Music Reviews 4U - Squeeze - 45's and under album

 

Music Reviews 4U - Squeeze - 45's and under album

An album I still listen to now on my IPod 40 + years later!

45's and Under captures Squeeze's their 'golden era' hits

An early lineup of Squeeze c.1980

Music Reviews 4U - Squeeze - 45's and under sheet music -

Still have mine, well thumbed - bought from ABC Music from about 1983

The cover image was also used on the 12" Vinyl and Cassette Tape albums covers

South London Pub Rock band Squeeze formed around the Deptford area south of the river Thames in the 1970's as a result of a music shop advertisement placed by Chris Difford in 1974, that Glen Tilbrook saw. 

Squeeze came to public attention around 1979 with a swathe of commercially attractive & catchy singles in the musical era now known as Post Punk / New Wave. Alongside other artists like Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello in a rapidly evolving music scene which was exciting to behold.

Rubbing shoulders with Dire Straits another locally Deptford based pub rock band that would later become world famous, Squeeze were frequent guests on the BBC TV Top of the Pops show and appearing on the BBC2 music magazine show the Old Grey Whistle, their new singles were always eagerly awaited.

 Pulling Mussels from the Shell a great 45rpm single 

The Jools Holland piano solo on this song is just superb 

and Glen Tilbrook gives us another guitar masterpiece solo too

By 1980 the band lineup comprised Glen Tilbrook - Guitar and Vocals, Chris Diffird - Guitar and Vocals, Harri Kakoulli - Bass Guitar, Jools Holland - Keyboards and Gilson Lavis - Drums.

The Squeeze lineup has been quite fluid since its inception, with John Bentley later on Bass in the early 1980s and Paul Carrack and Chris Holland on Keyboards variously became band members.

Jools Holland came back in and went out of Squeeze to pursue other other projects such as co-hosting the Tube on Channel 4 with Paula Yates and Muriel Grey and his BBC2 'Later' programs and to tour and record with his Jools Holland Big Band project. And not to forget his large model railway project!

The Squeeze compilation album '45's and Under' was issued in October 1982 and showcased the major hits of the band in what was their most commercially chart active era.

The album title '45's and Under' reflects the 'singles bars' culture of the era, which like the wine bars were more upmarket than most Pubs (known as 'Boozers' in London). The bars would have theme nights and sometimes '45's and under' promotions to attract a target clientele.

This was in the pre AIDS era and causal sex was rampant in Britain, a bit like the people involved! AIDS changed all that and affected both men and women was identified around 1986 in the public domain through stark television adverts with banner headlines like 'don't die of ignorance' were broadcast as AIDS was not curable then.

By this time in society, marriage although popular was now seen as optional, people living together was no longer the stigma it had once been. The themes in the song lyrics from this compilation reflect the life as lived when the songs were written, of casual sex, broken love affairs and relationships, domestic situations et al. 

Side 1 Tracks

Take me I'm yours - Starting with a chugging synth intro, the song is a musical odyssey in the lyrical journey style. It was really different from anything else on the charts then, keeping the song to an almost continuous synth line throughout the verses. You just have to hear it to appreciate it. Synths with arpeggiation and programming were just breaking out into Pop music at the time.

Goodbye Girl - A song of regret with the great line 'the sunlight on the Lino', brings to the fore Chris Difford's lyrical genius of portraying ordinary people's life in song form and the minutiae of suburban working class life. The minutiae people often disregard is brought into play with his vignette of a relationship gone sour and ended.

Cool for Cats - A stormer right from the off, a track melding Davy Crockett's wild west with the Sweeney's operational policing of armed robbery in London and more! Brilliant lyrics, which I'll probably dive into in another review, one of the best tracks on the album. The line 'The Sweeney's doing 90 'cos they've got the word to go' from the song is just so good.

Jools uses the leitmotif of the phrase 'cool for cats' in musical note form which is worth listening out for. 'Cool for Cats' was a saying of the 50's and also used as the name of a music show on Independent Television from 1956-61 aimed at a teenage audience and hosted by the very un-teenage almost 50 year old sports commentator Kent Walton! (as was the fashion then in television!) 

Una Stubbs was one of the 'Cool for Cats' show's dancers, who would in 1962 recommend Cliff Richard for the film Summer Holiday, more of which later is referenced in the 'Pulling Mussels from the Shell' track in respect of Glen Tilbrook.

Up the junction - A film from around 1966 featuring a young Dennis Waterman of Sweeney fame, now that's a coincidence as he appeared in the ITV series The Sweeney from 1974 -1978 - see the 'Cool for Cats' track above!. 

'Junction' is another 'Kitchen Sink lyrical drama', which no doubt led to Difford and Tilbrook being labelled at the time as 'the Lennon and McCartney of Deptford' - the lyrics start well then the fortunes of the mainstay character goes downhill, backed up with great Hammond organ by Jools and Gilson's drum patterns. The Deptford area of this era was undergoing redevelopment work with much of the old dockland area being redeveloped and it was quite a poor area of London. 

Slap and Tickle - In a similar vein to the 1st track in style and quite musically similar in pattern, it is a tale of at first unrequited love and how it was then, you pass a driving test, get a car and take your girlfriend out for a drive and hopefully use the car as a venue for uninterrupted sex. The song changes from the rythmic staccatto beat of the verse to a rock style middle 8. 

