Bob's Vintage Guitars » gretsch chet atkins

Solid-Bodied Gretsch Corvette Guitar Review

vintage — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:50:42 +0000

by Allen Chiles

This killer guitar, with a solid mahogany body, solid mahogany set neck, and a rosewood fret board with pearl dots, originally came with a single HI-Lo ‘Tron pickup. The earliest examples had a trapeze tailpiece. By 1963, the Corvette was sporting a Burns’ flat-arm vibrato tailpiece. (Yes! That Burns! Good old Jim Burns from England), and came with a choice of either one or two of those Hi-Lo ‘Tron pickups. By mid-1963 to 1964, Gretsch changed the standard 3/3 headstock (3 tuners on each side) to a scooby-rific 4/2 headstock design (4 tuning keys on one side, two on the other). Most Corvettes were finished in “cherry” red mahogany and had black pick guards. Some came with red and white striped pick guards and a more opaque red finish to the body. This version is known as the “Twist” model. Early Corvettes were also available in platinum gray finish with black pick guards, but this color was officially discontinued in 1963. Also in 1963, Gretsch started beveling the edges of the guitar’s body and sharpened the cutaway points.
Variations of the Gretsch Corvette were the Silver Duke (1964-66) which was sparkle silver, the Gold Duke (1964-66) - you got it - in sparkle gold, and lest we forget, the Princess (1963-64 - made for the ladies) which was available in many color combinations such as white with purple sparkles, blue with white sparkles, pink with white sparkles, and white with gold sparkles - phew! The Princess also differed from the others in that it had a Palm vibrato tailpiece rather than the Burns’, gold-plated hardware in lieu of the standard nickel/chrome hardware, and a shiny belly-pad on the back.

By 1968, you could no longer get single pickups on the Corvettes, the Burn’s vibrato was replaced with a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece, and the HI-Lo ‘Tron pickups were replaced with Super ‘Tron pickups. Production of the Gretsch Corvette wound down in the early 70’s. (The Corvette did make a brief reappearance from 1976 to 1978 with different specs - humbuckers, etc. It was not the same.)

The Gretsch Corvette (1961-early 70’s) can still give you some bang for your buck in today’s vintage market. You get the vintage sound and vibe, with great playability for less than you’d pay for a Paul, Jr.

Gretsch Electromatic Corvette G5135 electric guitar
	$599.00 Time Remaining: 6d 10h 3m Buy It Now for only: $599.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Gretsch G Love Electromatic Corvette Artist Signature Model
	$750.00 Time Remaining: 4d 14h 13m Buy It Now for only: $850.00 Buy It Now \| Bid now \| Add to watch list

Gretsch G5103 Electromatic Corvette III Cherry Guitar
	$419.99 Time Remaining: 15d 7h 50m Buy It Now for only: $419.99 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Gretsch G5135 CVT Master Built Corvette DG Gold Master Built
	$5,599.00 Time Remaining: 25d 15h 1m Buy It Now for only: $5,599.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

1967 or 1966 Gretsch Corvette not reissue
	$700.00 Time Remaining: 3d 12h 9m Buy It Now for only: $700.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Gretsch G5135 Electromatic Corvette CVT Guitar w Case
	$625.00 Time Remaining: 5d 12h 24m Buy It Now for only: $625.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

GRETSCH G5135 Corvette GUITAR GOLD SPARKLE 1 of 13
	$769.99 Time Remaining: 4d 7h 57m Buy It Now for only: $769.99 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Gretsch G5135 Corvette Electric Guitar Red Free Accessories
	$625.00 Time Remaining: 25d 10h 14m Buy It Now for only: $625.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

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Solid-Bodied Gretsch Corvette Guitar

