“I played Brian Setzer’s personal guitars – the pickups give you more dynamic control. I thought, ‘I have to recreate this!’” How TV Jones revived That Great Gretsch Sound – despite being an underdog in the pickup world

Tom “TV” Jones has racked up an impressive list of accomplishments in the guitar world. He built the TV Jones company around his innovative technology, revived and modernized the classic Filter’Tron electric guitar pickup, and was instrumental in the Gretsch brand’s revival.

Working with acclaimed artists included Brian Setzer and Billy Gibbons, Jones has reshaped rockabilly, country, rock music and more. But the TV Jones story isn’t only about pickup design – it’s about a dedication and obsessive mission to craft a unique guitar sound.

Jones spent his formative years pulling electric guitars apart to learn about their inner workings. By the 1980s, he was playing in bands, and, like all tone chasers, he was unhappy with his pickups.

“In the late ’80s I was taking guitars apart, playing since I was 14. I decided to make a guitar and still have it.

“In the late ’80s, I decided to make a guitar – and I still have it,” Jones says. “Then in the early ’90s I worked in the guitar repair department at The World of Strings, a violin shop in Long Beach, CA, where I learned how to refine my craft.”

He launched the TV Jones company in 1993. “I started out as a guitar maker, then moved to pickups,” he recalls. “I started designing and manufacturing pickups that capture the tonal essence of vintage models that appeal to modern guitarists.”

He found inspiration in the Filter’Tron pickups found in vintage Gretsch guitars – a design known for clarity, warmth and bite. “It blooms with saturation as you dig in,” he explains.

“Brian Setzer’s guitar tech, Rich Modica, would bring his guitars into The World of Strings for work. I did fret jobs, reshaped necks, lacquer refinishes, and built custom guitars for Brian. He’s been my main client going on 32 years. His vintage ’59 Gretsch 6120 inspired me to learn how to build pickups.”

The big break came when Setzer, who wanted to augment his sound with increased reliability for recording and touring, adopted Jones’ version of the Filter’Tron. The pickup builder was catapulted into the guitar world’s consciousness, and earned him the trust of Fred Gretsch.

The result was Jones’ pickups being installed in the Gretsch Setzer Hot Rod guitar models, and a partnership with Gretsch that’s still going strong.

“We wanted to make it possible for musicians to try them in any type of guitar, so we devised all kinds of mounting options,” Jones says. “They were mentioned on the Gretsch Pages discussion forum, and production exploded after that.”

The timing was perfect – Gretsch was going through a revival due to a renewed interest in vintage-style guitars popularized by Setzer, Elliott Easton, Steven Stills and Bo Diddley. With TV Jones pickups aboard the Vintage Select Edition series among others, instruments delivered the vintage tones of past models with modern appeal.

In 1999, Fred Gretsch hired Jones as a consultant and go-between with artists to help design their signature guitars. The term “That great Gretsch sound” soon became synonymous with the tone of TV Jones pickups. In 2001, Jones relocated to a facility in downtown Poulsbo, Washington, where the company remains.

Then another big name appeared on the scene.

“I got a call from a gentleman who sounded like he was from Texas,” Jones says. “I asked, ‘Is this who I think it is?’ He said, ‘Yes!’ It was Billy Gibbons.”

The ZZ Top leader was interested in a pickup that sounded like a humbucker, but fit in a Filter’Tron housing for the Gretsch Billy-Bo guitar. By adding more magnet wire to the standard Power’Tron, the Power’Tron Plus was born.

TV Jones’ success was far from easy to achieve in a market saturated by heavyweights including Gibson, Fender, Seymour Duncan and DiMarzio.

The pickup builder relied on direct connections to musicians and word-of-mouth advertising to spread the word. His company triumphed out of respect in the guitar community, and players who tried TV Jones pickups became evangelists.

One of the trademarks in Jones’ approach is his commitment to personalization. While most manufacturers were offering standardized pickups, he focused on the necessity of tailoring tone to individual players, offering customers one-to-one advice.

From the vintage twang and growl of the TV Classic to the golden-age PAF vibe of the Power’Tron, the TV Jones range expanded over time – but the company has never lost its boutique ethos. Its tooling is all self-manufactured, and every pickup is crafted with the same care and precision of Jones’ early experiments.

Yet despite the accolades, Jones remains an underdog in the truest sense: a tone craftsman whose work reverberates louder than the name. His achievements are a reminder that persistence and passion will triumph.

While mass production can overtake artistry, Jones’ dedication to authenticity and quality sets him apart. He didn’t just build a brand – he forged a legacy built on the constant pursuit of tone. When players experience the magic of a TV Jones pickup it proves that, sometimes, underdogs can redefine the game.

And the reimagining of the Filter’Tron was the catalyst. “It gives you more dynamic control,” Jones says.

“I heard that when I played Setzer’s personal guitars. The magnets and pole screws are larger in the Filter’Tron; the bobbins are closer together and have less magnet wire. That translates to clarity and more dynamics.”

“I thought, ‘I have to recreate this!’”

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