Another nail in my Heart - Another meaty rythm here with bass and drums pounding out some sort of musical urgency of the track as the music bursts out from behind the intro into another relationship gone sour. "And in the bar the Piano man's found another nail for my heart" the lyric goes - and this can be true enough, then there were Pianos frequently found in Pubs, often in London. 

The video of the track was great with Jools pushing a piano through the local streets just getting to the studio in time to play the last crashing chord. A quality track that stands out.

Pulling Mussels from the Shell - A great song and musically one of the best on the album. It is a rose tinted view of long gone summer holidays and as usual brilliantly observed by the writers. An outstanding pair of solos from Glen and Jools seal the deal. 

Glen Tilbrook was taken as a 5 year old to see the film Summer Holiday film in 1963 from where he was influenced by seeing Cliff Richard's backing group the Shadows playing on the film, to learn the guitar. Funny old world ain't it?

Jools Holland and Glen Tilbrook - on the video

for Pulling Mussels from the Shell

Side 2 Tracks

Labelled with Love - one of their last tracks commercially in the 80's for a while is an almost country and western feel tale, could easily be at home in Nashville as in Deptford. Regales the story of a wartime romance with a US Serviceman and a GI Bride going to America for a new life, that was not uncommon in WW2. A rather sad Coda to their run of hits but a good song.

Is that Love - A real rocker and one of the best tracks on the album, mines the Kitchen Sink / love affair / rocky relationship vein but so what? Isn't most music really 'folk music' about 'folk' and their lives, about real people? 

A personal favourite track of mine. "She's left my ring by the soap, now is that love?" is such a great line. I believe that the lyrics resonated with people's lives which is why the group had success, along with great musicianship. Life imitates art, art imitates life.

Tempted - Paul Carrack makes an appearance on this track on Keys and Vocals and on the video, a song that starts in the unusual key of B Major and resolves to G Major. A great song lyrically and musically, about ends and beginnings thanks to the old Adam and Eve conundrum.

Black Coffee in Bed - Almost a Blues song in structure and feel, it features a great lyrical Glen Tilbrook guitar solo in the musicality of the whole venture. Again underpinned by the old Hammond organ, another pub rock band gem!

Annie get your Gun - The finale track of the album and one of the best saved for last - full of energy and with great lyrics - even though Chris Difford apparently didn't rate it at the time the song is about a good time gal living it large - as a live track it comes across really well and on the record it sounds great too. There was a London stage musical of the same name so that is likely a contributing factor in the mix. It features on my Ipod playlists for sure.

The instruments

The musical technology of that 70's / 80's era was undergoing something of a new wave in itself, with Synthesizer and Keyboards technology making great advances mainly from Japanese companies like Korg, Roland and Yamaha as examples.

Arpeggiation facilities and programming on Synths was becoming widely used and also musical sequencing on computers was coming in with home computers and desk top computing now a reality. In a few years time the home recording studio on a desk top computer would be commonplace with studio programs like Cubase.

Keyboards and Synths were expanding music beyond mere notes with different voices, they were bringing new sonic possibilities with synthetic strings that almost negated the need for string orchestras.

Guitars were undergoing a new era with new designs breaking away from the often either / or Fender or Gibson offerings that largely dominated the market. Synth guitars were coming in and then went nowhere strangely, effects pedal modules and amplifier modelling would soon become part of the sound.

Bass guitars developed away from the often stock Rickenbacker, Fender or Gibson choices and companies like WAL and Hamer made Bass Guitars now seen frequently on pop videos of the time. Active sound on both guitars and bass guitars was now sometimes used to create new sounds.

Musical memories and the era

Music often resonates for people in different ways. For instance if we get into 'Another nail in my Heart' territory where a song can have great impact personally good or bad, I remember at the time that 'Careless Whisper' by George Michael hit the charts, a great song, someone I was into was stolen by someone else at work and I couldn't listen to that track for some years after because of that connection. 

So I really get what 'Another nail' is about and I suppose we have all been there. Times change and that relationship I mentioned went sour so I can listen to that again and smile. 

When Squeeze hit the charts in 1979 I was at Secondary school and playing the guitar as a hobby. Instantly on hearing Cool for Cats and the singles that followed I loved this band and their music. 

Memories of their tracks which we then had on a cassette which we still have now, include going across South London and down the A2 to Kent to see a car for sale and Annie Get Your Gun being on the tape deck of the E Type Jaguar I was in going down places like the Old Kent Road or Shooters Hill. 

Listening to these old songs and realising the years they were released brings back memories of the time, where I lived, the people then, what we we doing. It is perhaps a nostalgia trip. 

Today I still play along to those tracks on guitar and I am still enjoying the songs through that interest as well as listening to them on my Ipod at work. 

As a writer in my spare time I may often draw on songs of the era in the works to take me back to an era seen through my own eyes, which I am doing on a project I have set in the early 1990's but with roots in the 1980s'.

Coda

In closing, 45's and Under is a great compilation of Squeeze at their best commercially. Music moves on and pop music does not stand still with fashions changing quickly and often drastically.

People I know who weren't even born when this album was released like the songs, proving that good music will always be popular. 

Glen and Chris were very good at their craft of songwriting and their musical legacy is of great quality as is the standard of musicianship on these recordings. 