vintage — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:53:52 +0000

by Allen Chiles

The Solid-bodied Corvette (not to be confused with the Corvette hollow-body arch-top electric, produced from 1955-1959) was Gretsch’s answer to the Les Paul Jr. by Gibson. Introduced in 1961, the Corvette Solid-body was a small, light-weight, comfortable electric guitar that was just right for the budding musician.
This killer guitar, with a solid mahogany body, solid mahogany set neck, and a rosewood fret board with pearl dots, originally came with a single HI-Lo ‘Tron pickup. The earliest examples had a trapeze tailpiece. By 1963, the Corvette was sporting a Burns’ flat-arm vibrato tailpiece. (Yes! That Burns! Good old Jim Burns from England), and came with a choice of either one or two of those Hi-Lo ‘Tron pickups. By mid-1963 to 1964, Gretsch changed the standard 3/3 headstock (3 tuners on each side) to a scooby-rific 4/2 headstock design (4 tuning keys on one side, two on the other). Most Corvettes were finished in “cherry” red mahogany and had black pick guards. Some came with red and white striped pick guards and a more opaque red finish to the body. This version is known as the “Twist” model. Early Corvettes were also available in platinum gray finish with black pick guards, but this color was officially discontinued in 1963. Also in 1963, Gretsch started beveling the edges of the guitar’s body and sharpened the cutaway points.
Variations of the Gretsch Corvette were the Silver Duke (1964-66) which was sparkle silver, the Gold Duke (1964-66) - you got it - in sparkle gold, and lest we forget, the Princess (1963-64 - made for the ladies) which was available in many color combinations such as white with purple sparkles, blue with white sparkles, pink with white sparkles, and white with gold sparkles - phew! The Princess also differed from the others in that it had a Palm vibrato tailpiece rather than the Burns’, gold-plated hardware in lieu of the standard nickel/chrome hardware, and a shiny belly-pad on the back.
By 1968, you could no longer get single pickups on the Corvettes, the Burn’s vibrato was replaced with a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece, and the HI-Lo ‘Tron pickups were replaced with Super ‘Tron pickups. Production of the Gretsch Corvette wound down in the early 70’s. (The Corvette did make a brief reappearance from 1976 to 1978 with different specs - humbuckers, etc. It was not the same.)
The Gretsch Corvette (1961-early 70’s) can still give you some bang for your buck in today’s vintage market. You get the vintage sound and vibe, with great playability for less than you’d pay for a Paul, Jr.

Gretsch Electromatic Corvette G5135 electric guitar
	$599.00 Time Remaining: 6d 10h 3m Buy It Now for only: $599.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Gretsch G Love Electromatic Corvette Artist Signature Model
	$750.00 Time Remaining: 4d 14h 13m Buy It Now for only: $850.00 Buy It Now \| Bid now \| Add to watch list

Gretsch G5103 Electromatic Corvette III Cherry Guitar
	$419.99 Time Remaining: 15d 7h 50m Buy It Now for only: $419.99 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Gretsch G5135 CVT Master Built Corvette DG Gold Master Built
	$5,599.00 Time Remaining: 25d 15h 1m Buy It Now for only: $5,599.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

1967 or 1966 Gretsch Corvette not reissue
	$700.00 Time Remaining: 3d 12h 9m Buy It Now for only: $700.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Gretsch G5135 Electromatic Corvette CVT Guitar w Case
	$625.00 Time Remaining: 5d 12h 24m Buy It Now for only: $625.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

GRETSCH G5135 Corvette GUITAR GOLD SPARKLE 1 of 13
	$769.99 Time Remaining: 4d 7h 57m Buy It Now for only: $769.99 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Gretsch G5135 Corvette Electric Guitar Red Free Accessories
	$625.00 Time Remaining: 25d 10h 14m Buy It Now for only: $625.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Gretsch 6134 White Penguin Solid Body Guitar

vintage — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 01:26:26 +0000

Gretsch 6134 White Penguin Solid Body Guitar
Collectibility Rating: Single cutaway models: A, Double cutaway models: A-.
Essentially a white, fancy DuoJet. Solid body 13 1/4 inches wide, maple top, two pickups.

1954 White Penguin Introduction specs:
• Single Cutaway, body finished in white.
• Two DeArmond single coil pickups.
• "Cadillac G" tailpiece.
• Three knobs on lower bout, one on cutaway, 1 switch on upper bout.
• Melita bridge (gold).
• Clear acyrlic pickguard with engraved penguin, back painted in gold.
• Pearl block inlays with engraved birds.
• 24 3/4" scale, vertical Gretsch peghead.
• Gold sparkle binding.
• Gold plated parts.

