General
These days, original guitars from Gretsch's glory days - the 1950s and 1960s - are so expensive that mere mortals hardly ever get the chance to play them. Thankfully, Gretsch Guitars has issued the Gretsch Vintage Select Editions, a line of guitars that were built according to vintage specifications from the company's heyday. Take the G6118T-60GE Vintage Select Edition 1960 Anniversary in 2-tone Smoke green, for instance. Granted, you can't really call it a budget model, but for true fans, this gorgeous instrument makes a great investment. Cost nor effort was spared to make this guitar fully period-correct. Gretsch even used a hospital scanner to study the interior of one of their classic guitars!
Vintage specifications, legendary sound
The laminated maple that was used for this G6118T-60GE's body has been layered following a 1950s procedure, as an infra-red study showed this was an essential part of the Vintage Select Gretsch production process. Of equal importance is the guitar's '59 trestle bracing, which reduces feedback by means of wooden braces that are placed underneath the top, hardly increasing the weight of your instrument and leaving the natural resonance of the body intact. Two TV Jones Hilo'Tron single-coils deliver a characteristic sound with sparkling trebles, solid mids and warm bass. The '50s-style 'Gretsch by Bigsby' vibrato unit is the cherry on top.
Vintage Select Editions
Even though Gretsch Guitars was originally founded in 1883, the 1950s were the company's glory days. Not only was rock & roll up and coming, it was also a great time for guitar builders, who kept their businesses rolling along smoothly. Thanks to years of experience and collaborations with famous guitar builders like Chet Atkins, Gretsch was able to issue guitar models that are still incredibly popular today. To pay homage to their own golden age, Gretsch has introduced the Vintage Select Editions, a series of guitars that adhere strictly to the specifications from their heydays. All of the Gretsch Vintage Select guitars are vintage-correct and, unlike the original instruments from the '50s, affordable for true fans.
