Gretsch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gretsch is a U.S. musical instrument manufacturer currently being distributed by guitar company Fender and drum craft company Kaman. It is known primarily for drums and electric guitars such as the White Falcon and Duo Jet.
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[edit] History
[edit] Beginnings
Gretsch was founded in 1883 by Friedrich Gretsch, a young German immigrant. His Brooklyn shop was made for the manufacture of banjos, tambourines, and drums. In 1895, at the age of 39, Gretsch died, and the successful company was taken over by his son Fred. By 1916, Fred had moved the company into a larger 10-story building in the Williamsburg district, becoming one of the most prominent American musical instrument makers.
[edit] The "Best" years
Gretsch's "best" years started in the mid 1950s, after Fred's son Fred Jr. had taken the reins—and when the company introduced distinctive models of electric guitars, including the 6120 and White Falcon.
The single biggest contribution to Gretsch's success was the addition of Chet Atkins as an endorser. Atkins was one of the pre-eminent guitarists of his day, and it gave Gretsch a fighting chance against Fender's Telecaster and Stratocaster, and the Gibson Les Paul. The Gretsch Broadkaster line has the distinction of being the reason Leo Fender had to change the name of his pioneering solidbody electric guitar. He originally called it the "Broadcaster", but it became the "Telecaster"—and Fender's short run of intermediate, unlabeled guitars ("Nocasters") are extremely rare and expensive on the vintage market. Gretsch ultimately sold thousands of guitars with Chet's name on the pickguard, most notably the 6120 Chet Atkins model, one of which was purchased in 1957 by a young guitar player named Duane Eddy. The worldwide success of Duane's "twangy" instrumental records, television appearances, and extensive touring helped expose the Gretsch guitar to a huge new market, that of the teenage rock and roll fan. George Harrison, years later, was to refer to this model as "the Eddie Cochran/Duane Eddy guitar". Other Chet Atkins models were the Country Gentleman[1] (named after an instrumental hit for Chet) and the Tennessean [2], a lower cost version of the Country Gent.
Many rockabilly players following in the footsteps of Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent's guitarist Cliff Gallup and Elvis Presley chose Gretsch guitars. Although Elvis's guitarist, Scotty Moore, played instruments from Gibson, Elvis himself owned a Gretsch Country Gentleman - (recently manufactured as "Gretsch Country Classic" but now renamed Chet Atkins Country Gentleman, perfected with the assistance of Roger Field, a friend of Atkins) - that he played on stage and in the studio. Gretsch quickly became a legitimate competitor to both Gibson and its main rivals, Fender and Rickenbacker. Gretsch's fortunes were greatly aided when, in the mid-1960s, George Harrison played a Gretsch Country Gentleman [3] on the Ed Sullivan Show. In the following 12 months, the number of Country Gentleman guitars sold in a 12-month period jumped from the mid-fifties to over 2,000. George Harrison also played a Gretsch Tennessean. John Lennon briefly used an orange Gretsch Nashville (model #6120), although he is usually associated with his Epiphone Casino. Beginning in 1966, Gretsch had weekly television exposure when the company supplied the guitars and drums for The Monkees. This had an effect analogous to Jimi Hendrix's adoption of the Stratocaster and Eric Clapton's of the Gibson Les Paul; Gretsch was unable to keep up with demand. Lou Reed of the Velvet Underground also used a Gretsch Country Gentleman frequently during the bands' lifetime, as did Stone Roses guitarist John Squire. Pete Townshend of the Who also used an orange Gretsch 6120 (given to him as a gift by friend Joe Walsh) on their 1971 Who's Next album, including their hit,"Bargain". Neil Young also used many different Gretsches during his recording career, including White Falcons, 6120s, and Duo Jets.
[edit] Gretsch electric twelve-string and The Monkees
According to the audio commentary by Michael Nesmith for the episode "I've Got A Little Song Here" on The Monkees: Season One DVD set, prior to The Monkees, Nesmith liked twelve string electric guitars. At the time, only Rickenbacker mass-produced them. Nesmith, however, preferred the bluesy twangy sound of a Gretsch over the distinctive pop sound of a Rickenbacker. According to Nesmith, there was a luthier in Los Angeles that converted six string electric guitars into twelve string guitars. Nesmith brought him a Gretsch Country Gentleman to convert into a twelve string, and that is the guitar he used in the pilot episode of The Monkees, "Here Come The Monkees". (Note: Upon close examination of the film footage, the guitar Nesmith identifies as a Country Gentleman is actually a Gretsch Tennessean. When the pilot episode aired, the music scenes were re-shot. As a result, Mike is holding the original Gretsch as the band is setting up, but has the famous blonde Gretsch once they start playing.) Once the pilot was sold as a series, and Gretsch made the deal to supply the group with instruments, Nesmith contacted Fred Gretsch, and asked if he could make him a twelve-string electric guitar. Gretsch agreed, and the result is the famous blonde electric twelve string that Nesmith used during the Monkees' entire run, on the series, in the recording studio, and in concert. Meanwhile, Fred Gretsch liked the finished instrument so much, he put the electric twelve string into production. One of the first was given to George Harrison and was later known as the "George Harrison Model" (Harrison, preferring his Rickenbacker twelve-string, gave the guitar to a friend).
