TV Classics--MagnaTron--Dynasonics(?)
As the cryptic title suggests; are the Maggies actually slotted somewhere between the Dynas and the Classics? I really love Duane and the "old Chet" back before the Butts pups went on the Gretsches, but I also really dig the "New Chet" with the FilterTrons. Sometimes I think I prefer the old sound the best. ....sometimes I think I don't know. Sometimes I think I'm stuck somewhere in early 1958. If the MagnaTrons still have that "Great Gretsch Sound" but are in fact a good compromise between the Dynas and the Classics, that may well be the best of both worlds that I'm really looking for! I've listened to the clips and I've read the posts here, but as good as the Vox amp used with the making of the clips really is; it just isn't giving me the sound through my earphones that I suspect I would get through a more Gretsch-y kinda amp. In other words I'm not hearing a "Gretsch" as my memory and other recordings that are actually playing guitars using Classics are displaying. So when I hear Classics and Maggies here on the clips, I can't really relate to it in my own isolated little world. That of course brings us to my original question: Do the Maggies sound as much like "Gretches" as the Classics do? And do they sound like somewhere between Classics and Dynas? I know I like the Classics and I know I like the Dynas, will I like the Maggies as well? I wonder. ....cool; I found some of my answers in the PDF catalog!

Alright! Cool stuff! I did some serious searching over at the Gretsch pages and on Youtube and some other good places, and found enough clips to narrow down the sound that I'm looking for and it's right exactly where I was looking in the first place! ...TV Classics! Wahoo!

Aw; Double Phooie! Even more listening of even more new stuff followed by even more soul searching combined with a renewed understanding of the way I practice and the types of music I most often struggle through, and I find that yup; the Magna'Trons or Dynas seem to actually fit me better. I can get some Dynas and adapters and install them in my 5120, but the positioning of the pups isn't exactly where the Dynas are located on Dyna equipped Gretsches since the Dynas at the neck position are snuggled right on up there almost under the end of the fretboard! Photos of Dyna equipped 5120s look OK, really; but to my eye not quite exactly right. So from a purely esthetic standpoint the Dynas as currently available won't quite work for me. I don't know of course what the new TVJ Dynas will look like and if info is released on them soon they may well fit into my future. I do like the sound of the Maggies, and they just might be the perfect addition at that. I do wonder about the Bridge2 option though. On some of the TVJ pups the + is listed as having more midrange, I wonder if this is also the case with the Maggies? I had read some reviews of the Maggies and some folks find that the bridge pup is sometimes a bit too bright for them. If the Bridge2 option is stronger in the mids, it may well be the better bet for my style of playing than simply adding a Classic or Classic + in that spot.(?) There are a couple of other points that makes the Maggies even more fun! The 5120 is already styled like my favorite time of all time! 1958!! It has the thumbnail fret markers of 57/58 and beyond, and the wiring harness configuration of 57/58 and before! Even the Bigsby is styled after 1958 and earlier. So what kinda pup would best fit this "transition" model? Why a pup that looks like a Filter'Tron but with pole pieces(that looks to be!)from a DeArmond! Silly? Yeah; I know, but it adds to the fun! 8)

Wow! I'm really rambling in this thread! But; is there a "Plus" version on any other pup than the Classic? I don't think so! I've been thinking that the sound clips labeled as "bridge2" or "neck2" meant the "+" version, but recalling that it was previously mentioned that there are currently no sound clips available for the Classic Plus and looking more closely at the ordering info, there's only the Classic Plus......my bad. :oops: ....yeah; I'm probably the only one who didn't realize that. :roll:

I'm glad I'm not the only one trying to decide between Dynas and Maggies.

