gretsch
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. 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.
Players and collectors of vintage guitars feel that Gretsch's "best" years started in the mid 1950s, after Fred's son Fred Jr. had
taken the reins. It was during this time the company introduced several distinctive models, including the 6120 Nashville, the
Duo Jet chambered solidbody, the Country Club, and the White Falcon.
However, 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 his endorsement gave Gretsch greater visibility in competition with Gibson and Les Paul.
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".
Many rockabilly players had followed in the footsteps of Eddie Cochran, who also wielded a 6120 (though modified with a Gibson P-90
pickup in the neck position) and Gene Vincent's guitarist Cliff Gallup, who played a Duo Jet. Elvis Presley himself later owned a
Gretsch Country Gentleman - (recently manufactured as Gretsch Country Classic but now renamed Chet Atkins Country Gentleman),
playing it briefly both on stage and in the studio. Gretsch quickly became a legitimate competitor to both Gibson and its main rivals,
Fender and Rickenbacker. Gretsch fortunes rose yet again in the early sixties when George Harrison played a Gretsch
Country Gentleman on the Ed Sullivan Show.
The British Invasion brought with it, in addition to an extensive use of Rickenbackers, further popularity to Gretsch models.
In addition to the Beatles, Brian O'Hara of the Fourmost extensively used a Country Gentleman. The Animals' Hilton Valentine played a
Tennessean on the classic House of the Rising Sun. Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones used a 1963 model 6118 Double Anniversary
from late 1963 - mid 1964, used on the Stones' version of I Wanna Be Your Man as well as the Rolling Stones' first album as well
as a few tracks on 12 X 5, notably It's All Over Now. Gerry Marsden from Gerry and the Pacemakers can also be seen using a
Gretsch guitar.
Beginning in 1966, Gretsch had weekly television exposure when the company supplied the guitars and drums for The Monkees,
extending the demand for guitars. Both Lou Reed and Sterling Morrison of the Velvet Underground used a Gretsch Country Gentleman
during the bands' lifetime (although not simultaneously - they shared the same guitar), as did Stone Roses guitarist John Squire.
As the sixties waned into the seventies, Gretschs were seen in the hands of Stephen Stills and Neil Young. Pete Townshend of the Who
also used an orange Gretsch 6120 (given to him by Chet Atkins) on their 1971 Who's Next album, including their hit,Bargain.