NGD - Happy birthday to me...

For guitars of the straight waisted variety (or reverse offset).
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shadowplay
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by shadowplay » Tue Jan 08, 2019 12:05 pm

You probably know this.

Btw Yanis if you find you don't like the Space Control bridge like a lot of people I can speak very positively about Tru-Arc bridges and have run one for several years but I recently got an Embie bridge which is a Gretsch Melita done right, in aluminium and not pot metal like the crap Melita Gretsch put in the early Falcons. It's very customisable with seven choices of saddle material. It comes in gold too.

Might also be of interest to our resident Bridge enthusiast Larry Mal since it's made in his home city St Louis and proudly says so in the post tops.

Image

D
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by windmill » Tue Jan 08, 2019 12:49 pm

Wow !

that is a great looking guitar.

Have you decided how you are going to "relic" it ?

Look forward to seeing it after you have spent the next revolution around the sun playing it

:)

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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by windmill » Tue Jan 08, 2019 12:50 pm

You know that you could have had this tho'

Image

Kauer Daylighter

:)

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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by DesmondWafers » Tue Jan 08, 2019 1:58 pm

Damn, that's amazing. I would gladly play any guitar with a penguin on the pickguard.

I maintain that japanese gretsches are the best production guitars being made right now. I've owned a ton of gretsches and I can't reccomend tru arc enough. No bridge upgrade, not even a mastery, has transformed my guitars like tru arc has.

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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:21 pm

DesmondWafers wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 1:58 pm
Damn, that's amazing. I would gladly play any guitar with a penguin on the pickguard.

I maintain that japanese gretsches are the best production guitars being made right now. I've owned a ton of gretsches and I can't reccomend tru arc enough. No bridge upgrade, not even a mastery, has transformed my guitars like tru arc has.
I'm curious what the difference really is between the Tru-Arc and a standrad Gretsch bar bridge.

You along with David have recommended them and a friend back in the UK swore by one when he owned a big old orange Gretsch hollowbody (I forget what model it was - kinda like a Tennessean or a Country Gent).

I put a standard "Gretsch-style" bar bridge on my Vox Ultrasonic (in place of a slightly rattly, over complicated stock bridge) and it was a huge improvement. Is the Tru-Arc really that much better still?
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by DesmondWafers » Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:37 pm

I guess it depends if we're talking about the space control or a bar bridge on the model. I've only used a space control once and quite honestly I'll be happy if I never have to use one again. Just replacing that with a bar is already a huge improvement.

The problem with the stock gretsch bar bridge (for modern models) is that it's the wrong radius, 16" I think. For some, that doesn't matter, but for me that was a deal breaker. Tim also does what he calls a "serpentune" bridge that corrects the intonation, that's the one I go with.

There's also the material used. Every guitar I've put a tru arc on has gained significant sustain and resonance. How much of that is guitar nerd nonsense? Who knows, but it definitely felt different enough to me to warrant buying 3 of them.

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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by zhivago » Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:42 pm

valley_parade wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 11:26 am
Yannis, dude. That is gorgeous.
It is rather easy on the eye...it is so loud it is really cool...great couch guitar! :)
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by zhivago » Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:47 pm

shadowplay wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 12:05 pm
You probably know this.

Btw Yanis if you find you don't like the Space Control bridge like a lot of people I can speak very positively about Tru-Arc bridges and have run one for several years but I recently got an Embie bridge which is a Gretsch Melita done right, in aluminium and not pot metal like the crap Melita Gretsch put in the early Falcons. It's very customisable with seven choices of saddle material. It comes in gold too.

Might also be of interest to our resident Bridge enthusiast Larry Mal since it's made in his home city St Louis and proudly says so in the post tops.

Image

D
I am very glad you brought this up David...before buying, this I saw the True-Arc bridges on the Gretsch forums, and also a couple of other companies (Compton, I think it one of them?) that make replacement bridges with all sorts of materials...as it stands the Space Control bridge feels good...but I am a world-class tinkerer, so i may just experiment a bit! I am having so much fun with this guitar....other times I just stare at it!! :D
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by zhivago » Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:48 pm

windmill wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 12:49 pm
Wow !

that is a great looking guitar.

Have you decided how you are going to "relic" it ?

Look forward to seeing it after you have spent the next revolution around the sun playing it

:)
Hehe!! I will play this on a lot...let's see how it ages...the white is yellowed already when you see it in person, so once the gold hardware ages it'll look real cool!!
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by zhivago » Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:49 pm

windmill wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 12:50 pm
You know that you could have had this tho'

Image

Kauer Daylighter

:)
woah!! An offset Gretsch!!!!!! :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: 8) 8) 8)
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by zhivago » Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:50 pm

DesmondWafers wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 1:58 pm
Damn, that's amazing. I would gladly play any guitar with a penguin on the pickguard.

I maintain that japanese gretsches are the best production guitars being made right now. I've owned a ton of gretsches and I can't reccomend tru arc enough. No bridge upgrade, not even a mastery, has transformed my guitars like tru arc has.
Very interesting!! Does it give more sustain? :)
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by shadowplay » Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:56 pm

^^^

The Tru-Arc is individually machined and not cast, there's also intonated options which is good if you have a pinned bridge like I do in my Gretsches, though my 6120 intonates really well with the standard tru arc. It just sounds better than the bar and way better than a TOM and the bridge itself rings like a tuning fork when a standard bar bridge just clonks. On the other hand they aren't cheap.
zhivago wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:47 pm
....other times I just stare at it!! :D
Well it is pretty. I don't have a Gretsch sitting out in the front room these days but I did for a long time and it's the only guitar the Queen of the Shadowplay's hasn't asked me to put away. They are a guitar and an object 'd'art rolled into one and civilians were often quite taken with them.

Tru-arc does give more sustain but it's more about the musical ring IMO.

D
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Tue Jan 08, 2019 3:04 pm

DesmondWafers wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:37 pm
...."serpentune" bridge....
That was the one I looked at when I was sizing up the Vox replacement. I shied away from the price in the end. One day, maybe. It definitely sounds like a quality & worthy upgrade.
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by zhivago » Wed Jan 09, 2019 1:16 am

shadowplay wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:56 pm
^^^

The Tru-Arc is individually machined and not cast, there's also intonated options which is good if you have a pinned bridge like I do in my Gretsches, though my 6120 intonates really well with the standard tru arc. It just sounds better than the bar and way better than a TOM and the bridge itself rings like a tuning fork when a standard bar bridge just clonks. On the other hand they aren't cheap.
zhivago wrote:
Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:47 pm
....other times I just stare at it!! :D
Well it is pretty. I don't have a Gretsch sitting out in the front room these days but I did for a long time and it's the only guitar the Queen of the Shadowplay's hasn't asked me to put away. They are a guitar and an object 'd'art rolled into one and civilians were often quite taken with them.

Tru-arc does give more sustain but it's more about the musical ring IMO.

D
I see...cool...I will investigate further!! Thanks David. :) 8)
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Re: NGD - Happy birthday to me...

Post by Con-Tiki! » Wed Jan 09, 2019 3:23 am

We're still waiting for a picture of that shirt, though...
(Christopher, also)
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