Guitar Reviews 4U Gretsch 6120 Brian Setzer 2004 SSU & 6120 Nashville TM

 

Guitar Reviews 4U - 2004 Gretsch Brian Setzer 6120 SSU

A nice used 6120 Brian Setzer SSU - from Coda Music

in Hertfordshire, a well recommended Guitar store

Brian the 9th

I had seen a nice 6120 Nashville in Cadillac Green at Coda and was quite tempted with that when this used 2004 6120 suddenly came into stock on their website. I had one of these guitars a few years back and sold it in 2019 which I regretted doing. 

This one looked a great deal so I decided to go for it and it is the 9th Brian Setzer signature guitar I've owned since 2000.

No mistaking the model here!

The headstock has a flame Maple Cap

This guitar didn't have the Dice Knobs in the case but did have the certificates and paperwork. The frets are unmarked and the ebony board is very good. It does have a few scratches but realistically for the price it was a bargain and for a 22 year old guitar that has been enjoyed, plays and sounds great which is the name of the game it is in good shape. 

I managed to find some Pearlised White Dice Knobs from All Parts so I have used these on my guitar, they don't look as bright as the original white factory supplied ones (Below) for the guitar but I think as my guitar has a wear factor, they blend in with that and do the job.

Original type Gretsch 6120 Brian Setzer reissue model Dice Knobs 

SSU Poly finish

The guitar has a polyester lacquer finish over 'Round up' Orange transparent Stain the Poly finish helps protect the finish and the wood better than cellulose lacquer which is prone to chip and fracture from temperature changes and the Poly finish on the Japan guitars is not a thick coat so the effect on sound is minimal if at all. 

 The Orange stain shades - compared with my 6120TM from Terada from 2006

I've owned over 20 Gretsch guitars since the 1980's with Poly finishes and there is a lot of hot air spouted over Poly finishes affecting the sound - they can if the finish is really thickly applied, the main thing is good tone woods and thin finishes will be the thing that contributes to the sound. These guitars have a thin Poly coat so any effect on sound is likely minimal.

2004 Brian Setzer 6120 Year changes

The Terada factory in Japan built these Brian Setzer guitars and the 2004 year saw the introduction of internal '1959' type Trestle Bracing under the Bridge area to make the top and back more rigid and less prone to feedback. The guitar top now used a thinner 3 ply top rather than 5 ply as the 59 Bracing made the guitar more rigid, so it didn't require as much top deck thickness. 

The 6120 Brian Setzer (Left) & the 6120 Nashville TM (Right)

both with Orange Poly Lacquer Flame Maple wood finishes

For 2004, TV Jones pickups were also introduced with 'PAT APPLIED FOR' stamping on the one side of the pickup front cover separator tabs which lasted for a couple of years and was then phased out by the end of 2007 with a return to the Patent information being stamped on both tabs by the end of 2007 I believe. These 2004 guitars have gold Lucite Pickup Bezels which are gold finished on the underside. The pickup covers were a Nickel finish

These 2004 TV pickups have a slightly more bright treble sound than ordinary Filtertrons and sound nice and clear, a bit like the more modern FT67 used on the Anniversary and the Filtertrons used on the new Nashville Player guitars.

The 2004-2007 era Pickup Covers were new for 2004 -

Here I have by now fitted the Vanson Roller Saddle Bridge

The body thickness at the binding on the lower Horn measures 2 3/4" or about 70mm as opposed to the 2 1/2" of the 6120 TM, a strange anomaly of the 6120 Brian Setzer Orange Nashville guitars - given that Brian's 1959 would have been nearer to the 2 1/2" depth if they were looking to pay tribute to Brian's 1959 guitar. (And of course the Zero fret would have been correct, but omitted here as Brian did later on his 1959 guitar).