The pub rock scene is now greatly diminished sadly, I was lucky to have played in Richmond in a pub in 1985 with a band of people I was formerly at school with only a couple of years before, I have now been playing live for 45 years at the time of writing.

We are also lucky that Squeeze came along when the pop video was an emerging adjunct to the music. When you find these old videos on youtube, it is great to see how creative they were and how life was so different then.

They also bing back memories of the era, leaving us visual time capsules.

I'd recommend this album without a doubt.

 

Music Reviews 4U - Spandau Ballet - To cut a long story short - Review

 

Music Reviews 4U - Spandau Ballet - To cut a long story short - Review

Spandau Ballet - To cut a long story short 7" Vinyl single

To cut a long story short is quite apt as a reference point to start this in a series of music reviews. This review will cut the story of the music down into sections. Not only do you get an overview of the music, we'll include a few facts about the people and the equipment and my own memories of the time (if I was around then when the music was released, I was )! 

So, lets go back to 1980 to a band now named Spandau Ballet and as the last strains of punk rock were fading out, the 'new wave' music came into the British pop scene. 

The post punk scene was an exciting time as new musical technology having recently emerged, now forged ahead, changing popular music forever.

Spandau Ballet - To Cut a Long Story Short video -

filmed in the London Dungeon Tourist attraction

Spandau Ballet - the group

Formed in Islington in the mid 1970's, after a few lineup and name changes including the Gentry, they took the name Spandau Ballet that was apparently from a piece of Berlin Graffiti about Rudolf Hess, the last WW2 prisoner in Spandau Prison in Berlin. 

By now fronted by Tony Hadley (Vocals), Gary Kemp (Guitar, Synths), Steve Norman (Guitar, later Sax), Martin Kemp (Bass) and John Keeble (Drums) this was the group that has endured over the last 45 years with hiatus, breakups and reunions allowing.

Their breakthrough came playing at the Blitz Club in Covent Garden and Billy's in Soho in 1979-80, the Covent Garden area had been slated for redevelopment but likely due to the financial situation of Britain in 1979 after the collapse of the labour Government in 1979, this fiscal vacuum left the venue available until the nation became more financially viable and redevelopment could take place.

Spandau Ballet - Before the discord

The Blitz became one of the places for the new, young avant garde often students or fashion trend setters to be seen. The 'New Romantic' movement created by the Blitz and Billy's clientele for example were a diametric opposite to the nihilistic punk rockers of the Sex Pistols ilk. Punk imploded with the legacy of the late Sid Vicious. 

The 'Blitzers' of the New Wave were in effect the 'new Dandies' (Dandies had been the New Wave of their time in 1700's and 1800's London), the New Wave dressed in retro chic fashion, created their own take on the past and with many fashion students among the crowd, a new 'look' emerged in London, spreading out across the country.

Spandau Ballet became the house band at the Blitz, playing dance music inspired by soul and by American stars such as Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett.

 The Yamaha CS10 - key to the sound of the single

The key to the song was the repetitive riff running through the song that songwriter Gary Kemp came up with as the hook. Steve Norman, Guitar and later Sax player said that essentially once Gary had the Riff, the song was established.

The legacy of the track was that it launched over 30 dance music bands in the following year alone onto the charts. It created a new genre of music that rubbed along with performers like Eric Clapton, Elton John and Dire Straits - whose more traditional music structure co-existed with this new craft.

The Equipment - Enter Synth-Pop - the Sequenver and the Arpeggiator

Music technology in the 1970's had moved on from the Keyboards of the 1960's Mellotron (a proto synth) and the early Moog Synths of the late 1960's. 

Keyboards such as the 60's Fender Rhodes and the Vox Conqueror were ironically by this era having a resurgence as the Ska genre was being revisited by groups such as the Selector, The Specials, Madness and Bad Manners, who were putting their own mark on this music.

Duran Duran and Depeche Mode were two of the contemporary groups who were using the emerging new synth technologies in their music. Gary Kemp had bought a synth which no doubt contributed to the new music he was writing.

Synths like the Roland Juno, Yamaha DX7, Odyssey, Prophet and Emulator brands made their presence in the UK music charts felt. You can identify the signature sounds on many of the hits of the time. Emulator was one of the first Synths to have a sampling function.

The Yamaha CS-10 was as they say 'instrumental' in the sound of To Cut a Long Story Short. What some might say was that the riff of the song was a programmed arpeggiation, some Synths of this time did have arpeggiation functions - a single note when played could then create a set of played notes around that core note.

(Some Synths of the era could be programmed to play sequences of notes and arpeggiated notes in 'sequences' hence these Keyboards later became known as 'Sequencers').

The Yamaha CS-10 had no arpeggiator, but by using the LO-FI Oscillator, an arpeggiated style could be created. Certainly in the Studio, with the use of multi tracking, the arpeggiated phrases could be 'cut and pasted' electronically by re-recording the phrasings and adding them in sequences to a track. 

This was before the days of computerised 'cut and paste music' production was around, although Digital recording consoles were coming in by 1980, if you had the money!

To the video

The song having achieved air play on Radio 1 by DJ Peter Powell and others, that got this as then unsigned band out into the public domain and led to Chrysalis Records signing the band.

The subsequent video for the song was filmed in a venue called the London Dungeon, a tourist themed attraction in Tooley Street, London. The group were brilliantly styled in their fashion, it made anything of the punk era decidedly old hat. 

