Inside The Gretsch Guitar Factory - From 1957-1970

Inside the
Gretsch Guitar
Factory
195711970
DAN DUFFY
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Printed in Victoria, BC, Canada.
ISBN: 978-1-4120-6823-9
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10 9 8
Inside the Gretsch Guitar Factory 1957-1970 3
MY NAM E I S DAN D UFFY A N D l 'M A G U ITAR P LAYE R . I WAS H I R E D

BY T H E G R ETSC H G U ITAR COM PANY I N 1 957 T O I N S P ECT A N D PLAY
EVERY G U ITAR B EFOR E IT LEFT THE FACTO RY. I N T H E PAST FEW
YEARS I HAVE BEEN I NTERVI EWE D BY PEOPLE WRITING BOOKS ON
G R ETSC H G U ITARS P RO D UC E D IN T H E YEARS I WOR K E D TH E R E
1 957 I 1 970 . NOW T H E S E G U ITARS A R E I N A P R I C E B RACKET THAT
AMAZES M E .
I S I G N E D ALL THOS E G R E E N O . K. CAR D S THAT H U N G ON TH E
H EAD P I ECE OF T H E G U ITAR. I N THE S IXTI ES . WH E N THE P RODUC
T I O N I N C R EAS E D B ECAU S E OF T H E D E MA N D W E H I R E D F R E D
R OD R I G U EZ T O ASS I ST M E . VAR IOUS I N S P ECTION P O I N TS WE R E
S ET U P THROUG HOUT TH E FACTORY. FOR EXAM PLE, BEFO RE TH E
G U ITAR WAS S P RAYE D WITH A LACQ U E R F I N I S H , IT WAS I N S P ECT
E D FOR ANY FLAWS I N THE WOOD THAT WE R E NOT SAND E D OUT.
WHEN THE G U ITAR WAS R EADY FO R T H E ASS E M B LY D E PARTM ENT
IT WAS LOOKED AT AGAI N . ALL PARTS OF THE G U ITAR SUCH AS T HE
N ECKS , WERE C H ECKED TO S E E IF THEY W E R E STRA I G HT AND TH E
FR ETS W E R E PUT I N PROPERLY B E FO R E T H E N ECK WAS FITTED TO
TH E BODY.
WH E N I S TA RT E D T H E R E T H E FACTO RY WAS MA K I N G T E N
4 Dan Duffy
OR TWE LVE G U ITARS A DAY. D U R I N G TH E M I D D LE S IXTI ES IT WAS

AROU N D S EVENTY FIVE.
THE O L D SAY I N G "HASTE MAKES WASTE" D I D N OT A P P LY I N
T H I S CAS E . E V E RYO N E WOR K E D T H E I R B UTT OFF TO M E ET T H E
D EMAN D AN D KEEP T H E Q U AL ITY AT A N ACC E PTABLE STAN DAR D .
B Y TH E WAY THAT WAS M Y TITLE "Q UALITY CONTROLLER"
WH E N I A P P L I E D FO R TH E POS I T I O N I R EALLY D I D N 'T KNOW
W H AT I T WAS A B O U T. SAL SALVA D O R R E C O M M E N D E D M E . H E
E N D O R S E D T H E JAZZ G U I TA R 6 1 99 C O NV E RT I B L E , A W I D E BODY
ACO U S T I C G U I TA R , WITH A F LOAT I N G P IC KU P ATTACH E D TO T H E
P IC KG UA R D . H E TOLD M E THAT TH E G R ETSC H C O M PANY WAS LOO K
I N G FOR SOMEON E TO TU N E U P T H E G U ITARS . AT THAT T I M E I WAS
WOR K I N G I N AN OFFICE D U R I NG TH E DAY AN D P LAY I N G AT LEAST
TH R E E N I G HTS A WEEK WITH MY BAN D . I WANTED TO CHAN G E MY
DAY J O B B ECAU S E I WAS T I R E D OF WAITI N G ON P RO M I S ES THAT
N EV E R HAP P E N E D , EVERYO N E KNOWS WHAT THAT'S L I KE .
M Y F I RST I NT E RV I EW FOR T H E J O B WAS W I T H P H IL G RANT
T H E VICE P R E S I D E NT. HE AS KED ME ABOUT MY E D U CATI O N AN D
PAST JOB EXP E R I ENCE. I G U ESS H E TOO K IT FOR G RANTED THAT I
P LAYED T H E G U ITAR BECAUS E H E N EV E R ASKED M E ABOUT IT. I RE
MEMBER P RACT I C I N G EVERY S PARE M I N UTE I HAD , P R IOR TO THE
I NT E RVI EW TO MAKE A GOOD I M P R ESS I O N . I HAD A COUPLE MORE
I NT E RVI EWS AFTE R THAT AN D N O O N E EVER AS KE D M E TO P LAY.
I COUL D N 'T B E L I EVE IT. LAT E R AFT E R I WO R K E D TH E RE AWH ILE I
AS K E D J I M MY WEBSTE R ABOUT T H E FA CT T H AT N O O N E AS K E D
M E T O P LAY. H E TOLD M E THAT SAL SALVADOR SAI D I WAS A GOOD
P LAYER, AND THAT WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR T H E M . H E ALSO TOLD
M E THAT T H EY N E E D E D A P E RS O N W H O C O U L D H A N D L E P R ES
S U R E . IT WAS N 'T LONG BEFO R E I K N E W WHAT H E M EANT. EVERY
T I M E I S I G N E D MY NAM E TO THAT "O. K." CAR D I ASS U M E D THE RE
S P ON S I B I L I TY FO R T H E G U I TA R . I HAD TO T EACH MYS E LF WHAT
EVERY O N E CALL E D "CO M M E R C IALLY ACC E PTABL E . " MY N U M B E R
O N E P R I O R ITY F O R THE G U ITAR WAS IT HAD TO PLAY EXTR E M E LY
WELL.
G ETTI N G BACK TO MY I NTERVI EW WITH P H I L G RANT, EVERY
TH I N G WENT W E L L A N D H E TOLD I HAD TO S E E J I M MY WEBSTER
N EXT. HE MAD E AN APPOI NTMENT FOR M E T H E FOLLOW I N G WEEK.
J I M MY WAS A V E RY G O O D G U I TA R P LAYE R . HE WOU L D D E M O N
STRATE TH E G U ITARS AT TH E M U S I C S H OWS . H E U S E D A M ETHOD
OF PLAY I N G CALLED "TH E TOU C H SYSTEM" HE WAS ALSO RES PON
S I B LE F O R ALL T H O S E GADG ETS O N T H E G U I TARS . S O M E W E R E
VERY GOOD A N D S O M E W E R E D U B I O U S . A P E RFECT EXAM PLE OF
D U B I O U S WAS T H E "TO N E TWISTER" A S MALL M ETA L P I E C E THAT
ATTACH E D TO T H E G U I TAR B ETWEEN T H E B R I D G E AN D TH E TAI L
P I EC E . IT WAS S U P POSED TO ACT L I KE A M I N I V I BRATO. IT D I D N 'T. IT
WAS I NSTALL E D O N S O M E OF TH E G U ITARS AN D TO MY AMAZEMENT
O R D E R S CAM E IN FOR TH E "TO N E TWISTER" . I ASK E D TH E MAN
AG E R OF O N E OF TH E STO R ES ABOUT TH I S AN D H E TOLD M E THAT
S O M E OF H IS C USTO M E R S L I KE TH E WAY IT LOOKS O N T H E G U I�
TAR , H E SAI D TH E M O R E GADG ETS , KNOBS AN D SWITC H ES ON TH E
G U ITARS THE B ETTE R . TH E SALES OF T H E TON E TWISTER EVENTU
ALLY TWISTED ITS WAY I NTO OBLIVION . J I M MY WAS R I G HT AGA I N ,
"J UST MAKE IT A N D T H E SALES WILL COME" WAS H I S M OTTO .
TH E STORY OF "TH E PAD D E D BACK" . J I M MY CAM E U P WITH
6 Dan Duffy
TH E I D EA OF A "STEREO" G U ITAR. THE WI R E HARN ESS WAS V E RY

I NT R ICATE AN D BULKY. I N O R D E R TO I NSTALL I T I NTO T H E G U ITAR A
FO U R O R FIVE I N C H HOLE HAD TO BE CUT I NTO T H E BACK OF T H E
G U ITAR. T O COV E R TH E HO LE A PAD WAS MAD E . IT H A D S NAPS ON
IT A N D IT S N AP P E D ONT O T H E BACK OF T H E G U ITAR. TH E "WH ITE
FALCO N " ST E R E O G U ITAR WAS I NTROD U C E D W IT H T H I S . A T R U LY
B EA U T IF UL G U ITA R W IT H A T R U E ST E R EO S O U N D . J I M MY U S E D
T H I S G U ITA R I N H I S D E MO NSTRAT I O N S A N D I T S OU N D E D G REAT.
CALL S CAM E I NT O TH E FACTORY WITH R EQ U E ST S TO H AV E T H E
PAD D E D BAC K I NS TALL E D O N G U ITARS T HAT W E R E J U ST P U R
C HA S E D . O N C E AGA I N I WAS AMAZ E D . W H O W O UL D WA N T T H IS
TH I N G O N TH E BACK OF TH E I R G U ITAR? I KNOW I D I D N'T.
T H E N T H E PA D D E D BACK W E N T O N E S T E P F U RTH E R . "TH E
PAD D E D G U ITAR" , O H G O D , WHAT N EXT. T H I S TH I N G LOOKED L I KE
A G U I TA R W I T H A S KI J AC KET O N . T H I S G U ITA R WAS N EV E R P U T
I NTO P RO D UCTIO N .
T H E N EXT T H I N G T HAT R EALLY G OT T O M E WAS T H E T U N
I N G FO R K B R I D G E . TH I S WI LL B E A L ITTL E HARD TO EXPLA I N . TH E
B R ID G E WAS MAD E W IT H T H R E E G OL D P LAT E D STE EL R O U N D
BARS .T H E M IDD L E BAR WAS ABOUT T H RE E T I M E S TH I C KE R THA N
T H E OTH E R TWO . IT HA D A TU N I NG FO RK S C R EWED I NTO IT. A HOLE
WAS MAD E IN TH E T O P OF TH E G U ITAR T O R E C E IVE T H E TU N I N G
FO R K. A S PA C E R B R I D G E WA S P LA C E D B E H I N D I T. T H I S D EV I C E
ACT UALLY MAD E T H E G U ITAR SUSTA I N M O R E , B U T CHAN G I N G T H E
STR I NG S WAS T H E B I G PROBLEM . T H E ST R I N G S CAM E T H RO U G H
TH E TA I LP I EC E O V E R TH E S PA C E R B R I D G E O V E R T H E F I RST BAR
OF THE TU N I N G FO RK U N IT U N D E R THE M I DD L E BAR T H E N UP AN D
OVE R THE T H I RD BAR THEN U P TO THE TU N I NG MAC H I N ES . W H E N

YO U STARTED TU N I NG T H E STR I NGS U P T H E U N IT STARTED TWIST
I N G . I T TOO K FO R EV E R TO C H AN G E T H E STR I N G S . W H E N E V E R
A RAC K OF T E N O R TWE N TY OF TH E S E G U I TA R S WAS O U TS I D E
MY TEST I N G BOOTH WAI T I N G FOR M E TO TEST, I N S P ECT, AN D S ET
T H E I NTO N AT I O N I CAL L E D F R E D TO H E LP M E . F R E D HAD A LOT
MORE PAT I E N C E THAN I D I D , OR THAT'S THE I M P R ESS I O N H E GAVE.
FRED B ECAM E M Y B E S T F R I E N D FO R L IF E . TO TH I S DAY W E G ET
TOG ETH E R .W E S T I L L TALK ABOUT TH E YEARS WE S P E NT AT T H E
G R ETSCH FACTORY. MY OTH E R BEST F R I E N D WAS FELIX P R EVETE
H IS N ICKNAME WAS R E D .
H E PAS S E D AWAY R E C E NTLY. R E D S TA R T E D WO R K I N G
AT G R ETSC H W H E N H E WAS E I G HT E E N YEARS O L D . H E K N E W
E V E RY O P E R AT I O N I N T H E FAC TO RY, H E B E CA M E T H E F O R E
MAN OF TH E ASS E M B LY D E PARTM E NT. O N OCCAS I O N F R E D , R E D
A N D MYS E LF WO U L D G O TO TH E LOCAL BAR A N D P LAY POOL O R
S H UFFLE BOAR D , HAVE A FEW BEERS AN D TALK ABOUT G U I TARS.
I WAS ABOUT TH I RTY YEARS OLD TH E N A N D I WAS T R U LY I N G U I
TAR H EAVEN . U P U NTI L R E D D I E D , H E AN D F R E D WOU L D COM E TO
LONG I S LAND TO S E E M E . R E D STILL LIVED I N BROOKLYN AN D F R E D
LIVES I N TH E B R O N X . WE WOULD GO T O TH E LOCAL MAR I NA, CAST
O U R F I S H I N G L I N E S I N T H E WAT E R , S IT BACK A N D TAL K A B O U T
TH E BEST YEARS OF O U R LIVES, WOR K I N G AT G R ETS C H G U ITARS.
F R E D G R ETSC H JR. WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO BE S U R ROU N D E D
B Y S U C H D E D I CATE D P E O P L E . EVERYO N E W H O WO R K E D TH E R E
D I D H I S O R H E R BEST.
MY TH I R D I NT E RVI EW WAS WITH HAROLD WOODS T H E FAC-
8 Dan Duffy
TORY MANAG E R AND H IS ASS ISTANT B I LL HAG N E R WHO LAT E R BE

