Guitar Reviews 4U - The Gretsch 6120 Brian Setzer Hot Rod Extreme Coolant Green Sparkle guitar

 

Reviewing the Gretsch 6120 Brian Setzer 

Hot Rod Green Sparkle guitar

Well, you'll either like the colour or loathe it! Here we have a review of a used 2021 Gretsch 6120 Brian Setzer Hot Rod guitar in Extreme Coolant Green sparkle shade.

The Gretsch Hot Rod 6120 in Green Sparkle

I have owned about 3 Hot Rods from the 6120 series over the years and they are nice guitars, from an early Gretsch 'Fred Gretsch 3rd' era Candy Tangerine guitar, a 2008 Candy Apple Red (I should have kept!) and a 2013 Flat black one.

 Sharleen Spitteri of Texas rocking her Gretsch 6120 Green Sparkle  

at Glastonbury in 2023 - a guitar she really likes by all accounts

I was tempted to buy the new Gretsch 6120 Blueburst Hot rod, but this Green Sparkle one came up as a used but like new one for £1999 and much below the £3k as new price they are often on sale for. The new Blueburst was on offer at the same price.

Depending on the light, the sparkle really shows

and like Hot Rod 'Trick' colours it does interestingly vary in shade

Liking outrageous colours, it seemed a good deal to buy the Green one. I wouldn't mind a Regal Blue 6120 Hot Rod as I have a 5420T in Fairlane Blue but they rarely come up, the 6120 Blueburst I didn't totally take to the graduated finish on the example seen, so the Green one it was.

The Headstock of the 'Brian Setzer Hot Rod Model' -

The model description plate now reinstated on this edition.

So, back to the 6120 Hot Rod, Gretsch have worked with Brian Setzer over the years on this model and colours and specifications have changed on these guitars as they have evolved. 

The 2015 lost the model plate but gained 'Hot Rod' 

model engraving to the Truss Rod plate.

The Green Sparkle colour has made a comeback in recent years, previously a set of transparent shades over flame Maple finish has been on offer for a few years. The range seems to have largely gone back to solid colours.

Internally, the 59 Trestle Bracing is still present which makes for a more solid construction and the guitar unplugged is vibrant and bright sounding. The body is standard 6120 depth, I say that, in context with the 6120 TM and 6120 AM guitar body depths.

The Brian Setzer 6120 Signature Pickup

This edition features TV Jone Brian Setzer Filtertrons, which differ from the previous Filtertrons on the Hot Rod guitars. The current signature pickups give a nice full tone on the neck pickup and an all almost single coil sharpness on the bridge pickup.

The stripped down ethic loses the Hot Rod Pickguard - 

I would prefer it being supplied with the guitar as a fit later option.

I may purchase a pick guard for mine.

The neck has been reshaped with a 9.5" radius at the nut levelling out to a 12" radius further up the neck for easier solo playing and reducing the choking of notes higher up the neck. It is a nice neck to play, the Terada company that makes these guitars do a great job at construction of these instruments.  

The previous Serial number decal on the headstock rear has gone -

replaced by Brian's signature on the rear headstock face.

The serial number now is on the label inside the body.

The Sperzl Locking Tuners are now replaced by Gotoh equivalents

So what is the playing experience like? In the hands, the guitar feels just right, the body depth is just there, not too thin or too deep, the neck is easy to play and has a great feel - Terada hand carve theirs.

As you can see from study lighting, the paint shade varies in the light -

part of the 'Hot Rod' ethic of 'trick' paints designed to do exactly that!

As mentioned, the acoustic sound is bright, plugged in the guitar sounds good, the neck pickup is great for swing and jazz playing, the combined pickups gives more treble to the rhythm and the bridge pickup only selected, has a sharp tone, like a single coil.

Of course there is no tone control circuitry on this stripped down variant of the 6120 and this does give you a more direct sound from the pickups.

Having owned the variations of the Hot Rods, this does not disappoint. Previously one could choose a Hot rod with Standard or TV Jones Filtertrons, however, Gretsch now only offer the Hot Rod with the Brian Setzer Signature pickups. 

Perhaps their market research figures and customer feedback has shown people upgrade the standard units to the TV Jones units and from a manufacturing perspective, it simplifies matters just to fit those upgrades in the first place to unify the specification.

Improved with a Hot Rod Pickguard which I removed the paint from

The Hot Rod series shows no signs of deletion, with changes abounding on each variance of the continuing basic model. As we have noted across the years, this long lived model line has changed colour shades, hardware and specifications across time. The true nature of Hot Rodding in essence, moving away from the original stock offering.

You can hardly see the guard from here -

the addition of the guard has made the guitar easier to play

Buy if you want that earlier Brian Setzer Hot Rod sound - however, I have seen an earlier previous specification Hot from the 2000's I may also go for as I miss the old Candy Red one! 

The Pickguard was quite an easy fit and well worth doing.