The Gretsch Pages

The 6119-1962 Tennessee Rose was designed to recall one of Gretsch's most popular models, the 1962 Tennessean as played by George Harrison.

First released in 1993, the Tennessee Rose had several notable differences from the classic Tennesseans. In particular, it was fitted with ceramic-magnet Filterton pickups instead of the HiLoTrons.

While it differed from the originals in many details and was later eclipsed by more faithful reissues, the 6119-1962 Tennessee Rose was a good guitar and one of Gretsch's better efforts of the mid-'90s.

In 2003 it was joined by the G6119-1962HT Tennessee Rose, which was equipped with HiLoTrons for a much better approximation of the the '62 Tennessean.

In 2004 it was supplanted by the new, improved G6119-1962FT Tennessee Rose.

See Also:

• 6119 Tennessean

Comments

1. Beatles6120 wrote:

   A perfect replica all the way around. Just wish the pickguard said "Tennessean"

   — Aug 28, 2006 10:47 p.m.

2. yettoblaster wrote:

   My '04 G6119-1962FT has the bound ebony fretboard w zero fret, and halfmoon "thumbnail" markers, which I measured at 24.5" scale length (high E). Poly walnut stain body and three piece maple neck (vs cherry/dark red); a sort of brown to black sunburst on the back (actually the back's edge has been very evenly shot black); white/black binding around the top (looks single bound, but there's a black layer too). Nice sounding -with chrome finish- (as all the hardware is) Filtertron humbuckers; tone switch circuit (AKA "mud" switch); rocking bar bridge; and a fully functional Bigsby with the swivel handle coming readily to hand at the perfect height for me. I find the playability and versatility to be excellent with D'Addario "Chromes" in 0.012" - 0.052" The string to string volume balance and consistent tones across both plain and wound strings is great, and the pickups have a great balance with each other (and can also be adjusted with their individual vol pots), and can get that Gretsch "sproingky" tone that sounds brilliant and keening, without any harshness. The intonation with this string set is also very acceptable with the bar bridge. Much closer than I would have imagined. I doubt it will be too much of a future "collectable," but only because other models are flashier, therefore more "marketable." Screw the "market!" It's a good working ax that gets a nice Jazz sound for the jobs I do, and still satisfies at home with lots of versatility for Rockabilly; Country; Blues; Rock; Gospel; and Classic R&B. It can get the Chet Atkins sounds when fingerpicking, and also Brian Setzer "Ker-rang!!!" to some extent. I love gliding around on the ebony with flatwounds. Flatwound strings can kill the life of many a good guitar's sound, but the Filtertrons and D'Addario "Chromes" I have settled on for this guitar are a great match for what I want to do musically, and still plenty versatile. There's not that sharp jump in highs from the wounds to the plain strings, nor in volume. I think overall FMIC has been good for Gretsch so far. This is a dandy guitar. I've played lots of Tennessee Rose and Tennessee Gretsches from pre-FMIC and now FMIC distributed, and the necks always impress me on these. A very underated model, I think. Not as flashy as some other Gretsches maybe, but it definitely has the Gretsch charm.

   — Nov 10, 2006 4:41 p.m.

3. troy6120 wrote:

   6119-1962HT An all-around great instrument; feels a bit "entry-level", but that's not neccessarily a bad quality in this case. Lightweight, and great finish. I have taken a liking to the artificial F-holes, as well as the zero fret. The Bigsby is stable, the neck is straight, the fretwork is immaculate. A major point I would like to make is that the HiLoTron pickups have gotten a very bad reputation, and that reputation is truly undeserved. These pickups will do whatever you want them to do. My only complaint echoes a few others, and that is that the pickguard is somewhat unattractive. "Tennessee Rose" is written in a plain, "stiff" font. A unique guitar, with a unique history.

   — Nov 29, 2006 11:57 a.m.

4. Westside wrote:

   Beatiful guitar!

   — Mar 25, 2007 1:10 p.m.

5. rpdalton wrote:

   Beautifully made and fits like a glove. The real F holes exacerbate feedback a bit but not a problem

   — May 25, 2007 9:03 p.m.

6. lcjones wrote:

   I just bought a Tennessee Rose 6119. Last Gretsch in the store. WOW!!! Stunning! An absolute beauty! But I'm a sucker for a red guitar anyway. When they see me coming, they hang anything red on the hooks. :) I set the TR next to my Fireglo Ric and my pair of Cherry Guilds and the TR blows them away in looks. In tone? Stock, out of the case these pups just reek of hot guitar licks. I'm a happy camper.

   — Jun 15, 2007 5:59 p.m.

7. MarsDlugosz wrote:

   My second Gretsch, the 6119-1962 Tennessee Rose is above all my fave!. The tone is incredible. Hooda thunk? Gresch - the only REAL guitar! ;)

   — Jun 19, 2007 4:22 p.m.

8. Bigbill8461 wrote:

   I love playing my Tennessee Rose, it has the tone that you would expect from Gretsch. I dont feel that the Guitar gets the credit that it deserves. I'm not crazy about the white painted binding around the painted on f holes, but over all a really nice guitar..Thanks Bill

   — Jul 11, 2007 7:27 a.m.

9. BEAR wrote:

   Beautiful guitar. Action is really good and the tone of the guitar is really great now I can see why this guitar was so popular with the sixties.

   — Sep 17, 2007 8:44 p.m.

10. BEAR wrote:

    Beautiful guitar. Action is really good and the tone of the guitar is really great now I can see why this guitar was so popular with the sixties.