CAM E THE MANAG E R AFTE R HAROLD WOO DS D EAT H . T H EY AS KED
ME THE SAM E Q U EST I O N S , PAST WO RK EXP E R I E N C E AN D E D U CA
TION . I ATT E N D E D T H E SAM E SCHOOLS AS B I LL HAG N E R SO THAT
WAS ANOTH E R O N E FO R MY S I D E . EVENTUALLY T H EY TOL D M E I
H A D T H E J O B . T H I S WAS T H E B EG I N N I N G OF M Y CAR E E R I N T H E
M U S I C BUS I N ES S . TH I RTEEN YEARS WITH G R ETSC H , S EVEN YEARS
W I T H U N I CO R D , I NC . AS G U I TA R S E RV I C E MA N AG E R , T H I RT E E N
Y EA R S A S G EN E RA L MA NAG E R OF V I N C I G U I TA R S TR I N G S A N D
F I NALLY F I V E YEARS A S P R E S I D E N T OF D 'AQ U I STO STR I N G S OF
WH I C H I HAVE A S MALL PERCENTAG E OF. I N EV E R GOT A D I M E OUT
OF IT S I N C E I R ET I R E D . ALL THESE ARE STO R I ES IN T H E M S E LVES.
MY TO U R OF THE FACTORY WITH B I LL H AG N ER WAS G R EAT.
HAV I N G B E E N G U ITAR C RAZY S I NC E I WAS ABOUT TWE LVE YEARS
OLD I WAS ALL EYES . TH E WOO D S H O P WAS WH E R E T H EY ACTU
ALLY MAKE THE G U ITAR. THE WOOD WAS S ELECTED FO R TH E VAR I
O U S PARTS O F T H E G U ITA R S . N EC KS , BAC KS , TO P S A N D S I D E S
W E R E B E I N G C U T AN D SAN D E D . BODY S I DES WE R E B E I N G ROUTED
OUT FOR TH E WH ITE B I N D I NG . THAT'S W H E N I F I RST SAW " R E D" .
H E WAS ROUT I N G AWAY, WOOD D U ST FLY I N G EVERY WH E R E , H E
STO P P E D , L IFT E D H IS P ROTECTION MAS K AN D GAVE M E H IS S P E
C IA L "SO WHO TH E H ELL A R E YO U" ? LOOK. W E LA U G H E D ABOUT
THAT FOR YEARS .
O N E T I M E H E N RY T H E F R E I G HT ELEVATO R O P ERATO R ASKED
ME TO COM E DOWN TO TH E SECOND FLOOR BECAU S E SOMEONE
WANTED TO SEE ME. I AS KED HIM WHO IT WAS . HE TOLD M E IT WAS
TH E "SHYLOCK." T H E D I CTIONARY D I SC R I PT I O N OF TH I S WOR D IS "A
R UTHLESS A N D D E MAN D I N G M O N EY LEN D E R" . WOW! ! ! NO ITS N OT

THAT BAD . H E AS KED M E FOR THE MON EY I OWED H I M . I TOLD H I M
I D I D N 'T OWE H I M ANYTH I N G A N D l ' D G ET BACK TO H I M . A LOT OF
T H E WOR KE R S , I N C L U D I N G TH E FO R EMAN AND OFF I C E P E RS O N
N E L P LAYED TH E N U MBERS AND HORSES AND ALWAYS OWED TH I S
G UY M O N EY. TH EY A L S O U S E D OTH E R P E O PLES NAM ES I F T H EY
OWE D TOO M U C H M O N EY AND COU L D N 'T G ET ANY MORE C R E D I T. I
WAS N OT A GAM B L E R . H E N RY TOLD M E THAT RED USED MY NAME
B ECAU S E HE KN EW TH I S G UY D I D N 'T KNOW ME. I PAI D R E DS TAB
A N D WE LAU G H E D ABOUT IT ALL THE T I M E .
F R O M T H E WOOD S H O P WE W E N T TO TH E F I N I S H I NG ROOM
A N D M ET JOHNNY D E ROSA TH E FO R E MAN . I FO RGOT TO M ENTION
T H E FO R E MA N 'S N A M E IN TH E WOO D S H O P, J E R RY P E R I TO . H I S
C O U S I N V I N NY W H O WAS TH E R E LON G E R THAN ANYO N E , U S E D
T O B E I N C H AR G E . H E N OW WOR K E D O N S P EC IAL O R D E RS . H E
WORKED T H E R E B EFOR E FRED G R ETSCH J R . B I LL G R ETSC H WAS
I N CHARG E W H E N H E STARTED TH E R E AS A TEENAG E R . H E ALWAYS
SAI D B I LL G R ETSC H WAS TH E G R EATEST. FRED TOOK OVE R AFTE R
H I S B ROTH E R D I E D . V I N NY FELT BETRAYED WHEN FRED S O L D T H E
C O M PANY T O BALDWI N P IANO C O .
T H E COLORS OF TH E G U ITARS A L L HAN G I N G I N T H E F I N I S H
I N G ROOM WAS EYE CATCH I N G B U T T H E S M E LL OF T H E LACQU E R
WAS N 'T. I HAD TO G ET O U T OF TH E R E FAST. J I M MY WEBSTE R WAS
R E S P O N S I B L E FO R TH E S E MAG N IF I C E N T COLORS . J UST O N E OF
MANY G OO D I D EAS J I M M Y HAD FOR TH E G R ETSC H G U ITA R . TH E
FO R E MAN J O H N D E ROSA ALSO STARTED TH E R E VERY YO U N G . H E
WAS A V E RY Q U I ET LAI D BACK K I N D OF G UY W H O WOR K E D H IS
10 Dan Duffy
BUTT OFF. HIS HANDS WERE SCAR R E D . THEY LOOKED LIKE S O M E

O N ES F E ET WHO N EV E R WOR E S H O E S . I COU L D N 'T B E L I EVE IT. I
U S E D TO AS K H I M TO "FE ET" M E T H E G U ITAR, H E WOU L D LAUG H
L I KE C RAZY. J O H N D I D N 'T LAU G H TOO OFTEN H E WAS V E RY S E R I
O U S AN D V E RY CONSC I EN T I O U S ABOUT H IS J O B . A L L TH E YEARS
OF H AV I N G H I S H A N D S S U BJ ECTE D TO SAN D PAP E R AN D PAI NT
T H I N N E RS H A D TAK E N ITS TOL L O N H I S H A N D S . H E WAS A L S O
U PS ET W H E N F R E D S O L D T H E C O M PANY.W H E N J O H N PAI NT E D A
G U I TA R BY H I MS E LF D O I N G ALL TH E D IFFE R E NT O P ERAT I O N S I T
WAS A T H I N G OF BEAUTY.
I R E M E M B E R O N E T I M E I N T H E PAI NT S H O P S O M E O N E P UT
TH E I R L U N C H ON O N E OF T H E H EAT I N G P I PES AND FORGOT ABOUT
IT. I T STARTED TO S M O KE A LOT S ETT I N G OFF T H E S P R I N KL E R S .
T H E R E WAS WAT ER E V E RYWH E R E . WOR K E R S W E R E R U N N I N G
ARO U N D ALL SOAKED . TH E F I R E D E PARTM ENT CAM E ALS O . WH E N
E V E RYT H I N G S ETTL E D DOWN I WALKE D OVE R T O J O H N W H O BY
T H E N LOOKED L I KE "SWA M P TH I NG" AN D SAI D TO H I M "I TOLD YOU
N OT TO S MOKE" HE D I D N 'T LAUG H .
B EFOR E M Y F I RST V I S IT TO T H E ASS E M BLY D E PARTM E N T I
WANT TO TELL YO U ABOUT MY F I RST G U ITA R . YOU W I LL N OT BE
L I EVE T H I S . I STA RT E D TEAC H I N G MYS E L F TO PLAY WH E N I WAS
A BO U T TWE LV E YEAR S OLD . MY FAT H E R PLAY E D T H E G U I TA R
AN D SAN G . THAT OLD G I BS O N ACCO USTIC G U ITAR H EL P E D F E E D
M Y M OTH E R , B R OT H E R A ND MYS E LF D U R I N G T H E D E P R ES S I O N ,
C I RCA 1 929- 1 940. H E HAD T H E S E M U S I C S H E ETS WITH TH E G U ITAR
C H O R D BOXES O N T H E M , HE S H OWED ME WHAT TO D O . HE WAS
MY F I RST G U ITAR H ERO. I U S E D TH I S G U ITAR U NT I L I WAS TWENTY
TH R E E YEARS OLD . I WENT I N THE MAR I N E CORPS. AT AG E TWE N

T Y A N D GOT O U T WHEN I WAS TWENTY TWO . I COU L D N 'T WAIT TO
G ET BACK TO P LAY I N G T H E G U I TA R . O N E N I G HT W H I LE I WAS I N
T H E MAR I N ES I WAS I N A BAR WITH SOME OF MY B U D D I ES I N JACK
S O N V I LL E N O RTH CARO L I NA. TH E R E WAS A G U I TA R A N D P IA N O
D U O P LAYI N G . AFTE R HAV I N G A FEW B E E RS I BET THE G UYS THAT
I C O U L D G ET U P T H E R E A N D P LAY T H E G U I TA R . I WENT U P AN D
AS KED T H E G U ITAR P LAYER IF I COULD P LAY A N D H E SAI D YES . I
P LAYE D "TH E WOR L D I S WAITI N G FOR T H E S U N R I S E "AN D" W H I S
P E R I N G " . I H A D F R E E B E E RS T H E R EST OF T H E N I G H T. A NYWAY,
WH E N I GOT OUT I STARTED PRACT I C I N G . O N E N I GHT MY F R I ENDS
AN D I WENT TO S E E A G UY PLAY. I DON 'T REMEMBER H I S NAM E BUT
HE WAS A GOOD P LAY E R , A B O U T TWE N TY YEARS O LD E R T H A N
M E . H E H A D A D 'AN G E L I CO G U ITAR. MY F R I E N D K N E W H I M SO WE
STARTED TO TALK. HE TOLD M E HE HAD A N EW TYP E OF G I BSON
G U ITAR THAT H E COULD'T G ET U S E D TO P LAY I N G AS IT WAS VERY
D IFF E R E NT. WE WENT DOWN TH E BAS E M ENT OF THE CLUB AND H E
O P E N E D T H I S SL I M L I N E B R OWN G I BS O N CAS E . AT F I RST I D I D N 'T
KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF TH I S S O L I D BODY G I BS O N "GOLD TO P
LES PAU L" G U ITAR. YO U HAVE TO R E M E M B E R T H I S WAS 1 955 AND I
N EV E R SAW A SOL I D BODY G U ITAR B EFO R E .
C A N YOU BELI EVE I T ? THE MOST SORT AFTER G U ITAR I N TH E
WOR L D TODAY AN D H E R E IT WAS LOOKI N G U P AT M E . IT HAD TO
B E O N E OF T H E F I R S T O N ES E V E R M A D E . I P I C KE D I T U P A N D I
K N E W I NS TA N T LY T H AT I WAS H O L D I N G T H E F U T U R E . I P LAYE D
TH I S G U ITAR PROFESS IONALLY FO R ABOUT TEN YEARS , AND THEN
AFTE R TRY I N G ALL THE G R ETSCH G U ITARS I SW ITC H E D TO A 61 92
12 Dan Duffy
"G R ETSCH COU NTRY CLUB G U ITAR". IN THE F IFTIES AN D S IXTI ES A

LOT OF TH E STU D I O P LAYERS U S E D TH I S M O D E L G U ITA R. IT WAS
GOOD FOR ALL TYPES OF M U S I C .
G ETT I N G BACK TO M Y I NTERVI EW WITH J I M MY WEBST E R FOR
TH E J O B , E V E RYTH I N G WENT WELL. HE EXPLA I N E D EVERYTH I N G
TO M E ABOUT T H E N EW I N S P ECTI O N SYSTEM H E WANTE D . G R E E N
"OK" C A RD S I G N E D BY M E A ND H U N G O N T H E G U I TA R W H E N I T
PASS E D MY I N S P ECT I O N AN D A " R E D" CARD I F I R EJ ECT E D IT. EV
E RYO N E WHO B O U G HT A G R ET S C H G U I TAR G OT A G RE E N CARD
HAN G I N G ON I T. O N E T I M E THE OWN E R OF A STO R E CALLE D U P
AN D SAI D H E R E C E IVED A G U ITAR WITHOUT T H E "OK'' CARD HANG
ING O N IT. THE OFF I C E SAI D TH EY WOU LD S E N D H I M A CARD BUT
H E I N S I ST E D O N S E N D I N G TH E G U ITAR BACK AND TO MAKE S U R E
THAT I I N S P ECTE D I T. H E TOL D T H E M T H AT S I N C E T H E G RETSC H
COM PANY P UT TH I S I N S P ECTI O N SYSTE M I N H E HAD LESS P ROB
LEMS WITH THE G U ITARS. WHEN I H EARD TH I S I THOUG HT NOW IS
TH E T I M E TO AS K FOR A RAIS E . J I M MY TOLD ME D U R I N G MY I NTER
V I EW THAT l ' D HAVE A JOB FOR LIFE BUT l 'D N EVER G ET RICH. WELL
H E WAS O N LY HALF R I G HT. I N EV E R GOT R I C H .
H E R E I S TH E STO RY I C A L L TH E ''T H E POW E R OF T H E R E D
CARD". O N E DAY HAROLD WOODS CALLED M E DOWN TO T H E FAC
TORY OFF I C E TO PUT AN E M PTY C U P I L EFT TH E R E ON TO P OF A
F I L E CAB I N ET I N T H E WASTE PAP E R BAS KET. W E J UST HAD O U R
MOR N I NG M EETI N G AN D W E ALL HAD O U R US UAL C U P OF COFFEE.
I FO R G OT AN D LEFT MY CONTA I N E R TH E R E . H E WAS VERY NASTY
AN D SAI D HE AN D T H E OFF I C E G I R LS D I D N 'T C LEAN UP AFTE R ANY
ON E . LAT E R I CAM E TO T H E CONCLUS ION THAT H E D I D N 'T L I KE T H E
I N S PECTION TH I N G THAT I WAS DO I N G . H E WAS TH E FACTORY MAN

