Gretsch G6609 Players edition Broadkaster & G6659tG Broadkaster Jr
Two great new additions to Gretsch’s Players Edition ‘Centre Block’ range, with classic looks but a modern twist or two up their sleeves
Who doesn’t love the look of a Gretsch? They’re big, bold and flashy and they scream rock ’n’ roll – and that’s rock ’n’ roll of all flavours, from Eddie Cochran to George Harrison, Neil Young to Joe Perry, Billy Duffy to Johnny Marr and beyond. Trouble is, play a classic 6120 or Duo Jet and it can seem a bit, well, oldfashioned. And while the likes of Brian Setzer, Darryl Higham and Richard Hawley couldn’t live without their own Gretsches’ quirky controls and 50s playability, a growing number of players desire the brand’s looks, sound and unmatched vibe, but also want something a tad more versatile and user-friendly.
Enter these latest Players Edition models with necks set lower into the body for improved access, higher-output Filter’ Tron style humbucking pickups (Full’ Trons) and a modernised Bigsby vibrato where through stringing replaces the notorious ‘hooking the ball-end over a peg’ system that scuppered any chance of a quick change. Mate these modern
tweaks with another recent innovation (for Gretsch, at any rate), the Centre Block range, and you have a set of guitars ready to compete with anything out there – in virtually any style.
Common to both models is those solid centre blocks (the blocks are spruce and, according to Gretsch, lighter and more toneful than maple), Full’Tron pickups, locking Gotoh tuners, Adjusto-Matic bridge and binding all round, including the f-holes. They both have exceptionally classy raised tortoid pickguards and the slightly simplified control layout of individual pickup volumes, single tone control, three-way selector and – the one remaining anachronism in our view – a master volume control mounted on the lower horn.
Gretsch model naming can be a little confusing so we asked our friends at Fender EMEA to clarify. “As with most Pro series Gretsches, each model variation is available in one colour,” they told us, “although you could think of the Broadkasters as three model types with different finish appointments: Jr, Hardtail and Bigsby models, with two or four finish options each. So, one price for flames, Bigsbys, goldplating or combinations thereof, and a lower price to forego those things.”
The full-size double-cut Broadkaster sits squarely in the ES-335 camp, with its slim body (44mm) and accessible (17th-fret) neck join. Available with or without Bigsby, ours comes with Gretsch’s ‘V’ stopbar tailpiece and Adjusto-Matic bridge, rosewood fretboard and, like the Jr, tastefully aged ‘neo-classical’ thumbnail position markers. Although the smaller and therefore perhaps more ‘rock’orientated of the two, the Jr appears the more Gretsch-y with its gold hardware, Bigsby, ebony ’board and cool gold Broadkaster headstock nameplate. (The Broadkaster name, of course, was originally used on a Gretsch drum kit and was the reason why Fender had to change the name of its early solidbody from Broadcaster to Telecaster, thus causing the nameless ‘Nocaster’ in the process). Build quality on both guitars is stunning, the Cadillac Green of the Jr, in particular, a real head turner.
Feel & sounds
With their 305mm (12-inch) fingerboard radius and 22 medium-jumbo frets on slim C-section necks, both guitars feel fresh and comfortable in the hand. And the fact that the necks sit deeper in the bodies making
the pickups protrude a good deal less, too, adds to this more modern feel (our orange 6120 seems almost archaic by comparison). Surprisingly, the black guitar’s larger body (16 inches as opposed to 14) makes it feel no more cumbersome on the lap or around the neck – the horn-mounted strap button helping no end with balance and positioning on the player’s body. The thin bodies on both instruments hold them close to you, for an intimate and rewarding playing experience. Avoid looking in the mirror, though – we bet you can’t!
As mentioned, a prime selling point is the all-new drive trains, the first new US-made Gretsch pickups since the 70s (Filter’Trons have been Gretsch’s humbucking mainstay since the 50s). They’re great-sounding units combining real punch with clarity and articulation – AC/DC’s Malcolm Young to Brian Setzer in The Stray Cats is a pretty broad spectrum. For the Players Edition Centre Blocks, the Filter’Tron has become the Full’Tron, with greater output, punchier mids and a generally more up-to-date ethos.
A clean setting on our ubiquitous Fender Blues Junior elicits a hard-edged twang from the bridge ’Tron, a warm but articulate jazz
note from the neck, and a Duane Eddy-ish clunk in the middle (very DeArmond-like). On an undistorted setting, both guitars sound very similar, but pile on some drive and the Jr’s greater wood-to-body-size ratio begins to add more middle honk compared with the bigger guitar’s slightly more open sound. The Bigsby could be adding to or subtracting from the sonic soup, but without otherwise identical instruments side by side it’s hard to tell. ‘Noload’ tone pots mean that, when set wide open, the signal bypasses both pot and capacitor for the clearest possible tone, but knock it back from the notched ‘open’ position and it works like a normal control. Suffice it to say, both guitars leave a very pleasing impression on the ears as well as the eyes.
Verdict
“Who doesn’t love the look of a Gretsch?” this review began. Well, we think even more will be seduced by these updated and uprated models, enticing a whole new flush of members to the Gretsch gang with their vastly improved player comfort and a range of tones that can cover anything other than the highest-gain metal. Japanese build quality is beyond reproach, and the range of options available means there’s something for everyone, whether you prefer the diminutive Broadkaster Jr or feel more at home with a classic thinline semi round your neck. And if a Bigsby is one Gretsch-y step too far, you can forego that, too.
Gretsch is determined to shake the ‘for rockabilly only’ vibe of its instruments, and we think the Players Edition Centre Block series is set to do just that. Only one question remains: Cadillac Green or Bourbon Stain?