A blog about my personal guitars, guitars of friends and guitars I like. Guitar history, information, and reviews of Eastwood, Epiphone, Fender, Gibson, Global, Hofner, Hondo, Ibanez, Marco Polo, Rickenbacker, Samick, Sonata, Suzuki, Taylor, Vox, and Yamaha Guitars.
The Cool Sounds and Closeups of Gretsch Dobro Guitar
The music was done by a buddy of mine Murray Braun.
I believe he used a Fender Strat guitar. He is a great player.
These guitars are very reasonably priced.
Giuliano Iezzi1 wrote:
Great! The test for Gretsch G9240 (acoustic) has the backing track played with Electric FENDER Stratocaster. Nice sound, the strato of course!
Description
The miracle of volume! When you play chunk rhythm, finger-style, bottleneck or anything else, the all-mahogany deluxe-appointed G9240 Alligator Biscuit Roundneck resonator guitar projects its distinctively swampy tones all the way to the back door of any dance hall. Like all fine Gretsch resonator guitars, the vital feature of the G9240 is the all-new Gretsch "Ampli-Sonic" diaphragm (resonator cone). Hand-spun in Eastern Europe from nearly 99-percent pure aluminum, the Ampli-Sonic diaphragm yields an impressive quality and volume of tone. Case not included.
Features:
Series: Roots Collection
Body Material: Laminated Mahogany
Body Shape: Non-Cutaway
Body Back: Laminated Mahogany
Body Sides: Laminated Mahogany
Body Top: Laminated Mahogany
Body Finish: Semi-Gloss Vintage Sunburst
Bracing: Internal Sound-Well
Purfling: Black/White
F Holes Sound Holes: "F" Holes
Body Depth: 3.5" (89 mm)
Body Length: 18.87" (479 mm)
Body Width Upper Bout: 9.875" (251 mm)
Body Width Lower Bout: 14.125" (359 mm)
Body Binding: Aged White/Black/White
Neck Shape: Medium "V"
Number of Frets: 19 (12 to Body)
Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
Position Inlays: Pearloid Dot
Fingerboard Radius: 15.75" (400 mm)
Fretboard: Rosewood
Neck Material: Mahogany
Neck Finish: Semi-Gloss Vintage Sunburst
Nut Width: 1.75" (44.45 mm)
Scale Length: 25" (635 mm)
Headstock: 1930's Gretsch 3x3
Neck Binding: Aged White
Truss Rods: Dual-Action Head Adjust
Truss Rod Nut: Hex
Hardware Finish: Nickel-Plated
Bridge: Biscuit - Hard Maple with Ebony/Maple Saddle
Watch as musician Jon Rauhouse tests out the new Gretsch®
G9240 "Alligator™" Round Neck.
Click here (http://www.gretschguitars.com/product...) to
learn more about the new Gretsch Roots Collection.
Reviews
Disappointment? More like addiction.
I own an older Electromatic Gretsch, a 5127, and it is still one of my favorite guitars ever. The current ones are great guitars. The new blacktop filtertrons are great pickups that get a lot of love from Gretsch guys. They're well made guitars that sound great....
But, they can be gateway guitars as well. Once you own one Gretsch, a ProLine might be just down the road. But, the ProLine won't be a replacement, it'll be an augmentation! (axis29)
he only way you are going to know, is to play one of your guitars ( listed above) and then play a ProLine model.
I went through the same process a few years ago.
I was able to find a "showroom" Gretsch Black Falcon at a great price, about 6 years ago.
Some of my friend playing friends like the Electromatic series.
They might work / sound ok for you.
But ... you might be able to find a used "Proline" model in your area.
Gretschs are an amazing guitar, and the "Gretsch" tone is worth adding to your collection. (Steve)
Well, I think the blacktop Filtertrons will give up the Gretschiness...
But, let me tell you a story: My friend Lance and I headed up to Chuck Levin's a while ago (he had a PRS that needed some warranty work). My friend Lance wanted to try the Gretsches. Knowing I could never afford it, I picked up this cool baby blue hollowbody. He picked up a Reverend Horton Heat orange jobby.
We went over to the racks of amps. I asked which one first, and he handed my the RHH. I plugged it in and thought, 'Yeah, that's Gretsch, right there'. I fiddled with it for a bit. It felt great, sounded wonderful... really a great guitar.