1957 White Penguin specs:
• "Humptop" inlays replace blocks.
1958 White Penguin specs:
• Filter'tron humbucking pickups replace DeArmonds.
• Thumbprint (neoclassic) inlays replace humptop inlays.
• Bar style bridge.
• Two switches on upper bass bout (tone and pickup selection).
• Two knobs instead of three on lower treble bout (three total).
1959 White Penguin specs:
• Standard horizontal Gretsch logo.
• Zero fret.
1961 White Penguin specs:
• Double cutaway symmetrical body.
• Standby switch added.
Discontinued in 1964.

GRETSCH G6134 WHITE PENGUIN
	$2,099.99 Time Remaining: 3d 9h 28m Buy It Now for only: $2,099.99 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Gretsch G6199TLWP Billy Bo White Penguin Limited Run
	$3,999.99 Time Remaining: 26d 8h 5m Buy It Now for only: $3,999.99 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

GRETSCH G6134LH LEFTY WHITE PENGUIN
	$2,499.99 Time Remaining: 4d 18h 13m Buy It Now for only: $2,499.99 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Gretsch G6134 White Penguin Electric Guitar White
	$2,925.00 Time Remaining: 25d 14h 23m Buy It Now for only: $2,925.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

GRETSCH G6134LH LEFTY WHITE PENGUIN
	$3,400.00 Time Remaining: 26d 9h 18m Buy It Now for only: $3,400.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

New Gretsch G6134 White Penguin Guitar w Case
	$2,924.99 Time Remaining: 16d 9h 40m Buy It Now for only: $2,924.99 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Gretsch G6134 Penguin Electric Guitar White Gold Sparkle Binding Case Included
	$2,925.00 Time Remaining: 11d 8h 52m Buy It Now for only: $2,925.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

2004 Gretsch White Penguin
	$2,899.00 Time Remaining: 12d 11h 12m Buy It Now for only: $2,899.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Starting your vintage guitar collection

vintage — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 09:03:01 +0000

Lou Carlozo

It may sound like rock-opera fiction, but it happens: Weekend Warrior hits garage sale and buys dusty old Fender guitar for $50 (or, cleans attic and finds the Gibson he bought in high school for $100). He visits a guitar shop in "Antiques Road Show" fashion -- and discovers the "beat-up axe" is a vintage collectible, worth $10,000. Or $20,000. Or $100,000.

The vintage guitar market has declined like other investments in this recession. But if you have cash to seed a small collection, why not start a fun hobby that's financially savvy? After all, when your 401K takes a beating, you're broke. When your vintage guitar takes a beating, it may continue to appreciate anyway, just because it looks so cool. Besides, who ever plugged a stock portfolio into a Vox amplifier and woke the neighbors?

I tapped a veteran vintage guitar expert, Wayne Sefton, owner of Midwest Buy and Sell in Chicago since 1990, for tips on what to look for when building your own collection. (His Web site is being revised; visit his MySpace page here.) Sefton has sold instruments to Wilco, Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab for Cutie. And in a 2002 Chicago Tribune article (now only available via an old Geocities link), I rated Wayne's shop as Chicago's coolest and friendliest, along with Terry Straker's Guitar Works in Evanston, Ill.

Here are Wayne's five tips for starting a valuable vintage guitar collection on a budget -- in this case, less than $5,000 per instrument, usually 10-years-old or more.

1) Buy brands collectors love. Sefton says Fender and Gibson are heritage brands bound to rise in value. Rickenbackers (played by the Beatles, Byrds and Tom Petty) are a bargain because even the rarest often sell for under $5,000. "They're great American-made guitars," Sefton says.) Avoid overseas brands.

2) Beware eBay. Guitars get bid into a frenzy there. "There's also a lot of shill bidding going on," Sefton warns. "They'll start stuff at $2,000 you can easily buy for $1,500 elsewhere." Plus, you can't pick up and play the guitar if it's halfway across the country.

3) Get an honest appraisal. Guitar Center chain stores can't do it; they may even try to give much less than your attic axe is worth. But guitar genius George Gruhn of Gruhn's Guitars in Nashville, does appraisals for the bargain price of $50. Many (including this writer) think Gruhn's is the best in the business, and so does Sefton. "I' do written appraisals for free, but that's because I'm a nice guy," he says, laughing.

4) Inspect for cracks, replacement parts and playability. A re-glued neck, refinish, or new tuners can drive a guitar's value down, Sefton says. If the guitar is all original and "mint," that's great. But so are older Fender Stratocasters and Gibson Les Pauls with that "road-worn" look. "Make sure the neck is good and playable," Sefton adds.