The band adopted a Scottish military Tartan inspired look for the video and with friends in the new wave movement who were often art school and fashion students as group followers, they were at the epicentre of a new look for avant garde youth of the time, life imitating art in these great times where pop and life co-existed in real time.

The music sounded exciting and the limited space of the video filming venue concentrated the action onto the group and a few of the Blitz club entourage appearing as extras in the video. 

Shot for a by now modest budget of £5000, there is no doubt that this video really launched the band visually. It shows that simple works well, when you compare it to some of the modern productions of today costing in real terms so much more to achieve.

The first time I saw the group was on a Saturday morning television show, I thought on seeing their performance this was Band unique - in terms of the look and the sound, this was very different and I liked it. The riff was catchy and the electronic style of the music was refreshing.

As the front man, Tony Hadley really stood out, his style was almost operatic, we hadn't seen anything like this in this form before. 

The only reference point to this musical style was from singers like Mario Lanza, Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra from the 50's and 60's - Tony Hadley by chance had coincidentally met Frank Sinatra at a concert in London.

The Legacy

The legacy of the song cannot be just written off as a piece of throwaway pop music, when it existed ironically in precisely that sort of arena - in the charts for a few weeks and gone, as was the fashion.Good music never goes away and this hasn't. 

That said, we now still hear on the radio many of the pop music hits of the last 60  plus years rubbing shoulders with music from the stars of today. 

Could this song be improved? I doubt it, it did what was required, the band had the visual image to carry it off on stage or on Top of the Pops and the other music shows of the time. The lyrics are quality, meaningful and are delivered over the insistent and urgent arpeggiated riff.

Even now 45 years on this song does not rally sound dated, music technology may have moved on, but even today songs from that 80's era and before are still sampled in modern music. The test is that it still sounds great today.

The longevity as I frequently say is down to the legacy of this group having done the musical apprenticeship as a group in the pubs and clubs. With the talent of the players and the song writers, great music endures. 

It was fortunate in this era that Gary Kemp could write his songs as he envisaged them. Today, song writing is more like a unionised restrictive practices exercise with every man and his dog on the credits for their one or two lines of contribution, it seems.

The legacy of this song is that one man wrote it, the contributions of the players in the studio brought it to life and it still sounds great. 

It didn't need Uncle Tom Cobbley and his mates putting their Ten Shillings worth into the song to make it work as would be commonplace today.

The memories of the era

The early 1980's were an interesting time if you were young and in London or the London area like I was at the time.

The Cold War was at its height and we lived in the shadow of that and the fact we might be literally gone in a flash from Soviet missiles. 

I worked in London over the first few years of the 80's and briefly in the Kings Road in 1983 near the World's End part of Chelsea, it was a great time to be around the capital.

Not only that, but I was at that time making music with a band made up of people I had been at school with, we had left school in 1982 and by 1983 were writing our own music which we slotted in between covers of mostly 50's and 60's classics when we played live.

It was a great time to see the fashions of the time, even then young people of our age wore the fashions as 'normal' attire, this didn't sit well with many of the starchy office environments of the time, but you'd often see women who worked in shops or offices creatively using make up and hair styling that made them stand out. They looked great, different, stylish. It was an exciting time to be there - like the 60's was for the previous generation.

The 80's was a great era to be around in, the 90's with its grungy laziness seemed to be a backwards step I thought. 

You just had to be there in the 1980's to see the young peacocks. The 80's had the advantage over the 60's in that it also had the great music of its own time and also the legacy of the 60's to draw on which it did.

There was a buzz and a vibe to the time. To cut a long story short, I was there....

Guitar Reviews 4U - the Gretsch 6120TG Nashville in Azure Metallic

  

Guitar Reviews 4U - the Gretsch 6120TG Nashville in Azure Metallic

Still shown on the Gretsch site as of October 2025

This special Players edition 6120 Nashville in Azure Metallic Blue - 

a great colour against the Gold plated hardware on this Terada Japan Gretsch

Now available also in Midnight Sapphire a darker shade of Blue

A few years back Grestch introduced the Player series of guitars, at the same time as it had the Professional series guitars in the line. 

The Player series level of Gretsch guitars appears now to be a new 'standard' Japan level guitar range, with the Professional series now in the Custom Shop level. The Player is more player friendly and the Professional, more vintage specification.

Or so it appears.... Here's how this seems to be balancing out. Before we dive into the review, I'll give you a brief outline of how the Japan guitars and the model names and appointments have recently evolved.

Here the Blue really vibes as it catches the light - a classic Terada

guitar with the legendary easy playing neck does not disappoint

The Player series now seems to encompass the classic models made in Japan, but with new twists. In short, if we take the above 6120 guitar, we have a 1 selector switch and 2 Volume, 1 Tone and 1 Master Volume controls on what is a basic 6120 1959 style guitar. Previously in this level, a 6120 would have a Tone Switch configuration with 2 Toggle Switches.

(In the 90's the Japan guitars often featured 'odd' hardware features like Block fretboard markers on a 6120 with a 'V' Bigsby B6C.These had more 'arched' headstock top profiel shapes, some even featured De Armond pickups - basically there were some guitars and Fender did similar things, where they combined a 'vintage' looking Maple neck Stratocaaster with narrow 12th fret dots. With the Gretsch buyout, the guitars became more as they were.)