But, I wanted to hear what the Blue baby sounded like. The second I hit the string we both looked at each other and said, 'YEAH, that's it, right there!'.
Being the total addict I am I went to the counter and asked how much... When the salesguy told me, I called BS on him. No way was a guitar that cost just over 7 bills with tax the same guitar in my hands. Sure enough, the Electromatic line... Well, you coulda knocked me over with a feather.
The difference in tone really was the pickups. The RHH has Filters and the Electro has Dearmond 2000's (not exact copies of the old Dynasonics, made by Dearmond back in the 50's). Both Gretsch tones, but the Dearmonds are single coils... kinda like polite P90's. Sadly, they discontinued these pickups. These days I also own a ProLine Sparkle Jet, a 6129TLS with HS Filtertrons and love that guitar as well. The two guitars fight for #1 position constantly.
What I'm trying to get at is that Gretsch has done a great job with all fo their modenr guitars. If you buy anything with a Filtertron, Fidelitron or Blacktop Filtertron, you will get Gretsch. They are just slightly different flavors of the same thing. Don't be afraid of Gretsches less expensive lines.
Although the 5120's with Gretschbuckers don't do the Gretsch thing very well. I haven't had the opportunity to try one of the new Streamliners yet. I hear they are better than the old Gretschbuckers, but are still not really Filtertron toned either.
And, I have to admit, I've been eying those double cut 5445 double jets for a while. I love the humpblock inlays! ((axis29))
An old story for me; I was on an extended vacation and felt the want of playing a guitar. Being guitarless, of course I found an old shabby ¾ size guitar for next to nothing and could not resist not buying the guitar. When I got the guitar, I took off the remaining 3 strings and threw them in the trash. The guitar was a Marco Polo and having a wide neck I purchased nylon strings at Guitar Center to make the guitar playable.
Before I was able to string the guitar, I had to clean the dirt and filth covering my previously owned guitar. It was coated in dust and the neck was crusty with some kind of gunk on both sides of the frets. I literally had to use a soap and water with a scrub brush to clean the fretboard. The wood was so dry, especially the fretboard, that I had to moisturize with it multiple coats.
The guitar is really old. From what I could find out in research Marco Polo guitars were marketed in the late to mid 1960’s
The tuning pegs or machine heads were corroded and I had to put WD-30 on them of all things. The machine heads are of the type that consists of a capstan, mounted at the center of a pinion gear, with a knob and a worm gear that links them. The saving grace of the capstan is that the gear that is turned by the worm gear is made of brass. If they had not been brass the machine heads would have had to been thrown away. As it is now the look like Holy Hell but to my amazement functional.
Besides being all scratched up, faded and weather beaten the guitar had at one time had the neck broken off where it attaches to the body. Under further inspection after the dirt was cleaned off I could see some previous owner of my guitar glued the neck back on with ELMER’S GLUE! No joke. When I saw the shabby repair I though, “That will never last with any string tension.” But, what do I know? It has stayed together now for over a year, even with me playing it over for 300 hours.
The cleaning up process taken as about as far as the guitar would let me, I began to string it with the nylon strings. I kept thinking of one of my Dad’s old sayings. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.” And, with a snicker, I remembered my old Coach in high school, Coach Horton (who sadly just passed away the week of my writing this review) saying, “You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit!” Well in this case he might have been wrong.
With the strings put on I tried in vain to tune the guitar. I would get in tune and 10 minutes later the guitar would be so out of tune It was unplayable. I never really got to play the guitar on vacation because I got discouraged and the guitar getting out of tune so easily. I packed it in the trunk and went home with my guitarist tail between my legs.
I don’t know what it was, maybe the moisturizing of the wood; the neck repair finding its own or the nylon strings finally stretched out, but finally the guitar stayed in tune. On that same note. I was playing away on my Marco Pologuitar when I started thinking, “... what is that smell? Well, it was the inside of the guitar. It smelled like mildew and mouse turds. I sprayed the inside with a Fabrize. The Fabrize only masked the smell, so that when the Fabrize wore off the bad odor was still there smelling away. I finally sprayed the inside with Clorox Disinfecting Bleach Foamer Bathroom Cleaner, that finally did away with the horrendous aroma. The funny thing about the smell killing process was that the guitar went completely out of tune?
