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2010 Gretsch G6120TM (Tiger Maple) Chet Atkins Hollow Body guitar is a nice archtop that is 16-inches wide, 2½-inches deep full hollow body with gold hardware. The neck is rock maple with ebony fingerboard with thumbnail inlays and Grover Rotomatic tuners. Part of Gretsch’s Professional series. The Gretsch 6120 is a classic design.

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Specs:

  • Body Type Hollow
  • Body Material Maple
  • Body Depth is 2.5″ (63.5mm)
  • Body Width Lower Bout is 16″ (40.64 cm)
  • Bridge and Neck Pickup High Sensitive Filter’Tron™
  • Gold-Plated Hardware
  • Fingerboard/Fretboard Material Ebony
  • Fingerboard Radius is 12″ (305 mm)
  • Neck Material Maple
  • Number of Frets 22
  • Width at Nut 1.68 inch
  • Scale Length is 24.6″ (625 mm)

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Pickups are dual High Sensitive Filter’Tron pickups. What would a Gretsch be without a Bigsby? This one has Adjusto-Matic bridge and Bigsby B6G vibrato tailpiece. Gretsch hard case.

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The guitar was made at the Terada Plant, Japan in April 2010.

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The Gretsch 6120 was an instant classic from the day it was introduced in 1955. To many players, it IS the definitive Gretsch guitar.

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The motif is very different from my Gretsch G6120 Reverend Horton Heat. The body is not as deep with the G6120TM Chet Atkins being 2 1/2-inches deep and the G6120 Reverend Horton Heat being 2 3/4-inches deep. The headstock is also a bit wider on the G6120 Reverend Horton Heat. The neck profile is slightly different. The appearance is the biggest difference as the Gretsch G6120 Reverend Horton Heat is western with G brand and classic western inlays. The Gretsch G6120TM Chet Atkins is more of an elegant look with flamed maple top/back and gold hardware.

Two things I like better on my Gretsch G6120 Reverend Horton Heat is the Sperzel Locking tuners (newer model Gretsch G6120 Reverend Horton Heat model uses Gotoh Locking tuners) and the Bigsby vibrato arm which has a casted metal Duane Eddy that has a nicer feel.

Gretsch 6120s

Gretsch 6120s

Gretsch G6120 TM Chet Akins and Gretsch G6120 Reverend Horton Heat Models

Gretsch G6120 TM Chet Akins and Gretsch G6120 Reverend Horton Heat Models

Some Updgrades

Added a few nice upgrades to this Gretsch 6120TM. It makes a great guitar even better. First I changed the bridge to an Stainless Compton bridge which increased sustain and has a nice clear tone. Also works better with the Bigsby.

Original bridge vs Compton bridge

Compton Compensated Custom Bridges are made in the USA from solid Stainless Steel, Copper, Brass, Aluminum and Titanium. Using solid material gives your guitar the sustain, tone and clarity you have been searching for. The concept of the solid bridge is to eliminate all the small parts that contribute to tone and sustain loss. The bridges are also designed to match your fret board radius.

The Compton bridge is a nice piece of stainless steel and has a nice mass. Sounds better in my opinion than the original bridge. These tune-Matic style bridge also tend to rattle a bit.

I swapped out the stock Bigsby arm with a new gold Duane Eddy Vibrato arm. These have a nicer feel and are cast instead of stamped metal. I also liked the Duane Eddy Vibrato arm on my Gretsch G6120 Reverend Horton Heat Model better and wanted to add the same arm to this guitar.

Swapped out the original gold Grover tuners with gold Grover 502G Roto-Grip Locking Rotomatic. These are direct replacement with no screws holes needed to be drilled or modifications. Locking tuners make changing strings easier and cam improve tuning stability.

New Grover Locking tuners installed. They are a direct replacement. They look similar as well.

Original Grover Tuners on left and new Locking Grover Tuners on right

More upgrades…. Setzerized…

First the pickups for improved sound and than some cosmetic changes for a nicer vibe. All are completely reversible. I added Gretsch Brian Setzer “Lucky 7 Dice Knobs.” Note Gretsch sells these to fit split shaft pots, but my Gretsch as solid shafts that are a bit larger. I had to drill them out a little, but pretty easy.

I changed the plain truss rod cover to a Brian Setzer model one.

Swapping out the stock Gretsch HS Filter’tron pickups for TV Jones Brian Setzer Signature Filter’trons. The stock pickups were pretty good, but not as nice sounding as the TV Jones Classics in my Gretsch G6120RH Reverend Horton Heat. The Brian Setzer Signature are between the TV Jones Classic and the Classic plus.

Swap out complete and I can say it is a nice improvement in the sound. Getting the pickup height to TV Jones spec is essential.

If you never swapped out pickups in a hollow body, I suggest you do some research and have the correct tools. If you are not the adventurous type visit a local luthier or guitar repair person. Remember you need to unsolder the pickup wires from the pots… The harness needs to be pulled into the pickup cavities and that means fishing the pots and jack. Some plastic tubing is your friend here.

All the upgrades I did on this guitar are totally reversible. They made an already nice guitar a bit better in my opinion.

List of upgrades on this Gretsch:

  • Grover Locking Tuners – direct replacement for original Grovers
  • Duane Eddy Bigsby Arm – replaced original Bigsby arm
  • Stainless Steel Compton Bridge – direct replacement for original Tune-O-Matic style bridge
  • TV Jones Brian Setzer Signature Pickups
  • Brian Setzer Truss Rod Cover – cosmetic change
  • Dice Knobs – cosmetic change

Some new pictures after the upgrades.