This 6120 offers you 'Player' functionality and playability without the hard work of 'original' pattern neck profiles, or the more complex (if you don't know how it works) switching for example. 

Also, the Tuners on this 6120 are locking type which means you get nice ratio geared greased and sealed from the dust Tuner units, not higher ratio open back units with a rather agricultural industrial gear ratio as on the old 50's guitars, so what Gretsch is doing now in this level of guitar is giving you functionality, looks and playability but without total 'as they were made' appointments. 

As an aide, my 6120 AM & TM guitars have sealed Grover Machines, my 6120DC from 2003 has the open backs. The Japan guitars had sealed Grovers, my 6120 Duane Eddy from 99 has these, the modern version has the open backs.

This azure blue is hard to photograph - it has 'trick' properties -

Like a custom car paint, the metallic in it as you can see

plays the light reflection back to the eye from light to dark

This 6120TG (Tremolo, Gold Plated Hardware) Nashville is a modern take on the now 70 year old Chet Atkins 6120 guitar from 1955. There have been Blue paint Gretsch 6120's over the years, the Brian Setzer Hot Rods and 6120's in Blue from Japan, but they have been often limited in number, with most people opting for Orange stain guitars. Or Hot Rod 6120's if you want more adventurous colours!

This Azure blue pops in the light - depending on the light source -

Daylight can appear dark, sunlight can show off the tint and candy metal effect,

Artificial light can really make the paint look almost Kingfisher Blue -

A darker Midnight Sapphire colour is now offered.

In 2021 these 6120 Nashvilles with Gold Hardware started appearing, those of you following Gretsch will note that the 6118 -60 Anniversary guitars of this time had also gone over to using locking machine heads, as does this one. The 6118 was long famous for its adherence to the Grover open back 'cog' style gearing, had now gone modern with sealed greased machines. 

(In context and I cannot figure out why, Gretsch keeps on putting those budget open back Tuners on the 5420T, rather than sealed units as on the cheaper 2420 Streamliner?)

The recent Player series guitars also gained a variation of the 59 Trestle bracing but with only the 'feet' at the rear end by the Bridge.

This variation of the feet provides Trestle support from top to back boards on both sides under the Bridge, this gives you stability, feedback reduction but a degree of 'feedback control' as you can if you get near to the amplifier utilise the 'edgy' feedback this gives that makes the guitar feel alive. The boards have more movement and are less 'contained' than is the braces had 4 contact points making the bracing more rigid in effect.

You are almost getting old Ford Mustang Blue vibes here! 

Seeing this with your own eyes you'll appreciate how good this colour is!

This is actually a truer colour shade that you will see when you 

look at the guitar in natural light indoors - deep blue!

Body depth at 2.5" is the same as the Hot Rod and the 6120 AM & TM guitars, it features a 16" width body, the fretboard is Ebony and has that great feel, as does the fairly slim neck with vintage height frets, the Terada guitars as the main producer of Japan guitars for some years have settled on a neck profile that is very easy to play even if you are a Stratocaster player used to smaller neck guitars. The necks on these guitars are amazing to play.

The new FT-67P Pickups are really clear sounding, finished in Gold 

as is the String thru B6GP Gold plated Bigsby unit

Whether you are country or jazz player, you'll find the new FT-67P pickups which are also on the Double Platinum 6118 and Falcon guitars sound really clear and precise.

I normally play straight sounds with just soem chorus and reverb to enhance the sound, these FT67's really sound clear, on the neck pickup, played close to the bridge you can almost get a Dynasonic sound for a bit of Duane Eddy with tremolo on the amplifier.

The Bridge base is Ebony and is topped with a Tunamatic with blade saddles, I swap the blade type Bridge unit straight out for a Roller Saddle Tunamatic version on my guitars mostly and this allows the Bigsby to work easily and to keep the strings in tune better. 

Supplied strings are 11's and were the originals on the guitar, I changed them for 10's when I swapped the Bridge for the Roller Saddle Tunamatic. The action of the guitar was very good and after the new strings and the Tunamatic swap, a small amount of adjustment was required as the replacement was a higher section bridge. A quick intonation adjustment and it was playing really nicely.

I did take the string height at the Bridge measurement before I did this work and it is now right back in place as was. New strings and the new bridge make this sound amazing. I fitted a set of D'Addario EXL 10's 10-46 on it which I use on all the Gretsches I have. 

The paint shade is Azure Metallic blue - darker than Fairlane Blue, the newer version of this 6120 guitar from 2024 now has Midnight Sapphire Metallic blue which is really darker in shade than Azure. The Azure really works nicely with the Gold hardware.

The Blue Metallic colours really sing!

6120TG Azure, 5420T Fairlane, 6120 Hot Rod Blueburst

The rest of the guitar is really as you expect on a modern 6120 from Japan in that it is high quality all the way down the line, with white binding on neck, headstock and body with white black white sandwich binding on the body edges. Oversize F Holes are bound too, the white against the blue really looks good here.

Electronics are simple and feature a single pickup selector switch as on a 1958 6120 (or modern 5420T Electromatic), a nice Metal Jack Socket Plate is now fitted which helps to protect the paint from jack plugs and damage. The Pots are Master Volume, two pickup volumes and Tone pot with oil and paper capacity, featuring treble bleed circuitry.

