the double plugs are definitely off the CGP /agreed on the brand and brander
unless that's YOU doing the branding
CAAS '08: The Week Fingerpickers Took Over the World
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- Rated: 47 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 9:07 p.m. The Norm:
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- Rated: 47 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 9:13 p.m. The Norm:
Well, again, the jacks are from the CGP. The black switch is the a/b stereo pickup/standard flipper and I councur the brand is the iron but is not seriously hot.
Probably Jones in the shot since you, Proteus, is likely wearing a gretsch shirt
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- Rated: 47 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 9:14 p.m. The Norm:
btw... I told the guys on the Chetboard about this thread. Not all of them could go to the CAAS and are going through withdrawal
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- Rated: 22 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 9:16 p.m. Boyko:
This post has been deleted
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- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 9:17 p.m. Proteus:
I remember Wednesday,
but just barely. Good thing I took pictures.
Joe told me this event had a laid-back vibe, so I was a little confused when I began yesterday with two hours of sleep.
Gretsch headquarters here at CAAS are in Hall E, a modestly sized ballroom just down the hall from the big meet-n-greet Convention Lobby. We're "sharing" space with Broadway Sound, a long-time Gretsch dealership from Knoxville. (You're going to get to know Broadway's folks.)
Broadway has a display space roughly 20 feet wide and 8 feet deep, as does Gretsch. Along with excellent acoustics by Maton of Australia, some Godins, amps, and a generous helping of Boss gear, Broadway brought over 20 Gretschs.
Combined with the 13 (OK, 14 now) Joe brought, that gives deep and wide representation of the Gretsch line.
Around the rest of the room are displays and exhibits by Aphex, Mel Bay Publications (and guitars!), Moll guitars, Industrial Amplifiers, TV Jones, and Sound Seat performance seating.
Gretsch always puts up great-looking displays, but we started yesterday morning with all 13 guitars stacked in cases and a rack of clothes. The "skyline" backdrop for the booth, which should have come Tuesday, didn't appear till around noon, and then it was Job One to assemble it and display the guitars.
That doesn't mean we were idle all morning. Convention traffic started early and was steady all day. There were lots of questions about specifics of the Gretsch line, and guys kept asking about this CGP thing. All we could say was "It's not here yet."
When the skyline display system did arrive, Tim Thiel, Jason Herndon, and I played Three Stooges, providing chills spills and other entertainment for the assembled multitude as we erected the wire supports, strung the lights, and hung the four 2'x 7' graphic panels on each of the two 8-foot spans.
And then lifted it into place on tables against the wall. This process was only mildly disruptive, but I know everyone in the room was secretly hoping it all collapsed in a comic pile, as long as it didn't fall of their stuff.
But we persevered, and the booth was fully displayed by mid-afternoon. In the meantime, we heard great pickers from Broadway Sound and Aphex, and met and talked to a lot of folks. (This is the south, OK? We have folks here.)
Yup, some pics of the setup...
Broadway Sound's Gretschs
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Gretschland!
You'll note that Gretsch amps are prominently displayed. I inSISTed on this. Jason had to drag them from his office at Soundcheck. These are the units which have been used as artist demos here in Music City, and all are a bit gig-worn. No matter, they sound great, and have been proving their majesty since we got them cleaned up and fired up.
Jason warned us that under NO CIRCUMSTANCES was any of them to be sold. Nonetheless, the folks at Broadway sold the Executive right out of the booth today.
That's whut ah'm talkin'bout!
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- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 9:25 p.m. Proteus:
BINGO!
Curt wins a cool thing for being first, and what-the-hey (I'm trying to adopt southern colloquialisms for the event, ok?), we'll send one to Norm for his detail. (Norm, send me your mailing info. I have Curt's.)
But what have they won, Proteus?
Why, our lucky contestants have won appropriately embroidered gig purses (in the south, we say "pokes) that look like this:
But, Proteus, what's IN the poke?
A pig, of course. Be patient.
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- Rated: 13 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 9:30 p.m. hotrodwalt:
I wish I was playing in Nashville this weekend instead of next........... I will be there on the 19th. Have fun guys.
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- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 9:36 p.m. Proteus:
Sounds of CAAS #1: These kids today...
Let me get this out of the way first. The Gretsch picker in these pics is 14. His name is Bryan Browne, and he lives in Australia, where Tommy Emmanuel discovered him two years ago.
The acoustic player, Joe Robinson, is 17. If his lead in this clip doesn't do it, he'll be blowing your mind later. Stay tuned for that!
They look like this:
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They sound like this.
Go ahead. Click it.
A Free Thing has your name on it if you can identify the orange Gretsch. -
- Rated: 22 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 9:45 p.m. Boyko:
Gretsch Tennessean?
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- Rated: 83 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 9:47 p.m. Mark Synchro:
Gretsch Nashville Jr.
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- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 9:48 p.m. Proteus:
Around the vendor room.
Mel Bay acoustics, built by Bill Moll of Moll Instruments in Springfield Missouri.
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Bill is of course also responsible for the gorgeous Moll acoustics and archtops. I mean to spend more time with his instruments before the week is out.
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Industrial Amps occupies a corner of the display room, and also supplies some amps for the performance stages.
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- Rated: 22 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 9:48 p.m. Boyko:
Gretsch 6119 Chet Atkins Tennessean, if you wanna get technical.
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- Rated: 51 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 9:48 p.m. Curt:
Cool poke, thanks!