theres a + version of the powertron as well

I think the main reason I don't go with the Dynas myself is the fact that they look (to my eyes) a little strange on a Gretsch Electromatic 5120. The neck pup is routed a little too far from the neck and the bridge pup is routed a little too far from the bridge. To me they just don't look "Factory Gretsch". So the Magna'Trons are looking more and more like what I'm after. The final question seems to be "what to Mate with the neck Maggie?" A lot of folks are going with a Maggie at the neck and a TV Classic at the bridge. I've seen and heard other Gretsches with Maggies at the neck and Classic + at the bridge and they sound killer! But I'm having trouble deciding if that's the way to go with a 5120 with a tone pot harness design since I've read that the tone pot very slightly warms up the output even with the pot at max, and I've read that with the pup routed farther from the bridge than on the usual Gretsch; the tone is already just a bit warmer as well. If there's enough warming effect due to these two factors, perhaps a Maggie at bridge would work well for me and match the neck Maggie perfectly of course, or would following the crowd and going with a(standard Classic, in this case)be the better choice?

Oops! There IS a Powertron Plus! I gotta re-read all the options for sure! I missed that! ....I guess I've been in a "twangier than a Classic" mode for too long to have noticed the other guys! Thanx! EDIT: And I think I just decided on a Maggie/Maggie configuration anyway. For reasons not totally related to sound. Problem solved! :D EDIT, EDIT: ......problem not solved. :oops: A Classic(either Std. or +)is still in the running. :roll:

I wish. I just wish....I wish there was a way to simply slide in a pair of pups right under the strings and have a connector that would be hidden under the pickguard so that swapping pups would be as easy as changing games in a game machine! This is so darned hard to decide! I can certainly see how some of these guys have a whole bunch of guitars in their stables! Ain't no way to do it all with just one! My Wife got tired of me going over the question again and again though, and asked me to jot down all my favorite albums and look for some clues. Cool. :? !7 Chet. 4 Duane. Of the 17; about five had the "Old Chet" so 5+4=9 for the Maggies. About 12 were of the "New Chet" so about 12 for the Classics. ...that really didn't help. :cry:

yep. sometimes it comes down to what "mood" you're in too! Chris Cheney is always changing his mind between the classics and classic + . magnatron/classic is a nice combo IMHO.

No doubt about it; "Mood" does certainly play a big part in it, really big. But suddenly, the word "mood" triggers another word that may help a lot in my particular situation. And the other word that comes to mind is "versatility". And the pups I've read about the most where the word "versatility" is used most often is with the "Classics". As much as I like the sounds of the Maggies...and I really do; I also gotta admit that a lot of the attraction to the Maggies is in the looks of the beasts. They just look a little different than "everybody elses" guitars with Classics(or Filter'Trons)installed, and they do sorta fit my idea of a throw-back to an earlier day in making a trans 57-58 model using both DeArmond and Butts style pups in one pup. I suspect that in that regard I'm letting looks, style and image cloud the picture. I guess if I had a couple different guitars to choose from where I could have Maggies/Classics installed in one and just Classics in another(and another with Dynas!)and I could choose as the mood dictates, all would be ultra-cool. But that ain'ta gonna be the case. Sorta comes down to choosing the set-up that would offer the most "versatility" and do most of everything right in the grea-*test*-('") number of cases. ....and, I guess the number of "New Chet" albums edges out the number of "Duane and Old Chet" albums by a small margin after all.

TVJ offers a swap out if you are not satisfied with the sound of your new pickup. That, however, does not give you a side by side comparison. ...and maybe that's a good thing.

Good point about the swap out. I imagine it may require phone confirmation at initial purchase to smooth the waters later on if required. But not a bad idea at that. I'd just be sure to leave the pup wires at full length at the initial installation, just in case.

if your interested F107plus5, i have a pair of tv classics just sitting in a drawer, the neck p-up has some scuffing and grime (they are about 4years old and I tried to "antique" the front one, oops) but they work perfectly. I just need some more output/grit for my 6120. So if you (or anyone) would like to try some classics and save some bread, I would take 150$ for the pair, or trade.....? thanks