That said, the slight extra body depth isn't an issue to me, compared to other 6120's or the 5420T Korean or Chinese guitars which share the same 2 1/2" depth body. Playing wise I like the guitar, it sits right for me at 5' 9" height is an easy depth of body,  I don't have to reach over it to play it and like the Gretsch Japan guitars, has great build quality and great sound. The Terada made necks are so easy to play and feel better than a flatter Gibson board. Chords or single note playing are easy too. The playability is really good.

All in the Flame

This edition uses Flame (Tiger) Maple wood in the construction on two of the three models in the range, the grain figure is nicely done. (There was a Cellulose Lacquer Flame Maple finish guitar option and another cellulose lacquer finish model with plain Maple woods in the Brian Setzer range.) The Poly coat is not heavy so I don't think it really makes much odds in sound terms.

The headstock also has a nice flame veneer cap with the Gretsch name in rounded script as I have seen used on the Hot Rod guitars, whereas the Terada guitars mostly otherwise used the 'squared off' font letters on the Gretsch name. 

The binding is new white and contrasts well against the Orange stain, even at 22 years old the binding has not yellowed. The Ebony fingerboard is a black finish and is such a nice wood with a smooth surface.

The superb Flame Maple on the rear body 

The fretboard is a 9" radius at the nut fret fanning out to a 12" higher up the board, the neck is a soft V profile which is hardly noticeable against a modern 6120 they refer to the rear profile as a 'U shape', but this is not the same as the old 'U shape' on a 74-79 Fender Stratocaster which is a quite deep and 'clubby' shaped neck. The 6120 is a nice easy to play shape I have found.

Hardware

The earlier Japan Brian Setzer guitars featured Gold hardware, this was dropped on the 2004 and Chrome parts were used, with Sperzel Locking Tuners, a Tunamatic Blade Saddle Bridge, old style B6 enamel filled Bigsby and optional 4 and 3 Plastic Dot Dice knobs supplied in the Case as optional fitments.

Gold Hardware on a 6120 Brian Setzer from 2000

The Truss Rod cover plate features the 'Brian Setzer Model' description and the Pickguard is Lucite with Gold underside finish with Brian Setzer signature and the Nashville model name and Gretsch brand name.

The Sperzel Locking Tuners on the Brian Setzer

with the 6120TM Grover Tuners to the right

The Tone circuitry has the usual 2 Switch 3 Knobs arrangement, in this model the Switches are changed in position so the Pickups Selector Switch is the Rear switch and the Tone Circuit 'Mud' Switch is the front one. 

The lower horn knob is the Master volume and the pickup volumes are on the main body below the lower F hole.

Value

Ordinarily these era guitars are going on the used market for around the £2200 price mark as of 2026, costing around £2700 when new and having a retail of around £3000 then. This one at £1750 was a great deal, given that the wear condition of the guitar was a factor in the lower price, but a good clean up and it notices less. 

Then again, people go and pay silly money for a new guitar with a relic finish! For the money, this was a very good deal. The guitar had some heavier gauge strings on and I changed those out and the Bigsby Spring for a shorter one at the same time swapping the Bridge. 

Now ready to rock with Dice Knobs and Roller Saddle Bridge

I gave the guitar a good clean up and put a set of D'addario 10's on it and changed the Bridge out to a Vanson Roller Saddle Tunamatic one which I usually do on a Gretsch fitted with a Tunamatic as the Roller type makes the Bigsby stay in tune better, also using Graphite powder on the nut slots helps the strings move and reduces nut wear.

The guitar was nicely set up something which Coda does and ensures you get a guitar that plays properly out of the case, I would highly recommend Coda as I have bought guitars from them since 1998 and have found them great to deal with over the years.

I did measure the string heights at the Bridge before I changed the Bridge which I noted down so when the new and slightly deeper Roller Bridge was installed I could get the string height adjusted to where it was, the intonation on the new bridge wasn't that far out and I fine tuned that at the 12th fret notes quite easily. I find this Roller Saddle Bridge modification helps keep the guitar in tune better if you use the Bigsby more.

