My local shop has one of these. I too am interested in more of a floating-pickup-jazz box substitute for an acoustic, and this one seems like a good buy. I'm a bit indifferent about the finish; it looks pretty good on the amber/natural, but I would think it wouldn't look as nice on the black. What I can't get past at the moment is the position markers. They just look a little cheap in person-and I'm usually not hung up on looks. I do like everything else about it, and it seemed to play well off the rack and had good projection.
G100CE Syncro Write-UP
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- Rated: 24 ↑
Mar 10, 2008 8:47 a.m. stjohn:
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- Rated: 83 ↑
Mar 10, 2008 12:06 p.m. Mark Synchro:
Amazingly, the position parkers are fairly accurate if you consider this guitar a modern version of the Gretsh New Yorker. I don't like them all that much either, they just dont fit on a guitar that is otherwise fairly modestly appointed.
I've played an original New Yorker back to back with the G 100 and (of course) the solid top of the original gives it a huge edge when it comes to acoustic volume. The New Yorker I played was a scarred veteran of many years and apparently some pickguard changes which left behind a small hole in the top. It still sounded great and had volume galore.
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- Rated: 212 ↑
Mar 10, 2008 12:11 p.m. Proteus:
I'm not crazy about the matte, but I do love the color of this little chopper. Me thinks a rubout to the kind of burnished lustre chrisp shows on the back would do the trick.
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- Rated: 21 ↑
Mar 10, 2008 1:09 p.m. chrisp:
[Mark Sync]>>>they just dont fit on a [,...] that is otherwise fairly modestly appointed.
You are steering this back to Daggi aren't you? Look, tube tops were IN fashion back then, OK?
Prot-o-type,
The rubout is not at all hard to do. This was made clear by the rapid wear of the neck to a very pleasing sheen.
But if mine is a reasonable example, just do not expect a dead smooth finish under the matte.
You do have to wonder why a semi-gloss has not been marketed though. It would look arguably better than the dipped-in-goop look of many MIK guitars.
I suppose it is that rubbing out to a semi-gloss is much harder than a full gloss, especially on a darker color.
CP
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- Rated: 212 ↑
Mar 10, 2008 1:16 p.m. Proteus:
Maybe Daggi could help with the rubbing.
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- Rated: 83 ↑
Mar 10, 2008 1:41 p.m. Mark Synchro:
You guys stop it! I can't concentrate on my work with all of this Dagmar talk.
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- Rated: 15 ↑
Mar 10, 2008 2:31 p.m. Brent:
I played a C100 on the weekend, and I am trying to thin my herd a bit and use the proceeds to pick one up. There are 2 in town (at 2 different stores), one natural and one black. I like them both but I think I like the looks of the natural a little better. They both play beautifully though.
It's tough to find a jazz box in this price range, most of the one I've seen locally are over $2k (but really nice).
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- Rated: 21 ↑
Mar 10, 2008 4:50 p.m. chrisp:
Wow Brent,
Not to argue, but I think the market has an absurd number of jazz boxes (which can of course play all sorts of music) under $2,000.
Lots and lots from the dirt cheap (Epi 175, Squier X-155) to a good dozen or so up around your 2,000 number.
CP
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- Rated: 20 ↑
Mar 10, 2008 7:49 p.m. cjm:
chrisp said:
Do you have a pic of the G3900 PU?
Yes, but I'm not sure if I can post it...the upload feature here doesn't seem to work with Linux and firefox...
ON EDIT: Guess I was wrong, it just doesn't show up before "Add Post."
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- Rated: 21 ↑
Mar 10, 2008 7:53 p.m. chrisp:
CJM
What is it about this pickup that makes it a single coil?
Is there just one coil around the adjustable pole pieces?
If the adjustable polepieces are N or S is there an opposite pole in the place you'd expect in the lower half of the PU?
Just curious about the innards of this PU,
EDIT: I guess I am suggesting that it is a mini humbucker. And single coil floaters that I have seen do not look like a Johnny Smith. But I am wrong alot.
