Electric Guitar Review

You probably know Gretsch for its incredibly stylish, and truly timeless vintage guitars, but it’s worth noting that the company who brought you both the White Falcon and the Tennessee Rose also makes one mean tube amp – provided you’re a purist.

I say “provided you’re a purist” because Gretsch’s super-cool, all tube, 20-watt wonder known as the 6163 Executive isn’t for everyone… it’s a no-nonsense guitar amp for sure – as in no channel switching, no master volume controls – and gets its great tone and playability from a rack of eight vacuum tubes (forget solid state,) a finger-jointed pine cabinet, and a healthy dose of old-school spring reverb & tremolo.

There’s no doubt about it, the 6163 Executive is an amplifier for those who eschew modern amenities like digital effects, multiple channels, and mega-overdrive settings, for the plug-n’-play simplicity of the early days of rock & roll. Just check out that cool Gretsch logo & vinyl face!

FEATURES: 20-watts of power (8-Ohms,) a single 15-inch Eminence Legend speaker, hand-wiring, bass, middle & treble controls, spring reverb, tremolo, eight tubes (3-12AX7s, 2-12AT7s.1-5AR4, 2-6V6s,) two-button footswitch (On & Off for reverb/tremolo,) and weighs in at 50 lbs with dimensions of 24-inches high, 26-inches wide, and 11-inches deep.