there will b a quiz
Guitar of the Day
When the original Gretsch Country Gentleman made its debut in 1958 as the top-of-the-line Chet Atkins Signature Series guitar, it sold well. But it wasn’t until four young men took the stage on a Sunday night that most young Americans had their first look at the instrument. The occasion was the Ed Sullivan Show and millions tuned in to see, if nothing else, what all that screaming was about. There, in glorious black and white, in the hands of George Harrison, “the Gent” looked like the most amazing guitar on the planet, and from that moment on, it was a sort of “holy grail” for many aspiring young musicians because, well, that incredible sound simply had to be because of that guitar! From that point on, Gretsch was hard-pressed to build enough Country Gentleman guitars to meet the demand.
While the 1962 (or possibly '63) Country Gentleman that George played was a fine guitar, few realized that it had evolved from an instrument that was even more awesome. The original '58 and ‘59 versions had just a single cutaway, which some consider aesthetically more appealing, but beyond that, it gave the instrument more resonance - after all, this was a 17-inch wide hollowbody. Today, with the assistance of Paul Yandell, Chet Atkins’ rhythm guitarist, the Model 6122-1959 Country Gentleman is a beautiful guitar with a sound all its own, thanks to a pair of custom-designed TV Jones pickups: a Super’Tron Classic at the neck and a Plus HT at the bridge. The arched top, back, and sides are laminated maple with a 2-1/4" depth at the sides and much like those earlier Gents, have a nice amount of figuring. The 3-piece maple neck has an ebony fingerboard and pearl, neo-classic “thumbnail” position markers. All the hardware is gold-plated (Chet expected the best), including the historically accurate Bigsby vibrato tailpiece with the curved bar handle which Chet specified. The top, back, neck, and headstock are fully bound and the guitar ships in a deluxe plush-lined hardshell case.
Hey, Fred, is that you? Don’t you remember - you sold your guitar business to Fender? They get made in Korea now? Hey?
'til next;
wynot
I dunno, I never really grooved on them.
I think I just failed the test. 
| Quote (wynot @ April 07 2007,10:25) |
| Hey, Fred, is that you? Don't you remember - you sold your guitar business to Fender? They get made in Korea now? Hey? 'til next; wynot |
If you're talking about the Pro series here, you're wrong. They are all Japanese built and the quality seems to be consistently good.
Fender has actually done a dang good job with Gretsch, which is more than you can say about the way they treated Guild
Learn more @ www.gretschpages.com
The cheap Electromatics are made in Korea & China.
BTW I tried a really nice ca '60 single cut Country Gent yesterday here in Raleigh. Too expensive for me, though
this whole thing of the vintage guitar trip is way outa hand,but i am liking it because i just sold 2800.00 in fender guitar parts this weeknd on e bay,these guys cant get it fast enough,this is stuff ive had laying here in parts for the past 25 yrs ,been refinished with a hunk of sandpaper and a brush,half the stuff is missin but they are payin big bux,cool. pay at this window please:D
yeah, but when is somebody gonna tell wynot that I’m not Fred? And who is Fred?
I thought (well, not really 
) you might be Fred Gretsch… And of course, Korea or Japan is not the point of the joke (both countries make many swell guitars, and I was not trying in any way, shape, or form, to say anything against anyone).
You know why jokes are like frogs? They both die when you dissect them!
'til next time!
Tony W
so what’ve you got against frogs? Juuuuuust kidding… 
Happy International Guitar Month!
yabba dabba doobie
oh THAT Fred! That’s my MAIN man!