From New Yorker to 6120 to Brian Setzer Hot Rod
16" Archtops have been a mainstay for many manufacturers but for Gretsch they all but defined the line.
Guitar companies may not have invented tiered marketing but the sure knew how to use it. Virtually every company built archtops in a range of sizes from the '30s onward. In many cases the entry level guitars were available only in 16" versions with fancier models being reserved for 17" and even 18" sizes.
In the early '30s Gretsch American Orchestra Line spanned the price range from $25 - $250 with the $100 Model 100 marking the starting point of solid spruce tops and professional-grade appointments.
After WW II Gretsch revamped their line and made the 16" New Yorker, a low cost model that sounded great and played like butter. The unique tailpiece design was designed to reduce fingering effort and I can say from experience that it seems to work. Vintage New Yorkers I've played are amazingly light to the touch.
The New Yorker soon had an electric sibling, the 6185. This guitar became the cornerstone of Gretsch's electric guitar lineup and its influence is felt to this day. From this platform there is a clear line to the Corvette hollow-body, the Streamliner and the 6120 Chet Atkins model.
A Guitar for Mr. Guitar
The Chet Atkins model, which came along in the mid '50s was the top of the line for 16" Gretsches and its gold hardware and bound fingerboard made it stand out from many of the 16" guitars built by Gretsch's competitors. An orange stain finish helped along these lines too.
The best thing about the 6120 was the way it sounded. "Twangy" guitar was invented on Duane Eddy's 6120 and every 6120 I've ever played has the unique ability to sound mellow and Jazzy or Twangy and wild almost at will. The sound was important in early Rock 'n' Roll and remains desirable over 50 years later.
In 1958 Gretsch celebrated their 75th anniversary with the two-tone green Anniversary Model, basically a de-featured 6120. It must have been some celebration because over 50 years later you can still buy an Anniversary Model and it's still a true bargain.
The Oh So Modern 1960s
In the early '60s the flagship Country Gentleman model became a thin-bodied, double cutaway instrument and the 16" Chet Atkins model followed suit with a 2" thick version of the guitar that looked a bit like an orange ES-335 with a Bigsby.
A de-featured version of this same body was used as the basis for the ill-fated Monkees model of the mid '60s and from 1968 - 1972 the Streamliner Model used that same body once again as a low cost, 16" entree into the Gretsch Professional lineup.
The Current Era
In recent times the 16" Gretsch lineup has remained as vibrant and varied as ever. As I mentioned earlier, the 75th Anniversary Model is still in the lineup proving that one can never celebrate these sorts of accomplishments too much.
In 2003 a 120th Anniversary model was added which had a different color scheme but was still the same basic guitar. In 2008 that model was superseded by the 125th Anniversary model with special "ML" bracing, hot TV Jones pickups and locking tuners.
Perhaps the biggest change in the 16" lineup came as a result of Brian Setzer. His 1959 6120 was his pride and joy and this is the one that they X-rayed. The trestle bracing unique to guitars built in the late '50s through the early '60s was responsible for the focused sound and feedback resistance of this guitar. All Brian Setzer model Gretsches now have this including the Brian Setzer Hot Rod.
The Setzer Hot Rod is a stripped down model of the 6120 with no tone switch and no individual pickup volume controls. There is a pickup selector switch, a master volume control and that's all. The body is 2.5" deep and it has trestle bracing. It plays and sounds great and I can see the charm in an instant. It's truly a Hot Rod in the minimalist sense of the word.
Acoustic Archtops for a New Millenium
Gretsch has also brought 16" acoustic archtops back into their lineup and created some real bargains in the process. The G 100 Synchromatic is quite similar in appearance to the old New Yorker and just like its ancestor, it plays like a dream. There is also the G 100CE model with a cutaway and a suspended pickup. It's truly a bargain basement Jazz guitar. I wish that guitars like this were available when I was starting out.
