RICHMOND DORCHESTER BIGSBY

A nice complement to the style and tone of the Gretsch Power Jet is found in the Richmond Dorchester. Made in Canada, it has a cool look that’s just unique enough and not too retro for its own good. The double cutaway has a good cut from the bridge pickup and the frets feel like medium jumbos making it easy to dig into a bend. The satin finish neck is thinner and wider than the Power Jet and makes it ideal for laying into some open position chords. It has Kluson-style oval tuners and a four-way fender style pickup selector. The Dorchester has a nice Tele and Strat style tone from the second position pickup and when it’s switched to the first position, the neck and bridge pickups are wired in series, giving you more than enough options. In comparison to the Gretsch, the sound of the Dorchester is brighter, grittier and a bit louder. Even unplugged, the body of the Richmond projects strong. The pickups add to the guitar’s style and sound really well balanced. Around half the price of the Gretsch, it’s impossible to not seriously consider getting this right now. LIST PRICE: $1,140.00— JASON BULLOCK & SCHYLAR SHOATES