Gretsch Guitars

NEAR MINT- Here's a 2006 ULTRA  . I purchased this beauty from a studio musician in CA who played it for 3 hours total in his studio.( no Gigs). Made in Korea but sticker states Inspected and Set up in the USA.( maybe that's standard?)  I had my Luthier professionally set this up ( smoothed out fret edges, new strings,etc). I have played it maybe another 2 hours total. Great action and tone on this model. I can't find a blemish. It is really near MINT. I have 14 Guitars so I have to deplete the stock ( my wife keeps telling me)  If you want to learn more about the ULTRA read the review below:

Les Paul Ultra

The newest member of the family embodies the classic Les Paul look, feel, and vibe, and in that sense offers no great surprises. Pick up the guitar, however, and you quickly realize that it also gives you something less. With its extensive internal body chambers and deeply contoured back, the Ultra is two to three pounds lighter than the average Les Paul. This in itself should make it of interest to plenty of bent-backed rockers, but the Ultra also lightens the load in other departments. The neck is 1/16" narrower at the nut than the standard Gibson width (at around 15/8" verses 111/16"), and a shade shallower at the first fret than the current production norm. This might not seem like much, but it’s surprising how easily the hand and eye detect the difference when you play the Ultra back-to-back with, for example, the Elitist. I’m a fairly big-handed player, but the more compact quarters here still feel comfortable to me, and they should also help entice guitarists who have been put off by the wide-fat dimensions of many Les Paul necks. In fact, Epiphone president Jim Rosenberg says the Ultra was developed partly in collaboration with Nancy Wilson of Heart, and the lighter weight, ribcage contour, and narrower neck all stemmed from her input. The fact that the neck is made of satin-finished maple rather than mahogany helps bring a little brightness and definition into a stew that has already been softened up some by the body chambering.

Given all these differences, neither your band nor your audience will ever think you’re playing anything other than a bona fide LP. Gold-plated hardware dresses up the quilted maple top beneath a faded cherry sunburst finish. To my eyes, the amber element of the finish lacks a certain richness, and doesn’t maximize the potential depth of the quilted-maple veneer top. Otherwise, the wood looks good, and most details have been executed very smoothly. One hitch comes with some slightly furry fret crowns in the region of the D and G strings, and towards the 12th fret and beyond. A minor fret filing could easily take care of this. Otherwise, the setup is good, and the medium-low action is very playable.

Sonically, the Ultra easily achieves its own recognizable variations of the classic Les Paul. It sounds somewhat airy and open strummed acoustically—like archetypal, semi-solid Gretsch and Guild models—and amplified, the chambered design delivers a full response, but with a midrange honk that helps this otherwise fat-sounding guitar to punch through. It’s not an overly refined voice, but it’s not without some sweetness. The pairing of an Alnico Classic humbucker at the neck with an Alnico Classic Plus at the bridge yields good tonal balance with an extra pinch of grind and sting from the bridge selection when you need it for cutting leads. The neck position produces some decently round, fluty tones that work well for blues or even jazz—although there can be a little wooliness here at times. Both pickups wail admirably through a cranked amp, making the Ultra a respectable all-around performer.