Hit or a Miss?

You can rarely go wrong with a Japan made Gretsch and having owned one of these before I knew what they were like and I wasn't disappointed with this one. With the rarity value of being a 2004 first year Trestle Bracing reissue model and the unique pickup covers, it does it for me.

Film Reviews 4U Bullitt Film 1968

 

Film Reviews 4U the Bullitt Film 1968

The Film, the Cars and the Enigma that is Steve McQueen -

a cocktail that was blended to great success

Have you ever watched the 1968 film Bullitt starring Steve McQueen and wondered what it is all about? You are not alone. 

The movie poster from the film

Once you get past the lead actors and that famous car chase you are left with the enigma of who is Johnny Ross and what is Walter Chalmers really about and why?

 Colourised Lobby Card from the film -

the scene shot on location in the Hospital

With a great score by Lalo Schiffrin (who wrote the Mission Impossible theme and other famous television theme music ) and based on a story named Mute Witness by Robert Lloyd Fish (who also wrote as Robert L Pike, the L stood for Lloyd). 

The Mute Witness story was adapted into the production screenplay we know today as Bullitt. Steve Mc Queen and his then wife the actress Neile Adams jointly worked on the movie script they were given, making adjustments as they envisaged it to transfer to live action film. It took some urging for McQueen to take the role and the rest is history.

Steve McQueen and then wife Neile Adams -

both worked on revising the screenplay

Steve McQueen avoided lengthy dialogue on his part in the film. He only needed visual hints and expression through his visual acting ability and the clever cinematography to say what he doesn't need to. A look, a gesture and that saves words and conveys more in the action. 

Facsimile credentials for Lt. Frank Bullitt  

Originally the film was also offered to Clint Eastwood who would later go onto the Dirty Harry film canon, with some of those films also made in San Francisco, McQueen did prevaricate on the offer of the role of Frank Bullitt until his wife persuaded him to take it. 

Steve McQueen exuded pure style in the film -

no doubt also making the already popular Mustang an even greater top seller

McQueen was perfect for the role of Frank Buliitt, although seeing the later Dirty Harry films, Clint Eastwood could have equally handled the role, as Eastwood was also of the minimal dialogue school. The location use of San Francisco was used primarily because the city wanted to attract tourism and the film was cheaper to shoot in San Francisco than Los Angeles.

The original car chase was agreed to not exceed 35mph on the suburban streets, however, speeds of 90mph were reportedly achieved! It took some length of filming to get the ten minute chase sequence in the can. There are continuity differences in the finished chase sequence as a result of editing of the amount of film shot.

Walter Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) 

with Lt. Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen)

The story opens with Lt. Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) called in by Captain Bennett to babysit a States Witness Johnny Ross on behalf of State Senator Walter Chalmers (Robert Vaughn) and for the Police to deliver Ross to the Court Hearing on the Monday morning. (Both McQueen and Vaughn had previously starred together in the 1960 film the Magnificent Seven).

Unfortunately for Chalmers, the Chicago Mob has other ideas about Ross squawking and spilling the Beans about their business, they don't want Ross who knows the modus operandi of the outfit to appear or to talk at the hearing. 

The hitmen -

Paul Genge and Bill Hickman

A hitman (Paul Genge - who appeared in the Invaders TV series) is sent to take care of Ross, now ensconced in a seedy flophouse backstreet Hotel, the hitman shoots Ross and the undercover Detective guarding Ross. 

Ross or not Ross?

Renick stands in for Ross

Both casualties are rushed to Hospital, Ross is dead and then stored under a John Doe ID to avoid Chalmers or the Mob knowing Ross is dead, Bullitt then keeps the story Ross is alive going, hoping to draw out the hit men and other players in the game. 

Chalmers visits the Hospital and is told that Ross has been moved, Chalmers demands to know where, but Bullitt reasons that the Hotel location was supposed to be restricted knowledge, but the hitman found it and the less people that know now where Ross is, the better.