After attack with bleach, the smell was finally gone and in tune, I began to really like my Marco Polo guitar. Not for the way it plays all that much, but because of the tone the guitar produces when played. I can only relate it to an expensive Taylor Guitar I have played at Guitar Center.
The action (distance between the neck and the strings) is 1/4 of an inch. Acoustic guitar are known for having a large action but this is ridiculous. However, with the nylon strings it is not that much of a problem when playing chords. Playing a lead part can get fuzzy and muted. So, I use the Marco Polo when I want to strum out some chords of a new tab I am learning or just when I’m knocking around playing rhythm chords as I sing songs.
As you probably guessed the Marco Polo ¾ sized guitar was a cheap guitar made for the beginner. I may be the only person in the world that has one or likes is mellow sounding tone when played.
History of the Marco Polo Guitar
Marco Polo Instruments were built in Japan in the early 1960s. The guitar was named and distributed by the Marco Polo Company of Santa Ana, CA.
The Marco Polo product line offered acoustic flattops, thinline hollowbody acoustic/electric guitars, and solid body electric guitars and basses. These inexpensive Japanese-built instruments were the first to be advertised by its U.S. distributors, Harry Stewart and the Marco Polo company. While the manufacturers are currently unknown, it is estimated that some of the acoustics were built by Suzuki, and some electric models were produced by Guyatone. Source: Michael Wright,Vintage Guitar Magazine. It also has been rumored that the Marco Polo was made by Kasuga in Japan.
Suzuki is also credited with making the Canora and Takeharu badged guitars along with Marco Polo acoustics.
Into Guitars
The budding bongo boom quickly expanded into importing drum kits made by Pearl. This, of course, made selling cheap guitars at the right place at the right time as many a retailer got int the new guitar boom. Japan at the time was ready and willing to fill the void of intro guitars. The problem was that Japanese guitars were fairly primitive at the time (such as the Aria?). Shiro Arai brought over some higher-quality Japanese acoustics in the early ’60s, only to have them explode when subjected to winter heating systems due to inadequate seasoning of the timbers.
In any case, around 1959 retailers began to see enough improvement in Japanese guitar quality they quickly begin importing. To assure quality, the retailers took an approach that would later be used successfully by some other importers. They offered the guitar makers more money if they’d improve the quality. This is what is known as the 80/80 quality test, a litmus test based on Sears-Roebuck quality standards. This meant that guitars had to survive 80 percent humidity at 80 degrees Fahrenheit for three to four days. Westheimer introduced the concept of a truss rod to Japanese guitar makers. And in 1959 sales began increase.
The truss rod is part of a guitar or other fretted, stringed-
instruments that stabilizes the lengthwise forward curvature
(also called relief), of the neck. Usually it is a steel bar
or rod that runs inside the neck, beneath the fingerboard.
This was not the first time retailers imported guitars from Japan, but it was certainly the first significant offering of guitars in the USA. Some of the earliest Japanese guitars were imported and marketed to pawn shops.
The Marco Polo brand got going in 1959, if not earlier, and were imported with many other Japanese-made guitars, .
The story of the now rare Marco Polo guitar started as a production design under the direction of Guyatone House-Brands in 1958. It was built at the Suzuki Musical Instrument Manufacturing plant... in one of two factories located in Kiso and Hamamatsu, Japan. Around 1958, Jack Westheimer, a pioneer of global guitar making, began to see enough improvement in Japanese guitar quality and figured... it was the right time to begin importing them.
Guyatone-made guitars may have also been sold under the following names, though not all guitars under the following label have been made by Guyatone:
Most Marco Polo acoustics were humble beginner guitars, which was their intent. Few reference materials are currently available regarding these early Marco Polos. However since the marketing source for the USA was in California, I assumed sales was mainly contained to the West Coast. To further my assumption since I grew up in Illinois and lived in Texas for many years and never heard of Marco Polo. However, I may be wrong.
