The Gretsch Tennessee Rose

The passion for wanting to learn how to play the guitar started for many from hearing the sounds from artists like Chet Atkins. The fast finger picking with that phenomenal sound from the guitar and everyone wanted to play like that. Nevertheless, it was not only the finger picking that left listeners in awe; it was that unique sound amazingly different from any other guitar on the market. That sound came from a Gretsch guitar known as the Tennessean, which later became the Tennessee Rose.

The Gretsch Company started at the end of the 1800’s, but only operated for about twelve years. The son Fred Jr., later took over the business and in the 1960’s, Baldwin purchased the company, ran it for twenty years and sold it back to the Gretsch family. It was not only Gretch making music history, but also the up and coming artist named Duane Eddy was quickly becoming a household name. The release of his first debut album titled “Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel,” had him on his way to fame and Gretch as his magic carpet. His song “Peter Gunn,” hit the charts and many artist of today love to play the famous theme song.

It was time of the 1950’s and 1960’s when music bands were increasing with popularity, but finding that unique sound of the Tennessean wasn’t until the late fifties. The popularity stayed with the Gretsch name and introduced the Tennesee Rose almost forty years later. The first guitar was the Gretsch G6119, which there is several different versions of the guitar, but each one shows off the Gretsch styling with the hollow wide body, the f cut outs, the inlaid Gretsch name on the headstock, and the cut away body.

The Humbucker pickups bring the unique sounds to life from the various switch settings, but each one of the variations in the selections of guitars will offer different pickup qualities per guitar. The colors will vary in the choice of the remade models of the throwback guitars, but many older vintage guitars will have fading to the body color. They are a heavier in weight than some other guitars that are on the market, but the sound is truly a unique sound that only a Gretsch Tennessee Rose can deliver. If given the opportunity to play one, do it. It will be an instant addiction to a unique sound.

If you'd like to try out a Tennessee Rose for yourself why not come into The Guitar Lounge and try one out

The Fender Jaguar

The Fender Jaguar, an excellent addition to the infamous line of Fender guitars. Utilized by such musicians as Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, Johnny Marr of the Smiths, and John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In the early years it followed many failures, and as time went on it suffered through two reissues. Clearly worth the time and effort however, spawning a whole new generation of Jaguar lovers giving another great fender guitar a secured place in music history. The tale for the Jaguar began way back in the '50's with a guitar known as the Jazzmaster.

Back in the hay days of music, one of the three Fender men Forrest White got the brilliant idea of creating a guitar that could set two completely different tones with the flick of a switch. In submitting this idea to the co-founder Leo Fender (Who couldn't play guitar) he was turned down. Luckily for this generation of musicians, a musician named Alvino Rey was pitched the idea by Forrest and Rey loved the idea. Reinventing the Jazzmaster with all new gimmicks, the guitar to be known as the Jaguar was released in 1962. Featuring a shorter neck, 22 frets, and thinner pickups with a medal shield to reduce the squeal. Also including a muting system which muted the strings automatically when wanted, also the first Fender to include the chunky logo on the headstock. This was a high powered instrument, more complex and full of gimmicks than its predecessor. Sadly it failed in the sails and was discontinued in 1975.

Unfortunately the cardinal rule of guitars is that simplicity is king this was just too much to turn any sort of profit. Something amazing did happen, it gained popularity because of its use by underground alternative bands like Sonic Youth and of course Nirvana because of how cheap it had become. It had been born again, being bought up by many alternative fans. It had begun to be sold for $1200 as apposed to its $200 dollar price. In the 90's Fender released cheap reissues but did not live up to the vintage guitars, so in 1999 they released exact replicas of the vintage guitar to live up to the expectations. The models today are essentially the same, minus the better constructed pick ups. This guitar has come a long way since the 50's, and will always remain a part of history.

If you'd like to pick up your own Fender Jaguar take a look at our collection or come in and play one at our store, The Guitar Lounge - Fender Heaven

The Fender Telecaster: A Signature Sound Never Goes Out Of Style

A lot of words can describe the Fender Telecaster, but the one most fans of the guitar would agree on is “iconic.” Artists as diverse as Muddy Waters and Chrissie Hynde have made the tele their instrument of choice, bringing its characteristic tone to all kinds of musical genres.

The Telecaster was Fender’s first wildly popular guitar, with its rough-around-the-edges quality that both amateurs and professionals rave passionately about. But its workmanlike qualities complement a sound that’s been described as “ringing,” “chiming,” “gritty,” “crisp” and “sparkling.”

The tele’s distinct sound comes from the humbucking pickup patented by Seth Lover -- then, at Gibson -- who was hired by Fender Guitars in 1967. He re-designed the pickup to produce a brighter tone, setting it apart from his earlier efforts. In 1970, a pair of these humbuckers were used on the revamped semi-hollow Telecaster Thinline, and one was used on the solid-body Telecaster Custom in 1972.

