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, 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 for the guitar but I think as my guitar has a wear factor, they blend in with that and do the job.
Original 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.
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.
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 and like the Gretsch Japan guitars, great 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 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 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 £2600 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 it 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 which I noted down so when the new and slightly deeper Roller Bridge was installed I could get the 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 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.
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