While doing research, I read a man’s commentary post about the guitars he had in his life He is about my age and we both started playing guitar in the mid to late 1960’s. The first thing that drew my attention was that he lived unknown to me only a few miles from my home in Illinois when I lived there in the 60s and 70s. To my astonishment I read, “So I bought one (Marco Polo Guitar) from a pawn shop on Wells avenue, a nylon-string slot-head Marco Polo for $20. Like most first loves, it was unsatisfactory. The strings were too high, the neck was too wide, it strayed out of tune, but it was my guitar.” His statement makes me wonder if maybe Marco Polo was marketed across the USA, unless his Marco Polo meandered from California to the Midwest by other means. That’s my guess anyway.
They wrote, “These are Vintage RARE 1960's Japan Marco Polo Acoustic Guitar for sale” $69
I also have been looking for Marco Polo Guitar for sale online. I have found them to be far and few inbetween for sale. In sporadic searching over a 3 month period I only found a full size acoustic and a solid body electric. My search is not at all scientific. So I will say hesitantly, that either Marco Polo Guitars were either small run products, that they were such intro guitars people have not kept for the last 50 odd years or they were so crappy the have not withstood the test of time and use since they were sold and have gone to the big guitar store in the sky.
Here is a solid body Marco Polo I found on http://guitarz.blogspot.com/ . They wrote: Here is a supposedly rare Marco Polo guitar, made in Japan by Guyatone in the 1960s. It features four pickups (described as the seller as “very hot”), each having their own on/off selector switch mounted onto a substantial chrome pickguard. Other controls are a single slider switch for rhythm or solo that affects tone, and a single volume and single tone for all four pickups. The tremolo, which is still all present and correct, is said to work smoothly, leaving the guitar in tune after use. The adjustable neck has 21 frets on a rosewood fingerboard plus a zero fret, and has 8 position inlays. The guitar is obviously styled after offset waist guitars such as Fender’s Jazzmaster and Jaguar models. It is currently being offered for sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $595.
With the solid body guitar I found it interesting that they wrote, “...supposedly rare Marco Polo guitar…” I don’t feel so bad about not finding more information about the Marco Polo brand i the professionals can’t as well.
Anyway, I have a cheap little intro guitar that despite its misuse and abused life somehow became a survivor. I may be nuts, but I like my Marco Polo. Despite its pedigree and scratched-faded appearance, I have received much enjoyment from its ownership and and from the music I have crafted out of the guitar. Would I tell you to go out and buy a Marco Polo Guitar? No, I would not. Am I sorry I paid $30 for it at a second hand shop? No I am not. Would I call it my Baby Taylor? I wish I could, yet the sound is almost there if not any thing else. My Marco Polo Guitar well, everything it lacks, well, I makes up in denial.
Me Playing My Marco Polo Guitar
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I came in possession of my Yamaha APX-6A, named Ace, in an odd way and then gave it away in a very normal way, very familiar to most parents of teenage children.
My wife had a close friend who had moved out of town. Being particular friends, they enjoyed girl talk and a girls night out on the town. (Keep Austin Weird!) Not wanting to lose that fun activity, my dear wife would travel to Beth’s new home in Austin, Texas to enjoy girls’ time together. To keep Beth’s husband busy in his wife’s absence, my wife would take one of our computers to be repaired by him, which happened with more frequency that one would like back 15 years ago. As a note of pure backstory, the computer we had at the time was a green colored Acer. Ace, being green as the computer, was therefore given the name.
To make a long story short, Beth had purchased a new guitar, and as some people do, unlike me, she wanted to sell her old guitar. I never sell or throw anything away. I even have the same wife! After Jodi learned the guitar was for sale, and knowing I never like to pass up the opportunity of a moderately priced guitar, Jodi made an executive decision and bought the guitar.
At the time, Jodi said that she bought the guitar for herself. Jodi is an excellent guitar player and in her youth gave guitar lessons. Yet, she hates to cut her left hand finger nails short to be able to play with any frequency.
The Yamaha APX-6A was now ours and was put into my rotation of guitars that I play. At the time, my rotation was a Gibson SG Les Paul Junior and a Gibson quarter sized guitar. Ace was the start of our collection of which Jodi and I now have a dozen.