Chalmers later accuses Bullitt of using Ross for 'self aggrandisement' however it is a case of the pot calling the kettle black on the part of Chalmers! Chalmers is obviously looking to leverage Ross for his own ends in an act of the same nature.

The hipster Lawyer informer Eddy (Justin Tarr)

Eddy supplies info on Ross and has a friend in

St Quentin he asks Bullitt to put a word in for

This sets off a bitter play and counterplay between Chalmers and Bullitt over Ross. Bullitt is followed to the hospital by the hitman who attacked the Hotel room who is is being driven (by Bill Hickman) in a Dodge Charger, a gun battle ensues and the hitman escapes.

Later after collecting his car, Bullitt realises he is being followed to lead the hit men to where Ross is now safely located and starts a drive around San Francisco (the city where the later Dirty Harry film was set).

(The car chase sequence that followed was inspired by the sequence in the1967 film 'Robbery' starring Stanley Baker, which features a car chase choreographed by Director Peter Yates across the back streets of London. Stanley Baker is always a great performer and this film is worth a look too.)

The 1967 film Robbery's car chase -

got Peter Yates the Director's seat in Bullitt -

a long way from the sedate 'Summer Holiday' film Yates directed in 1963

The Peter Yates directed Summer Holiday musical - 

a 30mph London Bus trip across Europe! 

McQueen on seeing the film 'Robbery', wanted Yates to direct Bullitt, likely wanting to incorporate a car chase of similar high octane which McQueen would drive in, handling the duty with stunt driver Bud Ekins amongst others - Bill Hickman the driver of the Dodge Charger in the chase sequence already being a stunt driver, would later also appear as an actor in the French Connection and the Seven Ups films.

Steve McQueen later wanted to buy the Mustang car from 

the film years later, but the then owner wouldn't sell

The ten minute Bullitt car chase is now legendary and likely led to the many pursuit scenes that followed in American films since. McQueen drives a 1968 Ford Mustang GT390 (the production line Mustang used the smaller version 289 CUI V8 engine in their main production cars with the 390 being a special high performance engine option).

The cars used in the chase sequence were uprated for the film to provide better handling and performance.

The iconic GT 390 Mustang in the chase sequence -

prices for this fastback variant are significantly higher

than for the stock coupe version - thanks to the film

The distinctive Highland Green used on the Mustang was not a popular colour in the Mustang range until the film came out and a special batch of the cars was produced in that shade due to demand afterwards. The car lost the front grille badge on the film to purposely make it look more 'undercover'. Two Mustangs were used in the film and both survive. One sold for $3.7 Million USD!

(The other chase car was a 1976 Dodge Charger in Black, one of two used in the film.)

Out of town the chase continues

Back to the film and a shakedown of Ross's suitcase leads to the knowledge that the Ross in the morgue is actually one Albert Renick, a Chicago Car Salesman, who bears a good resemblance to Ross. Chalmers has not apparently rumbled that Ross is Renick or knows but that is part of a possible ruse.

Perhaps Chalmers is hoping that the real Ross will fly in and testify once the hitmen are diverted to finding the stand in and making the successful hit. Renick's wife is staying separately in a motel in San Matteo, California and is later killed in the film by other hit men.

It transpires that the real Johnny Ross is now in San Francisco and Ross has booked a direct flight to London. This knowledge of Ross's inclusion on the London flight from the passenger list at the airport leads to a chase around the San Francisco airport where Ross shoots a Deputy Sheriff and where Ross is then shot and killed by Bullitt.

The real Ross (Pat Renella) - at the airport

In a nutshell that is about the film on the face of it. But the interest of Walter Chalmers is the clincher, when did he know Ross was not Ross? Or did he not? Did he set up Renwick to get the Chicago outfit off of Ross's back or perhaps his own? Did Ross set up Renwick to impersonate him? Or did Chalmers believe that the Ross in the Hotel was indeed Ross? 

