Gretsch Guitars

Vintage Sultan Jazz Guitar from approximately 2007. This is
a very well made, great playing low to mid range (I paid $600 US with shipping
from a dealer in France) jazzbox manufactured in Korea. In it’s original form
(see stock photo) it had a similar vibe to a Peerless Monarch. However, having
purchased this to be a project, I have made many alterations/upgrades. My
intention was to create a jazz guitar for a reasonable amount of money that
incorporated all of the visual elements that I find aesthetically pleasing
without sacrificing sound and playability. PLEASE NOTE THAT IN ADDITION TO
GETTING ALL OF THE UPGRADED PARTS, I AM ALSO INCLUDING ALL OF THE STOCK PARTS
(see photo) THAT ORIGINALLY CAME WITH THE GUITAR! Kinsman gigbag (pictured)
also included. 

Here is a breakdown of what has been modified:

 -       I
have replaced the original Wilkinson “Johnny Smith”-type neck mounted pickup
with a BENEDETTO S-6 ($140.00) floating pickup (pickguard mounted). The
Benedetto is very warm, expressive pickup, by the way.

 -       An
authentic D’ANGELICO New Yorker pickguard ($125.00 ordered direct from their
website) replaces the original “shark fin” pickguard. I’ve just always loved
the look of those “stairsteps”…

 -       A
gold Frequensator tailpiece ($70.00 WD Music) replaces the original rather
generic looking archtop tailpiece.

 -       I
have replaced the Grover-type Wilkinson tuners (one of the buttons broke off)
with gold Kluson-type Wilkinson tuners with vintage green/pearloid buttons
($35.00 Allparts, I believe).  Much
classier look.

 -       A
Gretsch Synchromatic-type deco style adjustable rosewood floating bridge
(approx. $28.00 Ebay) is used in place of the generic gold Tune-o-matic style
bridge (which made an annoying constant rattle) – aside from looking cool, I am
actually very impressed with how well intonated this bridge is with the correct
placement.

 Throw in the amber Gibson knobs and gold pickguard bracket
and that’s OVER $400.00 WORTH OF UPGRADES, folks!

 Now, in the interest of full disclosure, not everything on
this guitar is perfect; My intention was to get it up and running, and then
fine tune my modifications as time allowed – but alas time has gotten away with
me, and I’ve got to let this one go. But make no mistake, THIS GUITAR IS FULLY
FUNCTIONING AND PLAYS GREAT right now as it is – but these are the issues that
could be addressed in the future if you are so inclined:

 -       the
pickup is currently not perfectly aligned for equal distance from the strings.
This can be easily corrected by using a shim or a nut underneath where the pickup
is mounted to the pickguard (I have been using a small wad of rolled tissue
placed under the pickup to support the height so it sounds balanced when
amplified – this works, it sounds good, but it’s not very sexy).

 -       I
have very carefully hand spliced (not soldered) the Benedetto pickup to the
existing electronics – almost all of the lead wire is still there, so switching
this back to the original pickup would be very easy to do if you so choose.

 -       While
removing the original pickup I discovered a hairline crack on the bass side of
the heel where the pickup was screwed on (please see photo); this was there
when I received the guitar; let me assure you that the guitar has not sustained
any trauma in the 2 years I have owned it. The crack is shallow and stable (has
no play in it), and does not affect the guitar at all (besides
cosmetically).You may want to fill this with putty or glue (I’m not a luthier;
I don’t know what would be the best way to approach this), but is not
immediately necessary.

 -       The
existing peg holes varied slightly in size due to uneven craftsmanship, thus
some of the bushings for the replacement tuners fit perfectly, and a couple of
them fit very loosly. I have wrapped small strips of electrical tape around
those particular bushings so that they fit snuggly into the uneven holes. The
tuners are stable and function as they should right now, but you may want to
take more permanent measures to make these secure for the long term.

 -       There
are some mismatched screws used on various parts of the guitar – depending on
how fussy you are about this you may want to replace them at some point in
time.

 Whew. A lot of information, I know – but I don’t want to
mislead any potential buyer. I have described this piece to the best of my
non-professional ability. Just to reassure you, THE GUITAR IS READY TO GO AND
FULLY PLAYABLE RIGHT NOW, but there is plenty of room for tweaking going
forward. I am confident that you will enjoy this classy bargain player that you
won’t have to mortgage your future to buy.

 Guitar will be de-tuned and professionally double
boxed by UPS for shipping to LOWER 48 STATES ONLY. IMMEDIATE PAYMENT REQUIRED
VIA PAYPAL ONLY PLEASE.