Gretsch

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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.

1 History
2 Drums
3 Notable artists using Gretsch equipment
- 3.1 Guitarists
- 3.2 Drummers
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Beginnings

Gretsch was founded in 1883 by a German immigrant named Friedrich Gretsch. 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. [1]

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. 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[2] (named after an instrumental hit for Chet) and the Tennessean [3], 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 - now manufactured as "Gretsch Country Classic" - 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 [4] 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). 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.

[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.[5]

[edit] Sale, Gretsch Family regains interest

Unfortunately, Fred never found an adequate successor, and in 1967 Gretsch was sold to Baldwin Pianos, 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

Bono's Irish Falcon guitar.

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. Chris Isaak's 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 pink and black spray paint, at live performances. The 2000 songs Otherside "Californication" by Red Hot Chili Peppers was played on a vintage 1950s White Falcon, and can be seen in the video. One of the most recent Gretsch players is Ross Phillips of HARD-Fi. U2 lead singer Bono's signature guitar is an "Irish Falcon", green in colour with the phrase 'The Goal Is Soul' printed on the pickguard in black text. Billy Duffy of The Cult has prominently used the White Falcon over decades. Jack White of The White Stripes has cast aside his trademark red Airline guitar (an instrument strongly associated with the Stripes) in favour of a custom Gretsch Triple-Jet copy for use in his newest band, The Raconteurs.

[edit] Fender Assumes Manufacturing and Marketing Responsibility

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. New models and improvements of old ones are being released quickly, and Gretsch appears on its way to a new golden age. Gretsch drums are reputed to sound as good as ever.

[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.

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.