Did Chalmers have an interest in seeing Ross not testify or to be got at nearer the time of the hearing, perhaps on the steps of the building? Either way Chalmers could then come out of it  smelling of Roses and shifting the blame, to enhance his own political career.

Chalmers demands Ross is handed over

Perhaps seeing the original book may provide some answers, or not, seeing as the film's screenplay is modified from the original book.

This is why the film has at least two levels, the apparent and the deep. The obviously apparent hides the depth. 

Jacqueline Bisset as Bullitt's girlfriend Cathy -

she is portrayed as a modern career woman -

as an Architect - showing that anything is possible 

and breaking through the conventions of the time

Bullitt is one of my favourite films, I know how it ends but that doesn't stop me from watching it again and again. The San Francisco scenes are great, the street scenes capture the fashions of the time, before America became synthetic and flabby in the seventies. 

This production was said to be Steve McQueen's favourite film from a long career of television and big screen appearances. 

The film set a style that was to follow on in films like Dirty Harry and those that came along later.

One of the two original Ford Mustang GT390 cars from the film -

now worth millions of dollars! It remains unrestored.

When compared to the tamer 'Robbery' film set in Britain in 1967, the comparison to San Francisco in Bullitt is obvious. Bullitt shows a seedier side of America, where under the carpet a rougher and more sordid world exists than in a more genteel England.

The Bullitt film is a classic largely due to the car chase but the film is much deeper than that, the politics of the people like Chalmers with their own ego and career, the power of using people as Chalmers does, the abuse of authority and ruthlessness to succeed.

Watch Reviews 4U Seiko Presage SSA361J1 Cocktail Time Blue Dial with Power Reserve

 

Watch Reviews 4U Seiko Presage SSA361J1 Bluemoon 

Cocktail Time Blue Dial with Power Reserve 40.5mm Watch

Seiko's SSA361J 40.5mm watch

In 1983 I bought my first Seiko a Seiko 5 7009-4040, I have always been a fan of the Seiko 5 since then, but now find them rather a small case size at 37mm. I found the Seiko Presage series about 5 years ago and decided to look into it further recently. I do like the Seiko Blue dials, they look so good and the colour really stands out nicely.

As found on Amazon at £584 

I found mine on a deal with a UK Jewellers reduced to £260

I tend nowadays to favour a minimum 40mm case size watch, ideally 42-44mm, I came across a video of the 40.5mm Presage SSA361J on Youtube and was impressed with it. I find that the renowned Japanese quality with these watches is evident and after doing some more research, found a Presage at a great deal price that seemed too good to miss. In fact it was cheaper new than some used examples on Ebay and half the price virtually of one on Amazon.

The Metal Link Bracelet is stylish and flows with the case design -

The metal strap is heavier than the Leather one I have replaced it with

but I could have left the metal one on as it is stylish and well finished 

The Presage Blue Moon Cocktail SSA361J I purchased has a textured dial with a sun ray effect that radiates out from the centre, the dark blue dial shows variations in the light as the light falls on the dial and really looks good. The dial is marked with larger drop shaped markers at the 3,6, 9 and 12 positions, with smaller drop markers in between the seconds indicated in white print around the periphery of the dial.

I have now put the Presage on a Blue leather Strap

This matches the watch dial very nicely

The Seiko logo is metal but the rest of the dial titles and the chapter ring seconds markers are printed on. The dial is also available in White, light Blue, Brown, Black and Green colour options all with their own Cocktail related names, although some colour options may now not be available. Going back to my old Seiko watches, the darker Blue seems to be the most popular dial colour.

The watch dial has a 'Bauhaus' design feel to it, the watch is a great exercise in simple shape and form of the Bauhaus ethic where the design is not over elaborate, it looks great even though it is a simple layout. It basically just works and looks more expensive than it really is. 

