Show Full Spec Comparison
| Epiphone 1963 Firebird I | Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Brand: | Epiphone | Gretsch |
| Year: | 2024 | 2017 |
| Configuration: | H | HH |
| Strings: | 6 | 6 |
| Made in: | China | Japan |
| Series: | 1963 Firebird I | Professional Collection |
| Colors: | Green, Pink, Silver | Brown |
| Left-Handed Version: | No | No |
| Body | ||
| Type: | Solid Body | Hollowbody |
| Body Material: | 9-ply Mahogany/Walnut Neck-Through | Laminated Maple |
| Bridge: | Wraparound Lightning Bar | Bigsby B6G Vibrato Tailpiece with Gretsch Logo |
| Neck | ||
| Neck Joint: | Neck-Through | Set |
| Tuners: | Kluson "Banjo-style" Planetary | Grover Imperial Die-Cast |
| Fretboard: | Indian Laurel | Ebony |
| Neck Material: | Mahogany | Maple |
| Decoration: | Mother of Pearl dot | Pearloid Neo-Classic Thumbnail |
| Scale Size: | 24.75" | 24.6" |
| Shape: | 1963 Firebird | Standard U |
| Frets: | 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver | 22 Vintage Nickel Silver |
| Fretboard Radius: | 12" | 12" |
| Nut: | Ivory Tusq | Bone |
| Nut Width: | 43mm (1.693'') | 42.9mm (1.688'') |
| Electronics | ||
| Bridge Pickups: | Gibson USA Firebird Mini Humbucker with Alnico 5 Magnets (Humbucker / Passive) | Gretsch TV Jones Filter'Tron Classic (Humbucker / Passive) |
| Middle Pickup: | ||
| Neck Pickup: | Gretsch TV Jones Filter'Tron Classic (Humbucker / Passive) | |
| Switch: | 0 Way | 3 Way |
| Knobs: | Bell | Speed |
| Pickup Mods: | None | Multi-Voicing |
| Volume Controls: | 1 | 3 |
| Tone Controls: | 1 | 0 |
| Hardware | ||
| Strap Lock: | No | No |
| Hardware Color: | Nickel | Gold |
Show Diagrams Comparison
Reasons to Get
Epiphone 1963 Firebird I over Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman
Reasons to Get
Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman over Epiphone 1963 Firebird I
Other Key Differences
Epiphone 1963 Firebird I vs Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman
Shared Features
Epiphone 1963 Firebird I vs Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Locking Tuners
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Price History Comparison
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Hand Size Comfortability
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman favors large hands more than the Epiphone 1963 Firebird I.
Epiphone 1963 Firebird I:
Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman:
Beginner Friendliness
The Epiphone 1963 Firebird I meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman meets only 2. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
Epiphone 1963 Firebird I- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman- Comfortable shape
- Short scale
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in the Epiphone 1963 Firebird I
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
There are many types of Laurel, but East Indian is the most common for guitar building. Its color can vary from dark to light brown with black lines. Many people find its tonality similar to Rosewood, which favors the warmer frequencies. Find out more about Laurel.
Woods Used in the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman
Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.
Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.
Winner: Tie.
Pickup Configuration
The Epiphone 1963 Firebird I has an H configuration while the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman has HH pickups.
A single H pickup gives you the advantage of having a little longer sustain (all other things being equal) because there will be less magnetic fields from other pickups affecting the strings' vibration. However, they also give you the least versatility because you won't have other pickups at different distances from the bridge to create different tones. A single humbucking pickup is used for noiseless high output, which is used mainly for Hard Rock genres.
On the other hand, Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.
Pickups Quality
Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.
Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.
Winner: Tie.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
The Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman gives you 3 switch options while the Epiphone 1963 Firebird I gives you 0. This means that the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Only the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman comes with some kind of pickup modification: Multi-Voicing.
Multi-Voicing means the pickups come with multiple ''voices'', which means they can change the tone and gain by a simple switch or knob. Piezo, Fishman and similar are considered multi-voicing pickups.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Epiphone 1963 Firebird I compares to the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Epiphone 1963 Firebird I is built in China while the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman is made in Japan.
China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.
Japan has a long history of high-quality guitar building. Little has changed in terms of their manufacturing and quality control over the years. Many guitars made in this country can be compared—and even beat—others made in the US.
Winner: Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The Epiphone 1963 Firebird I has a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.
On the other hand, the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman comes with a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.
Winner: Tie.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Bridge
The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.
The Epiphone 1963 Firebird I's brige is a Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.
On the other hand, the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman's is a Bigsby Tremolo. Bigsby tremolos are built differently than regular tremolos. They have a stiffer arm, which is something a lot of people like because the arm won't wiggle around a lot. On the other hand, this type of tremolo is more complicated to restring and it might not be as newbie-friendly as other simpler tremolos.
Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.
Winner: Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Epiphone 1963 Firebird I's are Kluson "Banjo-style" Planetary while the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman's are Grover Imperial Die-Cast
Winner: Tie.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
The Epiphone 1963 Firebird I has a Neck-Through neck joint. This neck is a lot more resistant and lets builders give the neck joint a more comfortable shape for soloing at the upper frets. The disadvantage is that they're more expensive and that if you damage your neck, you can't simply replace it like with bolt-on necks.
On the other hand, the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman comes with Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.
Winner: Epiphone 1963 Firebird I.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Epiphone 1963 Firebird I
- Expensive Wood
- Ivory Tusq Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Multi-Voicing Pickups
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Epiphone 1963 Firebird I has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 42.9mm (1.688''). This is a 0.1mm (0.0050000000000001'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Epiphone 1963 Firebird I, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The Epiphone 1963 Firebird I has the longest scale: 24.75". The Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman is only 24.6" long. This is a 0.15'' (3.8mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The Epiphone 1963 Firebird I has a C type of neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
The Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman, on the other hand, has a U neck. This is also referred to as ''baseball neck'' because of its shape. It's usually thick, which is why some people with big hands like it. However, they can also be thin, similar to a C shape, but with more shoulders for a better grip.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
Both the Epiphone 1963 Firebird I and the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.
Fret Size
The Epiphone 1963 Firebird I has Medium Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman's Vintage frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.