AG E R AN D AN E N G I N E E R AN D WAS R E S P ON S I BL E FOR TH E P RO
D U CT I O N AN D Q UALITY. TH I S WAS N OT TH E F I R S T T I M E H E SAI D
S O M ET H I N G A B O U T S O M E T R I V I A L M ATT E R . O N E DAY A LOT OF
C H ET ATKI N S 6 1 20 G U ITARS CAM E TH RU WITH T H E TAI L P I ECES ON
C ROOKE D . AS A RULE I WOULD J UST PUT A S MALL P I ECE OF MAS K
I N G TAP E ON T H E G U ITARS TAI L P I ECE AND TH EY WOULD TAKE CARE
OF TH E P R O B L E M . TH I S TI M E I F I LL E D OUT T H E R E D CARDS AN D
H U N G T H E M O N TH E G U ITARS. I LISTED EVERY TH I N G THAT WAS
W R O N G , C ROOKED TAI LP I EC E , FR ETS B UZZ I N G , C H EC K B R I D G E ,
B R I D G E I N W R O N G P LAC E , LOO S E R O D I N N EC K , ADJ UST N ECK,
ETC ; WH E N J I M MY WEBSTER TOOK H IS DAI LY WALK TO S E E M E , H E
SAW A L L T H E R E D CARDS AN D STARTED LOO K I N G AT TH E G U ITARS .
H E SAI D I WAS D O I N G A GOOD JOB AN D WENT BACK DOWN STA I R S .
I H EARD H E W E N T INTO TH E FACTORY OFF I C E TO S E E WOODS AN D
HAD O N E OF TH E I R FAMOUS CON FRONTATI O N S ABOUT TH E Q UAL
I TY. T H E FO LLOW I N G W E E K HAROLD WOOD S C A L L E D M E I N H I S
OFF I C E . H E SAI D I WAS DO I N G A GOOD JOB, GAVE M E A RAI S E AN D
S POKE TO M E I N A C IV I L MAN N E R EVER S I N C E . ITS GOOD TO WAVE
TH E R E D FLAG ONCE I N AWH I L E TO EXC ITE T H E B U LL, BUT N EVER
TH E WH ITE O N E .
F I NALLY B I LL HAG N E R W H O ALSO STARTED T H E R E YO U N G .
TOOK M E TO T H E ASS E M B LY D E PARTM ENT WH E R E I F I NALLY GOT
TO S E E TH E F I N I S H E D G U ITARS. AT THAT T I M E TH E ASS E M BLERS
WERE S ET U P IN STATIONS . THE F I RST P E RSON C L EAN E D THE FIN
GER BOARD AN D PUT ON THE TUN I N G MAC H I N ES . T H E N EXT P E R
SON I NSTALLED THE P I C KU PS . TH EN TH E TAI L P I ECES AND STR I N G S
14 Dan Duffy
WE R E P U T O N . TH E G U ITAR WAS T H E N PUT I N TH E RACK AT TH E

TU N E AN D ADJ UST STATION . T H I S P E RSON WAS USUALLY A G U ITAR
PLAYER. HE WOU LD LEVEL THE FR ETS AN D ROU N D THEM OFF WITH
VAR I O U S S IZE F I LES, S ET THE ACTI O N AN D B R I D G E AN D THEN TEST
IT TO SEE IF TH E R E WERE ANY BUZZES. T H E R E WERE ALWAYS G U I
TAR P LAY E R S I N TH E ASS E M B LY D E PARTM E N T. I ASS U M E D I WAS
F I NALLY G O I N G TO P LAY S O M E OF T H E S E G U ITA R S . B i ll I NTRO
DUCED ME TO TH E FOR EMAN , I FO RG ET HIS NAM E . T H E FO R MAN
OF T H E ASS E M B LY CHAN G E D OFTE N IN THOSE YEARS . LATER ON
WHEN "RED" WAS MAD E FO R E MAN T H E WHOLE ASS EMBLY D E PART
M E NT TOO K A STE P FORWARD I N QUALITY.
B I LL TOO K M E J UST OUT S I D E TH E ASS E M B LY D E PARTM E N T
WH E R E T H E R E WAS A D ES K, A P H O N E , A B E N C H FOR POL I S H I N G
TH E G U ITARS AN D A RACK OF E M PTY G U ITAR CAS E S . H E SAI D T H I S
WILL B E MY H O M E BAS E . T H E R E WAS A RACK OF ABOUT S IX G U I
TARS R EADY TO GO OUT TO CUSTO M E R S . H E SAI D S IT DOWN AN D
TRY TH E M . AT LAST I WAS G O I N G TO P LAY. I P ICKED U P TH E G U I
TAR AN D PLUG G E D I N TH E C H O R D TO TH E AM PLIF I E R . THE G U ITAR
D I D N 'T WORK. T H E P I C KU P WAS D EAD. I R EAC H E D DOWN FO R TH E
JACK I N P UT A N D I T WAS LOOS E . I GAVE IT A TWIST AN D IT CAM E
ON.
B I LL LOOKED AT M E AND SAI D THAT'S WHY I N E E D YOU . IT WAS
A STROKE OF L U C K. I F E LT G O O D . I STA RT E D TO P LAY VA R I O U S
C H O R D S A N D SCALES G RA D UALLY P I C K I N G U P S P E E D . I P LAYED
FO R ABOUT FIVE M I N UTES E N D I N G W ITH T H E C H ROMATIC SCALE
TO TEST EVE RY F R ET. TH E G U I TA R P LAY E R S F R O M TH E ASS E M
BLY D E PART M E NT CAM E O U T AN D N O D D E D TH E I R APP ROVAL. B I LL
ALSO N O D D E D APPROVAL. I FELT BEITER THAN GOO D , WHAT EVER

THAT I S .
B I LL HAG N E R START E D TH E R E WH E N H E WAS A T E E N AG E R .
H E WORKED TH E R E PART T I M E A S A N OFFICE BOY. H E WENT FROM
OFF I C E BOY TO P R ES I D E NT. H E A LWAYS WO R K E D V E RY H A R D .
W H E N T H E C O M PANY WAS S O L D H IS FAC E S H OW E D T H E S IG N S
OF A G R EAT LOS S . H E WAS BETRAYED BUT N EVER S A I D IT. AFTER
AWH I L E H E S E E M E D TO ACC E PT I T AND M OV E O N . BUT W H E N
H E WAS TOL D TH E C O M PA N Y WAS B E I N G MOVED TO A R KA NSAS
TH I N G S CHAN G E D . EVERY O N E WAS IN A STATE OF CONFUS I O N AN D
D I S B E L I EF . CAN T H I S B E T R U E ? D I D F R E D S E L L US O UT? YES H E
D I D . AT F I RST I COU L D N 'T B E L I EVE IT. TO M E FRED G R ETSC H WAS
O N E OF TH E N I C EST P E O P L E I EVE R WOR KE D FO R . D U R I N G TH E
G U ITA R BOOM E V E RYO N E WO R K E D TH E I R B U TTS OFF FO R H I M ,
W E P R O D U C E D S EV EN TY G U ITARS A DAY WH E N N E E D E D . TWI C E
TH E FO R E MAN AN D I EACH G OT A BON US OF S EVENTY F I V E DOL
LARS. VERY FRUGAL I THOUGHT AFTER TH E H U G E P R OF ITS TH EY
MAD E . I TRULY B E L I EVE THAT THESE H I G H PROD UCT I O N F I G U RES
P R O M PTED THE SALE OF T H E COM PANY. WE LITERALLY WORKED
SO HARD WE ALL LOST O U R JOBS. TO TO P TH I N G S OFF WE WERE
TOL D THAT IF WE L EFT T H E C O M PANY B EFO R E T H E F I NAL OFF l
CAL C LOS I N G DAY W E WOU L D N OT G ET ANY SEVERAN C E PAY. CAN
YOU B E L I EVE IT? N OW TH EY W E R E TH R EATE N I N G U S . "STAY AND
LOAD THOS E TRUCKS WITH YO U R L IFES WORK AN D L I KE IT!" TH IS
MAY S E E M A B IT HARSH BUT HOW ELSE CAN YOU TAKE IT. TO TO P
TH I N G S OFF FOR M E , TH E LAST DAY WAS U N BE L I EVABL E . W H E N WE
WERE HAN D E D OUR FI NAL C H ECKS I D I D N 'T G ET ANY S EVE RANCE
16 Dan Duffy
PAY. AGA I N l 'M STU N N ED . IS ALL T H I S R EAL? AM I H EAR I N G R I G HT?

B I LL SAI D BECAU S E HALF OF MY SALARY WAS PAI D BY THE OFF I C E
H E D I D N 'T H AV E T O G IV E M E ANYTH I N G . I STO R M E D I NTO F R E D S
OFF I C E . I M UST HAVE LOOKED L I KE AN U N CAG E D L I O N . I TO LD H I M
WHAT HAP P E N E D A N D H E I M M E D I AT E LY SAI D TO COM E I N T H E FOL
LOWI NG WEEK AN D I COULD P I C K UP MY C H ECKS . I CALM E D DOWN
AND LEFT. TH E FOLLOW I N G WEEK I WENT I NTO FREDS OFF I C E . ON
MY WAY TO H I S OFF I C E I PASSED TH E G I R LS D I L I G E NTLY WOR K I N G
AS U S UAL B U T T H E I R S M IL ES W E R E N OT TH E R E . I N TWO YEARS
T H E I R JOBS WO U L D BE G O N E . I WENT I NTO F R E D S OFF I C E AN D
G OT MY C H E C KS , F R E D W I S H E D M E L U C K A N D I T H A N K E D H I M .
O N C E AGA I N I PAS S E D T H E G I RLS. T H I S T I M E TH EY HALF S M I LE D ,
I N O D D E D BACK. I W E N T O U T T O T H E E L EVATOR , G OT O N , WENT
DOWN TO T H E LOBBY, OUT T H E DOO R , A N D I WAS G O N E .
W E L L THAT WAS T H E WAY IT E N D E D . L ETS G ET BACK O N C E
AGA I N T O T H E BEG I N N I N G AND M Y F I RST TO U R OF T H E FACTO RY.
AFTE R P LAY I N G T H E G U I TA R AT MY D E S I G N AT E D TEST I N G A R EA,
BILL S HOWED ME MY N EXT RESPONS I B I LTY, T H E R E PAI R D E PART
M E NT. I WAS I NT RO D U C E D TO A V E RY H U M B L E M A N C AR M I N E
COPPOLLA. H I S J O B WAS T O FIX ALL T H E G U ITARS THAT W E R E RE
T U R N E D . H E T U R N E D OUT TO BE T H E B EST G U I TA R M EC HA N I C
I WOU L D E VE R K NOW. O N C E W E GOT BACK A 6022 " R AN C H E R"
A C O U S T I C G U I TA R . T H E BACK OF T H E G U I TA R WAS S MA S H E D .
WH E N TH E G UY F I R ST CALLED A B O UT T H E G U ITA R H E S A ID H I S
W IFE H IT H I M WITH IT. H E SAI D H E LOVED T H IS G U ITAR M O R E T HAN
H I S W IF E AN D S H E KN EW IT. H E B EG G ED M E TO S E E IF I C O U L D
SAVE H IS FI RST LOVE , H I S G R ET SC H G U ITAR. CARM I N E R E PAI R E D
THE G U ITAR TO ITS O R I G I NAL CON D IT I O N . TH E G UY WAS SO HAPPY

H E S ENT M E A LETTER THAN K I N G M E . H E ALSO SAI D H E WAS N OW
G ETTI N G ALONG BETTE R WITH H IS W IF E . I S HOWE D TH E LETT E R
T O CAR M I N E AN D SAI D "YO U N OT O N LY F I X E D T H E G U I TA R , Y O U
SAVED THE MAR R IAG E"
CAR M I N E SHOOK H IS H EAD AN D WALKED AWAY S M I LI N G .
I H A D MANY I NSTA N C E S L I KE T H I S . ANOTH E R T I M E A G UY'S
G I R LF R I E N D H IT H I M W I T H H IS G R ETSC H B LAC K D U O J ET A N D
BROKE H IS ARM. THE G U ITAR FELL TO THE FLOOR AN D BROKE T H E
N ECK. H E CALLE D M E A N D WAS C RYI N G ON THE P H O N E "PLEAS E
H E L P M E " I ASS U R E D H I M T H AT W E WO U L D . ANOTH E R FAM O U S
RHYTH M G U ITAR P LAYER CAM E TO T H E FACTORY TO S E E M E . H E
HAD TH I S B I G 6040 G R ETSC H ACO USTIC G U ITAR. TH E H EA D P I ECE
WAS SNAPPED OFF.
H E TOLD ME THAT H E ALWAYS TOOK H IS G U ITAR TO B E D WITH
H I M TO P LAY H I MS E LF TO S L E E P. D U R I N G TH E N I G HT HE ROLLED
OVER ON I T AND B R O K E T H E N EC K . T H I S ACTUALLY H AP P E N E D
TWI C E .
MOST P EOPLE DON 'T U N D E RSTA N D A PLAYERS ATTACH M ENT
TO H IS G U ITA R . I N EV E R LIKED ANYO N E TO U C H I N G M Y G U ITA R . I
A LWAYS L I V E D BY TH I S C O D E . D O N 'T TO U C H MY G U I TA R , D O N 'T
TOUCH MY AMP, AN D DON 'T TO UCH MY W IF E . I N THAT O R D E R .
T H E R E PA I R D E PA RT M E N T WO U LD B E C O M E M Y TEAC H E R .
WHAT BETTE R WAY COULD I F I N D OUT WHAT GOES WRON G WITH
TH E G U ITARS ONCE TH EY LEAVE TH E FACTORY. AT F I RST G LANCE
I T L O O K E D L I KE M O R E G U I TA R S C A M E BAC K E V E R Y DAY T H A N
W E R E S H I P P E D OUT. NO WON D E R TH EY H I R E D M E . I F I G U R E D TH EY
18 Dem Duffy
N E EDED SOMEON E TO F I X TH E S ITUATION O R SOMEON E TO B LAM E

