Gretsch and Abbey Road Studios partner to announce the LIMITED EDITION ABBEY ROAD RS201 STUDIOMATIC. Designed specifically for recording, the Studiomatic merges the iconic sounds of Abbey Road Studios and Gretsch into a guitar built for tonal flexibility, clarity and mix-readiness. For the first time, Abbey Road’s technology has been incorporated directly into the signal path of a guitar, with the integration of a circuit inspired by the classic RS 97 Rumble Filter, a technology designed in the 1950s by the EMI team at Abbey Road to remove very low-frequency and mechanical vibrations from recordings. The incorporation of this unique circuitry offers guitarists unprecedented tonal control, retaining clarity in complex arrangements without sacrificing warmth, allowing musicians to bring the coveted Abbey Road technology directly into their playing, at home, live or in the studio. In recognition of this groundbreaking innovation, Abbey Road Studios has assigned the Studiomatic a new Recording Studio (RS) number RS 201, marking the first time in history that Abbey Road’s legendary ‘RS’ numbering has been awarded to a musical instrument.
The partnership between Gretsch and Abbey Road Studios celebrates the legacy and innovation of two iconic brands that continue to empower musicians worldwide. Gretsch’s dedication to hand-craftsmanship and commitment to quality has pioneered new designs and manufacturing techniques, earning endorsements from legendary artists including George Harrison of The Beatles. Meanwhile, Abbey Road Studios, synonymous with iconic artists such as Kate Bush, Fela Kuti, Oasis and Amy Winehouse, has been at the forefront of recording technology since the 1930s. From the invention of stereo sound to the groundbreaking innovation of Artificial Double Tracking, the studios’ technical innovations have shaped the sound of modern recording. Designed with a shared dedication to sonic excellence, innovation and craftsmanship, the Limited Edition Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic continues this tradition of innovation, offering musicians cutting-edge tools to realize their creative vision.
“Partnerships like this are the kind guitarists dream about,” said Max Gutnik, Chief Product Officer of FMIC. “Gretsch and Abbey Road Studios share a legacy built on tone, feel and musical innovation. The Limited Edition Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic was born from the idea of crafting a guitar that thrives in the studio: responsive, inspiring and sonically rich. Every detail was dialed in through close collaboration between our teams. The result is an instrument that invites players to explore new sounds while tapping directly into the lineage of recordings that defined modern music.”
With its unique and iconic history, Abbey Road’s mission has always been to unlock the greatest musical potential in every artist who walks through its doors. Innovation has always been at the heart of Abbey Road, and its engineers have consistently pushed technological boundaries, setting new standards for excellence in recording.
“The evolution of this unique instrument has been a true collaboration between Gretsch and Abbey Road, driven by a shared desire to craft a guitar designed for mix readiness, sonic flexibility and great tone,” said Jeremy Huffelmann, General Manager of Abbey Road Studios. “The RS 201 assignation is a testament to the technical innovation encompassed in this unique instrument, placing the Studiomatic in Abbey Road’s storied lineage of groundbreaking new technologies. It has been a joy to collaborate with our friends at Gretsch in creating the Limited Edition Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic, and we couldn’t be more excited to hear the music it inspires in guitarists around the world.”
The Limited Edition Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic is a thin hollow-body guitar crafted for clear muddy low-end and low-mids. This guitar features Filter’Tron pickups that are both vintage inspired and modern voiced. This guitar features an onboard filter circuit inspired by the “Rumble Filter”, invented by Abbey Road engineers in the 1950s, allowing players and engineers to easily roll-off low end frequencies, to achieve recording-ready tone straight from the guitar. Crafted to address the challenge of making a guitar truly studio-native, the Abbey Road Studiomatic stands as both a high-performance instrument and a bold statement of intent from Abbey Road and Gretsch: a tool designed not only for performance but to empower artists and producers in shaping their sound with precision.
Go behind the scenes to discover how the Limited Edition Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic came to life in: The Story Behind The Limited Edition Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic | Gretsch Guitars. Through an intensive collaborative process that involved shipping guitar components back and forth between Gretsch and Abbey Road engineers, exchanging detailed feedback and meticulously refining each element, the teams engineered a guitar specifically optimized for studio recording: Introducing the Limited Edition Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic | Gretsch Guitars.
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