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.

Guitar Reviews 4U - 12 Gretsch Guitars of Gretschmas

Guitar Reviews 4U - The 12 Gretsch Guitars of Gretschmas!

The 12 Guitars of Gretschmas!

Hoping you all have a great time and like my reviews - 

Today we have assembled the 12 Gretsch Guitars at home from Left to Right -

1. 6120 Brian Setzer Lime Gold Hot Rod  2. 5420T 2 Tone Green 'Anniversary'

3. 6120AM 4. 5420T Fairlane Blue. 5. 6120 Azure Blue. 5. 6120DC 5. 6120TM

8. 6120 Brian Setzer Blueburst. 9. 6120 Brian Setzer Coolant Green Sparkle.

10. 6118T 140th Anniversary. 11. Rancher Acoustic. 12. 6120 Duane Eddy

Have yourselves a Merry little Gretschmas!

 

Guitar reviews for you - Gretsch 6120 Brian Setzer Hot Rod Candy Apple red

                              The Gretsch 6120 Brian Setzer Hot Rod in Candy Apple Red

Brian Setzer with a 6120 Hot Rod in Red Sparkle

The mid 1990's saw Gretsch back in the marketplace as a guitar company again and lost little time in engaging Brian Setzer as an artist to host a signature model guitar. At the time, Chet Atkins was involved in an arrangement with Gibson so was unable to be a product endorsee.

Besides the introduction of the 6120 Brian Setzer model a new idea was put forward, to produce a stripped down version of a 6120 in the type of colours seen on custom cars and hot rods.

The later Mk2 guitar as seen in this review packed the features of the Mk1 but with the addition of 59 trestle bracing as on the Mk2 Brian Setzer 6120. Also a set of locking Sperzl machines replaced the Gretsch G branded Grover style sealed machines on the Mk1.

Powerplants for the guitar were Gretsch Filtertrons in Chrome Plated finish and also available as fitted to this guitar are a set of Hot Rod Filtrertons, looking very similar but packing higher output.

The Bridge was a pinned tunamatic which sat atop a rosewood base.

The guitar featured a slim neck which had a slight V shape and this was topped by an Ebony fingerboard, changed from the rosewood of the Mk1.

The Scratchplate has an understated Gretsch and Hot Rod below a flame motif, the pickguard is finished in silver on the reverse and looks great, the Mk1 only had Gretsch on the back and was silver reverse side finished.

The body has no F hole binding, on the black this almost makes it look like a solid top from a distance. The flat black isn't a very attractive colour option, it doesn't really work that well, if they had used the Blue Sparkle or a Silver Sparkle that would have been good, or used the 6118 Anniversary Mint green colour.

The single volume control and pickup selector switch simplified matters, the three way pickup switch was neck, neck and bridge and bridge only options, there was a master volume and nothing else to influence the sound or suck any 'life' or gain out of the wiring harness.

Playing wise the guitar is a very nice and easy player, made in Japan as these professional series are of a consistent quality with no sloppy finishes or glue residue showing. These guitars are so  well made that I don't think you can top them.

New prices on the MK2 would be about £2650, a new Mk3 has come to the market at £2850, prices for a second hand one range from around £1350 for a nice one up to £1650 or slightly higher for a guitar with TV Jones pickups.

The Brian Setzer 6120 Hot Rod is a no nonsense guitar available in the MK2 era with a Candy Apple red, Lime Gold, Flat Black, Purple and  Regal Blue finishes. I currently have a Flat Black one which may get a blue sparkle upgrade!  I also own a Mk1 in Candy Tangerine which has no trestle bracing. 

For those liking the 6120 but not sold on the orange colour, why not try a Hot Rod, the slightly lower price may also be attractive.

Guitar reviews for you - The Gretsch 6120 2004 Brian Setzer guitar in Orange flame maple and Green flame maple

                                             

              

Gretsch Brian Setzer 2004 Orange and Green flame Maple guitars

The sumptuous flame maple under transparent Green lacquer

One of the wildest headstock veneers I have ever seen!

Dice knobs are essential to show on this model!

Soon to be Dice knobbed Brian Setzer 6120

There is no doubt that since Chet Atkins left Gretsch for a Gibson endorsement that there was a lack of a top line-player who could endorse the Gretsch brand, particularly as the fortunes of Gretsch under the Baldwin label were fading fast.

