I love how Joe's face lights up with that big smile, such a wonderful man! The short time I talked with him in Nashville at Setzer's show meant so much to me and my mother. Greg is a dynamo on guitar, wonder what the "Humbler" would have thought of him!
I'm done searching. This is the most beautiful sounding electric guitar on the planet, for the genres of country, jazz and spaghetti western/surf. It has twang, jangle and warmth all at once.
I had a brand-new 1966 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman for awhile, & the "Filtertron" pickups made that thing sound like a piano, it was SO clean. One of the nicest American Made axes I sure wish I'd hung onto. Wasn't fond the muting ability, just use the heel of your hand, but the neck feel was great. Of course, back then we had to really play around to get "fuzz" & most other common FX everyone takes for granted today. A Phase Shifter was an engineer manually rocking the tape head in the studio, i.e. Couldn't get that sound, live. The better amps usually had reverb & tremolo, but that was it. If you had some extra $$, you could get an Echoplex tape delay for true echo of maybe half a second with available infinite repeats & on into weird feedback FX, but they were cost-prohibitive for most & undependable, mechanically. If you wanted overdrive, you got a good tube amp (like a Fender Super Reverb) & crank it up until you just about couldn't stand it (and risk blown-out speakers), OR you could GENTLY preamp it with another (small) amp brain & hope it didn't start smoking (you had to take a speaker output & feed it into the input of your "main" amp, dangerous stuff, that). There was no "fuzz" or "distortion" box made back then. When you wanted "light gauge" strings, you'd move the whole set down one (so the 'A' became the low 'E') and use a banjo high 'A' for the high 'E'. It's easy to do with a Bigsby, whammy, just hook the banjo string's loop over the peg of the Bigsby. Otherwise, it was tricky, BUT there was only one weight string set, too heavy. The only way I'd really miss those bad ol' days is if only I could've known then what I do know now. 🤗 HAH!!! 😎
Thank you sir for sharing this. You really took me there my friend. So cool to hear the little tricks before you could have everything with a couple of clicks on the computer. My Dad has been an Master Instructor most of his life but was more into acoustic and banjo never really tone chased like me so this really made my day. Have you ever thought of writing a book of stories like this?
Trying to alternate finger pick open claw then closed, then open (both directions) was almost impossible if also palm muting. Chet Atkins didn't (couldn't ?) even do it.
I wish Joe would have gone into more detail on this instrument. It goes far deeper than he explained here. The stock configuration of the ‘59 was not at all like these. It was two Filtertrons, Grover Imperial “T” shaped tuners, a tone switch (the infamous mud switch), a pickup selector switch, a bridge pickup volume knob, neck pickup volume knob, and a master volume. So there were two switches on the upper bout. In other words, identical to the ‘62 double cut CG with the exception of the standby switch added in 62. Chet’s ‘59 was indeed his favorite. He was also constantly tinkering with things searching for a better mouse trap. He and Ray Butts developed a “better” version of the Filtertron with bars instead of pole screws. This was the Supertron. Chet loved it in the neck position of his guitar. He then hand-wound a bridge pickup that paired well with the Supertron. He also removed the tone selector switch as it was never used, re-wired the volume knobs and master volume to the configuration of this guitar. The original Grover “T” shaped tuners were replaced with the later style “butter bean” tuners as they were lighter. Gretsch never adopted Chet’s changes to production guitars as they were still producing the ‘62 version CG and most players were accustomed to how Gretsch did things. When Fred Gretsch started the company back up he approached Paul Yandell who was Chet’s sideman for 25 years. Paul looked after Chet’s gear when he began getting older and having more health issues. Paul worked with Gretsch to emulate Chet’s ‘59 to include all the mods he had done to it. So the current production ‘59 Country Gentleman is not at all like an original ‘59 CG. It is a faithful replica of Chet’s ‘59 CG. That is what makes this particular model so unique out of all the Gretsch models. To leave out this information and not credit Paul’s contribution is negligent. The changes that make this guitar special were not Gretsch’s ideas. They were Chet’s.
What a sound , what a beautiful guitar. The guitar of choice for the master of guitar - Chet Atkins . I think George Harrison had one also. Can u guys confirm ?
These pickups are supposed to be Supertrons according to Gretsch's website, but Joe says they're HT Plus and Powertron pickups. So what are they really supposed to be?
He did - its driving me crazy I want to buy the 1 7/8" but can only find 1.75" I play lots of Chet stuff and want the original but good luck finding them for reasonable.
1959 everything seems to be prized. It was the first year after rock'n roll had died. All these 1959 amps, guitars and cars were built in 1958 in anticipation the music was going to live on.
Is gretsch still owned by fender because idk man, i well example fender made a hollow body electric with but with the fender name on it And I once typed I like a nice dirty gretsch more on a fender custom shop post on their instagram and they deleted my comment
I love how Joe's face lights up with that big smile, such a wonderful man! The short time I talked with him in Nashville at Setzer's show meant so much to me and my mother. Greg is a dynamo on guitar, wonder what the "Humbler" would have thought of him!
I'm done searching. This is the most beautiful sounding electric guitar on the planet, for the genres of country, jazz and spaghetti western/surf. It has twang, jangle and warmth all at once.
yeah these are absolutely amazing
One of your BEST videos! A pleasure to watch you play!
