Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

[B Bent]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

B Bent-thanks for the pix!


My first Tennessean was exactly like this one, case as well. I bought it in '81 at the old Ann Arbor Music Mart for $300, the Stray Cat's album hadn't come out yet and nobody wanted a Gretsch. I lived in Okinawa, Japan for 2 years while in the Marines and hung out at a really nice music store there. In '83 the Stray Cats were hot in Japan so I had an idea, I had my parents ship me the Gretsch and I took it into the store for them to check out. The look on the faces of the guys who worked in the shop was priceless, I've never seen such bulging eyes and dropped jaws before!

They immediately pulled out $1300 in US cash (without even blinking) and I walked away a very happy camper!!!

Way cool man! My uncle bought this guitar for like $30 at a pawn shop back in 67 or 68 IIRC from dad's stories. Then one day my uncle needed money and dad bought it from him. Dad played it in the clubs around Atlanta for the time they had their little band together. Dad took over on the drums and then guitar was semi retired until the 80's. I remember being a little kid and sneaking it out of the closet to gawk at. When I started playing I would tinker with it a little, but never really got 100% into it because it had a horrible neck. It had a serious "Ski jump" after the 12th fret. I talked dad into letting me sell it for him and he promised to reinvest in another guitar which he did, it just turns out that guitar was a 10 string pedal steel that he has never learned to play! LOL!

 

[saladin]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

When I started playing I would tinker with it a little, but never really got 100% into it because it had a horrible neck. It had a serious "Ski jump" after the 12th fret. LOL!

Yup! For once the reissues are better then the originals! It's hard to find an old one now that doesn't need major reconstructive surgery. All the new ones I've tried played great!

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

Here are mine. I rarely if ever play the Tennessee Rose, but I play the White Falcon quite a few times per year.

 

[RushOfBlood]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

I got one these from ~'68:

 

[Bezmotivnik]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

I rarely if ever play the Tennessee Rose...

Yeah, I also got one of those reissues when they were blown out.

I haven't played it fifteen minutes since I bought it.

Too many things I just don't like about it...but I couldn't pass up that closeout price.

 

[NoOnesFang13]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

a friend of mine has one of them Tennessee Roses with the original manual for the switching that is mint, like an original one that he inharited... he doesnt play guitar... he told me he would shoot it into space, along with his 54 strat, before giving them to me lol

 

[ganzosrevenge]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

I got one these from ~'65:

that has to be the most beautiful doublecut gretsch I've ever seen:bling: what's she like to play and what's the switching do on her? Also, what's the big pad on the back for?

 

[RushOfBlood]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

that has to be the most beautiful doublecut gretsch I've ever seen:bling: what's she like to play and what's the switching do on her? Also, what's the big pad on the back for?

Oh, super great to play. Not something you can just bash on. I love the zero fret! Much twang.
The wiring is crazy. I don't know what it's doing electronically, just tonewise, but I'll give you my best guesses, maybe someone here more familiar can fill it in.

The top two are 3-way individual pickup tone selectors, the lower one is either a normal pickup selector or it changes the circuit how the pickups combine...uhh there's also two individual volume controls for each pickup and a master vol. That extra piece you see is a lever for raising/lowering the removable bridge mute system.

Oh and the leather pad on the back is for these:

Also covers up a plastic plate you can open up to access the electronics from the back.

 

[Wattage]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

**** StratMan that is some collection!

I love 'em, still haven't found the right one though. I loved the sound of my MYI and it was gorgeous but the zero fret drove me nuts. I had a DuoJet that was pretty nice but I never really bonded with it.

I really like the ProJet even though it is fairly cheap, espcially the doublecuts without the zero fret.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

Love 'em . . . all GRETSCH guitars rock !

...even green ones.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

Corvettes . . . got to get one like this too !

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

 

[ganzosrevenge]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

(Gretsch building, 104 s. 4th str. (replaced by)

(I asked my grandfather, apparently it's still standing. My gramps works near there)

(the monolith that stands on 60 broadway to this day)

I love gretsch, and the influence they had in williamsburg, and I wish FMIC would remember where Gretsch once came from.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

Corvettes . . . got to get one like this too !

Dang, I like that!

 

[Wattage]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

(Gretsch building, 104 s. 4th str. (replaced by)

(I asked my grandfather, apparently it's still standing. My gramps works near there)

(the monolith that stands on 60 broadway to this day)

I love gretsch, and the influence they had in williamsburg, and I wish FMIC would remember where Gretsch once came from.

Cool pics, you see it everytime you go over the bridge.

 

[ganzosrevenge]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

Cool pics, you see it everytime you go over the bridge.

ya, and the N. 4 building is now home to trust-funded hipsters. Fortunately, down the block is the best steak EVER!

my gramps has worked in w-burg since 1949 and remembers that area well. I should ask him more about the gretsches in that area from 1949 to 1967 or so when they moved out.

 

[jimijames]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

ganzo - It's cool to see all that stuff about where gretsch came from, I had no idea! I mean, I knew they'd been around awhile but I didn't know the whole story.

I've only played on once I'm afraid to say... But if it helps I'm finishing my project telecaster in the orange they use (I think, I got it from reranch and they call it reranch orange.). I also want to put a bigsby on it at some point but I already have a few trem equipped guitars so we'll see what happens.

 

[Mr Wolf]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

Gretsch do have loadsa classy designs. I really love that Billy 'Bo model that Billy Gibbons has been using a lot lately. Strange shape but ever so cool

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

yes!

I have a $50 gretch acoustic; only acoustic I have and it does teh jobz :friday:

Dorado by Gretsch? I've got one of those, and it's the best-sounding acoustic evar!

Plays like crap cuz the action's a mile high, but I set it for slide and it booms.

Found some stuff online about those a while back, but can't recall the site. They were Japan-made models that Gretsch imported back in the 70s.

Picked mine up in a pawn shop for $40 about 20 years ago.

 

[Rusty Fingers]

Re: Who are the CRAZY GRETSCH FANS on the Duncan Board?

This thread is useless without pics of stars playing Gretsch guitars!