typical Strat’s bridge unit or my Tele’s alnico
5 bridge pickup. But with all the sameness
in guitar design these days, pickups are one
of the few ways to really distinguish your
sound, and I don’t think I’ve ever played
a pickup that has the resonant-but-semi-twangy quality of these DynaSonic repros.
My favorite pickup setting was the middle
position—with both pickups on, the neck-pickup’s Volume knob eased back a couple
of hairs, and the Tone knob all the way up.
While the soloed neck pickup felt a little too
fat and bass-heavy unless I dialed in a pristine
clean sound to play mellow B.B. King-style
blues, the neck-bridge combination through
the Valpreaux (with Gain a smidge below 3
o’clock, Tone cranked, and Volume right at 3
o’clock) sounded absolutely glorious. With a
perfect blend of girth and bristling harmonic
richness, the G6128T-GH had me falling
into riffs and rhythms inspired by the other
gods of classic rock: Exile on Main Street- and
Aftermath-like progressions oozed an addictive vibe that sent me back in time and gave
me a taste of what I imagine Keith, Brian,
and Mick felt all those years ago. When I
eased off the attack, Travis-picked patterns
sounded downright lovely.
The verdict
There’s something inexplicably cool about
playing a guitar that looks exactly like what
one of your heroes played—and that goes
double for the George Harrison Signature
Duo Jet. While there’s no shortage of Les
Pauls and Strats out there to help you summon Page or Clapton, instruments with this
unusual-yet-still-classic look and sound are
pretty rare. Although the price tag seems a
bit high—especially considering how good
many affordable guitars are these days—it’s
pretty much par for the course with signature
models, especially ones associated with such
an iconic and influential player. And the
quality of craftsmanship is close to flawless,
even if I would prefer a bridge that intonates
and articulates a little better. If you’re after
the most authentic early Beatles electric tones
money can buy, I doubt you’ll find a better
option. But even if you’re just looking for
a vintage-styled guitar with unique pickup
voicings, the G6128T-GH is worth a go.
Rating:
Buy If...
you seek early-Beatles tones and
looks, or a uniquely satisfying
carved-top single-cutaway.
Skip If...
you prefer leaner neck-pickup tones
and more accessible pricing.
Gretsch Guitars
Street $3499
gretschguitars.com
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