Gretsch Guitars

Earliest pre-war version (refurbed in the '60s) of G R E T S C H's second-fanciest archtop jazzbox, the Synchromatic 300. This apparently, judging by the period neck, thumbprint fretboard inlays and Grover Imperial tuners, got a new neck and new finish in the 60s. The neck looks interchangeable with one you might find on a Country Gentleman, etc. The tuners are the 60s-era Imperials, although I've replaced the reprehensibly-ugly squarish kidney bean tuners with mother-of-pearl stairstep buttons more in the spirit of Imperials' and Synchromatics' Art Deco origins.

This guitar plays and sounds like a million bucks but can be had for a fraction of a per cent of that figure. I now have an original 300 from a noted collection, so now I can share the delight with the guitar world at large. Original harp tailpiece is intact, as, more or less is the 13-layer body binding which has shrunk noticeably. Still, it's a lot less worser than most old Gresch guitars' bindings. Bridge is period and correct but not original to this guitar (came with a generic bridge.) The 17" body gives a huge whomp on the chords, but a nice treble that cuts through as well. It's been very hard to get to the point of parting with this gem, even though I have its sonically identical sister.

Comes with a TKL hard case. $80 Priority Mail shipping in the USA; actual cost to Canada. No other international shipping.