IT O N . ON T H E LATTE R i WAS WRON G . EVERYO N E CO-OP E RAT E D
WITH M E FROM T H E BEG I N N I N G . TH E R ETU R N S WOULD BE A TOU G H
P R O B L E M . T H E F I RST T H� N G I WAN T E D T O D O WAS MAKE S U R E
EVE RY G U ITA R P LAY E D . A P LAYE R W I L L ACC E PT C E RTA I N F I N I S H
FLAWS IF T H E G U ITAR P LAYS G OO D . I S H OW E D A F I N G E R BO A R D
TO THE FO R E MAN I N T H E ASS E M BLY D E PARTM ENT, O N E THAT CAR
M I N E D I D . THE FR ETS W E R E S M OOTH AN D POL I S H E D . I AS KE D H I M
TO P LAY T H E G U ITAR AFTE R ABOUT O N LY TEN S ECONDS H E SAI D
I T P LAYED L I KE A D R EAM . H E AG R E E D THAT TH I S I S THE WAY T H E
G U ITARS S H O U L D PLAY. WH E N A G U ITAR FE ELS GOOD AN D P LAYS
GOOD T H E R E IS NOTH I N G B ETTER. EVEN A N EW S ET OF STR I N G S
CAN G IVE A G U I TAR N EW L IF E . O N E DAY A P LAY E R B R O U G H T H I S
G U ITAR I NTO TH E FACTO RY C O M P LA I N I N G ABOUT E V E RY T H I N G .
H E SAI D T H E G U ITAR WAS ONLY A YEAR OLD AND NOW I T WOU L D N 'T
S TAY I N T U N E A N D H E WAS S O R RY H E B O U G H T I T. I A S S U R E D
H I M EVE RY T H I N G W OUL D B E F I N E B U T I T WOUL D TAK E A B O U T
AN H O U R . I GAV E TH E G U ITA R T O CARM I N E . H E LOOKED AT T H E
N EC K AN D SAI D H E D I D N 'T S E E ANYTH I N G WRON G . I SAI D I KNOW,
J U ST CHAN G E T H E STR I N G S . AFTE R AWH I LE I BROUGHT TH E G U I
TAR BACK TO H I M . H E T R I E D TH E G U ITAR AN D START E D TO RAVE
H OW G R EAT T H E G U I TA R WAS . HE AS K E D ME W H AT I D I D AN D I
HAN DED H I M A S ET OF STR I N G S AN D A POLIS H I N G CLOT H . I TOLD
H I M TO C H AN G E T H E S T R I N G S M O R E OFTE N AND A LWAYS W I P E
T H E STR I N G S OFF WH E N H E'S F I N I S H E D P LAY I N G . H E WENT AWAY
H A P PY. L I KE I SAI D , N EW STR I N G S S TART T H E H O N EYM O O N All
OVE R AGA I N .
T H E MAI N P ROBLEM WITH ALL T H E R ETU RNS WAS T H E N ECKS

C O M I NG L OO S E F R O M T H E B O D Y. W H AT A D I SASTE R . I I M M E D I
ATE LY P I CT U R E D MYS E LF C H EC K I N G I N TH E R ETU R N S L I KE I D I D
EVE RY DAY A N D S E E I N G A G U I TA R , B RAN D N EW, WITH T H E "OK"
CAR D HAN G I N G ON IT AN D S I G N E D BY M E . WELL THE N I G HTMAR E
CAM E T R U E . I WAS ON "ELM" STR E ET A N D "FR E D D I E KR U G E R" WAS
CHAS I N G M E . I N ON E OF H I S HAN D S , W ITH THOS E LON G DAG G E R
L I KE F I N G E RNAI LS , H E H E LD A G U I TA R B O D Y A N D I N TH E OTH E R
HAN D A G U ITAR N ECK AN D SWI N G I NG I T AT M E . I COULD H EAR H I M
S C R EAM I N G "WAKE U P MAN AN D D O YOU R JOB". G ETTI N G BACK TO
REALITY, I AS KED CARM I N E WHAT H E THOUGHT WAS CAU S I N G TH IS
P R O B L E M . H E WAS RELUCTANT TO SAY, NOT WANT I N G TO CAUSE
PROBLEMS FOR ANYO N E . I EXPLA I N E D TO HIM THAT THE P R ESENT
S ITUAT I O N WAS V E RY BAD FOR T H E I MAG E OF T H E COM PANY. I T
WAS S I M PLE I SAI D. A BAD I MAG E M EANS L E S S SALES, L E S S SALES
EQ UALS N O MON EY, NO M O N EY, NO B U S I N ES S , NO JOB.
I LOOKED AT A G U ITAR THAT CAM E BACK. I COULD SEE THAT
TH E DOVETA I L FIT WAS VERY LOOS E . CARM I N E SAI D THAT A GOOD
DOVETA I L FIT D O E S N 'T E V E N HAVE TO BE G LU E D . W E L L , THAT
M I G HT B E STRETC H I NG IT A B I T I T H O U G HT. I LOOKED AT ANOTH
ER O N E AND I T HAD S H I M S IN I T. WH E N T H E N EC K I S F ITTE D TO
THE BODY A C E RTA I N N EC K P ITC H OR A N G L E I S N E E D E D . W H E N
TH E WORKER C H I S ELED O U T T H E DOVETA I L F I T TO SET TH E PROP
ER N EC K P IT C H HE TOO K O U T TOO M UC H WOOD . WOO D S H I MS
DO NOT H O L D U P U N D E R T H E T E N S I O N OF T H E STR I N G S . WELL I
TH I N K EVERY O N E I N THE FACTO RY KN EW TH IS BECAUSE WH EN I
S H OWED T H E M TH EY ACTED AS IF THEY KN EW.
20 Dan Duffy
A GOOD STAN DAR D N ECK P ITCH M U ST B E ESTABLIS H E D . ALL

TH E G U ITARS M UST BE THE SAM E . TH E H E I G HT OF TH E STRI N G S
D E P EN DS O N T H E N EC K P ITC H . I F TH E N EC K P ITCH I S OFF, T H E
BAS E OF TH E B R I D G ES HAVE TO BE BU I LT U P O R CUT DOWN . TH EY
LOOK WRO N G , TH EY ARE WRON G , AND TH E I R U G LY. IF ITS AN ELEC
TRIC G U ITAR AND T H E N ECK I S P ITC H E D BACK O R FO RWARD TOO
M U C H T H E STR I NG S W I LL H IT T H E P I C K U P S . B ES I D ES C U TT I N G
DOWN T H E B R I D G E BAS E YOU HAVE TO C U T T H E TOP B RAC ES TO
LOW E R THE P I C K U P.
O N E DAY HAROLD WOODS CALLED M E DOWN TO TH E FACTO
RY OFF I C E . HE TOLD ME WE W E R E G O I N G TO T H E N EW YO RK TEST
I N G LABO RATO RY WITH TWO G U ITA R S . T H E Y D I D E V E RY T H I N G
TO T H E M S H O RT OF U S I N G A HAN D G R E N A D E TO S E PARAT E T H E
N EC K FROM TH E BODY. W H E N WE GOT BACK AN D HAROLD WOODS
WAS TA L K I N G ABOUT THE R E S U LTS TO J IM MY W E B ST E R . J I M MY
SAI D THAT O N LY P ROVES WE CAN DO IT. W E ALR EADY KNOW W E
CAN DO IT BECAU S E WE D I D IT F O R YEARS. J I M MY SAI D T H E O N LY
SOLUTIO N WAS A LARG E SCREW. H E AS KED M E WHAT I THOUG HT
A N D I SAI D I DO N 'T KNOW. I WAS N 'T R EALLY IN FAVO R OF G O I N G
AGA I NST T H E TRAD ITIONAL CO NSTRUCT I O N .
W E H A D A P RO BLEM AN D I T HAD T O B E S O LV E D . SAM PLES
W E R E MADE AN D TESTED. TH E S C R EW WAS COVE RED BY A B LACK
R O U N D I N S E RT A N D LOOK E D G O O D . IT G OT TH E N A M E " N E CK
LOCK"
LETS STO P T H I S S E R IO U S TH I N K I N G FO R A M I N UTE. TALKI N G
A B O U T T H E S E S OL I D B ODY G U I TA R S R E M I N DS OF T H E STO RY I
CALL " I HAD TO G O TO COU RT B ECAU S E I PLAYED A S O L I D BODY
G U ITAR".
FRED G R ETSCH CALLED ME TO H I S OFFICE AN D SAI D HE HAD
A P RO B L E M AN D WOU L D I H EL P H I M WITH I T. I SAI D OF COU R S E .
H E SAI D THE FO R E I G N G U ITAR MAKERS W E R E S EN D I NG TH E I R AL
R EADY I N EXP ENS IVE I NSTR U M ENTS I NTO THE U N ITED STATES"DUTY
F R E E . " TH E I R CLA I M I S "ITS NOT A COM PLETE I NSTR U M E NT WITH
OUT TH E A M P L IF I E R . " HE AS KED ME IF I COULD PLAY TH E G U ITAR
WITHOUT THE AMP A N D I SAI D YO U CAN 'T P LAY A "G IG" BECA U S E
TH EY CAN 'T H EAR YOU BUT YOU C A N P RACTICE AT HOME WITHOUT
TH E AM P. HE AS KED M E "WHAT'S A G IG . " FRED WAS NOT VERY H I P
S O I EXPLA I N E D THAT A M U S I C IAN CALLS A JOB A "G I G " I WENT ON
TO SAY, I EVEN CALLED WOR K I N G FOR HIM MY "G RETSCH G I G ." HE
S M I LE D AN D SAI D "PEOPLE HAVE CALLED WORKING FOR HIM MANY
TH I N G S BUT N EVER A G IG . " HE SAI D "I L I KE THAT."
H E R EALLY LOOKED AMAZ E D W H E N I TOLD H I M THAT I S P E NT
A B O U T S EV E N YEARS I N T H E BAT H R O O M P RACTI C I N G W I T H M Y
SOLI D B O D Y G U ITAR. IT WAS A VERY LAR G E ROOM. I H A D PLENTY
OF ROOM F O R MY C HA I R , BOOKS , M U S I C STA N D A N D G U I TA R . IT
WAS V E RY Q U I ET A N D P R IVATE M O S T OF TH E TIME. T H E ACOU S
TICS WERE G R EAT.
F R E D LOO K E D AT M E WITH G R EAT I NTE R EST. YO U CO U L D
S E E H E WAS TH I N K I N G VERY D E E P LY ALMOST C U N N I N G . H E TH E N
AS KED M E I F A SOL I D BODY G U ITAR C O U L D BE H EARD I N A COU RT
ROOM WITHOUT THE AM P. I H ES ITATE D A MOMENT TH I N KI NG H OW
Q U I ET A C O U RT ROOM M UST B E A N D SAI D YES . H E T H E N AS K E D
WOU L D I G O T O WAS H I N GTON D . C . A N D D E MONSTRATE T H E G U I
TAR W I T HO UT T H E AM P. I N A C OU RT H EA R I N G T H E FOLLOW I N G
22 Dan Duffy
WEEK. STI LL B E I N G "G U N G HO" I J U M PED AT THE CHANCE.

THE F L I G HT LEFT AT 9AM FROM LA G UARD IA A I R PO RT. IT WAS
O N LY AN H O U R FLIG HT. W H E N I GOT ON T H E P LAN E T H E STEWARD
E S S SAI D G OO D M O R N I N G , C H E C K E D M Y T I CKET, D I R ECTED M E
TO M Y S EAT AN D SAI D "YOU CAN P UT T H AT T H I N G I N T H E OV ER
H EAD COM PARTM ENT" I HATED W H E N PEOPLE CALLED MY G U ITAR
"A T H I N G . " " H EY D U FF GO HOME AN D G ET YOU R TH I N G A N D LETS
HAV E SOM E FUN" THAT'S WHAT I H EARD W H E N I WAS A KI D . G O D , i
HAT E D THAT.
" H E RE'S MY TH I N G " I G ESTU R E D . T H E N l ' D G ET MY G U ITAR.
A L L T H E WR I N KL E D "S U ITS" H A D S TAR E D AT ME W H E N I
WAL K E D PAST T H E M O N M Y WAY TO M Y S EAT. T H E S E G UYS AL L
LOOKED L I KE LAWYERS. TH EY LOOKED AT M E L I KE I WAS A "BEAT
N I K" WITH A S U IT O N . T H EY KNEW I WAS N 'T O N E OF T H E M B ECAU S E
M Y S U IT WAS P RE SS E D . I C O U L D H EAR T H E M T H I N KI N G W H O I S
TH I S G UY. T H I S COULD BE T H E G UY WH O'S GONNA P LAY T H E G U I
TAR I N TH E COU RT ROO M . H I S S U IT I S P RESS E D , W E ' R E G O N N A
LOS E , L ETS THROW H I M O FF TH E P LAN E. I D I D TH I S FOR THR E E
DAY'S . I WORE A D I F F E R E NT C LEAN PRESS E D S U IT EV E RY DAY.
T H E W R I N KLED S U ITS W E R E LOOKl l N G WORS E EVE RY DAY.
T H EY KEPT C H E C K I N G M E O U T. TH EY W E R E G ETTI N G S CA R E D. I
WAS G ETT I N G MORE CON F I D E NT.
WH E N I F I NALLY WENT I NTO TH E COU RT ROOM T H E COU RT
CL ER K ESCORT E D M E TO M Y S EAT. I WAS I N FRONT O F A PAN EL
OF S IX M E N . I D I D N 'T R ECOG N IZE ANY O F TH E M FROM TH E P LAN E .
I K N OW T H EY W ER E PART OF T H E C LA N B E CA U S E TH E IR S U ITS
WER E W R I N KL E D . TH EY SAT TH E R E LOOK I N G AT ME AN D MY G U I-
TAR. TH E I R G LASS ES H U N G ON THE E N D OF TH E I R NOS E AN D EACH

