Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120 vs G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon
Reasons to Get
Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120 over G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon
Reasons to Get
Gretsch G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon over G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120
Other Key Differences
Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120 vs G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon
Shared Features
Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120 vs G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon
Common Strengths
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- High-Quality Nut
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Neck-Through Build
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120 is probably the better product overall with its final score of 77 compared to the Gretsch G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon's 73 score, although not by a lot.
The Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120 wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality, value for the money. This means that it wins over the Gretsch G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon in every aspect.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120 is the better choice.
The Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120 meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Gretsch G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon 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
Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120- Comfortable shape
- Locking tuners
- Tall frets
- Short scale
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Easy-to-use bridge
New Player Friendliness
Gretsch G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon- Comfortable shape
- Tall frets
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Comfortable neck
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.
Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120 Overview
- From Gretsch's 2016 Professional Collection series
- Reverend Horton Signature
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 24.6"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Arched Laminated Maple top
- Laminated Maple body
- Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Gretsch TV Jones Filter'Tron Classic (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Gretsch TV Jones Filter'Tron Classic (Humbucker/Passive)
- 3 volume and 0 tone Speed knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Bigsby B6CBDE Vibrato Tailpiece bridge
- Reverend Horton V Set neck
- 22 Medium Jumbo frets
- Gotoh Cast/Sealed Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Gretsch G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon Overview
- From Gretsch's 2016 Professional Collection series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Arched Laminated Maple top
- Laminated Maple body
- Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Gretsch TV Jones Filter'Tron Classic (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Gretsch TV Jones Filter'Tron Classic (Humbucker/Passive)
- 3 volume and 0 tone Speed knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Bigsby B6G Vibrato Tailpiece with Gretsch Logo bridge
- Standard U Set neck
- 22 Medium Jumbo frets
- Grover Imperial Die-Cast tuners
- Compare Specs >
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 Both
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
Both pickup configurations are HH. 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
Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.
Both offer you the same type of pickup mod: 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.
They both share the following switching options:
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Tie.
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 Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120 compares to the Gretsch G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in Japan.
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: Tie
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 Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120 has a Synthetic Bone nut. Bone is the best natural material for guitar nuts. However, its tonal properties can be inconsistent. That's the problem that synthetic bone fixes. This is much better than using a plastic nut because the nut is more slippery—which helps with tuning stability—, and it gives your open strings rich harmonics.
On the other hand, the Gretsch G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon 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.
Both come with a similar bridge: 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: Tie.
Tuners
The Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120 has the best tuners of the two because they are locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.
Winner: Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120.
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.
Both have a 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: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Synthetic Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Multi-Voicing Pickups
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Gretsch G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon
- 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, both have a nut width of 42.9mm (1.688'').
This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.
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 Gretsch G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon has the longest scale: 25.5". The Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120 is only 24.6" long. This is a 0.9'' (22.9mm) 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 Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120 has a V type of neck. This neck shape was more common during Fender's early years. Some people like it because they use their thumb over the edge of the fretboard to press the lower strings. It's rather thicker than most modern necks, so it's not usually used for playing fast solos.
The Gretsch G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon, 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 Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120 and the Gretsch G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon 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.
Hand Size Comfortability
Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Gretsch G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon favors large hands more than the Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120.
Gretsch G6120RHH Reverend Horton Heat Signature 6120:
Gretsch G6136T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Falcon:
Fret Size
Both have a Medium Jumbo fret size. These are slightly shorter than full Jumbo frets, so you'll still feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings. However, they interfere less with your fretting hand than medium-size frets. This is a good size if you like easy-to-press frets, but would still like to feel a bit of the fretboard when playing.