I had a brand-new 1966 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman for awhile, & the "Filtertron" pickups made that thing sound like a piano, it was SO clean. One of the nicest American Made axes I sure wish I'd hung onto. Wasn't fond the muting ability, just use the heel of your hand, but the neck feel was great. Of course, back then we had to really play around to get "fuzz" & most other common FX everyone takes for granted today. A Phase Shifter was an engineer manually rocking the tape head in the studio, i.e. Couldn't get that sound, live. The better amps usually had reverb & tremolo, but that was it. If you had some extra $$, you could get an Echoplex tape delay for true echo of maybe half a second with available infinite repeats & on into weird feedback FX, but they were cost-prohibitive for most & undependable, mechanically. If you wanted overdrive, you got a good tube amp (like a Fender Super Reverb) & crank it up until you just about couldn't stand it (and risk blown-out speakers), OR you could GENTLY preamp it with another (small) amp brain & hope it didn't start smoking (you had to take a speaker output & feed it into the input of your "main" amp, dangerous stuff, that). There was no "fuzz" or "distortion" box made back then. When you wanted "light gauge" strings, you'd move the whole set down one (so the 'A' became the low 'E') and use a banjo high 'A' for the high 'E'. It's easy to do with a Bigsby, whammy, just hook the banjo string's loop over the peg of the Bigsby. Otherwise, it was tricky, BUT there was only one weight string set, too heavy. The only way I'd really miss those bad ol' days is if only I could've known then what I do know now. 🤗 HAH!!! 😎
Thank you sir for sharing this. You really took me there my friend. So cool to hear the little tricks before you could have everything with a couple of clicks on the computer. My Dad has been an Master Instructor most of his life but was more into acoustic and banjo never really tone chased like me so this really made my day. Have you ever thought of
writing a book of stories like this?
Trying to alternate finger pick open claw then closed, then open (both directions) was almost impossible if also palm muting. Chet Atkins didn't (couldn't ?) even do it.
I wish Joe would have gone into more detail on this instrument. It goes far deeper than he explained here.
The stock configuration of the ‘59 was not at all like these. It was two Filtertrons, Grover Imperial “T” shaped tuners, a tone switch (the infamous mud switch), a pickup selector switch, a bridge pickup volume knob, neck pickup volume knob, and a master volume. So there were two switches on the upper bout. In other words, identical to the ‘62 double cut CG with the exception of the standby switch added in 62.
Chet’s ‘59 was indeed his favorite. He was also constantly tinkering with things searching for a better mouse trap.
He and Ray Butts developed a “better” version of the Filtertron with bars instead of pole screws. This was the Supertron. Chet loved it in the neck position of his guitar. He then hand-wound a bridge pickup that paired well with the Supertron.
He also removed the tone selector switch as it was never used, re-wired the volume knobs and master volume to the configuration of this guitar. The original Grover “T” shaped tuners were replaced with the later style “butter bean” tuners as they were lighter.
Gretsch never adopted Chet’s changes to production guitars as they were still producing the ‘62 version CG and most players were accustomed to how Gretsch did things.
When Fred Gretsch started the company back up he approached Paul Yandell who was Chet’s sideman for 25 years. Paul looked after Chet’s gear when he began getting older and having more health issues.
Paul worked with Gretsch to emulate Chet’s ‘59 to include all the mods he had done to it. So the current production ‘59 Country Gentleman is not at all like an original ‘59 CG. It is a faithful replica of Chet’s ‘59 CG.
That is what makes this particular model so unique out of all the Gretsch models. To leave out this information and not credit Paul’s contribution is negligent. The changes that make this guitar special were not Gretsch’s ideas. They were Chet’s.
I own the lefty version of this guitar! It is AWESOME!
find yourself someone to look at you the way Joe Carducci looks at Greg Koch
No doubt. If you're in the guitar biz, how you not adore a player that shows how amazing your instruments can sound?
cooljomark. best comment in the entire "intergoogle", as greg would say
BAHAHAHA too funny and true
@@BB2009LZ o ok ok
Love ❤️
Just what I was wishing for :) Thanks wildwood guitars!!!
this guy is a good guitarist.
What a sound , what a beautiful guitar. The guitar of choice for the master of guitar - Chet Atkins . I think George Harrison had one also. Can u guys confirm ?
dang that was an awesome rendition of sleepwalk. dang I'd love a tutorial video on that but I will be copying this..
It sounds to be based on the Brian Setzer version. So instead you should learn the Brian Setzer version.
Joe seems so genuine with a love for life.
Adorable
Well they sure got the right guy to demo this gem. But it is kinda expensive ...
These pickups are supposed to be Supertrons according to Gretsch's website, but Joe says they're HT Plus and Powertron pickups. So what are they really supposed to be?
The bridge pickup is a TV Jones Classic Plus, the neck pickup is a Supertron
The Gretsch rep said a 1 7/8" nut, but the specs listed here and on the website say 1 3/4".
He did - its driving me crazy I want to buy the 1 7/8" but can only find 1.75" I play lots of Chet stuff and want the original but good luck finding them for reasonable.
1959 everything seems to be prized. It was the first year after rock'n roll had died. All these 1959 amps, guitars and cars were built in 1958 in anticipation the music was going to live on.
Greg must be of some size; I thought at first he was playing a duo jet or a penguin 🐧.
What is the song Greg opens with? It is on the tip of my tongue, but just can't get it.
19MarkZ Sleepwalk
*_SWIVEL HERE_*
Which song is he playing in the beginning?
A jazzy version of Sleepwalk.
what amp?
Sleepwalk!
what would a Greg Koch model look like?
What about a Tele? ;-)
Someone please step in and slap Greg if he doesn't turn that reverb OFF!
Is gretsch still owned by fender because idk man, i well example fender made a hollow body electric with but with the fender name on it
And I once typed I like a nice dirty gretsch more on a fender custom shop post on their instagram and they deleted my comment
to clear things up fender doesnt own gretsch fender distributes gretsch guitars
I cant believe they didn't get close ups on the finish of these Chet Atkins models. They look like they are black. Whats up with that?
hillary clinton disliked this video.
@Krisitan Sterjo More like Israel
That gretsch guy is like a desperate car salesman. Flop sweat 😰