A Tunamatic Roller Bridge was installed -

Makes the Bigsby stay in tune better

At the tail end is the reliable Bigsby in Gold Plate and this now has no string ball end pins on, the string ball ends sitting in recesses inside the round bar to allow for easier string changes. I found that you have to bend the plain end slightly at an angle to get the string to feed into the hole. the Top E string runs close to the side of the frame and it is trickier to get this string through. 

The Bigsby is smooth and has good tone transfer, I have installed a Roller Saddle Bridge which makes the string path travel smoother when using the Bigsby. I restrung the guitar with 10's as it had the original 11's on which has improved it no end.

Schaller Strap locks are the final touch and this is good to have as stock fitment, the Gretsch turn barrel strap buttons can be easily dropped! Strap lock buttons snap into place easily and give a secure strap situation. 

A Gretsch branded TKL Hardshell case is included too.

L-R - A study in Blue Gretsches!

6120 in Azure Blue, 5420T in Fairlane Blue and

6120 Hot Rod in Blueburst

Having owned a number of 6120's over the years, these new Nashville 6120's are some of the best I have played for sound and ease of playability. The finish and build quality is really great, compared to solid body guitars costing two plus times as much, these offer great value for money. When you consider a Custom Shop Stratocaster is likely twice the price of this guitar, you can see the value for money.

I was actually looking at buying a used 6120 Hot Rod but this appealed to me greatly, so I purchased it unplayed from a retailer I have used before, but I was not disappointed, a great guitar, easy to play with a great sound and colour! It was set up well which they are good at, some retailers do not even touch the guitar and ship it as is.

Check out the Player series, if you want something in the same area but without laying out too much money, try the new Synchromatic guitars available in Nashville and Falcon versions for a more wallet friendly price.

Guitar Reviews 4U - Overview of the Gretsch Synchromatic Nashville and Falcon 2025 guitars

 

Guitar Reviews 4U - the Gretsch Synchromatic Nashville and Falcon 2025 guitars

The New kids on the Trestle Block...

We take a look at the just landed mid-price-range offerings

from Gretsch guitars in this review

Verdict: A good purchase if you're looking for a Filtertron-ready equipped Gretsch

guitar without the pro level price tag, I'd buy one if that was the case for needing one

(I do have Japan made Gretsch guitars so I have this need covered)

A good 'base instrument' that you can further upgrade with other hardware if desired.

Up a level from the Electromatic series and half the price of a Japan Gretsch

I came across these guitars recently on the Coda music site and the White Falcon they had listed sold quickly although I believe is now back in stock. I thought they'd made a mistake with the price and listed a Player White Falcon new at £1249 GBP! So I hopped on the Gretsch guitars site to see more about these new guitars and found out this was a new range.

The Gretsch Nashville Hollow body a 5420-6120 priced inbetweener -

Priced reasonably and reminds me of the 5120 Filtertron ready Special edition  which was pegged at around £1100 Sterling - not far out from the £1249 ticket price here - 

This Synchromatic Nashville is referred to on the Gretsch site as '6120 family'

but has no Horseshoe Inlay on the headstock as the 57 onwards 6120 does.

Let us start with the new Gretsch Synchromatic Nashville guitar, available in the classic Orange Stain or Cadillac Green (which seems to have a metallic type Green finish of the type of finish as seen on the Fairlane Blue 5420T guitars which had metallic inclusions in the finish. 

Gretsch refer to the Nashville as 'from the 6120 family' but do not give it a distinct model name like the 6120, or 5420T for example other than 'Synchromatic Nashville'. It also hasn't got the Horseshoe Inlay which instantly differs if from the Japan made 1957 ear and onwards style 6120 guitars.

(Older Synchromatic Gretsch guitars had the 'Cat eye' F holes and some reissues of these were made in recent times.)

(Mentioned as being part of the 6120 family, this Nashville gets you on the '6120' Train - I had a Japan 2008 6120 that had the same switch and pickup layout as this Synchromatic.)

Here on the Synchromatic Nashville we have a maple/Poplar/Maple Sandwich main top, back and sides wood construction upgraded 5420T, made in China and has the same 1959 inspired Trestle Bracing as the Chinese 5420T guitars. This version of the bracing has the 2 feet that secure the top to back of the guitar at the Bridge but the wood only runs forwards along the neck block and not down onto the back board at the neck end joint as on the 6120 Hot Rod and similar higher price tag Japan guitars. 

Gretsch state that this arrangement of the bracing gives the guitar slightly more vibrancy as the boards can resonate more than the fixed at both ends 59 true bracing which is true. 

I purchased a 5420T in the 2 tone 'Anniversary Green' made in China in November 2024 with the same design of '59 type bracing' and I was very pleased with it. It certainly is slightly more resonant than my 5420T in Fairlane Blue made in Korea and both 5420's are excellently made and finished.

The Nashville in Cadillac Green candy metallic finish -

I think these will sell well, there was a limited run 5420T in this colour -

If there was a Blue Sparkle one it would sell like hot cakes - take note Gretsch!

The Synchromatic construction is pretty much the same as the 5420T in many respects, nicely done and the neck fretboard extension at the body join is the same as on the 5420T as part of the neck block and not sculpted underneath as on the Japan guitars - the extra wood connection likely helps the sustain and provides greater structural strength and tone transfer. 