HAD A P E N C I L I N H I S HAN D . THEY STARTE D TO LOOK L IK E MY N U N S
I N CATHOLIC G RAM M E R SCHOOL WH EN I WAS YOU N G , I STARTE D
TO SWEAT. TH EY ASKE D M E IF IT WA S T R U E THAT I P LAYE D M Y
S OL I D B O D Y G U I TA R I N T H E BATH R O O M FO R S EV E N Y EA RS . I
A N SW E R E D YES. T H E N T H E Y AS K E D M E TO P LAY. I M M E D I AT E LY I
STARTED TO TH I NK "WHAT I F TH E N E CK COMES OFF WH I L E I WAS
P LAY I N G . " I STARTED TO PLAY ANYWAY. I KNEW TH EY COULD H EAR
ME BECAUS E O N E OF TH E SU ITS STARTE D TO TAP H I S P E N C I L TO
TH E RHYT H M I WAS PLAYING AN D H E WAS S M I L I NG . H E WAS HAV
I N G A GOOD T I M E . I FORGAV E H I M FOR H IS SU IT. WH EN I F I N I S H E D
PLAY I N G TH EY SAI D "THANK YO U M I ST E R D U F FY" I SAI D "MY PLEA
S U R E" AN D L E FT. A FEW MONTHS LAT E R F R E D TOLD M E H E WON
TH E CAS E BUT NOW TH EY WERE S E N D I NG I N TH E G U ITARS WITH
OUT STR I N G S TO BEAT TH E DUTY TAX . I SAID "SORRY I CAN 'T H ELP
YO U WITH THIS O N E . "
G ETTI N G BAC K TO T H E S C R E W I N T H E N EC K, EV E RYO N E
AG R E E D TO TH E N EW " N E C K LOCK SYSTEM . " J I M MY S U R E HA D A
WAY WITH WOR D S . H E C O U L D ALWAYS T U R N A N EGATIV E I N TO A
P O S I T IV E . l 'M S U R E H E 'S MA KI N G L IF E B E TTE R F O R EV E RYON E
W H E R E EV E R H E I S .
O N E D AY J I M MY CAM E TO M Y T E S T I N G B O OTH WITH P IC
TU RES O F N EW BMW CARS. H E WENT ON AND ON ABOUT TH E O N E
H E WAS G O I N G TO BUY. EV ERY T I M E H E WAS I N H E WOULD S H OW
M E P I CTU RES O F A D I FFERENT M O D E L . H E COULDN 'T MAK E U P H I S
M I N D . F I NALLY O N E DAY H E CAM E I N A N D TOLD M E H E BOUG HT A
N EW CAR . A DODGE. I COU LDN 'T B E L I EV E IT.
24 Dan D uffy
I SAI D TH E R E'S A B I G D I FF E R E N C E B ETWEEN A DOD G E AN D

A BMW. H E SAI D I KNOW "TH E P R I C E . " H E THEN WENT ON TO TELL
M E ALL ABOUT T H E DODG E . WHAT A G R EAT CAR IT WAS . AFT E R A
WH I LE H E WAS HAV I NG TROUBLE WITH IT I D I D N 'T SAY ANYTH I N G ,
T H E N O N E DAY H E CAM E AN D TOLD M E THAT W E HAD T O G O TO
N EW E N G LAN D AND S E E A G U ITAR P ICKU P SOMEONE HAD . H E SAI D
W E WOU LD G O I N H I S BMW. H E SAI D THAT HE T RAD ED THE LEMON
IN FOR A R EAL CAR. WE LEFT EARLY O N E DAY AN D WERE ON THE
T H R UWAY ROLL I N G ALO N G AT A G O O D PAC E. HE TU R N E D TO M E
AN D SAI D " R U N S G O O D ?" I SAI D G R EAT. H E H A D THAT STI N KI N G
P I P E HAN G I NG C L I N C H E D BETWEEN H IS TEET H . H E HAD THAT L I T
TLE S M I LE ON H I S FACE AS H E WAS S LYLY LOOKING OV E R AT M E .
W E W E R E D O I N G A H U N D R E D M I LES P E R H O U R . I P R ETE N D E D I
D I D N 'T KNOW. SOON AFTER H E S LOWED DOWN , PU LLED OV E R AN D
STO P P E D .
W E LOOKED AT EACH OTH E R W I T H NO EXPRESS I O N AT A LL ,
AN D TH E N W E B U RST I NTO TEARS O F LAUG HTER, W E C O U L D N 'T
STOP. EV ENTUAL LY H E SAI D "DON 'T TEL L ANYO N E" AN D WE W E R E
ON O U R WAY AGA I N .
T H E R E PA I R D E PART M E NT WAS S U FF E R I N G F R O M A VE RY
BAD OLD D E C I S I O N TO G IV E A L I FETI M E G U ARANTEE ON TH E N EC K.
G U ITARS THAT WERE TWENTY TO TH I RTY YEARS OLD WERE B E I N G
S E N T BACK FOR N EC K R E P LACE M ENT O R REPA I R . I HAD TO HONOR
THE G UARANTEE BUT I WOU L D C HARG E TO R E P LACE TH E FRETS
AS T H EY W E R E WOR N DOWN TO T H E F I N G E R BOARD . OTHE R
C H ARG ES W E R E B E I N G I M P L E M E N T E D FOR O BV IO U S A B U S E O R
N E G LECT. SOME O F THESE G U ITARS WERE P ROBABLY STO R E D I N
Inside the Gretsch Guitar Factory 1957=1.970 25
VERY DAM P P LACES FOR YEARS. EVE R SO OFTEN WE WO ULD G ET

O N E BACK A N D WHEN I O P E N E D THE CAS E A MUSTY A N D P U N G ENT
ODOR LEAPE D OUT AT ME. I WOU L D G ET A RAG AN D HOLD TH E G U I
TAR BY TH E N ECK AND PLACE IT H I G H I N THE RACK N EA R TH E OPEN
W I N DOW A N D TH E CLOS ED CAS E N EXT TO IT . I FO U N D A S PRAY AT
T H E LOCAL HAR DWARE STO R E TO H ELP N E UTRAL IZE TH E O D O R .
CAR M I N E TOLD M E THE O D O R CAM E FROM TH E AN I MAL G L U E U S E D
AT THAT T I M E TO S E C U R E TH E P L U S H L I N I N G OF THE CAS E . I F TH E
G U ITAR TOU C H E D YO U R CLOTH ING YO U S M E LL L I KE YO U PAS S E D
AWAY S IX M O N T H S AGO A N D YO U WE R E N 'T B U R I E D . WH E N TH E
R E PA I R WAS F I N I S H E D I WOULD NOT I FY TH E CUSTO M E R AN D TELL
TH E M TH EY N EE D E D A N EW CAS E . TH EY US UALLY AG R E E D . ONCE A
G UY TOLD M E T H E SMELL D I D N 'T BOT H E R H I M AN D D I D N 'T U N D E R
STAN D WHY I WAS MAK I N G S U C H A B I G "ST I N K" ABOUT IT. I HAD TO
PUT TH I S N OW B EAUT I F U L G U ITAR I NTO A U S E D COFFI N .
S E E I N G AN D PLAY I NG A TWENTY FIVE YEAR OLD "CATS EYE"
G U ITA R M A D E MY J O B V E RY I NTE R ESTI N G . TH I S WAS A COLLEC
TO RS D R EA M JOB. I O FTEN WON D E R E D ABOUT T H E G U I TAR AS I
P LAYED IT. W H E R E ITS B E E N , WHO P LAYE D IT OR WAS IT BOUG HT
AN D P LAYE D J UST ONCE AND FOR SOME R EASON PUT IN THE ATTI C
F O R TWEN TY YEARS. I H A D S U C H A G U ITAR I N MY HAN DS O N E DAY.
TH E G U ITAR WAS SO GOOD I CALLED THE G UY TO S E E I F H E WO ULD
S E LL I T TO ME. HE TOLD M E HE C O UL D N 'T B ECAU S E I T WAS H I S
FATH E RS G U ITAR WHO N EVER CAM E BACK FROM OVE RS EAS D U R
I N G WORLD WAR TWO. H E N EVER KN EW H I M AN D TH E G U ITAR WAS
ALL H E HAD O F H IS . H E CALLED M E TH ROUG H TH E YEARS EVE RY
T I M E H E B O U G H T A G U ITAR FROM T H E LOCAL M U S I C STO R E . TH E
26 Dan Duffy
STOR E WOU L D OR D ER I T WITH S P EC IAL I N STRUCTIONS FOR M E

TO P ICK I T OUT. BE FOR E LO NG ALL H IS F R I E N DS WER E OR D E R I N G
G U ITARS A N D I HAD TO P I C K T H E M OUT. I N EVER CALLED ANYO N E
AGAI N ABOUT T H E IR G U ITAR . O L D G U ITARS H AV E S PE C I A L STO
R I ES , I WISH THEY COULD TELL T H E M . ALL EXCEPT M I N E.
"BUY A GR ETSCH G U ITAR AN D BLEED TO D EATH WH I LE YOUR
P LAY I N G IT" T H I S IS THE BOLD P R I NT I P I CTU R E D ON THE COVERS
O F ALL T H E G U ITAR MAGAZ I N ES WHEN G U ITARS WERE B E I N G R E
TUR N E D BECAU S E THE FRETS WER E STI C K I N G OUT OF THE S I DES
O F T H E F I N G E R BOAR D . THE EBONY F I N G ER BOAR DS WERE S H R I N K
I N G AN D ANOTH E R N I G HTMARE BEG I N S . N OW WHAT DO WE DO. WE
WERE PAY I N G FOR P U R E LONG TERM D R I E D WOOD . IT WAS ALWAYS
C H ECKED FOR T H E M O I STU R E CONTENT W H E N WE RECE IVED IT.
WE STACKED T H E F I N G E R BOAR DS FOR MONTHS . WE EVEN ROTAT
E D T H E M . TH I S HAP P E N E D EVERY ONCE I N AWH I L E . T H I S PROBLEM
WAS N EVER R EALLY RESOLV E D . LATER IN MY CAR E ER WHEN I WAS
WOR K I N G FOR AN I M PORTER OF B RAZ I LIAN ROS E WOOD G U ITARS
I SAW A CONT I N U I N G D I SASTER.THEY EVEN S ENT M E TO T H E FAC
TORY I N BRAZ I L . MY CONCLUS I O N OF WHAT I CALL WET WOOD I S
"YOU CAN THAW IT YOU CAN STOR E IT, YOU CAN DYE IT YOU CAN
FRY IT" AND IT W I LL STILL WAR P ON OCCAS I O N . IT CAU S ES MOST
O F ALL TH E PROBLEMS IN G U ITAR CONSTRUCT I O N .
H ER E IS A STO RY I CALL "TH E CAS E O F T H E SWI N G I N G CLAR I
N ET" TH I S DOES N OT M EAN SWI N G I N G I N A MUS ICAL SE N S E , B U T A
CLAR I N ET SWI N G I N G BY A ROPE FROM A S EVENTH FLOO R BALCO N Y
OR W I N DOW l ' M NOT SUR E WH I C H . F O R T H O S E NOT FAM I LIAR WITH
TH E GR ETS C H B U I L D I N G AT S I XTY BROADWAY BROOKLYN IT IS A
Inside the Gretsch Guitar Factory 1957=1970 27
BLOCK LON G , A BLOCK WI D E WITH A S MALL PARKI N G LOT i N T H E

R EAR FO R S U IT S ON LY, AN D IT I S TEN STO R I ES H I G H W I T H EACH
LEVEL HAV I N G AN EXT R E M E LY H I G H C E I L I N G , I N OTH E R WORDS IT IS
BIG. T H E G R ETSC H COM PANY OCC U P I E D TH E S EVENTH A N D N I NTH
FLOOR S . T H I S G UY WAS S E N D I N G DOWN I N STR U M E NTS ON A ROPE
TO TH E PAR K I N G LOT BELOW. HE WAS ON THE S EVENTH FLOO R .
F R E D ALSO H A D A M U S I CAL ACC ES S O RY W H OLESALE B US I N ESS
T H AT TOO K U P O N E HALF OF THE S EVENTH FLOO R . I G U ESS TH IS
G UY WAS G O I N G TO S E N D D OWN TH E W H O L E B U S I N ES S P I EC E
BY P I EC E O N THAT ROPE. IT'S A G OOD TH I N G THAT SOMEON E SAW
THAT C LAR I N ET SWI N G I N G I N TH E B R E EZE. T H E WHOLE B U I L D I N G
I S N OW B E I N G C O N ST R U C T E D I NTO V E RY E XP E N S I V E C O N D O S .
l ' M S U R E T H E ECHOS OF M E P LAY I N G THE " F R E D G R ETSC H BLU ES"
( TH E C H RO MATI C SCALE I U S ED FOR TEST I N G ) STI LL HAU NTS T H E
BU I LD I N G .
L ET S G O BACK T O T H E R E PA I R D E PARTM E NT A N D TAL K
A B O U T FLAT TOP G U I TA R S . ALL T H E S E G U ITARS LOOK E D G O O D
AN D S O U N D E D GOOD BUT CARM I N ES RACKS WOU L D ALWAYS HAVE
A FEW G U ITARS TO R E PA I R . SOM E OF T H ES E WERE CUSTO M E R RE
TU R N S AN D SOME WER E N EW THAT I R EJ ECTE D . TH I S COST T H E
C O M PA N Y EXTRA M O N EY B UT I S WAS WORTH I T. AS TH E YEAR S
W E N T O N T H E F LAT TO PS B ECAM E H I G H LY R E S P ECTED A N D W E
S O L D A LOT OF TH EM . I M EAN A LOT!
M Y F IR S T GR I P E WAS WITH T H E B I G B O D Y 6022 R AN C H E R
G U ITAR . T H E TOP WOULD ALWAYS S I N K DOWN AT THE SOU N D HOLE
IN FRONT O F TH E B R I D G E AN D AT THE END O F THE F I N G E R BOAR D .
WH E N I F IRST START E D TH E R E T H E TU N E AN D ADJ UST M EG HAN-
28 Dan Duffy
I C WO U L D I NSTALL A R I D I C U LO U S LOOKI N G H IG H SAD D L E IN T H E

