Being a big fan of the Fuji-Gen made Gretsches, especially a certain 6118T that appears in the Gretsch articles http://gretschpages.com/news/tale-two-anniversaries/
the door has been open for quite some time for a Fuji-Gen made 6120. This virtually unplayed one from 2005 appeared not too long ago, so I bit the bullet and got it. Some will call it a ‘prom queen,’ and that would be fair, but it appears less so in real life; some guitars photograph better than others.
Gretsch 6120AM, built in Japan at the Fuji-Gen factory in 2005
The Fuji-Gen hollow bodies were based on vintage specs and are very light in weight compared to the Terada built ones. No judgement call, but the lighter bodies respond in a way that feels very alive. My only criticism is that the neck angle on the Fuji-Gen Gretsches is a tad shallow and that can present problems with the pickups being too close to the strings. The bridge pickup on this one is a bit ‘barky’ because of this and I’ll have to decide what to do. It makes me wonder if, when they were setting up their templates, they might have, maybe, possibly, slim chance could have used and old guitar that maybe was on the verge of needing a neck reset. Pure speculation on my part; Fuji-Gen could not discuss anything Gretsch.
The only modification this one has received is a brass Tru-Arc Serpentune bridge; not pictured. The neck is slim; very comfy for me, and a foil to the 6118T with its fuller feel. I like the Grover Rotomatics, when they are original to a guitar; dislike them as replacements. How’s that for quirkiness? (rhetorical question) The short of it is that this guitar feels great and I’m loving the sound.
Here’s a ‘how does it sound link.’