Not to many families have been doing it as long as the Gretsch’s… and still remain at the helm of the company. Gibson, Epiphone, Fender, Marshal, Guild, etc. We could go on about the original music companies that changed our world for the better but all are now owned by someone other than the founding family, the only other long term family owned business (we could think of) would be the legendary Martin’s. Fred W. Gretsch and his family have been producing musical instruments for the last 135 years. Sure, Baldwin had the helm for a moment and Fender partnered with the Gretsch family back in 2002 but as it stands today the Gretsch’s are the owners. Now Gretsch didn’t always make guitars. In fact, they started with Banjos, Tambourines & Drums. It wasn’t until the 1930’s that Gretsch started pumping out the guitars we so love.
By the 1950’s Gretsch was making a name for itself amongst the guitar playing world, introducing 4 models that would remain in the lineup even today; the Nashville, the Duo Jet, the Country Club & the coveted White Falcon. With popularity comes endorsees and man does Gretsch have a list and a half of some of the greatest names to ever put their hands on a fret board. The most prominent of Gretsch artists would be Chet Atkins but the list goes on with names like, Duane Eddy, Eddie Cochran, George Harrison, Jimmy Webster, Eric Clapton, Malcolm Young and of course Brian Setzer. The artist endorsements also helped Gretsch develop models like; the Country Gentleman, the Tennessean and pretty much any guitar they made with Chet Atkins’ name attached to it. Even Bo Diddley had one of the coolest offset solid body guitars made for him… before it was even cool to like offsets.
Here at Rogue we are stoked to have recently picked up the Pro Series lineup from Gretsch and look forward to getting them into your hands. Not sure which one would suits you best? Well, Here is a quick look at a couple models that just landed.
G6128T-53 VINTAGE SELECT ’53 DUO JET™ WITH BIGSBY®, TV JONES®, BLACK:
As we mentioned earlier, in the mid 1950’s Gretsch really started making ground in the guitar world and in 1953 Gretsch introduced the Duo Jet. The 6128T-53 is a modern tribute that provides all the vintage vibe with the modern appointments that players want. Now, the Duo Jet is a “solid” bodied instrument but in reality the body is chambered. This chambering provides a little extra punch and resonance that you don’t normally get from a true solid body. The pickups on the ’53 are TV Jones “T-Armond’s”, an excellent choice for capturing the vintage tone of the original DynaSonics that came in the Duo Jet. From George Harrison to modern Pop Punk this vintage vibe’d rock monster does it all
G6120TFM - Players Edition Nashville® Hollow Body with String-Thru Bigsby® ORANGE STAIN:
Probably the guitar that started all the Gretsch hype, the 6120 Nashville. Thinner than your normal hollow body and with Gretsch’s unique “ML” Bracing, this model isn’t just a jazz guitar. A 6120 has been in the hands of a lot of guitar greats: Chet, Duane & Eddie to name a few and Clapton even played one with the Yardbirds. The Players Edition has some great modern appointments that make this version of the 6120 even more tantalizing. High Sensitive Filter’Tron’s paired with a Maple body provide the basis of the audio platform. A string through Bigsby also is a welcomed upgrade! no more pre-bending or cursing as you try to wrap your strings around that vibrato tailpiece.
Of course, that’s not all! There are more Gretsch Pro Series instruments that have already arrived and will arrive in the very new future. We want to know which model you want! Need answers on which Gretsch might be right for you? Ready to purchase but got a last minute question? RGS is here to help! Chat with us online from 10-5 Mon-Fri. Email our Sales Manager Michael - sales@rogueguitarshop.com. Or even call 541.233.5478 and we will do our darnedest to help you out. Thank you for reading and as always Keep Pursuing Tone!