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Gretschen and Rick Booming out of the '50s country explosion of Chet Atkins and Carl Perkins, the archtop kings, Gretsch and Rickenbacker claimed the high ground in the '60s British Invasion. It was so hard to choose. Did you go with the smooth, bright, melodic Chet Atkins tone of the Gretsch or did you favor the bigger, boomier note of the Rickenbacker? Both pumped a driving, western sound through those big Vox amps, practically levitating their players off the stage. John always grabbed his Rick, while George was a switch-hitter, going back and forth between his chimey Ricks and sharp-edged Gretsches. For Tommy and Quad, Pete worked his dazzling leads straight from his Gretsch collection. On our side of the pond, Roger went eight miles high with his Rick 12, driving so many players to the archtop camp. This pair of late 50s lovebyrds gave that pioneering rock & roll of the British Invasion its distinctive sound. And the rug? Hard to pin down to a specific nomad camp, but I'd say high in Central Asia where the Stans meet the Karakorum foothills. |
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