5) Relationships matter. Sefton takes time to educate and advise his customers, steering them toward smart investments. (Instruments I've bought on his advice have appreciated up to 300%.) "Get to know who you're dealing with," Sefton says, noting that a dealer wanting your money is far different from a dealer earning your loyalty.

Vintage Gretsch Guitars

vintage — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:57:04 +0000

Gretsch musical instrument production began in 1883 when Friedrich Gretsch, a German immigrant, set up a shop in Brooklyn for the manufacture of banjos, tambourines and drums. The company was immediately prosperous, but in 1895 Friedrich Gretsch died at 39 and his 15-year-old son, Fred, took over.

By 1916 Fred Gretsch had moved the company into a 10-story building at 60 Broadway in Brooklyn and become one of America's leading importers and manufacturers of musical instruments. At this time, Gretsch still produced very few guitars, because there was little market for guitars. The banjo reigned supreme until well into the big-band era, when the archtop guitar came to the fore. Gretsch responded with the Synchromatic line.
When Fred Gretsch retired in 1942 his son William took over until Fred Gretsch, Jr. took the helm in 1948. Fred Jr. went on to lead the company through its guitar heyday.
The golden years...

Gretsch had dabbled in electric guitars prior to 1955, producing a limited number of Hawaiian lap steels and the Electromatic arch-tops, among other models, but around 1954 the Golden Age of Gretsch guitars began. In quick succession the Electromatic evolved into the Country Club, the Jet solidbodies were introduced and two of Gretsch's best-loved models, the 6120 Chet Atkins model and the White Falcon hit the market.

Retailing for $385 new, the 6120 featured twin DeArmond pickups, a Bigsby vibrato, and a big G brand on the top. Although the 6120 was originally directed at the country market, it has been favored by rock and rollers from Eddie Cochran to Pete Townshend to Brian Setzer.
The 6121 Chet Atkins model, released at the same time, looked like a solid body, but was actually more of a small, semi-hollow version of the 6120. Underneath the cap, the mahogany body was extensively routed.

By 1959 western trim had gone off into the sunset. Both models had switched from block markers to "humped block" markers in 1957 to semi-circle markers (also called neo-classic or thumbnail markers ) thereafter. Pickups changed from DeArmonds to "FilterTron" pickups and the G brand was gone. Other than the Chet Atkins models, the 1955 line-up consisted of:
• The 6136 White Falcon and Country Club two-pickup hollow bodies
• Three single-pickup hollow bodies; the Convertible (Ivory and Copper with a Lucite pickguard), a hollow Corvette model and the Streamliner
• The black Duo-Jet, the Jet Fire Bird (Oriental Red), the Silver Jet (silver sparkle finish) and the Round-Up solid bodies
The biggest news of 1955, besides the Atkins guitars, must have been the 6136 White Falcon. Initially intended to be a strictly promotional item, it was dubbed "The Guitar of the Future," and proved so popular at trade shows it found its way into the model line. The Falcon was like a six-string General Motors Motorama dream car: pure flash. It had a 17-inch body, four knobs, one switch, a Melita bridge, 24 karat gold plating, two DeArmond pickups and a special "Cadillac G" tailpiece with a V shaped crossbar and a metal G suspended between two metal rods. Falcons cost $600 new, $200 more than a 6120. Think five figures for one nowadays.
The Falcon created enough of a stir that the entire line remained relatively stable until about 1958:
• The Chet Atkins range expanded to four models, the 6120, the 6121, the 6122 Country Gentleman and the 6119 Tennesseean.
• The White Falcon was available in Project-O-Sonic stereo and non-stereo versions, as were the Anniversary models.
• The Round-Up was dropped.
Sal Salvador and Clipper models also joined the lineup by 1958, providing entry-level Gretsches.
Gretsch had become a major player by this time. They offered a distinct tone and flashy finishes at a time when Gibson and Fender considered anything other than sunburst a custom finish, as well as technical innovation (some would say gadgetry) and a distinctive sound.