Great elegance and simplicity

Such a great looking watch for the money

Evokes design influence from the 1950's

There is a power reserve quadrant on the dial on this watch which is useful to see how much power in the main spring remains and also has a sub dial date which looks stylish. There is no 12/24 hour indicator which would be useful to have, however some other Seiko variants have a GMT hand.

The open heart Blue dial model also looks great -

which I might also add to the Blue Moon

The Dauphine main hands are nicely finished, the seconds hand has a 'Cocktail Stirrer' design with the end diamond shape adding to the design theme of the range. I have seen comments about the finish on these watches being not good but looking at what I have seen on my recent new example I find it looks really good and I have no complaints.

On the wrist the 40.5mm size fits nicely

even though I tend to favour a 42-44mm watch usually

The case is 316L Stainless and nicely finished and polished and is topped with a Hardlex Crystal and exhibition back. This watch was supplied on a Seiko deployment catch bracelet with metal links, which although is nice and has a 1970's look to it, I did put the watch onto a leather strap to match the dial colour as this will suit me better. It certainly is an improvement on the old metal straps from the 90's  which were hair traps.

A side on view of the open heart model

Note the Gold Seconds Hand

The watch for information takes a 20mm wide strap and I found a couple of options in Blue leather on Amazon, one a strap and buckle and one a deployment type both in blue leather. I have now fitted the deployment type one as that saves the watch if the buckle comes undone.

The Seiko 4R movement is visible

through the exhibition case back

The movement on this watch is a 4R57 and whilst some have said this was too budget a movement for the watch and suggested a 6 series should have been used, the 4R does the job well and I have found it keeps very good time and is a Japan made movement at least. 

The simpler and thinner cased 3 hand version

What you do get is a watch that at the price is comparable to other higher level Seiko watches in design and looks and works very well, looking more expensive than the ticket price. Seiko have been clever to 'stagger' their watch models pricing so the delineation between price levels is not always that obvious.

The verdict:

I like this watch a lot, it is not heavy despite the thicker case than the non-power reserve presage versions, the dial looks great and the colour is nice and strong like on my old 7009-4040 from 1983, the finish is very good and as a daily wearer I don't think you can go wrong.

I tend to find 40mm case watches a bit on the small size but the dial is easy to read thanks to the markers really standing out from the base colour. It sits well on the wrist and does look proportionately right to me.

The details and specifications are:

The Seiko Presage SSA361J (often SSA361J1)

"Cocktail Time" automatic watch known for its stunning blue 

"Starlight" dial with a unique textured finish that shifts in the light, 

Powered by the 4R57 movement, 

Featuring a power reserve indicator (martini glass tip) 

and date sub-dial at 6 o'clock, all housed in a 40.5mm polished case with a 

Domed Hardlex crystal and dark blue leather strap. 

Limited to 3,500 pieces globally, it's celebrated for its intricate 

Japanese craftsmanship and beautiful design, 

making it a sought-after piece for collectors.

Key Specifications & Features:

Reference: SSA361J1.

• Collection: Presage Cocktail Time "Starlight".
• Movement: Seiko 4R57 Automatic.
• Dial: Deep blue, layered "Starlight" dial with diamond-shaped markers and silver hands.
• Functions: Time, date sub-dial (6 o'clock), power reserve indicator (12-4 o'clock) with martini glass pointer.
• Case: Polished stainless steel, 40.5mm diameter, ~11mm thick.
• Crystal: Domed Hardlex.
• Strap: Dark blue calfskin leather with alligator pattern.
• Water Resistance: 50m.
• Limited Edition: 3,500 pieces worldwide, individually numbered. 

Notable Aspects:

• Dial Depth: The multi-layered dial creates a beautiful effect, changing from deep blue to lighter tones.
• Cocktail Theme: The design draws inspiration from cocktail bars, with elements like the martini glass power reserve pointer.
• Craftsmanship: Features a display case back showing the movement and a signed crown.