5 tuxedo look electric guitars
(Note: This was changed to 4 because one of the guitars became suddenly unavailable.)
For formal affairs, sometimes a formal looking guitar is needed.
Guitars that follow a tuxedo style look is easy to understand. It's a black-and-white color scheme, usually with a fair amount of shiny chrome and a rounded appearance (meaning little to no sharp edges in the design present.)
Why own one of these? Because some players like a guitar that has a bit of fancy dress to it. And if you're ever in the situation where you need a genuinely formal-looking guitar for a gig, having a tuxedo style guitar comes in quite handy.
Here are 5 that would qualify as tuxedo guitars.
Fender Classic Series '69 Telecaster Thinline
This Telecaster is about as tuxedo as you could get with one. Black with pearloid pick guard, semi-hollow with the F hole. Not exactly the most elegant for formal affairs, but it would get the job done.
What really makes the 360 work as a tuxedo guitar when in black is the "R" tail piece. Without it, the look of the guitar really wouldn't work. And while the white pick guard is rather large, it does complement the overall look of the instrument.
Gretsch G6136TSL Silver Falcon w/Bigsby
A mighty Gretsch makes its appearance with a guitar that very much carries with it a formal, tuxedo look. Can't go wrong with a Gretsch when it comes to fancy formal look, and this one delivers in fine style.
Lastly, the mighty Duesenburg Fullerton. Very fancy dress throughout. Lots of fancy bits all over the place on this one. It even has design cues you don't notice until you look up close, such as the front pickup having stair-style pole pieces, the tail piece having car grille style slats, the mounting strip above the pick guard being shiny metal, and so on. Lots and lots of fancy dress here. Heck, even the serial number on the back of the headstock is stamped on a small steel oval plate.
Rich's pick?
The Gretsch Silver Falcon, no question. If I were in the market for a tuxedo electric, Gretsch would be my only choice.
If I were looking to save a buck and get a tuxedo style Gretsch for less, I'd grab a G5455T Electromatic Double Jet w/Bigsby. That's one I've played personally and like it. Not as fancy as the Silver Falcon, but a lot more affordable.
Published 2015 Jul 20