From 1966 through 1968, Gretsch also produced the Gretsch 6123, which was a Monkees signature electric six string guitar.[4]
[edit] Sale, Gretsch family regains interest
Unfortunately, Fred never found an adequate successor, and in 1967 Gretsch was sold to Baldwin Pianos,[1] becoming a subsidiary. Gretsch's name lost prestige as its models were seen as cheapening and their signature styles fell out of fashion. Factory fires in the early 1970s caused serious problems, and production was finally halted by Baldwin in 1981. In 1989, the Gretsch family once again acquired their namesake company, and production began anew. Models throughout the 1990s were high-quality but expensive, and mostly consisted of classic reissues.
[edit] Resurgence
In the 1980s, rockabilly revival player Brian Setzer rekindled interest in the brand with his band the Stray Cats—he now has his own signature model. Although Chris Isaak explains that he never played a White Falcon, but a one of a kind white coloured Gibson,[2] his emergence into mainstream rock & roll radio only added to the fuel. His band, Silvertone, boasted a signature Gretsch sound which attracted the likes of renowned film director David Lynch, who subsequently used Isaak's music in the films Blue Velvet (1986) and Wild at Heart (1990) as a soundtrack to Lynch's surreal '50s atmosphere. In 1997, the Australian punk/rockabilly band The Living End rose to popularity, with guitarist Chris Cheney using a number of Gretschs, including a White Falcon and a Duo Jet. This was not the first use of Gretsch guitars in punk ; Billy Zoom of X played a Silver Jet, while in rock, Malcolm Young of AC/DC played a double cut Jet Firebird (with the top finish stripped off and one pickup removed), and White Falcon (as seen in the video "Back in Black") during the band's career. In the 1990s, Chris Cornell of Soundgarden used a Duo Jet, and could be seen in the video for "Black Hole Sun". In the music video for "Malibu" by Hole, lead singer Courtney Love can be seen playing a Gretsch. Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong consistently uses a Country Club, which has been customized with various coats of black spray paint, at live performances.[edit] Fender
Finally, in 2003, Gretsch and Fender reached an agreement giving Fender most control over production and distribution of guitars (although the Gretsch family still owns Gretsch Guitars) — and a foothold in the hollowbody guitar market traditionally dominated by Gibson. The Gretsch family continues its involvement in the drum business, which is now part of the Kaman Music Corporation of musical instrument companies.
[edit] Current models
[edit] Hollow body electric
| Model | Name | Chet Atkins collection | Brian Setzer collection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6136 | White Falcon Black Falcon | - | Brian Setzer Black Phoenix |
| 6119 | - | Chet Atkins Tennessee Rose | - |
| 6120 | Hollow body | - | Brian Setzer Nashville Brian Setzer Hot Rod |
| 6122 | - | Chet Atkins Country Gentleman | - |
| 6192, 6193, 6196 | Country Club | - | - |
| 6118 | Anniversary | - | - |
| 6143, 6144, 6145 | Spectra Sonic | - | - |
| Model | Name |
|---|---|
| 5120, 5126–5127,5129 | Electromatic Hollow Body |
[edit] Solid body electric
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[edit] Acoustic
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[edit] Drums
Gretsch Drums were/are also in high demand with drummers playing both jazz and rock. During the 1950s and 1960s, many renowned Jazz drummers, such as Elvin Jones and Max Roach, were playing the now classic "round badge" kits. Micky Dolenz also used Gretsch drums during the filming of the Monkees TV series. Phil Collins used a Gretsch drum kit for many years while touring with Genesis. Charlie Watts (the Wembley Whammer) of the Rolling Stones has played Gretsch drums for forty-five years.
[edit] Notable artists using Gretsch equipment
[edit] Notes
- ^ Gjörde, Per (2001). Pearls and Crazy Diamonds. Göteborg, Sweden: Addit Information AB, 35-37.
- ^ "What they play", Acoustic Guitar, August 2002. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
[edit] External links
- Gretsch
- The Gretsch Pages
- Gretsch in the Drumming Database
- Gretsch Guitars (Fender)
- Gretsch Drums (Kaman)
- Gretsch at Harmony Central
- The History of Gretsch Guitars by Jim Millerde:Gretsch
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