B R I D G E. T H I S I WO U LD N OT ACCE P T. CAR M I N E SAI D H E WO U L D
R E PA I R T H E M B U T IT WOULD TAKE T I M E . MOST OF T H E T I M E T H EY
WE R E MAD E ACC EPTABLE. THOS E THAT W E R E NOT GOT THE AX O R
BECAM E F I R E WOO D . AT F I RST I WAS N 'T TOO POPULAR W I T H T H E
WOODSHOP B U T B I LL HAG N E R WOU L D G ET TOG ETH E R WITH CAR
M I N E , V I N NY, J E R RY AN D RED AND ALWAYS COM E UP WITH A SOLU
T I O N . AD J U ST M ENTS W E R E MAD E TO TH E TO P AN D THE B RAC E S .
T H E TOP WAS MAD E WITH A S L I G HT C ROWN T O IT WITH B RACES TO
HOLD IT. ALL FLAT TOPS WOULD EV E NTUAL LY BE MAD E T H I S WAY.
T H E B RAC I N G U N D E R THE F I N G E RBOARD WAS CHAN G E D TO H ELP
HOLD I T U P IF O U R O L D F R I E N D "WET WOOD "STA RT E D D RY I N G .
AS A R U L E N OTH I N G CAN HOLD BACK T H E D RYI N G . IF I T DOES IT
C RACKS AN D HAS TO B E F I X E D . TH E RAN C H E R M O D E L HAD A BIG
D R IV I N G FO RCE SOUND AN D WAS A GOOD SELLER.
THE M O D E L 601 0 SUN VALLEY ACOUSTIC F LAT TO P WAS AN
OTH E R GOOD SOU N D I N G G U ITAR. IT WAS A GOOD LOOKER WH E N IT
HAD ROS EWOOD BAC K AN D S I D ES . ALL TH E FLAT TOPS HAD SOL I D
S P R UC E TO P S . N OT MANY P ROBLEMS WITH T H I S G U ITAR. I F YOU
HAV E ONE OF T H E S E I N STRU M E NTS C H E R I S H IT AND MAKE S U R E
YOU R S O N O R G RANDSON DOES T H E SAM E .
T H E FOL K G U ITAR M O D E L 6003 WAS ALWAYS A H U G E S ELL
E R . T H E L I TT L E G U I TA R WITH T H E B I G S O U N D . W E A LWAYS H A D
B R I D G ES COM I N G OFF TH ES E L ITTL E M O N S T E R S . I F A B EG I N N ER
STU D E N T C OU L D AFFO R D T H I S G U I TA R H E HAD AN ADVANTAG E .
A N EASY P LAY I N G G U ITAR I S V E RY I M PO RTANT, ESPECIALLY AT T H E
N UT. T H E STR I N G S H A D T O B E EASY T O P R ESS DOWN AT T H E N UT
BECAUS E THAT'S WHERE YOU BEG I N . G ETT I N G THE STR I NG S LOW

W I T H O U T H ITI I N G TH E F I RST F R ET AN D CAU S I N G A B UZZ WAS
V E RY T I M E CON S U M I N G . TH E "FR E T N U T", WAS I NT R O D U C E D AT
TH I S T I M E . I D O N 'T KNOW W H E R E TH E NAM E "ZERO F R ET" CAM E
FROM . WITH TH I S C H AN G E ALL T H E ACT I O N S AT T H E N UT W E R E
U N I FO R M AN D EASY TO PLAY
O N E O F TH E BEST ACOUSTIC G U ITARS MADE I N T H E S IXTI ES
WAS TH E NYLON C LAS S ICAL HAU S E R MODEL. T H I S G U ITAR HAD A
R I C H FAT SOU N D . I F YO U STARTED P LAYI N G O N E YO U C O U L D N 'T
P U T I T DOWN . I H AV E O N E . I T HAS C RACKS ALL OV E R I T. I K E E P
F IX I N G T H E M WITH S MALL P I ECES OF D IAMON D SHAP E D S P R UCE
WOOD . T H E G U ITAR I S A S I M PLE P I EC E , MAHOGANY N ECK, BACK,
S I DES AN D A SOLI D S P R U C E TOP.
T H E G U ITAR WAS S ENT TO FRED G R ETSCH FOR H I S WHOLE
SALE M U S I CAL I NSTR U M ENT BUS I N ESS. HE AS KED ME TO P LAY IT
AND LET H I M KNOW WHAT I THOUG HT. TH E G U ITAR "SANG". I TOLD
H I M I T WAS V E RY GOOD AND WHY DON 'T WE MAKE IT O U R S E LV E S .
I TOLD H I M WE SHOULD MAKE THE G U ITAR I N STEAD O F BUY
I N G TH E M , A N D MAKE I T A PART OF TH E G R ETSC H L I N E . WE D I D
J UST THAT.
AT F I R S T WE H A D A LOT OF P RO B L E M S W I T H T H E TOP S
CRACKI N G . THAT'S R I G HT, O U R O L D FR I E N D "WET WOOD" WAS VIS
ITI N G U S AGAI N . WHEN I T STARTS D RYING IT CRAC KS , E S P E C IAL
LY DOWN THE C E NTER OF TH E TO P W H E R E TH E TWO P I ECES OF
S P R U C E WE R E G LU E D TOG ETH E R . CAR M I N E R E PAI R E D A LOT OF
TH ES E . S O M ETI M ES IT WOU L D C RACK AGAI N R I G HT A LO N G S I D E
T H E P I ECE O F S P R U C E THAT WAS U S E D TO F I X TH E C RACK. SOME-
30 Dan Duffy
T I M ES TH E WOOD S H O P WOU LD MAKE THE TO P TH I CKER TO P R E

VENT TH E C RAC K I N G , T H I S O N LY KI LLED T H E SOU N D AN D G OT M E
T E E D OFF. TH I N G S WORKED OUT B ETTE R WH E N TH E TO PS W E R E
KEPT I N I NVE NTO RY LON G E R . MORE RAW MAT E R IAL EXP E N S E WAS
N EC ESSARY, B UT WO RTH EV E RY C E N T. T H IS WAS T R U LY A TE R
R I F I C G U ITAR.
H E R E 'S A S H O RT I NT E R ES T I N G Q U A L I TY C ON TO L STO RY.
SHORTLY AFT E R I WAS H I R E D I WAS TEST I N G A C H ET ATK I N S G U I
TAR M O D E L # 61 2 0 . A FT E R T E ST I N G IT F O R B UZZ I N G F RETS B Y
P LAY I N G T H E U S UAL F R E D G R ETSCH B L U ES I WOU LD P LAY T H E
G U ITAR F O R A W H I LE . A S I WAS P LAYI N G MY U S UAL R E P E RTO I R E
OF SCALES, C H O RDS A N D TU N ES I NOT IC E D T H E G U ITAR WAS NOT
I N T U N E ABOVE TH E 1 2 TH F R ET. I BROUG HT T H I S TO TH E ATTE N
TION OF EV E RYO N E B UT NO ON E H A D TH E ANSWE R . SOME SAID I
WAS H EAR I N G T H I N G S . F I NALLY V I N NY C H ECKED T H E FRET SCALE
AN D SAI D T H E F R ETS WERE OUT O F P LACE ABOVE THE 1 2TH F RET.
H E SAI D T H IS COU LD HAVE HAP P E N E D WH EN T H EY TOOK THE
FRET SAW APA RT FOR SHARP E N I N G AN D WAS N 'T PUT BACK IN TH E
R I G HT POS ITIO N S . HAROLD WOODS D R EW U P A N EW SCALE AN D
EVEN GAVE M E S O M E RESP ECT AFTE R THAT. H E T H R EW MY E M PTY
COFFEE CONTA I N ERS AWAY I F I FORGOT TH E M .
ALL Y O U C H ET ATK I N S FAN S C H E C K YO U R G U ITARS. I F YOU
HAVE O N E OF T H E S E G U ITARS MAD E AROU N D 1 956 O R 1 957 S E N D
I T BACK T O TH E FACTORY "WH E R E EVER THAT I S " AND TELL TH EM I
SAI D IT WAS "OK"
BACK I N TH E R E PA I R S H O P WE HAD AN OCCAS I O NAL R ET U R N
OF A N A R C H TOP "F" H O L E ACOUST I C G U ITAR T O HAVE TH E N EC K
RES ET. G R ETSC H WAS R EALLY RESPECTED FOR T H E S E G U ITARS .

THESE WERE U S E D MAI N LY BY JAZZ AN D COU NTRY P LAYERS .
TH E "ELDORADO" B E I N G T H E TOP O F TH E L I N E WAS A MAG
N I F I C E NT LOOK I N G , P LAY I N G , AN D SOU N D I N G G U ITA R . N O I DON 'T
HAVE O N E BUT I W I S H I D I D . l 'D PUT AN E M G JAZZ P ICK U P ON IT
AN D P LAY IT T I LL IT N E E D E D A FRET JOB.
THE L I N E OF ARCH TOPS WITH TH E LAM I N AT E D WOOD TOPS
W E R E ALSO G O O D S O U N D I N G I N STR U M E NTS . T H E S E WE R E
CALL E D " N EW YO R K E R" , "CORSAI R", "CONSTELLAT I O N " AN D I B E
L I EVE "SYN C H ROMATIC".
SOMET I M ES I WOU L D M O U NT A P I CK U P ON T H E G U ITA R , ONE
OF T H E D EARMAN D P I C K U PS THAT WE ALL U S E D ON OUR ACCOUS
TIC G U I TA R BACK T H E N TO S E E WHAT K I N D OF S O U N D I WOU L D
G ET F R O M EACH D IFF E R E NT M O D E L . O N C E I H A D A B EAUTIF U L
ELDORADO M O D E L MOUNTED U P FOR DAYS PLAY I N G I T. I P LAYE D
IT EVERY DAY U NTI L TH E STO R E CALLED A N D WAN T E D T O KNOW
"WHAT HAP P E N E D TO MY O R D E R ?"
EVE R S O OFTE N A G U I TA R WOU L D HAV E THAT S O M ETH I N G
S P E C I A L S OU N D . T H I S P ROVES THAT E V E RY T H I N G C R EAT E D
EQUAL IS NOT EQUAL.
YES TH E R E PA I R D E PA RT M E N T A N D C A R M I N E W E R E MY
TEAC H E R . H ER E 'S A "BE L I EV E I T O R N OT STO RY". ALL MY YEARS
AT G R ETSC H I N EV E R FIXED A G U ITAR WITH MY HAN D S . I WAS N 'T
H I R E D TO D O THAT. I WAS O N LY TO TEST TH E G U ITA R A N D T E L L
T H E M WHAT I FOU N D W R O N G WITH I T. W H E N MY TOU R OF D UTY
WAS OVE R WITH G R ETSC H I WENT BACK TO P LAY I N G AN D TEACH
I N G . AFTE R A B O U T TWO Y E A R S A F R I E N D CALL E D M E AN D TOL D
32 Dan Duffy
M E A COMPANY O N LONG I S LAN D WAS LOOK I N G FOR ME. I CALLED

