The G6131G-MY-RB is a recreation of Young's beloved "Beast" (before he stripped its paint and made a number of other mods), while the G6134TFM-NH features a stripped-down control set
(Image credit: Gretsch Guitars)
Gretsch has heralded the arrival of summer by introducing two new signature guitars.
The G6131G-MY-RB and G6134TFM-NH were created for late AC/DC rhythm guitar dynamo Malcolm Young and Nigel Hendroff, respectively, and each boasts some unique kit.
We'll take you through each of them below, starting with the Young model.
Gretsch G6131G-MY-RB Limited Edition Malcolm Young Signature Jet
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(Image credit: Gretsch Guitars)
(Image credit: Gretsch Guitars)
Malcolm Young's favorite electric guitar was a legendary six-string affectionately dubbed "The Beast." Early on in AC/DC's career, it was a Firebird Red Jet with stock neck and bridge humbuckers, plus a middle humbucker installed by Young.
The rhythm guitar great then decided to strip that middle humbucker, and the neck humbucker, leaving only a bridge pickup. He also stripped the guitar down from its original Firebird Red look to his preferred natural finish.
The G6131G-MY-RB recreates The Beast as it appeared in AC/DC's It's A Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll) music video – after the addition of the middle 'bucker.
We don't have its full spec sheet yet, but we do know that it boasts a double-cutaway chambered mahogany body with a maple top, plus a trio of TV Jones pickups – Ray Butts Ful- Fidelity Filter’Trons in the neck and bridge, and a Starwood humbucker in the middle, for added punch.
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(Image credit: Gretsch)
These are controlled in part by an individual pickup toggle switch, a three-way tone switch and a three-position standby switch.
Elsewhere, there's a harmonica-style Adjusto-Matic bridge with a pinned ebony base, and a print of Young's signature on the guitar's truss rod cover.
The Gretsch G6131G-MY-RB Limited Edition Malcolm Young Signature Jet will be available starting in October for $3,399. It seems bound to be a good option for those who loved the power of Gretsch's previous G6131-MY Malcolm Young Signature Jet, but are looking for a bit more tonal variety on top.
Second on tap is a new signature Penguin for Nigel Hendroff, a prominent guitarist in the world of Christian music.
Like a typical Penguin, the G6134TFM-NH features a chambered mahogany body with a maple top. It also sports a mahogany neck with an ebony fretboard, and is powered by a pair of Broad’Tron BT65 pickups. Intriguingly though, the G6134TFM-NH's control set seems to our eyes to be a bit more streamlined than that found on a typical Penguin
The spec sheet is rounded out by a string-thru Bigsby B7CP vibrato, Grover Imperial locking tuners and strap locks.
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(Image credit: Gretsch Guitars)
(Image credit: Gretsch Guitars)
The Gretsch G6134TFM-NH Nigel Hendroff Signature Penguin will be available starting in July – in Amber Flame and Dark Cherry Metallic Flame finishes – for $3,499.
Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.
