Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins vs Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster
Reasons to Get
Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins over Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster
Reasons to Get
Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster over Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins
Other Key Differences
Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins vs Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster
Shared Features
Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins vs Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- 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 G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins is probably the better product overall with its final score of 75 compared to the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster's 72 score, although not by a lot.
The Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins wins when it comes to build quality. On the other hand, the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster has the upper hand when it comes to sound, value for the money.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster is easier to play.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster is the better choice.
The Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins 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 G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins- Comfortable shape
- Short scale
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
New Player Friendliness
Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
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 G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins Overview
- From Gretsch's 2020 Professional Collection series
- Chet Atkins Signature
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 24.6"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- 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 B6C Vibrato Tailpiece with Gretsch Logo bridge
- Vintage V Set neck
- 22 Vintage frets
- Grover V98 Sta-Tite Open-Back tuners
- Compare Specs >
Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster Overview
- From Fender's 2021 Artist series
- Chrissie Hynde Signature
- Made in Mexico
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 7.25" Fretboard Radius
- Alder body
- Maple neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Fender Vintage-Style 50s Single-Coil Tele (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Fender Vintage-Style 50s Single-Coil Tele (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- 6-Saddle Strings-Through-Body Tele with Stainless Steel Saddles bridge
- Mid 60s C Bolt-On neck
- 21 Narrow Tall frets
- Deluxe Cast/Sealed Locking with Vintage Style Button 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.
Woods Used in the Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins
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.
Woods Used in the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster
Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.
Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.
Winner: Tie.
Pickup Configuration
The Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins has an HH configuration while the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster has SS pickups.
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.
On the other hand, SS is the classic Telecaster configuration. It's used mainly for playing clean or with low-gain distortion, and it's very popular for the country genre because of their brightness. It doesn't give you as much versatility as a Strat SSS configuration, but you might like the cleaner look of a guitar body with fewer pickups.
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.
However, the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.
We found the same or similar pickups to the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster's online:
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: Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster.
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.
Only the Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins 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 G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins.
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 G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins compares to the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins is built in Japan while the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster is made in Mexico.
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.
Mexico has been for a long time where Fender has built their semi-premium series. If you don't want to overpay for a wellp-built instrument, a guitar built in this country by a good brand always offers good value for the money.
Winner: Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins
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 G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins has 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.
On the other hand, the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster comes with 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.
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 Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins's brige 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.
On the other hand, the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster's 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.
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 G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins.
Tuners
The Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster 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: Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster.
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 Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins has 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.
On the other hand, the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster comes with Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.
Winner: Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins
- 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
Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster
- Locking Tuners
- Expensive Wood
- Synthetic Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- Made in Mexico
- No Neck-Through Build
- 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
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 Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins has the wider nut with 42.9mm (1.688'') vs 42mm (1.654''). This is a 0.9mm (0.034'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins, 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 Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster has the longest scale: 25.5". The Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins 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 G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins 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 Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster, on the other hand, has a C 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.
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.
In this case, the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins.
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 G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins favors large hands more than the Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster.
Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins:
Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster:
Fret Size
The Fender Chrissie Hynde Telecaster has Narrow Tall frets, which should be taller than the Gretsch G6120T-59 Vintage Select Edition '59 Chet Atkins'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.