Missing was a solid-body tele with dual humbuckers. That changed with the 1973 introduction of the Telecaster Deluxe, billed as the line’s top model, at a list price of $399.50. Though it was definitely a member of the Telecaster family by body shape alone, changes in the model made it an example of great design in the 20th century. The guitar incorporated some of its sibling Stratocaster look, including the addition of a large Strat-style headstock and a Strat-style body contour. It also featured a pair of the Wide Range humbucking pickups developed by Seth Lover, and the pickguard-mounted toggle control switch layout of the Telecaster Custom.

Like the other two Telecaster models equipped with two humbucker pickups, the Deluxe wasn’t embraced by guitarists, and was discontinued in 1981.

But like so many iconic items, the public -- and a new wave of guitarists hungering for a salt-of-the-earth instrument -- once again embraced the Telecaster in the 1990s and 2000s. Fender didn't hesitate to begin manufacturing a new generation of teles, dominated by the Telecaster Deluxe variations, now produced in Mexico. These included Fender’s re-issue of the ‘72 Telecaster Deluxe, rolled out in 2004. Three variations were re-issued in 2009, and Fender’s value brand Squier, also offers Telecasters based on the Deluxe.

Today’s tele popularity is partially due to players who consider it to be one of the few guitars that actually do improve with use. And because the Telecaster fits the human body so well, it’s a top pick for today’s guitarists. The Telecaster might be a gloriously simple, no-frills instrument, but it’s once again regarded as one of the finest electric guitars ever produced.

It’s been described as indestructible. Some call it their instrument of choice. That’s because the Fender Telecaster originals and re-issues are responsible for a distinctive sound that still rolls through the diverse styles of country, jazz, blues and rock-and-roll guitarists. Judging by amateurs and pros, Fender Guitars has managed to re-invent an object that doesn’t look or sound outdated. The Telecaster, despite a temporary dip in sales during the 1980s, has once again proven why it’s a musical icon. Its beautiful sound is music to players’ -- and listeners’ ears.

If you're looking to pick up your own Fender Telecaster Deluxe why not contact the Guitar Lounge for more information, its Fender heaven

The Telecaster Custom

In the late 1950's and early 1960's the twangy single-coil sound produced by Fender guitars enjoyed a considerable amount of popularity. However as the 60's progressed this popularity began to fade as guitarist's began to seek a creamier sound that the standard Fender Telecaster did not deliver, this was a result of artists such as Eric Clapton and Mike Bloomfield plugging their humbucker equipped Gibsons into over-driven Marshall Amps. In order to replicate this sound Fender player began to replace the single coil standard pickup on their Telecasters with after market humbuckers.

In order to establish a foothold in this emerging market, Fender hired Seth Lover in 1967 the designer of the Gibson Humbucker, however as the patent hadn't quite expired on the Gibson Humbucker, he designed one that was similar but produced a more "brilliant" sound that he felt Fender was known for. Lover perfected this new pickup called the Wide Range Humbucking Pickup by late 1970, and in 1971 they were offered for the first time on a redesigned version of the semi-hollow Telecaster Thinline model, with two of them replacing the Thinline’s two single-coil pickups.

Many of the Telecaster lovers in the late 60’s and early 70’s loved the thinline because of the famously bright and snappy sound of the guitar’s single coil bridge pickup, consequently, an common modification of the era was to retrofit Telecasters with humbucking pickups, but only in the neck position. This didn't go unnoticed by Fender either and in 1972 they introduced a solid body Telecaster with a Humbucking pickup in the neck position whilst placing the single coil pickup in the bridge position, this became the Telecaster Custom.

The 1972 Telecaster Custom bore little resemblance to any previous Telecaster model apart from the bridge pickup and body. It had an elongated pickgaurd that encompassed both pickups, and unlike any previous Telecaster Model the Custom had four skirted black control knobs (volume and tone for each pickup) and a toggle-type pickup selector switch mounted on the upper bout, all of which were also encompassed by the pickguard.

With recent interest in the Telecaster Custom, the 1972 Telecaster Custom has been re-released in 1999 and the cheaper Fender brand Squier also introduced two models the Vintage Modified Telecaster Custom (2003) and the Vintage Modified Tele Custom II (2004), although the former has two humbucking pickups and the latter has two single-coil pickups.

Looking to pick up your own '72 Custom Telecaster? Head to the Guitar Lounge to try one out for yourself, if not try one of our many other Fender guitars! The Guitar Lounge, Fender heaven.

The Gretsch Duojet

The Gretsch Duo Jet has been manufactured since the 1950's and has a semi-solid body, it is the Gretsch Duo Jet 6128 model that is the most sought after.

All Gretsch Jet guitars are virtually identical apart from their colours, the Duo Jet was black, the FireBird was a deep red, and the SilverJet was, of course, capped in silver sparkle plastic drum material. Some Duo-Jets were finished in Cadillac Green, but they're pretty rare. Even more rare - the Bigsby B-3 tremolo that was an extra-cost option.