The Yamaha APX-6A was a great addition to our family. Ace is a pretty green color name by Yamaha, "Translucent Green" with cream trim. You may also buy in the APX series guitars in Natural Brown, Sunburst and Translucent Blue Burst colors. The top of the guitar is made of spruce, the sides are Nato as well as the neck (Nato wood is a collective name for wood from Mora trees). The fret board and bridge is Indian rosewood, the hardware is gold. Although an acoustic guitar, it is also equipped with a 3-Band EQ with AMF (adjustable mid-range frequency), volume, battery light and mute electronics.
Yamaha’s sales literature:
APX Series
For over a decade, APX series has provided guitarists with an unparalleled blend of superior acoustic sound and response with electronic versatility and control. These superb instruments deliver extraordinary tone and response whether played acoustically or through the internal electronics.
Piezo Pickups
The APX line features advanced bridge-mounted, monaural piezo-electric pickups. Extremely thin, yet highly efficient, even subtle shades of picking and attack are clearly reproduced. Mono 2-way models incorporate twin APX acoustic sensors under the guitar's top to produce a softer, more microphone like tone.
Electronics and Controls
Refined amplifier circuitry offers excellent bass reproduction and exquisite tone balance over the instrument's entire range. Playing chords and arpeggios will show a blend that is nothing less than superb. A linear 3-band equalizer with variable midrange frequency puts total tonal control at your fingertips. The MIX control on 2-way models offers balance control between the bridge and body pickups.
My review of Ace, the Yamaha APX-6A is very favorable. I like the action between the neck and the strings, very similar to an electric, but not. The strings don’t bend as well as on an electric guitar, mainly because I have it strung with thicker copper-acoustic diameter strings. The span of the neck, and therefore the strings, is very familiar and pleasant to my string hand. The guitar plays crisper than the Gibson acoustic I was used to, as I have found true with most Yamaha guitars I have played. Not a bad sound by any means, just different. Once used to it, I like the difference and is a breath of fresh air that I miss and will explain later.
I do not know all the jargon as a true professional reviewer would know, so here are additional reviews from http://www.wholenote.com/.
Michael Hungerford Wrote: The APX series guitars have a long track record of being great acoustic-electric performance guitars. All the ones I've played have been great feeling guitars. And the electronics are supposed to be reliable. Check out harmony-central.com, go to guitars then product reviews "guitars" then "by manufacturer" then scroll down to Yamaha. Most of the APX series get pretty good reviews. Yamaha guitars are also known for having some really great necks in the last few years. (I will add that my APX is 15 hard of years of use old and the neck is still as good as new)
An Inactive Member Wrote: I owned a Yamaha APX before I "upgraded" to an Ovation - and the only thing the Ovation is better is that it has more acoustic volume due to the larger body. The Yamaha was a very good guitar.
Fred LeBaron Wrote: I've had an apx8a since '97 (discontinued now, but pretty similar to the 6) and I love this guitar. It's a great guitar to play -- the action is good, the neck is fairly slim without being too insubstantial and it sounds great. I prefer it to the Guild and Martin guitars I have, both of which cost a lot more. It sounds pretty good amplified, although it's tough to get a really natural acoustic sound out of it for me. But it has a good sound, just not like a mike'd regular guitar. I'm thinking of getting an AG Stomp to see if that does the trick. Anyway, if you haven't made up your mind, I really endorse this guitar. I have an Ovation cc057, too, which in some ways is similar in its electronics, size and playability, but I like this one the best. I think it’s a really cool looking guitar, too. Good luck with your choice.
As these things happen, my oldest daughter wanted to learn to play the guitar. To her, what is ours is hers. Really liking the design and color of Ace, she began to learn how to play. Also, because of her smaller hands, she liked the smaller neck, unlike a full fledged classical acoustic quarter guitar that I had purchased for her to learn how to play. Over time, she fell in love with Ace making it her primary guitar and took Ace with her when she moved from Texas to California for her first job at West One Music Group.
I am in California on vacation, as I write, playing old Ace, enjoying and remembering her qualities and sounds. I like the unique sound of Ace and found I missed playing her after her move west.
To learn about my other Yamaha guitar and the history of Yamaha guitars you may read my blog entitled “Yamaha Electric EQ-112C; Guitar Review and History” @ http://bit.ly/2bChwqR
Matteo Pidalà Tests a Yamaha APX-6 (Sailing Ships Whitesnake, Spirit Carries on Dream Theater, Your Song Elton John)
Vintage Classic Guitar
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