Center Block

The new Gretsch Center Block model is actually a collaboration with Depeche Mode's Martin Gore. We know Mr. Gore isn't that flashy type of a player but he stayed true to the Gretsch cause since his early years with DM. So what what we see here is actually an acknowledgement by a guitar manufacturer on one of the greatest musician to tread the electronic pop genre - no frills feature, not even the Bigsby whammy bridge in there.

I grew up with DM music, these were all in the radio back then before guitar music took over my interest. I still listen to pop music to learn a thing or two about good melodies & song structure which are easily obscured by guitar driven songs. More importantly, I respect Gretsch for recognizing who Martin Gore really is, first & foremost - a Gtretsch guitar geek from the start.

After watching this clip, I'm in absolute concurrence with Mr. Gore when he said, "... I don't know where songs come from." There shouldn't be a definite source, that's for sure. Songs tend to happen more than being intentionally written. In the creative domain (which I am from, professionally), it's this this concept of flow; an immersive episode leading to creativity, among others (M. Csikszentmihalyi, 2010).

On a personal note, the Gretsch line of guitars, majority of them, are beyond my comfort handling. They are conceived to manifest an acoustic timbre & the body dimensions matter in this case. Unfortunately, I'm not naturally framed to enjoy these kind of guitars despite them being very appealing for specific applications.

Pic: Gretsch