Gretsch Corvette 111

[Billyboygretsch]

I have always fancied a Gretsch Corvette. I saw this and thought great for upgrading and cheap . New £149 delivered from Andertons. It plays really well and sounds reasonable. Sounds very good on slide.
Amazing value for money guitars around nowadays much better than the cheapies of the 60s

[Ryan]

Hi Bill,
I like the look of this guitar, never seen it before. Looks a bit rickenbackery and danelectroey. I don't mean that in a negative way, i like it.
Hope you have fun with it
Cheers
Ryan

[Billyboygretsch]

Thanks Ryan I'm sure I will.Some nice Ricky sounds as well as overdriven. Very light thin body with great sustain. I really like it. Feels a bit like an SG. Only limiting thing is the 3 way selector either bridge middle or neck. I will fit a StewMac Freeway switch, ala Jimmy Page,which will give me maximum pick up combinations without having to change any hardware or extra drilling.

[RUSSET]

I am considering getting the Gretsch Electromatic Pro Jet. I saw one demo'd on YouTube recently & it sounds pretty good. It is the Deluxe model in the 'Jet' series, & comes in Sunburst, Black & a nice Goldtop. Unlike the budget versions, it has hollowed out body compartments, so prospectively weighs a lot less too. The pickups are the Filtertron type.

Tony.

[Billyboygretsch]

I bought a Electromatic G5570 Elliot Easton style a few years back. Sounds more like a Les Paul. Still thinking of changing the pick ups currently buck ulster for TVJ but a big cost. I like existing sound and have plenty of Gretsch sound in other guitars. I have to say the build quality is exceptional. Not sure I would ever pay lots of money for a new guitar now.

[JimN]

Still thinking of changing the pick ups currently buck ulster for TVJ but a big cost.

Come again?

[Billyboygretsch]

Sorry to confuse you Jim not sure what happened there. I meant Gretschbuckers not buck ulster - not sure where that came from.
I quite like the sound of them but they don't have that classic Gretsch twang. I like the Magnatrons of TVJones and have fitted them to 6120. Trouble is I sold the original Gretsch ones which I could have fitted to the 5570. TVJs in gold would cost me about £260 which is about 65% of the value of the guitar

[RayL]

Not many of the Corvette shape around. Here's Alan Entwhistle's take on the Corvette. It's the Alden Corsair - 24 3/4" scale, Nashville Star humbuckers, gold hardware, Bigsby.

Alden Corsair.JPG

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Assiduous readers of these forums will remember that this is the guitar 'that Jim didn't like'. Actually, that's a bit strong - he bought it, tried it, and wasn't keen, so he sold it to me. I changed the Burns trem to the Bigsby and, with it's shorter scale and very low action, it's a bit of a favourite. Other users of my studio have also found it a very easy guitar to play.

[JimN]

That's odd, Ray...

I distinctly remember ordering that gold-finish vibrato unit from Axes'R'Us and fitting it myself?

[stephen]

I bought a Electromatic G5570 Elliot Easton style a few years back. Sounds more like a Les Paul. Still thinking of changing the pick ups currently buck ulster for TVJ but a big cost. I like existing sound and have plenty of Gretsch sound in other guitars. I have to say the build quality is exceptional. Not sure I would ever pay lots of money for a new guitar now.

That looks like a lot of guitar for the money, Bill! You're right about the value you can find at the cheaper end of the market these days, although I would always advocate checking the instrument out in person if possible, rather than buying mail-order, as quality can vary from one example to another even in the same batch. Although one is always covered by the Distance Selling regs., as well as the disappointment in receiving a flawed guitar, it's still a bit of a pain to have to return it.
I feel similarly about not investing in any more high(er) end guitars these days and as I've stated in other posts, I tend to get a much more pleasurable, all-round 'experience' by assembling my own.
Some people do tend to have a (somewhat unfounded) disdainful attitude to more budget ranges and in doing so, potentially miss out on a lot of playing enjoyment that can be had from different guitar styles that might otherwise not be afforded. Earlier this year, I quite fancied a Jazzmaster just as a change to my perennial Stratocasters, but didn't want to make a significant investment in something that could well turn out to be a passing fancy, so I checked out the Squier VM model. Originally wanting a sunburst, I had to give up on that as I couldn't source one locally that wasn't constructed of several pieces whose joins weren't disguised by the sunbursting, which tended to spoil the look. Eventually I abandoned the search and settled for a Candy Apple Red one which seemed well put together and had a decent fingerboard. A few hours spent rounding off the fret-ends and giving it a sympathetic set-up & a new (free) set of strings provided me with a very playable example for an outlay of just £263. As well as the additional costs of having better quality woods/components, a significant proportion of the higher price charged for premium instruments is the labour involved in the final fettling and set-up. If you are able to do this yourself, with judicious choice you can elevate a budget-priced model to a higher level.
A guitar playing neighbour/'friend' (!) called around sans spectacles and having noticed a new guitar addition hanging on the wall, shot straight over to it in a panic that it might be something that could incite pangs of jealousy. Anyway, he just squinted up at the headstock and with a relieved gasp exclaimed, "Oh, it's 'just' a Squier then!" The relief & attendant presumption of inferior quality was such that he didn't even ask to have a play on it!

Stephen.