CP
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- Rated: 20 ↑
Mar 10, 2008 8:32 p.m. cjm:
chrisp said: I guess I am suggesting that it is a mini humbucker.
I can't say for absolutely certain that it isn't. I'm too lazy to take it apart or unsolder wires to test resistance.
But...I've got other guitars with humbuckers.
The G3900 is the only one I own that is (VERY) sensitive to the polarity reverse switch on both my amps -- I have an older house with two wire outlets in the living room and the hum is objectionable on this guitar if the polarity switch is in the wrong position yet not bad with my others.
Output is lower than with my other guitars. When practical, I like to run the knobs wide open -- full volume and full treble on the guitar -- and adjust the amp accordingly. This guitar requires a higher volume setting on the amp than my other, humbucker equipped, guitars.
And the tonal response is more in line with what other single coil equipped archtops sound like to my ears.
Pre-FMIC Gretsch documents I saw described it as a single coil, and while these could be wrong, when I consider the other issues (significant 60 cycle hum with the polarity reversed, lower output, and a "brighter" frequency response than I expect from a humbucking pickup)...then I'm making the assumption that it is a single coil.
But...the fact that the adjustment screws are at one side of the cover, rather than in the center, does argue for it being a mini-humbucker. Everything else though is consistent with a single coil.
If it didn't sound good, I'd write it off as a poor quality mini-humbucker...but it sounds good.
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- Rated: 21 ↑
Mar 10, 2008 8:53 p.m. chrisp:
Thanks for the rundown on your thinking.
CP
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Aug 4, 2008 11:16 p.m. JohnSpencer:
I'm getting my brand new G100CE tomorrow, and I can't wait!
Does anyone know what kind of hard case I can buy for this guitar? The person I bought the guitar from mentioned a TKL(?) archtop case. He says it fits the guitar perfectly, but doesn't know the model number. Does anyone know? I sure appreciate any help, as well as enjoy this forum. I have always admired Gretsch guitars, and I'm finally getting one of my own!
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- Rated: 10 ↑
Aug 5, 2008 11:59 a.m. mainsoda:
a very cool read chrisp. I almost got one of these in a blem auction recently but backed out when it went to high. Very interesting information here.
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- Rated: 10 ↑
Aug 5, 2008 10:28 p.m. Daddy-O:
guitar center carries a semi soft case for acoustic guitars I believe it is a roadrunner. I bought one for my godson's 5120 and it fit like a glove it offer a lot of protection I think it offers more protection than many hard cases. I cost about 50 bucks
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- Rated: 59 ↑
Aug 5, 2008 10:38 p.m. Bear:
Musician's Friend has these on sale for 59.99 with free shipping and they fit my 5125 like it was custom made for it. The case is very well made, has 6 latches and looks classy as heck with the green crushed velvet interior...
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- Rated: 115 ↑
Aug 5, 2008 10:44 p.m. wenzel:
Chrisp, can you host the pics you once had on here on another site and post links to them? I'm really annoyed at all of the work that a lot of us put into posts and now all of the pics are GONE!!! Thanks...
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Aug 5, 2008 11:08 p.m. JohnSpencer:
Hi Bear, thanks for the case info! Just to confirm, does this look like the right one for $60 bucks? It looks like you gave positive feedback about it on the page. Question: Is the 5120 the same dimensions as the G100CE?
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Musicians-Gear-Vintage-Dreadnought-Archtop-...
Just received my new guitar this afternoon, and loving it! Thanks again for your help
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- Rated: 7 ↑
Nov 6, 2008 8:26 a.m. Anni_Lover:
After reading the comments about the appearance of the G100CE, it is in keeping with the genuine historical models. The block inlays and pickguard are accurate, although the headstock is of an older design. Here are a couple of vintage Synchromatics, as well as in interesting picture that gives the appearance that the G100CE is orange. Of course they've never been manufactured in orange ever, but what do you think of an orange G100CE?
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- Rated: 19 ↑
Nov 6, 2008 8:56 a.m. Gretschadelphia:
Call me crazy, but would not the G100CE sound and look amazing with a single Dynasonic