That was until the 1980's and Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats burst on the scene as the rockabilly revival came to public attention.

When Gretsch was bought back from Baldwin, there was an obvious need to get products made and on sale, so the company went to Japan and engaged the help of Dyna Gakki, Fuji-Gen and Terada, three guitar makers with experience of making hollow body guitars.

From the original style 6120 guitar remade in the mid 90's in Japan, it was decided to launch a signature model guitar. Chet Atkins, originator of the 6120 with Gretsch in 1954 was now a Gibson endorsee and Brian Setzer was indeed a natural choice to fill that requirement.

Essentially, the new signature model 6120 borrowed some of the modifications that Brian had made to his 1959 guitar over the years he had owned it. So Gretsch could only follow this on the new signature guitar with a range of modifications to mirror that.

Firstly, the pickups were TV Jones made Filtertrons with Pat Applied for stamped into the case tops, a 5 ply maple top in flame maple, Sperzl locking machine heads, 'back to front' position pickup and mud switches (which really annoys me as everything else I own is the 'right way' round), Dice Knobs, an engraved Brian Setzer model Truss Rod Cover plate, Brian Setzer signature pick guard and Tunamatic bridge atop a Rosewood base.

These guitars were on sale until 2003 without major changes, indeed you are probably saying 'what about the 59 trestle bracing?' and you would be correct. It seems that a batch of 1-200 or so guitars were made and sold just prior to the 2004 trestle bracing addition in orange finish and badged as ordinary 6120s but I think they had the locking tuners.

The big change for 2004 was the addition of the fabled 59 trestle bracing, a slightly thinner depth top to 3 ply to take account of the extra strength of the bracing and a slightly deeper depth of body against a standard 6120. Funnily enough the 59, 60 and 61 all got thinner depth bodies as the years went on. Something that Gretsch has done on the new 'Modern Player' series, effectively a Brian Setzer guitar with thinner body, a trestle bracing type of structure and locking tuners.

Digressing from the script, the introduction of the trestle bracing changed the tone of the guitar, the more rigid nature gave it a tougher treble sound. A bit like a standard camshaft and a mild tune road camshaft, the mild tune one has more power. Certainly playing a 6120 Hot rod mk1 against an 08 one with trestle bracing, the difference is there although both guitars are great.

Originally the flame top guitars were finished in clear poly lacquer which is a very tough and attractive finish, both the guitars above are in this finish. The green one has a 2003 decal but a 2004 inside label, the serial number otherwise is the same, it is likely from the changeover to trestle bracing as the green one has it. Perhaps there was a delay in production.

There were over the years following the 2004 update a choice of plain veneer orange guitar in nitro lacquer and a flame orange guitar in nitro, with the two flame top guitars in standard poly lacquer in the green and orange finishes.

Whether the poly lacquer is a drawback is open to much debate but every one of the professional series guitars I have owned has it and they all play and sound far better than my old American ones I sold.

Due to the trestle bracing, the Brian 6120 is slightly heavier in weight over a standard 6120 but not much more so. Certainly not as heavy as a centre block guitar.

The guitars are exceptionally well finished and easy players, the Pat Applied for pickup covers were not on the guitar that long after the 2004 upgrade so they are a rareish touch, perhaps being replaced with the standard Filtertron top by 2006.

The guitar uses the old B6 Bigsby vibrato which is adequate and the US Made ones are very good having adequate 4 screw fixing points on the back plate rather than the cheaper ones with 2 screw holes which is not really up to the job, Gretsch take note! Indeed, historically, Brian's 6120 should have had the V Bigsby vibrato as they had changed over to that as standard fitment by then.

Both of these guitars were purchased second hand but in good order, the orange guitar had flat wound strings on which did nothing for it and have been changed it was bought fpr a bargain £1299! New are around £3250, most used ones of this type are around £2-2000.

The green guitar version was not produced in such large numbers as the orange and it has a very nice dark green finish which shows the flame veneer grain pattern off nicely. This guitar was £1500 and had been stored in a case for a long time, the chrome plating was severely dull and had to be rescued with careful use of Peak brand  metal paste polish.

These guitars do sound good, beyond the inevitable rockabilly use they will get put to, they are great for jazz and country playing sounds too.

These are a step up from the standard 6120 guitar and the Electromatic and the price reflects that, they will make a good addition to your fleet and attract attention when it is on the bandstand. A Gretsch guitar always does that.

