#Vintage egmond acoustic guitar serial number#

But it’s not quite that clean, because the V-style Bigsby was introduced early in the last couple ’59 batches of 6120.

The 1960 6120s are defined by their 2.5″-deep body and V-style Bigsby. “The 1959 model-year 6120s are characterized by their 2.75″-deep body spec and black-enamel-faced Bigsby. “Its vintage is an interesting story,” Ball explains. Setzer’s guitar dates from what may have been the last batch of 6120s built in ’59, according to Edward Ball, author of the seminal book Gretsch 6120: The History of a Legendary Guitar. “Anyway, he had the pickups and the wiring harness in a shoe box, and had started to sand one little spot right above the knobs, by the f hole… it looked as if he was going to stain it natural.”Īfter saving the guitar from refinishing and other potential indignities, Setzer took it to a local repair shop run by Jess Oliver, of Ampeg fame. 100 bucks.’ I called the guy and asked, ‘Is it like Eddie Cochran’s?’ And he said, ‘Who?’ He goes, ‘If you want it, you better come over because I have all the electrics out and I’m going to refinish it.’ And I said, ‘Okay, I’ll come right over.’ I had scrapped and saved that hundred bucks, you know? That was a lot of money for a 16-year-old kid. I saw one in our local shopper, the Buy Lines Press.

I didn’t know a Dynasonic from a Filter’tron from a humbucker, I just wanted that orange guitar. “Naturally, I had to track down that guitar. Cool is cool – doesn’t matter when it’s written. I just wanted to get out of school, get that guitar plugged in, get a look going, and start a band. I bought the record and went home and it absolutely changed my life. I’d never heard his music, but I wanted to be him. When I saw that picture of Eddie Cochran on the cover of that ’72 Legendary Masters LP and he had that Gretsch and his hair slicked back, I said, ‘Oh my god, that’s the guy.’ “The owner hung the album covers on fishing line so it looked like they were just floating in midair and spinning around. “What really started me on the Gretsch, I remember walking into the local record store in my home town, Massapequa, on Long Island,” Setzer says. The inspiration? One man the consummate rocker, Eddie Cochran. “Making it playable, that was the 40-year struggle!” “I bought the Gretsch in ’76 or ’77,” he says.

#Vintage egmond acoustic guitar serial number#

Setzer might not have been part of the first wave of rock and roll – coincidentally, he was born in 1959 – but, the original Stray Cat guitar, serial number 33024, has a suitably rock-and-roll story that Setzer recently shared with VG, along with many a laugh, hoot, and song accompaniment played on the guitar. Finally, it had to have a voice of its own – proven here by the jangly D-chord intro to “Rock This Town” or that oh-so-cool diminished-scale solo that crowns “Stray Cat Strut.” Then, that chosen guitar had to be forced to play the “Devil’s music,” and along the way was covered in scratches, stickers, and hot-rod emblems. The recipe for such an iconic rock guitar might include an instrument that was part of the establishment – in this case, the Cadillac of old-school archtops as endorsed by none other than Chet Atkins. Both rank among the most storied instruments in pop music. One appeared on stages worldwide, rendering purist tones of a bygone era, the other traveled similarly while helping create a definitive new sound. One is home-made, the other represents the innovation of its era. Brian Setzer’s 1959 Gretsch Model 6120 may be the one.Though their colors are complementary, Brian May’s Red Special and Brian Setzer’s ’59 Gretsch 6120 couldn’t be more different in terms of their origin or their roles in helping to create legendary music. One with a resumé complete with battle scars, stage-side repairs, an impressive song list, and worthy gigs and tours. Stray Cat Axe: Brian Setzer’s Gretsch 6120 Suppose you had to select just one guitar to personify rock and roll.