TH E M AN D TH EY TOLD M E THEY WERE HAV I N G A LOT OF TROUBLE
WITH TH E I R G U ITARS AN D WOU L D I COM E I N TO SEE TH E M . TH EY
I M PORTED G U ITARS FROM JAPAN A N D B RAZI L". AFTE R A LONG I N
TERV I EW I WAS H I R E D . MOST OF T H E I NT E RVI EW WAS ABOUT WHAT
I D I D AT T H E G R ETSC H COM PANY AND T H EY TOLD M E ABOUT TH E
PROBLEMS TH EY HAD.
W H E N I R E P O RT E D F O R WO R K T H EY TOO K ME IN BACK TO
T H E G U ITA R D E PARTM E N T. AT O N E G LA N C E I C O U L D T EL L T H EY
SOLD A LOT O F G U I TARS . EVE RY DAY T H E H EAD O F T H E D E PART
M EN T WO U L D R E C E I V E A B U N C H O F O R D E R S F R O M TH E F R O N T
O F F I C E . TH E G U I TARS WERE PULLED FROM I NVENTORY AN D G IVEN
TO T H E S E RV I C E P E O P L E TO S E RV I C E B E FO R E TH EY W E N T OUT.
TH E R E WA S A BO U T S IX O R S E V E N M E N D O I N G TH I S WO R K. TH E
H EA D O F T H E D E PA RT M E N T AS K E D M E W HAT I WA N T E D TO D O
SO I SAI D WHAT E V E R YOU N E E D . H E TOOK M E TO T H E BACK AN D
S HOWED M E A BO U T F I V E H U N D R E D G U ITA R S FROM JA PA N THAT
HAD TAP E O N EAC H O N E STAT I N G WHAT WAS WRO N G . I O P E N E D
O N E U P THAT SAI D BAD N ECK . O N E LOOK AN D I K N EW THAT ALL I T
N E E D E D WAS A N ECK ADJ USTM E NT WITH TH E WRE N C H . ANOTH E R
SA I D BAD P I C K U P, P RO BA B LY T H E JAC K W I R E WA S O F F. I TOO K
T H E TWO P I EC ES BACK TO TH E D E PA RT M E NT W H E R E H E GAVE M E
A B E N C H A ND S O M E TOOLS. I F I X E D TH E TWO P I EC E S , A N D GAVE
A S MALL CON C E RT TO S HOW I COULD P LAY. I TOLD THE H EAD OF
T H E D E PARTM E N T TO B R I N G OUT SOME MORE O F T H E P ROBLEM
G U ITARS. H E WAS A L L S M I LES AN D SAI D S U R E . WELL H E BROUGHT
OUT A SK I D F U LL. I FIXED O N E AFTE R T H E OTH E R WITH ALL SORTS
Inside the Gretsch Guitar Factory 1957=1970 33
OF PROBLEMS.
IT TOOK M E ABOUT TWO MONTHS TO F I X ALL THESE G U ITARS .
I WAS HAV I N G TH E T I M E O F MY L I FE. CAR M I N E WOU L D B E P R O U D
OF M E . W E L L (MAYB E) H E ALWAYS SAI D "I FIX, YOU P LAY" I CAU G HT
U P TO T H E G UYS ON TH E B E N C H . I WAS FIXI N G TH E M AS FAST AS
TH EY COULD REJ ECT T H E M . A FEW OF T H E G UYS QU IT. T H E O N ES
WHO R E MAI N E D D I D A B ETTE R JOB. WH EN TH EY HAD A P ROBLEM I
SHOWED THEM HOW TO F I X IT.
TH E P R ES I D ENT (WHO WAS WATC H I NG ME EVERY DAY) TOLD
M E THAT I WAS NOW I N CHAR G E OF TH E WHOLE G U ITAR D E PART
M E NT. H E GAVE M E A DESK AN D A P H O N E AND T H E N H E HAN D E D M E
A BONUS C H ECK FOR O N E THOUSAN D DOLLARS AN D SAI D THANK
YOU . (BELI EVE IT OR NOT)
O N E OF TH E G U ITARS THAT YOU RARELY S E E N I N T H E R E PA I R
D E PARTM ENT WAS THE S O L I D BODY M O D E L 6 1 34 "CORVETTE" TH I S
G U ITAR HAS A U N I Q U E D ES I G N . A L L OTH E R BOOK S O N G R ETSC H
G U I TA R S FAI L T O M EN T I O N T H E FACT THAT TH E N EC K H A S T H E
ADJ USTM E N T R O D I N STA L L E D T H E F U L L L E N G T H O F T H E N EC K .
A L L OTH E R MOD ELS ARE F R O M TH E H EAD P I EC E TO TH E TWE L FTH
F R ET. TH I S G U ITA R WAS D ES I G N E D TO G IVE THE P LAY E R TOTAL
ACC E S S TO ALL F R ETS W I T H NO E F FO RT. T H I S G U I TA R WAS N O
WAY COP I ED FROM TH E LESS PAU L J R . T H E S E N ECK S ADJ USTED
EAS I LY WHEN T H E R E WAS A PROBLE M . THEY WERE V E RY RAR E LY
R E TU R N E D . T H I S WAS M A D E I N TO VAR I O U S M O D E L G U I TA R S BY
CHAN G I N G T H E COLORS AND P I CKG UARD . TH E TWI ST AND P R I N
C ESS MODELS TO NAM E A FEW.
H EY, H EY, WE'RE T H E "MONK EE 'S" IS A S H O RT STORY. W H E N
34 Dan Duffy
WE C R EATE D T H I S M O D E L G U ITA R A C CO R D I N G TO W HAT T H E Y

WANTED , EV E RY O N E THO U G HT T H E "MON KEE" LOGO S H O U L D AP
PEAR ON THE ROD S H I ELD COV E R AN D THE P I C K G UARD. A FT E R WE
STARTED S E N D I N G THEM OUT, L ITTL E BY L ITTLE, REQU ESTS CAM E
I N F O R R E P LA C E M E NT R O D S H I E L D COV E RS A N D P I C KG UA RD S
WITHOUT TH E ( M O N KE E) NAME ON T H E M . TH E REQU ESTS BECA M E
SO G R EAT T HAT W E D E C I D E D T O S E N D P LA I N P I C KG UA RD S A N D
R O D S H I E L D COV E RS I NS I D E TH E CAS E W ITH A L L N EW O R D E RS .
I G U ESS NO O N E WANTED TO P LAY L I KE A MONKEE. C O U L D TH EY
PLAY? I D O N 'T KNOW.
TH E M O D E L 6 1 9 9 JAZZ G U ITA R E N D O RS E D BY SA L SA LVA
DOR WAS A GOOD G U ITA R . I BOU G HT O N E SHO RTLY AFTER I WAS
TH E R E AWH I L E . IT HAD A G R EAT SOU N D BUT WAS P R O N E TO F E E D
BACK. I H A D CA R M I N E I NSTALL SOUND POSTS (WOOD E N DOWELS)
U N D E R THE B R I D G E . T H I S CUT SOME OF IT DOWN . TH EN I G OT TH E
I D EA O F STU F F I N G IT. I U S E D F I B E R G LASS , YOU KNOW THAT ITCHY
STU FF. ON TH E G IG THAT N I G HT I S HOOK M O R E THAN " E LV IS" D I D .
S O M EHOW I G OT I T DOWN MY N EC K AN D WAS J U M P I N G O U T O F
M Y PANTS ALL N I G HT. TH E N EXT DAY I E M PT I E D T H E F I B ER G LASS
FROM TH E G U ITAR I NTO A BAG . I WAS ITCHY AGA I N . I HAD TO G ET
EV ERY B I T O F I T O UT SO I B R O U G HT I T TO WOR K. I P UT TH E A I R
P R ESS U R E HOSE I N S I D E THE G U ITAR AND BLEW IT O UT. TH E N EXT
DAY SOME OF TH E WORKERS COMPLAI N E D T H EY HAD A TERR I BLE
ITCH ALL N IG HT. I SAI D "M E TOO"
I KN EW T H I S WAS STU P I D WH E N I WAS D O I N G IT. I D I D N 'T SAY
ANYTH I N G TO CARM I N E ABOUT TH I S , ESPECIALLY W H E N I SAW H I M
SCRATC H I N G H I S BACK WITH A G U ITA R N ECK.
"SOM ETH I N G EVI L T H I S WAY COM ES"

BACK IN THE R E PA I R D E PARTM ENT CAR M I N E WAS STAN D I N G
OVER T H E B E N C H WITH H IS HAM M E R I N HAN D ABOUT TO STR I KE
T H E B EAST THAT WAS LAY I N G T H E R E . WAS I T T H E B EAST F R O M
TWE N TY T H O U SAN D FAT H O M S ? N O ? WAS I T "TH E T H I N G " F R O M
O U T E R S PAC E ? N O , I T WA S T H E G R ET S C H " B I K I N I " G U I TA R A N D
BASS C O M B O . C A R M I N E WAS ABOUT TO TRY TO S E PARAT E T H E
G U ITAR N EC K FROM T H E BODY. T H E G U I TA R S H A P E D BODY WAS
A S LAB O F WOOD C UT D OWN T H E M I D D L E AN D FOL D E D I N HALF
L I KE A BUTT E R FLY. IT WAS H ELD TOG ETH E R WITH S MALL H I N G ES .
T H E R E WAS T RACKS M O U NT E D W I T H S C R EWS . T H E N EC K WAS
MOUNTED ON A P I EC E O F WOOD AND S L I DES I NTO THOS E R E C E IV
I N G TRACKS . THE N ECK AN D P I EC E OF WOO D WAS THE COMPLETE
G U ITA R WITH T U N I N G M AC H I N ES , STR I N G S , P I C K U P, TA I L P I EC E
ETC. T H E R E WAS A LOT O F P RO B L E M S W I T H T H E E LECTRO N I CS
BECAU S E ALL THE W I R I N G WAS JAM M E D I NTO A S MALL S PAC E . TH E
B I G PROBLEM WAS T H E TRACKS AN D H I N G ES . T H E PARTS WOU LD
N O T G O TOG ETH E R , AND W H E N T H EY D I D YOU C O U L D N 'T G ET
TH E M APART. THE SCR EWS CAM E OUT O F TH E H I N G ES. T H E BEAST
A LWAYS F E L L APART. IT WAS A P I EC E OF CRAP. IT ALSO CAM E I N
A BASS N EC K . YOU CO U LD M O U NT T H E BASS AN D G U I TA R TO A
S I NG L E BODY O R EACH I N D IV I D UALLY.
T H E G UY W H O CAM E U P WITH T H I S I D EA CAM E F R O M N EW
J E RS EY AND P LAYE D P R ETTY GOOD G U ITAR AN D BAS S . H IS P RO
TOTYPE WAS ROU G H BUT IT WORKED. TH E WHOLE PROJ ECT WAS
B A D LY E N G I N E E R E D . I T WA S T H E B EAST A N D I T WAS E V I L A N D
C AU S E D M A N Y S LE E P LE S S N I G H T S F O R M E . IF YO U O W N O N E
36 Dan Duffy
HOLD AN EXORC I S M . SO MUCH FOR TH E " B I KI N I"

T H E JAC K W E B B TV S HOW "D RAG N ET" TOOK P LAC E I N T H E
COM PANY SOM ET I M E AFTER T H E G UY WITH T H E STR I N G T R I E D TO
H I EST EV E RYTH I N G DOWN O F F T H E BALCONY FROM T H E S EV ENTH
FLOOR . THE C H I CAGO O F F I C E R E PORTED TH EY WE R E R E C E IV I N G
GU ITAR CAS ES WITH OUT T H E G U ITAR I N T H E M . TH E R E WAS D R U M
S ETS A N D OTH ER I NS TR U M E NTS M I S S I N G FRO M I NV E NTO RY. I
G U ES S T H E R E WAS A LOT OF M E RC H AN D I S E M I S S I N G FOR T H E
C O M PANY T O H I R E T H E S E TWO G UYS T O I NT E R R O G AT E A L L OF
THE E M P LOYE ES O N E AT A T I M E . T H E S E TWO U S E D T H E GOOD G UY
BAD G UY TECH N IQ U E . I 'll CALL T H E M PAT AN D RAT. PAT WAS T H E
OBV IOUS G O O D G UY AN D RAT TH E ( I N YOU R FACE ) BAD G UY.
PAT S A I D V ERY S OFT A N D S I N C ER E "DAN , W E KNOW YO U
D I D N 'T TAKE ANYTH I N G , BUT D I D YOU EV E R S E E ANYO N E DO ANY
TH I N G S U S P I C IOUS." I SAI D N O . I M M ED IATELY RAT GOT I N MY FACE
AN D ASKE D M E ( I N A NASTY TON E ) I F I EV E R SAW ANYO N E B R I N G
I NS TR U M E NTS T O T H E M U S I C S TOR E I WAS T E AC H I N G AT TWO
N I G HTS A WEEK. A P PA RENTLY TH EY KNEW ALL ABOUT M E . I SAI D
YES AN D BY WHO. H E SAI D "WE KNOW YOU WOR K AS A G U ITAR
P LAYER ON W E E KE N D S , WHY DO YO U N E E D ALL THAT M O N EY?" I
S A I D "TH E P E RS O N WHO D EL IV ER E D TH E I NSTR U M ENTS TO T H E
STO R E AT N I G HT I S T H E SALES MAN F O R THAT ACCOU N T, H E HAS
ALL T H E B EST ACCOU N TS I N BROOKLYN , Q U E E N S , LON G I S LAN D ,
N EW YORK, TH E BRONX, AN D N EW J E RS EY AN D I F T H E R E 'S A STO R E
O N M AR S IT'S H I S . H E I S AL S O T H E WAR E H O U S E M A N AG ER OF
FREDS M U S I C ASS ESSORY B US I N ESS. H E M UST HAV E MADE MOR E
MON EY THAN EV E N F R E D G R ETSC H . I SAI D 'WHY D O E S H E N E E D
ALL THAT MON EY?" THEY LOO KED AT EACH OTH E R , I YAWN E D , T H EY
SAI D "THAN KS" AN D I L E FT. T H E WHOLE TH I N G WAS R I D I C U LO U S . I
U N D E RSTAN D THE TH I E F WAS CAU G HT WITH O UT TH I S TELEVISON
PRODUCTI O N .
T H E R E PA I R D EPARTM E N T R A R E LY SAW ANY O F T H E C H ET
ATKI N S MODELS . T H E R E I S N O D O U B 'T I N MY M I N D THAT C H ET AT
KI N 'S NAM E SOLD A LOT O F G U ITA R S . ALSO T H E QUALITY SAI D A
LOT ABOUT T H E SALES TOO . AS C H ET'S P O P U LA R I TY G R EW S O
D I D T H E SALES . J I M MY W EBSTE R H A D A LOT T O D O W I T H S I G N
I N G H I M A S AN E N D O R S E R . J I MM Y P RO M OT E D H I M A N D H I S G U I
TARS AT EVERY M U S I C TRAD E S HOW. TH EY WORKED VERY HARD
TO S EL L TH E C H ET ATKI N 'S NAM E A N D THE G U I TARS . C H ET SAI D
THAT AFT E R TH E COM PANY MOVED OUT O F B ROOKLYN TH E G U I
TARS WERE N EVER TH E SAM E . WELL ANYO N E WITH HALF A BRA I N
WOU L D K N OW T H I S . M O S T O F T H E FO R E MA N STARTE D T H E R E
ARO U N D 1 940 TO 1 946. A LOT O F TH E WOR KMAN O N TH E B E N C H ES
W E R E S K I L L E D C RAFTS M A N , A L S O T H E R E M A N Y YEAR S , B E I N G
G U I D E D DAI LY BY TH E FOR E MAN , WHAT A G R EAT S ITUATI O N FO R A
COM PANY TO BE I N . T H E N I N 1 970 TH E P IANO BU I LD I N G P I N H EADS
D E C I D E TO M O V E T H E C O M PA N Y TO " B O O N S V I L L E " A R KA N S AS
AN D HAVE T H E "BEVE R LY H I L LB I LL I ES" STO P M I LKI N G T H E COWS
AND B U I LD T H E P R EST I G I O U S G R ETSCH G U ITA R S . T H I N K ABOU T
IT! WOULD YOU DO I T ? O F C O U R S E NOT. YOU ' R E NOT A P I N H EAD.
YOU ' R E A G U ITAR P LAY E R , YOU G OT YOU R E D U CATI O N I N SMOKE
F I LL E D BARS WITH G U N S H OT HOLES I N TH E C E I L I N G . YOU DON 'T
S IT I N YO U R OFFICE WITH ALL YOU R DEG R E E'S HAN G I N G ON TH E
WALL B E H I N D YO U TO S H OW HOW S MART YO U A R E . YO U D I D N 'T
38 Dan Duffy
N E E D ALL T H O S E D E G R E E ' S TO KNOW THAT TO MOVE T H E COM

