For over three decades, Rich Robinson and his brother Chris Robertson have been responsible for the classic and genuine rock 'n' roll sound of his band 'The Black Crowes'. To coincide with the 30th Anniversary Reunion Tour of the band's 1990 debut album 'Shake Your Money Maker', legendary guitar builder Gretsch presents the Gretsch G6136T-RR Rich Robinson Signature Magpie with Bigsby Raven's Breast Blue, a personalized signature instrument that captures the traditional rock spirit, including a Gretsch Deluxe Case!
Based on the classic G6136T hollow-body design, the Rich Robinson Signature features a maple laminate body and solid spruce top with oversized F-holes for a highly resonant fundamental tone. Thanks to traditional 1959 trestle bracing and an additional center block for effective feedback suppression at higher gain settings, the G6136T-RR doesn't stop at solid crunch and overdrive sounds and convinces with responsive attack and enormous projection. The classically glued maple neck with its powerful standard U profile also plays a role here that should not be underestimated.
Played on an amp, the pairing of a Gretsch Broad'Tron BT-65 and a TV Jones Filter'Tron Classic deliver classic rock tones with a distinct vintage character. The BT-65 on the neck delivers unique midrange punch with a smooth top end, while the Filter'Tron Classic in the bridge position provides crisp, overtone-rich trebles for premium rock tones. The knob layout of the G6136T-RR Rich Robinson Signature Magpie follows the traditional Gretsch design and relies on separate volume knobs with Master Tone and additional Master Volume, which thanks to the Treble Bleed Circuit fully reproduces the treble spectrum of both pickups even on tamer settings.
Matching the sound, the hardware of the Gretsch G6136T-RR Rich Robinson Signature Magpie remains authentic and stylish. In classic Gretsch fashion, a versatile Gretsch Adjusto-Matic with pinned ebony base is used in combination with a classic Bigsby B6 vibrato. The latter follows the classic design without pressure roller and allows for expressive vibrato sounds. Furthermore, six Grover Imperial tuners are used, whose stepped wings are part of the unmistakable silhouette of the classic G6136T. For the Rich Robinson Signature, Gretsch also adds a personalized Magpie pickguard and a unique Raven's Breast Blue nitrocellulose finish, which allows the guitar's resonance to run wild and accumulate authentic signs of aging over time.