If you are looking for a Gretsch these are well worth buying, the Japanese made guitars are such high quality I have never owned a bad one. The Japan guitars are a step up from an Electromatic but that is obvious from the price differential! I do own an Electromatic 5420T and that is a nice guitar, indeed I owned a streamliner 2420T too but had to chop that into get a Hot Rod 6120 sadly.

So do not discount an earlier non-trestle braced guitar just because it lacks the extra maple, I can't think of a hollow body by Gretsch I would not want to own. The standard of manufacture and finish means that even if you buy a new streamliner, you always have the option of hardware upgrades. With a Brian, you'll be unlikely to have to change a thing. Try one and try not to buy one if you can. You will buy!

Guitar reviews for you Gretsch 6120 Hot Rod Brian Setzer MK1 in Candy Tangerine

Gretsch 6120 Brian Setzer Mk1 in Candy Tangerine finish Japan 1999

Vibramate Bigsby attachment

The 6120 Hot Rod Mk2 in Flat Black

The good old 6120 Gretsch, is the mount of choice for Brian Setzer and no doubt to thank him for his ambassadorship of the trusty guitar, Gretsch chose to honour him with not only his signature and custom shop models, but first off, with the Hot Rod model.

This late 90's example is typically the stripped down version of the Nashville 6120, to a volume pot only, 1 pickup selector switch only guitar, although this example has had the hop up of an added tone pot. It also features this unusual Vibramate attachment to the Bigsby B6C.

This is an example of the Mk1 Hot Rod model, the pickup switch is set further forward as on a conventional early 6120 and it does not feature the fabled later 59 Trestle Bracing. The attractive colour, the Candy Tangerine finish has that slightly metallic sparkle effect which looks good. The pickguard was a plain silver type with Gretsch name.

The next incarnation, the Mk2 had added 59 Trestle Bracing between the top and back of the guitar (the Mk1 had just a 'sound post' piece of maple block to unite front and back woods.) and also Sperzl machines, plus an option of a 'Standard' Hot Rod pickup or a TV Jones Filtertron. The pickguard gained the Hot Rod and a flames logo at this upgrade.

The Mk3 has a different choice of finishes plus TV Jones newly designed Brian Setzer Filtertrons which have Brian's signature stamped in the cover and the pick guard is not fitted to this model.

The guitar is fitted out with chrome hardware and has the 1959 style V Bigsby B6C, with the flat swing out handle. The bridge is a modern tunamatic type, although this one has been modified to mount a Space Control which I prefer as the strings don't hang up on the saddles.

At the headstock end, we have the Gretsch T roof logo and the nameplate stating it is a Brian Setzer model, which I think is deleted on the Mk3 just out and the truss rod cover has the 'Brian Setzer model' legend engraved, as found on his 6120 signature model.

Pickups are High Sensitive Filtertrons which are standard output and give a great sound, the tone is derived from the pickup position only originally, although this one has the tone control option, however, I just use it set to the max and modify the amplifier patches.

Machine heads are those nice 18:1 style Grover sealed units in chrome plate and have a Gretsch G arrow logo on the back, later these were changed to Sperzel locking tuners as standard equipment.

Build quality and finish are superb, faultless in fact. The Japanese makers - Dyna Gakki, Fuji-Gen and Terada are all top line manufacturers and there is not a stray glue blob anywhere inside this guitar as with any of the Professional series guitars these producers make.

Playing wise, the guitar is superb and gives a great spectrum of sound from jazz and country through to hard driving playing. Of course the open f-holes and hollow body does preclude it from high gain distortion playing! The lack of trestle bracing allows the top more freedom to move.

The guitar comes with a hard case, which is a plastic shell type with a Gretsch logo and not the old style TKL made case, which the Mk2 and the rest of the professional models have as standard.

So what about price? The standard Mk2 6120 Hot Rod is about £2250 new, the most recent ones topping out at £2650, as a guide with a secondhand Mk1 one from around £1300 - £1650 depending on age and condition, a Mk2 around £1650.

A new Mk3 was recently on sale secondhand at around £1650 which was a bargain as someone took a big hit on an essentially brand new guitar costing £2650. 

The 6120 Hot Rod is a great guitar and you would find it a very versatile guitar that is also striking looking. Buy one before they get out of reach.