Them kids are going to make me quit guitar, again!
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- Rated: 83 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 9:50 p.m. Mark Synchro:
Quittin' guitar is EZ, I've done it a hundred times.
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- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 10:05 p.m. Proteus:
CAAS People #1
We think we go to these events for the music, or for the guitars and gear, but it always ends up being about the people. I wish I could do justice to everyone I've met and talked with – they've had so many stories, reflecting so many experiences – but I'll only scratch the surface.
Let's start with Pat Corn. We met because he was excited to show off his recent Synchromatic archtop. (As you'll see, jazz archtops are a minor theme at CAAS this year. Tradition!) He wondered why we didn't have one at the Gretsch display, and I didn't have a good answer.
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But there's more to Pat than just a pair of Synchromatics (he has a sunburst at home). He's a long-time professional player who reads music fluently and has done countless live and studio gigs with that skill. He produces musical theatre at Pigeon Forge, and has a website covering his diverse musical adventures at http://maizeone.com/ .
I was most pleased to meet the GDP's own Richard Hudson, who graciously posed with a White Falcon.
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We had a great visit, and it will be no surprise to anyone here that he's as warm, genuine, and classy as his online persona. I hope to have more on Richard later – including performance audio and, if things work out, I'd like to do a tune with him.
TV's new pickup model!
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Lindsey's the girl who often answers the phone at TV's office. She's bright, efficient, funny, and an important part of the TV Jones operation – though she seemed disappointed none of us fell or dropped a guitar as we set up the booth.She's also a part of the CGP story, but more on that later...
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- Rated: 47 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 10:16 p.m. The Norm:
The kids are playing Main Street Breakdown and I'd bet that was aa 6122-59 with an orange finish
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- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 10:16 p.m. Proteus:
What IS coming up later?
• Show deals from Broadway Sound, with special pricing available to you as GDP members, so you can spend your money for a new Gretsch at CAAS without leaving home.
• Guitar auctions from Broadway Sound, conducted right here on the GDP. No one will pay any auction fees, so we'll call it FreeBay.
• Event-only swag: free stuff you could only get if you attended CAAS. Ain't virtuality wonderful?
• Gretsch 6120CGP model introduction coverage. The model was officially rolled out worldwide TODAY, going live on the Gretsch site, at all Gretsch affiliates around the world. It can now be ordered from FMIC. Here you'll get close-up-and-personal details, behind-the-scenes tales of its development, and an hour's worth (maybe more) of live demo by great players. (Nokie Edwards among them...)
• Pics and complete audio of the Paul Yandell tribute session and Q&A held this afternoon at NAMM. Chet tales, CGP development insight, and reminiscences from a great living link to the Atkins legacy.
• More great pickers -
- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 10:22 p.m. Proteus:
Norm, you're hot tonight!
It is indeed one of a limited run of 6122-1959s in orange. A dozen were built to a custom order for Broadway Sound, who was also responsible for run of 12 blonde 6122-59s (as deployed by Bobby Gibson at WinterNAMM.)
Expect a little something extra in your Picker Poke.
Along with these, which come in all the Pokes:
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(The truly alert among us may recall that Chet Atkins strings were to be introduced here at CAAS. They could either be ready and not right, or right and not ready. Joe chose the latter, and stuffed these pokes with Electromatic strings.) -
- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 10:29 p.m. Proteus:
SWAGAWAY #1
After our late supper downtown last night (southern barbecue on the upstairs patio at Rippys on Broadway, across from the Sommet Center), Joe put Tim Thiel and I to work assembling 500 CAAS '08 Chet lanyards.
They're very popular among showgoers; it seemed that by the end of the day, everyone was wearing one. Since I plumb wore myself to a frazzle making them, I swiped some from Joe's room for y'all.
Tell me what kind of guitar Chester Atkins played before he got into this Gretsch business, and we'll send you one. (Or at least the first 10 right answers in this thread.)
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- Rated: 17 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 10:29 p.m. tommy59:
Damn, I'm late for this, and I think the Norm nailed it, but I will say that although it is without doubt a 6122-1959, I think Mark S was right that it is a little smaller. Does that booger (southern term) have a 16" body, maybe even a shorter scale than the standard 6122-1959?
EDIT: Oops -- Obviously I posted this without seeing Prote's reply to Norm (too big a hurry to get to the bottom of the page and type).
On another note, I also have one of those Synchros like Pat Corn, and could not be happier with it. One of Gretsch's better kept secrets. I'd be willin' to wager that all y'all who were ravin' about spruce-top ("mistake") Country Clubs the other day would find these very appealing as well.
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- Rated: 204 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 10:32 p.m. Proteus:
Mmm, I don't think so, tommy, but I'll check tomorrow.
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- Rated: 83 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 10:35 p.m. Mark Synchro:
D'Angelico B-4 Gretsch.
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- Rated: 47 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 10:37 p.m. The Norm:
D'Angelico Excel
One P-90 and one Bigsby pickup and a Kaufman Vib-Rola handle on it
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- Rated: 17 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 10:40 p.m. tommy59:
I believe you, Proteus. The kid is probably just bigger than I think he is.
And yes, Chet played a D'Angelico before hooking up with Gretsch. If we need to be more specific than that, let me know and I will copy the info from the Norm's post.
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- Rated: 83 ↑
Jul 10, 2008 10:43 p.m. Mark Synchro:
Darn sneaky kid. #%$*!
