Gretsch has officially launched a pair of flame-maple topped signature Penguin for producer and guitarist Nigel Hendroff.
Available in Dark Cherry Metallic Flame and Amber Flame, the G6134TFM-NH is the sort of electric guitar that elicits audible gasps from the Gretsch-loving demographic.
It has all that nickel metalwork going on in the front – the Bigsby B7C vibrato, the pickup covers and matching banjo arm-rest, not to mention the jewelled arrow control knobs – that just seems to illuminate the eye-popping detail in the flame maple. The effect is replicated in the matching headstock facings.
Hendroff, who has made his name in contemporary Christian music, was involved throughout the design process. His Penguin takes the now familiar form of a singlecut Jet body of chambered mahogany body with flame maple top. Its Standard U profile mahogany is glued to the body, and the scale length is an on-brand 24.6”.
Both body and neck are bound with tortoise and black-and-white purfling. The tortoiseshell effect is reprised on the pickguard – where, of course, you’ll find the penguin illustration in gold.
This is guitar-making redolent of old-world charm, with Grover Imperial locking tuners on the headstock giving it a sort of art deco touch.
For all the aesthetic finery and the solid engineering principles behind the Bigsby vibrato, ultimately, the Penguin is a simple beast, with a pair of Tim Shaw-desigbed BT56 Broad’Tron pickups selected via a three-way shoulder mounted switch and controlled by master volume and tone.
The 12” ebony fingerboard has mother of pearl Big Block inlays, and seats 22 medium jumbo frets. The nut measures 42.86mm wide and is made from bone.
Signature details are kept to a minimum – after all, the Penguin is dressed enough. There’s a small signature discretely positioned on the rear of the headstock. And you can hear it in action in the video below.
The G6134TFM-NH Nigel Hendroff Penguin is available now, priced $3,499. See Gretsch for more details.
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