Gretsch Guitars
Gretsch guitars were made in 1883 by Fred Gretsch Co. of Brooklyn, New York which specialized in full-line distributorship and manufacturing of musical instruments. In the 1920s, Gretsch gained recognition for its excellent making of banjos and drums. It was in 1930s that Gretsch made a transition to making archtop guitars. These archtops which Gretsch manufactured were large fancy models and came with cat's eye soundholes. These instruments became very popular and gave the company the reputation for building good guitars. During World War II, while all guitar manufacturers were exploring the electric guitar, Gretsch guitar company opted out and took a back seat. The only pre-war electric guitar Gretsch produced was the single plain model and that was introduced only in 1940. After the war, Gretsch continued to build acoustic archtops and refined its Synchromatic line. In 1951, changes were brought about. A catalogue featuring down-graded Gretsch acoustic archtops (minus the cat's eye soundholes and gold sparkle bindings) and featured three new Gretsch electric archtops. The speed in which these new models were produced were appalling because when they were sold they did not even have a name on it. The Gretsch Electro II guitar models comprised of the 16 inch non-cutaway and the 17 inch cutaways models. The 16 inch cutaway came with one or two pickups and was called the Electromatic. The existing 16 inch non cutaway model with a single pickup was called the Electromatic Spanish. These models were easily recognized by the four digit model numbers that Gretsch had instituted in 1949. The early 1950s saw Gretsch guitars sales went up and in 1955 the company brought in the new lines of solid and hollow body guitars. New standards were introduced for catalogues as well as for guitar designs. The new slogan for Gretsch was "Guitar for Moderns" and was also used on catalogues. Jimmie Webster, a jazz guitar player who developed the famous finger tapping technique, joined the Gretsch company in 1953 and contributed much in terms of imaginative ideas. Full color was alloted to catalogues which showcased Gretsch guitars in various bright colors. This color move brought about a dynamic imagery to guitar enthusiasts. The only Gretsch generic model name for solid or hollow bodies were preceded by guitar great Chet Atkins. It was the new Chet Atkins hollow body that brought a new identity for Gretsch, who were always keen to improve their designs and improve they did. Designs and equipments were constantly changed. The Gretsch Hollowbody guitars were made thinner by two inches. From 1950s to the 1970s saw many changes, for instance there was a change in ownership. There was an increase and rise of the Gretsch solid body guitars, and the folk era brought the sales for the acoustic flat tops. In 1967, Baldwin bought over the Gretsch company and in 1970, production was moved from Brooklyn to Boonville, Arkansas. The Gretsch company was again sold in 1980 and there were many changes made to the newer guitar designs and because of this reason, many of the newer models had no resemblance whatsoever to the older models. 1981 was the end and closure of Boonville production factory. Some instruments were still being made in Mexico till the year 1984. By 1985, Fred Gretsch the great grandson of the founder bought the company back and in 1990, Gretsch brought in Japanese made models, which combined the features of classic Gretsch models, and come up with the present Japanese models. Some famous models produced by Gretsch. *Electro II 6192-3 1952 the top model of Gretsch electric line. *Gretsch Country Club, 1953 model 6192 named Country Club. *Gretsch Corvette, 1955 Electromatic Spanish. *Gretsch Chet Atkins Hollow Body prototype, 1954. *Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman, 1958 *Gretsch Chet Atkins Hollow Body, 1959 *Gretsch Chet Atkins Tennessean, 1959 *Gretsch Chet Atkins Tennessean, 1964 *Gretsch White Falcon, 1955 *Gretsch Convertible 1956
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