In the mid-sixties George Harrison played a Country Gentleman on the Ed Sullivan show and sales went through the roof. Gretsch found themselves a year behind filling orders.
Unfortunately, the success was not to last. In 1967 Fred Gretsch, unable to find a suitable heir, sold the company to Baldwin Pianos, which reorganized it as a subsidiary. Baldwin moved the New York guitar production to Booneville, Ark. in 1970, in an attempt to consolidate its factories and find cheaper and more reliable labor than was available in New York at the time. In '72 the New York offices were shut down and relocated to Chicago.

The Baldwin years...
Fortune had turned against Gretsch. The guitars had fallen out of favor. The guitar heroes of the late '60s were playing Stratocasters and Les Pauls, and millions of kids followed them.
Baldwin never seemed to fully grasp guitar production, either. The guitars made in the '70s have suffered a bad reputation over the years, even though many who own them say they are excellent playing guitars. Even so, Gretsch in the '70s had become a pale reflection of the glory years. Quality control had been suffering under Baldwin's disinterested reign — there were even rumors of intentional sabotage by disgruntled employees — and the corporate lords began systematically cheapening some of Gretsch's best-loved models. A disgusted Chet Atkins withdrew his endorsement in 1979.

To top it off, in 1973 the Arkansas plant suffered two disastrous fires. The employees rallied around the brand and continued production into 1981 before Baldwin finally shut down guitar production. A few attempts were made to start up production again in late '81 and 82, and a handful of guitars were made in various places (including Mexico) but none of the attempts were successful.
Although not widely sought by collectors, some of the Baldwin-era Gretsches were fine instruments. The 7686 Chet Atkins Super Axe and Atkins Axe are two of the better examples the company's efforts during that period. While not a commercial success, they were nonetheless very nice guitars.

The modern years...
The Gretsch name was resurrected in 1988 for a series of inexpensive Traveling Wilburys commemorative guitars. While these are hoarded avidly by a few collectors, they bear little resemblance to any Gretsch models. In fact, they are more like Danelectros.
In 1989, with the company again in Gretsch family hands, guitar production restarted on a large scale. Yet another Fred Gretsch had managed to purchase the remnants of the company — little more than the name, really — and set up shop outside of Savannah, Ga. The guitars, based on classic Gretsch models, would be made in Japan with a mixture of American and European parts.
A "custom" line of American-made guitars was also offered in 1998 and 1999, but prices were astronomical and few sold. Through the '90s, the Gretsch line begin at about $1,500, and by most accounts were very well made. In 1999, a cheaper series of Electromatic guitars also joined the line-up.

As a new century began, Gretsch's product line still consisted primarily of reissues of past successes, although several models showed some new thought, including a White Falcon Rancher, a 6120-type bass and the TV Jones hot-rodded 6114 New Jet.
At the beginning of 2003 Gretsch began yet another new era as Fender Musical Instruments Corporation secured an agreement that basically gave them all control over the manufacturing and distribution of Gretsch. Fender immediately went to work addressing some longstanding complaints of Gretsch fans, and quickly began introducing a full range of new and improved models.

VINTAGE 1960 GRETSCH ELECTRIC GUITAR ANNIVERSARY SERIAL 36400 HOLLOW BODY

$1,200.00
Time Remaining: 4h 45m

Bid now | Add to watch list

1956 Gretsch Country Club Cadillac Green Vintage
	$6,750.00 Time Remaining: 3d 15h 3m Buy It Now for only: $6,750.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

Vintage 1963 Gretsch Double Anniversary Sunburst w Hardshell Case
	$1,699.00 Time Remaining: 15d 10h 52m Buy It Now for only: $1,699.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

GRETSCH 6122 JERRY REEDS GRETSCH GUITAR WOW
	$9,500.00 Time Remaining: 19d 19h 20m Buy It Now for only: $9,500.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

1956 GRETSCH JET FIREBIRD 6131 DUO JET RED VINTAGE ELECTRIC GUITAR 1957 6128

$5,921.00 (23 Bids)
Time Remaining: 20h 46m

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Vintage 62 Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins Electric Guitar
	$3,495.00 Time Remaining: 16d 10h 6m Buy It Now for only: $3,495.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

1960 Gretsch Double Anniversary Model 6117
	$1,299.00 Time Remaining: 18d 7h 21m Buy It Now for only: $1,299.00 Buy It Now \| Add to watch list

1979 Gretsch BST
	$600.00 Time Remaining: 1d 12h 37m Buy It Now for only: $1,000.00 Buy It Now \| Bid now \| Add to watch list