    — Sep 17, 2007 8:44 p.m.

11. BEAR wrote:

    Beautiful guitar. Action is really good and the tone of the guitar is really great now I can see why this guitar was so popular with the sixties.

    — Sep 17, 2007 8:44 p.m.

12. rpdalton wrote:

    Fantastic guitar. I love the feel and the tone. Construction is a work of art! It was setup perfectly out of the box. The guitar oozes quality.

    — Oct 16, 2007 1:37 p.m.

13. jayster wrote:

    I have both Tenn.Rose models. A 6119-1962 HT and the Tenn. Rose 6119 -1962. They both are perfect in everyway.I got my 6119 1962 Ht the Harrison version from Musicans Friend for $1000.00 blow out sale with case and I happened to walk in at the right time at Guitar Center and another Tenn. Rose 6119-1962 wide body was staring right at me when walking though the front door and was saying to me buy me for $800.00 which I did. It was in mint condition! These guitars are a finger players dream. I just scored a 2003 G 6122-1959 single cut Walnut single cut Nashville Classic for a get this $1100.00 with original case in mint condition. What I noticed right off the bat is that the Tenn. Rose 6119-1962 wide body and neck being 1/11/16 is almost a perfect match copy of the Nashville Classic 6122-1959 neck which is 1 3/4 slighty bigger. The Nashville Classic is now called the Chet Atkins Country Gentleman. The necks are almost the same even if the Nashville Classic has a 1 3/4 neck and the Rose has a 1 11/16 neck. The feel is the same and both bodies are the same. Only difference I M H O are the pickups and finishes and One less control knob. The Nashville Classic has slighty lower volume more fuller mellow sound from the TV Jones pickups.The Tenn 6119 Tenn rose is nice and bright. Both are basically the same guitar. So if you can't aford the new 1922-1959 Country Gentleman get The 6122-1962 wide body Tenn. Rose. It's the same axe, Jay

    — Feb 24, 2009 6:38 p.m.

14. demonfly wrote:

    There are two second hand gretsch guitars that I'm looking into getting. Well, trying to decide between the two... 6120DSW (approx 1600) or G6119-1962HT (approx 1200) Does anyone have two cents on this one? I kinda love them both. My primary guitar is a Tele relic, but I'm going through a Chet phase and have become obsessed with getting one of these sweet things. They're both long drives either way, and I'd like to play them before deciding, but would love some feedback going in. THANKS!

    — Mar 2, 2009 1:45 p.m.

15. nsureit wrote:

    I traded for this beautiful 6119/1962HT. Really liked everything about it. But as a rhythm guitar player, I needed more depth and crunch to the sound, so I replaced the HiLos with TV Jones PowerTrons. The sound is now much more ballsy plugged into my VOX Heritage AC15. Also have some intonation issues above the 12th fret with the floating bar bridge, but I'm thinking about replacing it with a SynchroSonic. For me, guitars are a fun hobby, and this guitar has been a real pleasure to tinker with and play. It's a great stock instrument, but I now like it more with the mods.

    — Apr 8, 2009 12:13 a.m.

16. 86general wrote:

    One odd thing about this aspect of the Gretsch lineup is that they changed the scale. The generic 6119 is a 25.5" scale, and many or most of these other models are 24.6" scale. That's confusing. If possible, they shouldn't do that, or at the least they should put something in the model name or number indicating scale. They don't do that already, right? BTW, speaking of the Tennesse Rose...I gots me an in on a potentially fabulous deal on one. I'll be back with you guys soon, hopefully with pics...

    — Apr 22, 2009 11:27 a.m.

17. 86general wrote:

    I bought the guitar, as everyone knows by now. 2007 model, 25.5 scale, thumbnail markers, etc. Like someone else said, I put D'Addario .11 flatwound chromes on it and I think it sounds fantastic this way. Gives you a really nice jazz tone, and the balance across strings is a bit better, I think, than with round wounds. Maybe you lose some of the twang, but I don't play that stuff much, and the loss of twang isn't really severe. It's not like it neuters the guitar or anything... I think it's a perfect hollow body: Large enough to get the hollow body sound, yet not a full thickness OR a full-width jazz box, so it's comfortable to play and hold. The finish is impeccable. Filtertrons are nice pickups. I think they are slightly lower output than Gibson '57 classics. Just a gorgeous instrument all around. Amazing what you can buy for the price.

    — May 11, 2009 1:19 p.m.

18. MikeSchindler wrote:

    The unsung hero of Gretsch guitars. Has the "sound" and the playability is marvelous.Love those HiLos! Comfortable body and great color. Put flats on it and you'll never put it down. It is also more versatile with the right amp and eefects than most people give it credit for. A+

    — Mar 4, 2010 6:58 p.m.

1993:

This "1962 Reissue" Tennessee Rose was released in 1993 in an attempt to recall the mid-'60s popularity of the Tennessean

Body Width

16"

Body Depth

2"

Body Style

Single Cutaway Hollowbody

Colors

• Walnut

Fretboard Wood

Rosewood

Fretboard Markers

Neo-Classic

Nut

Bone

Tuners

Unknown

Neck Pickup

Ceramic Magnet FilterTron

Controls

• Master Volume
• Neck pickup volume
• Bridge pickup volume
• Pickup selector switch
• Tone Switch
• Standby Switch

Bridge

Gretsch Roller Bridge

Tailpiece

Bigsby B-6 (V-cutout)