Gretsch Guitars History
The Gretsch company is one of the oldest guitar producers, and over the years has been subject to mixed fortunes. For some players, particularly rockabillies, the Gretsch is a must have – it’s practically a law for purists, although the onset of psychobilly has diluted that somewhat. They are still the guitar of choice, or at least waiting in the wings, for guitarists of many styles who love the truly evocative sound that they produce when played to their full potential.
Although Gretsch started serious production in the 1930s it wasn’t until the 1950s that they really took off, most notably due to Chet Atkins’ endorsement which counted for a lot in those days, and in fact despite his recent demise still matters today. The real exponent of the Grestch sound though was probably Duane Eddy who really made those notes count and the guitar melodies still linger even now.
Other big name rockabillies to play the Grestch were Eddie Cochrane, and Gene Vincent who really defined the genre as something quite distinct from its original country roots by tipping the balance of the songs in favor of a rock and roll edge.
The next big phase in Gretsch popularity was during the sixties, when the Beatles started using the guitar. Being an experimental band they played on a variety of different guitars, but all Gretsch needed was that one show with George Harrison playing a Gretsch Country Gentleman to increase their sales.
Television was key to the success and the Monkees’ use of the guitars was seen on a regular basis. Although many claim the band were a bit of a ‘fake outfit’ there was no denying Nesmith’s guitar abilities and even non-musicians must have noticed the distinctive look of his guitar.
Since then, many big names have been seen wielding the Gretsch including Neil Young, and surprisingly Pete Townsend – who was never known for his subtlety.
With the death of Rock and Roll in the sixties, and the emergence of heavy rock, and later punk, Gretsch fell by the way, as their guitars were never really made for either making or taking a good thrashing. Their distinctive classic look was out of sync with the times – it soon became all ‘flying-v’s and anything else that didn’t look streamlined or modern was taking a back seat.
The situation again swung around in the eighties when a young Brian Sezter made it big with his band the Stray Cats. They were not huge, but they did grab a pretty big following, and more importantly, paved the way for other rockabilly bands – which resulted in increased guitar sales.
During the nineties and onwards Dave Grohl, probably one of the most influential guitarists around plays a couple of Gretsch models, and there are a few other big names who serve to keep the guitar in the public eye. A niche guitar it is, which has always been it weakness and its strength, and has always meant that it was never going to battle the big boys, however the big boy himself, Fender’ has taken over much of the Gretsch operation, which will hopefully mean that the guitar will still be in production when the next rockabilly revival comes along.
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