The orange Nashville has nice wavy grain on the factory picture with a slightly creamy aged binding that really looks good, the harshness of pure white binding is lost - giving it a 'vintage' look out of the box.

The Nashville Orange Headstock and Ebony fingerboard -

The T-Roof logo is sharper, like on the 2420 Streamliner 

and an improvement over the 5420T logo

Although no 'horseshoe inlay' as on the Player TG Nashville from Japan

The neck has a scarfed on headstock and this is used on many guitars up to this price point for economy of materials, a shame in a way as Maple isn't greatly expensive as a wood and even factoring in say $50 USD extra to make a one pice neck into the cost could make this more like a Terada Japan neck and get you nearer the Japan level guitar.

The Japan level Player, Hot rod and anything Gretsch beyond that price point uses full Maple neck wood with wing pieces at the machine head area. The scarfed on head is used by many makers and with modern glues should give no issue on 10 gauge strings, I have noticed no separation on my 5120 or 5420's I have owned that have this type of neck construction.

The Gretsch name  logo on these Synchromatic guitars is an improvement over the 5420 Electromatic type which never looked as nice as the one on the cheaper recent Streamliner guitars. 

The Synchromatic guitars here now use a style of logo seen on the Japan level professional series guitars and looks the better for it. The Headstock is faced with a veneer on the orange Nashville giving it a nicer look than the 5420T with a plain Black plastic type overlay on most.

The quality of finish is great - 

You can see the scarf neck joint here on the back of the neck -

it would be better if the machine heads were sealed type rather than these open backs

even the cheaper Streamliner uses sealed units which have a better ratio

The Headstock shape needs no introduction, but follows the smaller 1958 smaller onwards shape used on most of the Gretsch guitars except the Falcon guitars of that era (or the smaller Jet style guitars). The 'Cowboy' era 1954-56 guitars tended to have larger headstocks. 

An Ebony fingerboard is a nice feature here and having Gretsch guitars with Ebony, Rosewood and Laurel boards fitted, the Ebony is the nicest looking and playing. 

In contrast, the 6120 Hot Rod now features a Rosewood fretboard and owning earlier Hot Rods with the Ebony board, these Ebony board guitars are just so much nicer.

The fingerboard features the Thumbnail edge style inlays and the neck is bound around the top edge of the headstock as on the mk 3 Electromatic 5420T onwards. 

The Nashville rear view shows no new surprises - 

for those familiar with Gretsch guitars

I have asked Grestch if they can produce Candy Apple Red and Blue Sparkle

versions of these guitars as these are popular colours and I think will sell well

The neck radius is 12" and C shaped, with medium jumbo frets. The necks on these Chinese made guitars have a great feel and my Chinese made 5420T guitar as a comparison is no exception, my 5420 Anniversary Green 2 Tone is often a guitar I pick up at the end of the day just to play a few chords on or to try out song ideas, it plays easily, sounds nice acoustically and has a slick action. Everything you want from it.

The Falcon version of the Synchromatic has sealed Grover Machine heads installed and it is a shame that on the Nashville model that they didn't instal sealed Machine Heads rather than the open back ones as used on the Electromatics in budget form and Waverley Grover ones on the professional level guitars. 

These cheaper quality open back Tuners do nothing for the guitar and Gretsch should continue with either better quality open units or preferably go over to using sealed units in my view, locking if possible.

The cheaper Streamliner guitars have sealed tuner heads and they are nice and smooth with a better ratio that the cheaper 'coggy' ones and I wonder why Gretsch persists with the open back machine heads on these lower end guitars.

I changed the open back heads on my Korean made 5420T to sealed types and the difference in operation and sound is obvious and I will change my Chinese 5420T heads over to sealed locking ones in time.

Gold hardware is used on this new range, with the addition of the metal jack base plate, Filtertrons and typical 3 way 'Electromatic' switching with Tone and Volume pots.

The Filtertrons on the Synchromatic guitars are plain cover types

The Bigsby differs from the B6C or B6CG type in that it does not have the 

'Gretsch by Bigsby' stamping on the faceplate

You'll have noticed that the Synchromatic guitars feature Filtertron pickups although these are plain covere types and feature no stamped Gretsch or patent no. information indicating these might be made in Asia possibly? 

I recall a special limited edition run of 5120 guitars in orange finish that were factory fitted with chrome Gretsch Filtertrons possibly in Japan for Thomann Music. This was a modification that many 5120 owners at the time were already doing, me included!

The price point on the Electromatics with Filtertrons from around the Factory Special era was £800 when they were done is roughly comparable with cost of the Sychromatics of now, so the new Sychromatics in comparison offer great value for money. 

The 5120 standard was about £550 so the almost 1/3rd lift in price for the 5120 special equates now to the around £750.00 5420T in the UK with the £1149.00 Synchromatic Nashville in the UK pricepoints. 

In real terms comparison, the Synchromatic models are priced right.

The Filtertrons on these Synchromatic guitars are the 'fixed' height Gretsch Filtertrons - unlike the 5420T guitars which have FT5E pickups with height adjustments by screws at the ends of the pickups, the Synchromatic Filtertrons are the original 'fixed to the body' type units that you'd find on a 6120 or similar.

The only adjustment they have is by using spacer gaskets under the Bezels to raise the Pickups or by adjusting the pole piece screws to nearer the strings. (Although I did modify my 5120 with Filtertrons to have sprung adjuster screws at the ends of the pickups).

