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“I played a Gretsch and then played the Flying V, and I couldn’t tell the difference”: Brian Setzer on the unlikely Gibson guitar that’s most like his iconic Gretsch
Rockabilly talisman Brian Setzer is rarely seen without a big-bodied Gretsch guitar, but there’s an unlikely Gibson in his collection that's giving his favorite hollowbody a run for its money.
Setzer has been on a difficult road to recovery following struggles with an autoimmune disease that left him unable to play guitar. Now he’s just days away from returning to the stage with the Stray Cats on a US tour, where his Gretsch guitars will once again shine.
But when asked in the new issue of Guitar World about what he’d play if he were banned from using his beloved Gretsch 6120s, he revealed there was only one choice.
“I recently bought a ’59 Flying V and a ’59 Les Paul,” he says. “I bought them because, fortunately, I had the money saved up, and I wanted to see what the fuss was all about.
“Now, the Les Paul is a beautifully built guitar, and it plays beautifully. I cannot fault it. The only thing is, it’s not my tone. It’s not my particular sound. I couldn’t bring it on stage or even record with it. It’s just not me, even though it’s a joy to play.”
The Flying V, though, is another matter. It’s got Setzer drooling.
“It sounds like the Gretsch,” he purrs. “I kid you not, man! I played a Gretsch and then played the ’59 Flying V, and I couldn’t tell the difference. The only other guitar that could take the place of the Gretsch would be an older Flying V. It sounded so similar – I couldn’t believe it.”
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On the surface, a Gibson Flying V is far removed from a 6120 – one’s hollow-bodied, and one’s solid–bodied, for a start – and the instrument’s biggest players, from Michael Schenker to Leslie West and James Hetfield, aren’t exactly of Setzer’s ilk. Yet…
“It had the balls, it had that twang,” Setzer confirms. “The Les Paul doesn’t have it, but the old Flying V does. It’s the weirdest thing.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
But don’t expect to see it on the road with the Stray Cats any time soon: “I’m afraid to take it out,” he admits. “It’s worth so much money.”
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.
