Gretsch Announce Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic
With onboard filter circuit inspired by the 1950s Rumble Filter
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Gretsch and Abbey Road Studios have collaborated on the new Limited Edition Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic guitar. An electric guitar explicitly engineered for recording, aiming to provide guitarists with unparalleled tonal clarity and “mix-readiness” straight from the source.
Brief Overview
- The Gretsch Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic is a limited-run electric guitar collaboration model with Abbey Road Studios.
- It has an onboard filter circuit inspired by the Rumble Filter, invented by Abbey Road engineers in the 1950s.
Contents – Gretsch Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic
Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic
The Studiomatic’s most notable feature is the integration of circuitry inspired by Abbey Road’s classic RS 97 Rumble Filter. This could make the Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic a great tool for studio and stage use.
The EMI team originally developed the technology in the 1950s to eliminate low-frequency interference and mechanical vibrations from recordings. For the first time, this piece of Abbey Road technology has been built directly into a guitar’s signal path.
Recording Studio (RS) number
In a massive endorsement of this innovation, Abbey Road Studios has assigned the Studiomatic its own Recording Studio (RS) number: RS 201. Traditionally, ‘RS’ numbering is reserved for technical equipment and innovations, such as the invention of stereo sound or Artificial Double Tracking (ADT).
Precision and Clarity
The thin hollow-body guitar is equipped with Filter’Tron pickups that blend vintage inspiration with modern voicing. The onboard two-position filter circuit allows players and engineers to easily roll off low-end frequencies, addressing the common studio challenge of “muddy” low-end and low-mids.
Problem frequencies can be sculpted out using the dedicated filter circuit. This functionality is individual to each pickup, controlled by the respective tone pot (pull up to engage and adjust). Standard controls include the three-way pickup selector switch on the upper cutaway and the master volume knob on the lower section.
Construction
It features an all-maple construction, with the body precisely engineered to a depth of 2.25 inches. Internally, it uses parallel bracing for structural integrity and to reduce resonance.
A glued-in neck with a comfortable C-profile is paired with a 12-inch radius ebony fretboard adorned with distinctive Neo-Classic thumbnail inlays. It comes with a matching gold hardware, which includes the Bigsby B60 V vibrato with an Adjusto-Matic bridge anchored to a solid ebony plate, and the ‘Abbey Road Studiomatic’ plaque on the bound headstock. The Studiomatic is available in a Classic Walnut Stain finish.
FAQ – Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic
What is the Limited Edition Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic?
It is a new, thin, hollow-body electric guitar developed in partnership between Gretsch and Abbey Road Studios. It is specifically designed and engineered for optimal performance in a recording studio environment, emphasizing tonal clarity and “mix-readiness.”
What makes this guitar different from other Gretsch models?
The Studiomatic is the first guitar to directly incorporate Abbey Road Studios’ vintage technology into its signal path. It features an onboard filter circuit inspired by the classic 1950s RS 97 Rumble Filter, allowing players to easily roll off low-end frequencies for a clearer, studio-ready tone.
Who is the target audience for this guitar?
The Studiomatic is primarily aimed at professional and aspiring musicians, producers, and engineers who record music frequently and require an instrument that excels in studio recording, live performance, and creative flexibility.
Conclusion
The ability to remove low-end is useful for guitars (especially when recording), and other manufacturers have toyed with it in the past, including Fender, which added the Strangle switch to the Jaguar in the 1960s.
This limited-run Gretsch model will appeal to Abbey Road fans and to guitarists seeking a studio recording guitar. I’m sure it will also make a great live instrument, as the rumble filter will help it sit nicely in a band mix.
Price & Availability
The Gretsch Limited Edition Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic is available at Thomann, priced £1159 /$1255/€1289
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One response to “Gretsch Announce Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic”
‘other manufacturers have toyed with it in the past, including Fender’
Gretsch Guitars *is* Fender. It’s a label they put on guitars they make (or subcontract the making of).