The Synchromatic Filtertron pickup covers do not feature the Grestch name or patent numbers, they are plain covers. These units are likely made in Asia.

The hardware on the Synchromatic features a new 'V' Bigsby B6C type unit which is a step up from the old cast alloy B60 used on the Electromatics, although the Bigsby on these new Synchromatics is a new tooling. I would if I owned one, likely buy a Gretsch by Bigsby B6C as an aftermarket part and instal that as they are great and look better in my view. My 5420T guitars now have B6C Bigsby units which are a great improvement.

I have seen these new guitars played on the Gretsch official launch video and they do sound good. These guitars also feature a baseplate on the jack socket which offers a more rigid area for the jack and is something that the 140th Anniversary 6118 features. It also helps save the finish around the jack input socket from damage to the finish when inserting the jack plug.

The Body diameter of the Synchromatic guitars is not quoted but I suspect they are around 16" wide tops on the Nashville and 17" on the Falcon based on visual comparison. (They both have a 2.5" depth.) One guitar site quoted the Falcon Synchromatic as 17" but even Gretsch don't state the body width on their website, but the Falcon does appear to be slightly larger than the Nashville visually side by side.

The 24.6" scale length of the Nashville is true to the 6120 guitars, as is the Falcon guitar's 25.5" scale length to the original Falcon.

For those interested in simple Gretsch upgrades, see my 5420T post here

Where do these models fit into the grand scheme of things?

The Synchromatic range are a higher end take on the Chinese made Electromatic 5420T and similar guitars (these earlier 5420T Chinese made guitars are very well finished), my Chinese made 2 tone Anniversary is faultless and I used to have a Japan made Anniversary so I was aware of how nicely that was made in comparison. I have used my 5420T's live on stage.

The Falcon Synchromatic and the 5420T Chinese guitars as mentioned also feature a variation of the 59 Trestle Bracing system which has the feet at the back under bridge end. I would not be put off buying a Synchromatic with the 'made in China' knowledge, as the guitars from there have USA quality control and are as I said very nicely made and finished. 

The Synchromatic range sits above the Electromatic and below the Japan made guitars, providing an affordable and well appointed guitar for the price position which features Filtertron pickups. 

Given that these guitars are almost into the higher end bracket, it would be more logical to make the necks mainly one piece like the Japan guitars in my view.

The Synchromatic  Falcon guitars

The Synchromatic White Falcon - 

reminiscent of the professional series White Falcon 1 from around 2004

The other model in the Synchromatic range is the Falcon, available as a White Falcon and a Black Falcon as shown here. These build on the same Trestle bracing feature as on the Nashville and also have the Ebony fingerboard with thumbnail inlays.

The Black Falcon with Gold Trim 

In Blue Sparkle this would look amazing - you can spray this Sparkle finish 

paint over the Black base on the Falcon - I am tempted to try this as a project

The high end Falcon model as most of you will know featured a 17" wide body on the hollow bodied guitars. As I stated earlier, the width isn't mentioned on the Gretsch website for these Synchromatic guitars but the Falcon looks to be 17" wide.

The Falcons are available in black or white finish, features the classic Gold 'Sparkle' binding to the neck and body as on the higher end Falcon guitars. It doesn't end there though, the pot knobs all feature jewelled tops like the more expensive professional level Falcon along with Gold finish (not Sparkle) Truss rod cover. The machine heads are Grover Imperial style sealed units, like the original Falcon units.

These Falcons also have the distinctive V cutout to the headstock shape, with the basic T -Roof Gretsch name logo like on the White Falcon 1 from 2004. The distinctive winged Gretsch logo hasn't been fitted on this price level of guitar which may disappoint some as it was fitted to the White Falcon version of the Rancher acoustics made in Indonesia. The Synchromatic Nashville 6120 in context does not feature the Horseshoe logo as mentioned earlier.

Perhaps distinctions have been made according to price point for the guitars as to the specifications made for these Synchromatic guitars, certain features have been chosen that visually at any rate differentiate at sight between a Japan made or USA made level guitar and those made elsewhere, such as the Filtertrons and the new Bigsby, like on this model range. So you can see at a glance where the guitar is likely made by those features.

The Synchromatic guitars sit at a defined price point, above the Chinese made Electromatic and below the Japan made Player series. The upgrade of the fingerboard to Ebony and the fitting of Filtertrons (the pickup upgrade that some do on the 5420T guitars) means you have a guitar uniquely placed. 

A shame that they spent money tooling the new Bigsby which doesn't visually cut it for me, they could have saved the tooling costs by fitting the Gretsch by Bigsby B6C which I have done to 5420 Electromatics and improves look and tone greatly.

Typical UK price points for the Gretsch range in the UK would be: (For US roughly £ to $ straight comparison)

Streamliner £450.00 Electromatic £749 Synchromatic 2025 £1250 Japan £2400 USA £5000+

I think these guitars will sell well as they take you in above the (already very good) level  Electromatic (which I have used in live performing) and the step up from there to a Player guitar means you get a lot of guitar in the middle price bracket, the name, the look, the style and the sound.

If you can't go to the price of a Japan made Gretsch then these will fit the bill for sure. If I didn't have Japan Gretsches I might buy one myself, if they make a blue sparkle one then I will be more than interested!