The Duo and Silver were both first released in 1954. Jets are unique due to the nature of their bodies that have been heavily routed which makes them in essence semi solid guitars. In 1961 big change came and the Jets became double cutaways, the first double cutaways are roughly equivalent to the earlier Jets, but shortly after the change-over Gretsch began to change the Jets.

In 1962 Vibrato tailpieces became standard other changes to '62 included gold hardware replacing chrome and other sparkle finishes, including gold, champagne, burgundy and tangerine being offered, a few Jets were made with the special sparkle finishes, and they're quite rare today.

These changes last till 1970 when Gretsch, urged on by Duke Kramer and plant manager Bill Hagner, switched back to a single-cutaway body, hoping to rekindle past glories.

If your looking to pick up your own Gretsch Duo Jet why not swing by our store and try one out yourself.

Fender Black Top Guitars

The new Fender Black Tops have arrived, these long awaited guitars are now available at The Guitar Lounge. The Black Top features 4 different models of the Telecaster, Stratocaster, Jazzmaster and the Jaguar HH which is said to broaden the sonic horizon of this classic guitar by powering it with high – gain humbucking pickups.

The Fender Black Top Jaguar HH features a solid Alder body, maple neck and a Rosewood fret board, both the neck and bridge pickups are a Hot Vintage Alnico and both have nickel covered humbucking pickups with black skirting. The Fretboard Radius is 9.5? and has 22 Medium Jumbo frets, and the body also features a 3 position pickup switch. The Jaguar HH can be purchased in either silver or black.

Like the Jaguar, the Stratocaster Black Top features an Alder body, maple neck, and a rosewood or maple fretboard. It also features Hot Vintage Alnico bridge and neck pickups that are both nickel covered with humbuckers. The fretboard radius is 9.5” and features 22 medium jumbo frets. The guitar also features a 5 position pickup switch; Position 1 is just the bridge humbucker, position 2 is both pickups, but just the inner single coils. Position 3 is both humbuckers in full. Position 4 is just the outer single coil in the neck. Position 5 is the neck humbucker. Available in Black, Candy Apple Red, and Sonic Blue with either a Black or Mint Green pick guard.

The Black Top The Jazzmaster features an Alder body, maple neck, and a Rosewood fretboard. The bridge pickup is a Ducan Designed Humbucker, and the neck pickup is a Jazzmaster Single coil pickup. The fretboard Radius is 9.5? and has 21 Medium Jumbo frets, the body features a 3 position pickup switch.

Finally the Black Top Telecaster also features an Alder body, with a maple neck and Rosewood or maple fretboard. Both the bridge and neck pikcups are Hot Vintage Alnico, the fretboard Radius is 9.5" and has 22 Medium Jumbo frets. The body also features a 3 position pickup switch, and is available in Black, Candy Apple Red, and Silver, with Black pick guard.

If you’d like to own your own Fender Black Top be sure to come into The Guitar Lounge to try one out or take a look at our website

The Fender Jazzmaster

The Jazzmaster is an electric that was introduced in 1958 at the NAMM Show, designed as a more upmarket instrument than the Fender Stratocaster which was originally to replace the Telecaster model. The name suggests that the guitar was aimed at Jazz guitarists but it was more commonly played by surf rock guitarists during the early 1960’s and more recently indie rock artists.

The Jazzmaster features a contoured “offset-waist” body design which was intended to the guitar more comfortable to play in a seated position as many Jazz player were known to do. With a full 25-1/2” scale length, lead and rhythm circuit switching with independent volume and tone controls these were some of the key features of the Jazzmaster’s character. The guitar also featured a floating tremolo with a tremolo lock which could be manually activated to prevent the guitar from going out of tune should a string break. As the body was larger than most other Fender guitars, it also required a larger guitar case.

In 1980 the Jazzmaster was officially discontinued, however there are some reports that say that no more guitars were made after 1977 and that those guitars sold from 1978 to 1980 were old stock. However in 1986 the Jazzmaster was re-introduced as a 1962 re-issue from Fender’s Japanese factory. Fender introduced the Jazzmaster as a solid body alternative to the hollow body archtop guitars that were common amongst Jazz guitarists at the time, the guitar never really caught on amongst its intended audience however it found success with California based surf music and the instrumental rock scene.

In 2007 Fender released the J-Masics signature Jazzmaster, in honour of the Dinosaur Jr frontman, in 2008 the Elvis Costello Jazzmaster was released and was the 2nd signature guitar released. In 2009 it was announced by Fender that they would produce Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore Jazzmasters in honour of the Sonic Youth guitarists.

If you are interested in getting your hands on your own Jazzmaster why not swing by The Guitar Lounge in Sydney and try one out?