Head to head
Which of our retro axes belongs in your future?
No two guitars here are alike. You’ve got the studied refinement of the Hagstrom, the majesty of its Aged Sky Blue finish, the weirdness of its switching system. Then there’s the auric splendour of the Gretsch Pro Jet, a stunning singlecut with that breeding, that Gretsch DNA. Then there’s the Danelectro 67, its voice even louder than the yellow finish, uniquely lightweight, full of skronk and attitude from deceptively powerful pickups. And there’s the Supro with its classy minimalism, that finish and tailpiece hard to beat.
In terms of playability, the Hagstrom nicotine-yellow neck is incredible, and even though the bridge is a little squeaky, the Tremar vibrato a stiff ol’ wobbler, it still feels like the Hagstrom is on your side. The Danelectro, well, that invites all sorts of abuse; it’s a joy for rock ’n’ roll rhythm playing and disgorging a chaotic, shambling lead break. Some might
The Supro’s tone will catch you off-guard; that single coil is warm and Rich
find the Pro Jet off-balance when playing seated, but there is no quibbling with its clubby neck profile, which comfortably seats the hand, offering plenty support. The Supro, too, enjoys a clubbier neck profile, but with a satin finish that helps you glide across it.
The Supro’s tone will catch you off-guard; that big humbucker-sized single coil is deceptively sharp, but warm and rich, dynamic, and there is a lot of range in that tone knob. While the Hagstrom’s cleans are untouchable, remember that Kurt Cobain once played one; so while its distorted tone won’t be tight, it can be a little muddy, it nonetheless has a lovely feral character to it. The Danelectro’s pickups are wired in series, so the middle position with both pickups selected has some real oomph, perfect for hot-rodded rock. The Gretsch, meanwhile, well, its tone is so hot you could grill hamburgers by wafting it in front of the speaker cone. Tex-mex shuffle, country, blues, jazz, rockabilly… You name it, and it’ll play it.