Gretsch Guitars

The Gretsch Company actually started out making tambourines. The Brooklyn New York company was founded by Friedrich Gretsch in 1883. Friedrich died unexpectedly in 1895 and his son Fred Sr. headed the company. Fred retired in 1942 and the running of the company was left to his sons Fred Jr. and eventually Bill Gretsch. By the mid 1920’s the company was producing ukuleles, banjos and drums. They introduced a line of tenor guitars in 1927. The company opened an office in Chicago in 1930 for sales and distribution. They did not manufacture instruments in Chicago. By the mid 1930’s Gretsch was distributing various brands of band and string instruments including drums. In 1933 they introduced a line of Gretsch-American archtop guitars that they sold with other brands that included Kay-Kraft, Rex and Harmony. In 1940 Gretsch bought B&D banjos from the Bacon Company. In the late 1930’s and 40’s Gretsch caught everyone’s attention with the triangular soundhole on their flattop guitars and the cat’s eye soundhole on their archtops. gretsch99 Gretsch focused on the electric guitar in the mid 1950’s. They started producing a Chet Atkins signature line in 1954 which added to their success. In 1967 the Baldwin Company bought Gretsch and consolidated Gretsch guitars, Gretsch drums, Ode banjos, Sho-Bro resonator guitars and Baldwin guitars into one company. In 1970 they moved instrument production to Booneville Arkansas and in 1972 moved their corporate offices to Cincinnati Ohio. Because of a factory fire there were very few instruments made in 1973. Gretsch bought Kustom in 1978. Gretsch was then sold to Charlie Roy who moved the administration offices to Gallatin Tennessee .In 1980 they moved again to the Kustom offices Chanute Kansas. Guitars continued to be made in Boonville until 1981 and in Mexico until around 1983. In 1985 Gretsch was again acquired by a member of the Gretsch family. They started a new line of guitars that were put together overseas from parts made in the US, Canada and Germany. In 1991 they revived the more expensive Synchromatic archtop to be made by the Heritage Company in Kalamazoo Michigan and in 1995 added additional models made by guitar builder Gene Haugh.