Try again:

Ain't pretty. Should have picked silver. But it does the trick.

P.S. The jack plate is cheaper than the String Swing Jack & Ferrule tool.

P.S.S. Also did other stuff: tuning pegs, bridge, pups, pickguard, 1" spring.

timblog> your sanding method is exactly what I did for my 5120 Bridge...works perfectly!!

That jack plate may have been cheaper but I would not want an ugly Gibson bodge on my Gretsch.

Is all you need a jack plate? I mean does the jack itself need to be replaced also or can you fit the plate to the existing stock one?

Greasy, I didn't do the work myself. But I'm fairly certain the jack is the same and he just screwed on the plate.

Tubs, Can't we all just get along?

Of course we can, no offence meant.

i like football shape jack plates myself

Here's why you add a jack plate, and no, you do not have to replace the input jack, just unscrew the nut that holds it on, the new jack plate replaces the washer that is existing under the nut:

And here's a pretty in depth look at how to go about adding a jack plate.

{LINK}

I believe the longer curved Gibson Explorer plate looks best on a Gretsch, the square Les Paul ones always looked a little weird to me, not sure why, really.

Ah, ok. Yeah that damage is no good...glad you got it fixed. I will look into a jack plate or that fancy tool thingy.

Here's another question for y'all: I notice that most of you have upgraded the bridge. I know everyone has their own preference about what brand you move to, but how about what material? Is everyone using SS? What are your thoughts?

If anyone stumbles across this thread long after the fact and wonders how it all turned out...I have ordered a stainless steel tru-arc bridge and plan to sand the wood bridge base thingy in the process of installing it. I wavered between stainless and brass, but ultimately decided that if I did go brass I'd want all the hardware brass and that was too much $$ and work for now. Ultimately, I intend a coil-tapped TV Jones pickup setup (Super'Tron in the neck, Classic Plus in the bridge). As of now, I have already replaced the bigsby spring with a longer one (subtle, but nice), and am waiting on that new bridge!

Update: I got the new bridge in the mail yesterday (ST-120) so I spent a good long while sanding the bridge base before installing the new bridge. I only had 100 grit non-tack to work with, so I carefully marked where the bridge would go with blue lo-tack tape and then laid out a "platform" with double-sided tape to attach the sand paper to. I put one side of the tape on a tshirt a couple times to reduce the tackiness before pressing that side to the guitar. The 100 grit stuff took a very long time, but I think I'm making better contact now. The bridge position had to be moved for the new Tru-Arc to intonate correctly, so that's a little annoying, but everything is installed now and it's fantastic. The action is lower, the sustain is better, and boy is it nice!

the TV jones are very good but really expensive. I prefer the dynasonic more cheaper and more appropriate (for me) for rock 'n' roll. At last forgot GFS pickups, they look great but sound poor. I've put one in bridge position on my 5120 and now i'm waiting for a new dynasonic to removed it.

the TV jones are very good but really expensive. I prefer the dynasonic more cheaper and more appropriate (for me) for rock 'n' roll. At last forgot GFS pickups, they look great but sound poor. I've put one in bridge position on my 5120 and now i'm waiting for a new dynasonic to removed it.

Any particular Dynasonic? Do you mean a Gretsch Dynasonic, or some other companies?

Just ambling through this thread, lots of good suggestions. My two cents would be before spending big money changing the pickups, if the Roland Microcube is still all you have in the way on amps, do take your guitar to a store and play it through a few different valve amps (or maybe some higher end SS ones). Sligo noted the absence of advice on this much earlier.

The difference between my Roland and the valve amps I own and have played my 6117 and other guitars through is night and day. For a massive improvement in tone, for the type of money you might be spending on pickups, you may be able to find a reasonably priced valve amp which may offer a considerably more noticeable bang for your buck improvement.

To date, I think the best money I've spend on gear is what I put down on my Gretsch Playboy amp. I can get amazing tones out of my Epi Explorer with that thing, and I don't even have my Lollar pups yet.

A gretsch dynasonic not another one from seymour duncan or others companies. If you know a good deal for cheap dynasonic let me know please.

I did upgrade the speaker in the Microcube to a 6" weber and that made a big difference in how that amp sounds. I've also recently found some joy plugging the guitar into my Macbook with a Rocksmith cable (it's a game, but the cable that comes with it is 1/4"-USB with an A2D in-line) and then hooking up the Macbook to my Klipsch Promedia 2.1. The Mac has some great software like Garage Band and Logic which contain tons of built-in effects and amp models. Is there a reason to get a separate amp over that digital setup if I don't gig?

I adjusted the pickup poles on my '08 a couple of days ago, and I was amazed at the difference in the stock Gretschbuckers..

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much, but the clarity and tone in the bridge pickup is now a LOT better sounding.. Much more Gretsch-like to my ears..The in-between is also a lot better, but the neck still sounds muddy to me.

At some point, I'm still going to swap out these G'Buckers for some Surf 90's or similar, but for now, these Gretschbuckers have taken on a new life...

Anybody know the answer to this question? I'm rather curious!

"I did upgrade the speaker in the Microcube to a 6" weber and that made a big difference in how that amp sounds. I've also recently found some joy plugging the guitar into my Macbook with a Rocksmith cable (it's a game, but the cable that comes with it is 1/4"-USB with an A2D in-line) and then hooking up the Macbook to my Klipsch Promedia 2.1. The Mac has some great software like Garage Band and Logic which contain tons of built-in effects and amp models. Is there a reason to get a separate amp over that digital setup if I don't gig?"

Blunderbuss, I think you're onto something. Along the lines of what rig do you use if you don't gig. Go on start a thread. I'd be interested in other peoples solutions when it comes to home set ups.

Blunderbuss, I think you're onto something. Along the lines of what rig do you use if you don't gig. Go on start a thread. I'd be interested in other peoples solutions when it comes to home set ups.

Well I started it, but no real answers yet...

forgot the GFS pickups. They sound great five minutes and after you regret to have buy it. I've a pair of GFS on sale now.

Well, my G5120 is getting picked up from the shop today, with new TV Jones pickups! Powertron in the neck and TV Classic Plus in the bridge, both wired with push/pull 5k pots for switching between single coil and humbucking mode. On top of that, trying out some Thomastik JS-113s for the first time as well. It was a good Christmas at the Blunderbuss household, I can tell you

Sorry for the silly question, but I can't find the answer on here. What is the purpose of the 1" bigsby spring?