut Stain gloss urethane finish to the gold Grover® Imperial™ locking tuning machines and gold G-arrow control knobs to the striking pearloid Neo-Classic™ thumbnail inlays and gold vintage pickguard with Gretsch® logo.Parallel bracing delivers resonant hollow body sound from the comfortable 2”-deep maple body. The Electrotone-body style revisits a vintage design from the 1960s, and its shallow depth, simulated f-holes and sealed top provide additional feedback control and low-end thump.
●G6120TG Players Edition Nashville® Hollow Body with String-Thru Bigsby® and Gold Hardware($2,599.99 USD, £2,749.00, €3,049.00, $4,599 AUD, ¥ 407,000 JPY)This Nashville is ready to bring Music City style to the stage—from the Azure Metallic or Orange Stain gloss urethane finish to the gold Gotoh® locking tuning machines and gold G-arrow control knobs to the white bound neck, body and F-holes, striking pearloid Neo-Classic™ thumbnail inlays and gold plexi pickguard with black Gretsch logo and Nashville post sign. It has a 16”-wide, 2.5”-deep maple body with ML bracing design and a set “U”-shaped maple neck with 24.6” scale length.
●G6120TG-LH Players Edition Nashville® Hollow Body with String-Thru Bigsby® and Gold Hardware($2,899.99 USD, £2,989.00, €3,319.00, $5,099 AUD, ¥ 462,000 JPY)This left-handed model shares the same features as its righty counterpart, and comes in an Orange Stain gloss urethane finish.
●G6120TG-DS Players Edition Nashville® Hollow Body DS with String-Thru Bigsby® and Gold Hardware($2,699.99 USD, £2,839.00, €3,149.00, $4,799 AUD, ¥ 412,500 JPY)The only DS model in the Edition, the G6120TG has two DynaSonic™ pickups, which produce amplified bright, shimmering highs and a defined, rich bass for distinct tone that cuts through the mix. Available in Roundup Orange, this model also features “ML” bracing, a comfortable 2.5”-deep maple body and set “U”-shaped maple neck with 24.6” scale length.
●G6119T-ET Players Edition Tennessee Rose™ Electrotone Hollow Body with String-Thru Bigsby®($2,699.99 USD, £2,379.00, €2,639.00, $3,999 AUD, ¥ 385,000 JPY)If players want to make their performance bloom with unmistakable Gretsch® style, this Tennessee Rose is ready to roll—from the Deep Cherry Stain urethane finish to the nickel Gotoh® locking tuning machines and nickel G-arrow control knobs to the white bound neck, body and F-holes, striking pearloid Neo-Classic™ thumbnail inlays and silver plexi pickguard with black Grestch®logo. It also has a 16”-wide, 2”-deepmaple body with parallel bracing and a set “U”-shaped maple neck with 24.6” scale length .Its Electrotone-body style revisits a vintage design from the 1960s, and its shallow depth, simulated f-holes and sealed top provide additional feedback control and low-end thump
.●G6118T Players Edition Anniversary™ Hollow Body with String-Thru Bigsby®($2,299.99 USD,£2,379.00, €2,639.00, $3,999 AUD, ¥ 385,000 JPY)—A finely tuned modern music machine, this guitar features the vintage Anniversary appointments Gretsch fans desire—from its two-tone finishes (Copper Metallic/Sahara Metallic with silver pickguard or Vintage White/Walnut Stain with a tortoise pickguard) to nickel hardware including Gotoh® locking tuning machines and G-arrow control knobs to the white bound body and F-holes and striking pearloid Neo-Classic™ thumbnail inlays. It has a 16”-wide, 2.5”-deep maple body with ML bracing and a set maple “U”-shaped neck with 24.6” scale length and pearloid side dots.
Available November 2021.
With a multitude of projects over the years headlined by a nearly two-decade stint with rock powerhouse Guns N’ Roses, Richard Fortus is one of the most respected guitarists in the world. Fortus’ chameleon-likeability to seamlessly add his own fretwork flair to the varied likes of pop superstars Rihanna and Enrique Iglesias, new wave luminaries The Psychedelic Furs, and ultimately, GN’R, lends credence to his wide-ranging talents and exacting tastes. Throughout his storied career, Fortus has been known to play Gretsch®guitars—Falcons in particular—which allowed him the chance to formulate his own opinions on what a signature model might resemble.
True to his dreams, the G6636/G6636T-RF Richard Fortus Signature Falcon™ Center Block models check all the boxes. They each begin with a resonant 1.75”-deep, 17”-wide double-cutaway maple body with a lightweight chambered spruce center block running throughout, reinforcing the arched laminate top while eliminating undesired feedback for volume-friendly performance that fits modern stages. Both models feature a three-way toggle switch, master volume and master tone controls, “U”-shaped maple neck and12”-radius ebony fingerboard with 22 medium jumbo frets. Guitarists with Fortus’ shape shifting talents demand versatility in their instruments to remain on top of their game, which is why a set of Custom Wound Filter’ Tron™ pickups in the bridge and neck positions fit perfectly.These are player-centric instruments ready to rock any genre.
Models include:
●G6636T-RF Richard Fortus Signature Falcon™ Center Block with String-Thru Bigsby® ($3,599.99USD, £3,199.00, €3,549.00, $6,199 AUD, ¥ 528,000 JPY)The G6636T-RF Richard Fortus Signature Falcon™ Center Block with String-Thru Bigsby® comes in a stunning Vintage White finish and is decked out with nickel hardware including the jeweled G-arrow knobs, pearloid Neo-Classic™ thumbnail inlays and tortoise headstock logo, binding, bezels and pickguard. Offering a 25.5” scale length, it also features a string-thru Bigsby® B6CP and a TonePros® Tune-o-matic bridge with roller saddles and pinned ebony base to offer stability, lightning-fast string changes and added expressiveness.
●G6636-RF Richard Fortus Signature Falcon™ Center Block with V-Stoptail ($3,399.99 USD,£3,049.00, €3,389.00, $5,899 AUD, ¥ 484,000 JPY)TheG6636-RF Richard Fortus Signature Falcon™Center Block with V-Stoptail comes in a striking Black finish and is decked out with nickel hardware including the jeweled G-arrow knobs, pearloid Neo-Classic™ thumbnail inlays and headstock logo, and tortoise pickguard, pickup bezels and binding. It also has a 24.6” scale length, and a TonePros® Tune-o-matic Bridge with standard saddles.
Available November 2021. For technical specs, additional information on new Jackson products and to find a retail partner near you,visit www.gretschguitars.com. Join the conversation on social media by following @OfficialGretsch.