PANY WAS A M ISTAKE. I G U ESS WHEN TH EY WERE I N SCHOOL TH EY
M IS S E D TH E CLASS WH E N TH E P RO F ESSOR SAI D "FA R M E R S AN D
E N G I N E E R S D O N 'T B U I LD G U I TA R S , O N LY S K I L L E D CRAFTS MA N
DO." I F T H EY D I D N 'T LEARN IT I N SCHOOL TH EY WERE LOST. T H EY
MOV E D T H E COM PANY BECAU S E SALES WERE DOWN . T H E G U ITAR
BOOM WAS OVE R.
WELL I G U ESS TH EY N EV E R G OT A D E G R E E I N "WHAT TO DO
WH E N T H E G U ITAR BOOM I S OVE R . " WE HAD I NVENTORY FOR TH E
F I R S T T I M E I N T H E H ISTO RY O F T H E C O M PA N Y. D O I M OV E T H E
COM PANY AND WAIT FIVE YEARS AN D MAYBE I 'll G ET A GOOD G U I
TAR O R DO I G ET T H E SALESMAN TO DO TH E I R JOB? THAT'S W H E R E
T H E PRO B L E M WAS . T H E S AL E S MA N B ECAM E O R D ER TAK E R S ,
TH EY MAD E ALL THAT M O N EY S ITTI N G ON TH E I R ASS TAK I N G OR
D E RS ON TH E PHONE. TH EY D I D N 'T WANT TO G O BACK TO WORK.
IT WAS T I M E TO GO OUT AN D POU N D THE PAVEM E NT L I KE TH EY D I D
B E FO R E TH E G U ITAR BOO M .
EVE N TH E C H I CAGO B R A N C H WOU L D COM P LA I N THAT TH EY
WERE N EV E R G ETT I N G TH E I R FAI R S HARE OF G U ITARS . WH E N TH E
BOOM WAS OVER YOU D I D N 'T H EAR FROM TH E M . WH E N TH EY D I D
CALL TH E I R EXC U S E F O R SALES B E I N G DOWN WAS T H E M A R KET
WAS SAT U RAT E D . IT WAS TI M E FOR TH E O F F I C E TO D E MAN D R E
S U LTS F R O M T HE S A L E S M E N , B U T N O O N E D I D . N O O N E KN EW
HOW. EVE RY O N E PAI D TH E P R I C E .
H E R E 'S A STO RY A BO U T A F EW G UYS CALL E D E N G I N E E RS
WHO J UST COU LD N 'T H EAR. F R E D G R ETSCH AS KED M E O N E DAY
W H AT I T H O U G H T WAS T H E B ES T S O U N D I N G A M P LIF I E R . I TOL D
HIM "TH E TWI N REVE R S . " AT THAT T I M E EVERY O N E WAS TRYI N G

TO MAKE SOLID STATE AM P L I F I E R S . ALL O F T H E SOLI D STATE AMPS
WER E VERY TH I N SOU N D I N G . NONE O F TH E M HAD TH E SOU N D O F A
TUBE AMP. A FEW WEEKS LATER A PROTOTYPE ARRIVED AN D FRED
AS KED M E TO TRY IT. I TOLD HIM IT WAS VERY GOOD FOR A SOL I D
STATE AM P B U T IT D I D N 'T S O U N D L I KE THE TWI N REVE RS. H E SAI D
THEY COP I E D TH E SOU N D WAVES EXACTLY A N D I T HAS TO SOU N D
TH E SAM E . I SAI D IT DON 'T. O N C E AGA I N M Y B I G MOUTH P U T M E O N
A P LAN E .
I WAS O N C E AGA I N H EADED I N TO T H E WORLD O F TH E SU ITS .
O N C E AGAI N I WAS S U RROU N D E D B Y I N TI M I DAT I N G EYES TRY I N G
T O MAKE M E SWEAT. B Y NOW I H A D A LOT M O R E EXP E R I ENCE THAN
W H E N I P LAY E D T H E S O L I D B O D Y G U ITA R I N T H E C O U RTROO M .
T H ER E WAS AN E ER I E F E E L I N G A B O U T T H I S W H O L E S ET U P. W E
W E R E ON A STAG E I N AN AU D ITO R I U M . J I M MY WAS ALSO WITH M E ,
H E WA S N 'T T H E SA M E A S B EFOR E . E V ER S I N C E T H E C O M PA N Y
WAS S OLD H E D I D N 'T S M I LE A S M UC H A S H E D I D . TH E S IX S U I TS
HAD S ET U P THE TWO AM PS S I D E BY S I D E . TH E I R CLAI M WAS TH EY
SOU N D E D TH E SAM E . TH EY HAD TH E AM PS S ET U P TO A BOX THAT
SWITC H E D TH E AMPS BACK A N D FORTH B ETW E E N EACH OTH ER .
THEY W E R E R EALLY R EADY FOR M E . J I M MY HAN DED M E THE G U I
TAR A N D SAI D "TH I S I S YOU R SHOW." TH EY SAI D TH EY WANTED M E
T O TELL T H E M W H I C H A M P TH E S O U N D WAS C O M I N G THR O U G H
AS I P LAYED . I SAI D OK AND STARTE D TO P LAY. AS I P LAYED TH EY
STARTED SWITC H I N G BACK A N D FORTH B ETWE EN AMPS. I CALLED
ONE AM P "TH E TWI N " AN D THE OTH E R "SO L I D . "
A FTER A COU PLE O F M I N UTES O F TH I S TH EY SAI D T O STO P
40 Dern Duffy
P LAY I N G A N D TH EY H U D D LE D TOG ETH E R L I KE A FOOTBALL TEAM

TO D I SCUSS THE N EXT PLAY. TH EY CAM E OUT OF THE H U D D LE AN D
AS KED M E TO T U R N ARO U N D AN D P LAY NOT FAC I N G T H E AM P S . I
KN EW I CALLED EV E RY TH I N G R I G HT BECAU S E I H EARD T H E D I F
F E R E N C E . I STARTED TO P LAY AGAI N WITH THE AMPS B E H I N D M E ,
TH EY STA RT E D SWITC H I N G BACK AN D F O RTH B ETW E E N AM P S . I
STARTED TO CALL OUT "TH E TWI N " O R "SO L I D . " FOR S O M E R EASO N
I C O U L D H EAR T H E D I FF E R E N C E B ETWEEN THE TWO AM PS B ETTE R
WITH T H E M BEH I N D M E . EV E NTUALLY T H EY SAI D TO STOP P LAYI N G .
TH EY AG R E E D THAT I H EARD TH E D I F F E R E N C E BETWEEN T H E TWO
A M P S BUT TH EY STILL D I D N 'T U N D E RSTA N D IT. TH EY TH E N TOOK
U S O U T TO L U N C H A N D W E D I S C U S S E D D I F F E R E N T S U BJ ECTS .
N O O N E M ENTION E D TH E I R TAKI N G OV E R T H E G R ETSC H COM PA
NY. T H EY M UST HAV E KNOWN THAT WE WERE N OT HAPPY ABOUT
THAT.
AFTE R LUNCH TH EY AS KED M E TO PLAY AGA I N . T H EY WANTED
TO TAKE SOME READ I NG S WH I LE I P LAYED. TH EY WANTED M E TO
P LAY WITH A FORCEFUL ATTACK WITH TH E PICK AND T H E N A L I G HT
ATTACK. I D I D TH I S FOR AWH I LE U N T I L TH EY SAI D TO STOP. T H EY
SAI D T H EY WOULD HAV E TO MAKE SOME ADJ USTM ENTS WITH T H E
A M P. I D O N 'T KNOW WHAT HAP P E N E D AFTE R THAT B ECAU S E T H E
FACTO RY MOV E D AND I WAS G O N E .
S O M E T I M E A RO U N D 1 96 7 TH E U N I O N D E C I D E D T O STR I KE .
TH EY W E R E O U T F O R ABOUT T H R E E MONTHS . I TH I N K T H I S ACTU
ALLY WORKED IN FAV O R OF TH E C O M PANY. SALES W E R E DOWN ,
TH E SALES MAN WERE STI LL ASL E E P, AND WE HAD A FEW H U N D R E D
G U ITARS I N I NV E N TO RY. T H E FO R E MA N W E R E M A D E TO WO R K
N IG HTS I N T H E OTH E R G R ETSC H B U I L D I N G A FEW BLOCKS AWAY.

T H I S B U I LD I N G M AD E G R ETS C H D R U M S . T H E S E I NS T R U M E NTS
WERE ALSO CONS I D E R E D T H E BEST. THE FOR E MAN MAD E D R U M S ,
F I LLED T H E O R D E RS A N D S ENT T H E M OUT. TH E STR I KE WAS NOT
WITHOUT I N C I D ENT. O N E FOR EMAN HAD H I S S HARE OF FLATS AND
A W I N DOW B RO K E N O N H I S CAR . HE ALSO H A D A B O U T TWE N TY
POU N D S O F DOGG I E POO ALL OV E R H I S CAR . TO TH I S DAY I CAN
S T I L L P I CTU R E T H E S E P EO P L E H U NT I N G FO R D OG G I E POO A L L
OV E R B ROOK LYN . O N E O F T H E H U NT E R S LAT E R TOLD M E THAT
H I S TEC H N I Q U E WAS TO FOLLOW SOMEON E WALKI NG TH E I R DOG .
W H E N TH EY STO P P E D H E STO P P E D . H E SAI D H E LEARN E D TO HAV E
A LOT O F PAT I E N C E ON TH I S PART I C U LAR M I S S I O N . WHEN THE DOG
SQUATTE D HE SAI D HE KN EW HE WAS G O I N G MAKE A SCORE. ALL
HE HAD TO D O WAS GO U P TO TH E PE RSON AND AS K THEM IF H E
C O U L D HAV E T H E P O O . H E SAI D TH EY U S UALLY LOOKED AT H I M
STRAN G E A N D WANTED TO KNOW WHAT H E WANTED THE BAG O F
P O O FO R . H E S A I D H I S W IF E U S E D I T I N H E R G A R D E N . H E SAI D
TH EY U S UALLY HAN D E D H I M THE BAG O F GOLD AN D WALKED AWAY
V E RY Q U IC K LY D RAG G I NG TH E I R D O G W I T H TH E M . H E TOL D M E
H E L I K E D FOLLOW I N G TH E P EOPLE WHO WE R E N 'T CARRYING THE
S MALL D OG G I E S H OV E L AND BAG . HE KN EW TH EY WERE G O I N G
TO LITTE R , B U T AT LEAST H E D I D N 'T HAV E TO EXPLA I N H IS WANT
I N G T H E D E P O S IT. TH I S W E N T O N FO R D AYS H E S A I D U N T I L H E
GOT A R R ESTE D . H E SAI D A WOMAN H E WAS FOLLOW I N G STARTED
S C R EAM I N G A N D TH E POLICE WE R E N EA R BY AN D G RABB E D H I M .
H E EXP LA I N E D TO TH E M THAT ALL H E WANTED WAS T H E DOGG I E
POO AN D HAN D E D TH E M T H E BAG TO S H OW TH E M . AFT E R TH EY
42 Dan Duffy
LOOKED I N S I D E THE BAG AN D SHOOK TH E I R H EADS IN D IS B E L I E F

T H EY TH R EW IT DOWN A N EARBY S EWE R . T H EY CALLED H I S W I F E
T O C O M E DOWN T O T H E STAT I O N H O U S E AN D G ET H I M . S H E EX
P LA I N E D ABOUT THE STR IK E . THEY TOLD H E R TO TAKE H I M H O M E
AN D K EE P H I M OUT O F TRO U B L E . T H E D E S K S E R G EANT SAI D H E
S H O U L D G ET A JOB WITH TH E D E PARTM ENT O F SAN ITATI O N WITH
HIS S K I LLS AT COLLECT I N G .
W H E N G EO R G E H AR R I S O N F I RST A P P EA R E D O N N AT I ON A L
TELEV IS IO N P LAY I N G H IS G R ETSC H C H ET ATK I N S "CO U NTRY G E N
T L E M A N " G U ITA R L ETI E RS S TA RT E D TO C O M E I N BY T H E SAC K
F U L L . T H E O F F I C E P E O P L E H A D TO WO R K S AT U R DAYS J U ST TO
OPEN IT. TH E R E WAS SO MUCH MAI L IT HAD TO BE S E PARATED I NTO
CATEGO R I ES TO BE R EAD AN D ANSWE R E D . R EQU ESTS FOR CATA
LOG S M U ST H AV E P U T A S M I LE O N T H E P R I NT E R 'S FAC E . S O M E
WAN T E D T O KNOW WH E R E TO G O T O B U Y A G R ETSC H C H ET AT
K I N S G U ITA R AS TH E I R LOCAL M U S I C STO R E WAS OUT O F STOCK.
P E O P L E CAM E TO N EW YO RK TO BUY G U ITARS . TH EY CAM E FROM
ALL OVE R TH EY CALLED TH E FACTORY ASK I N G FOR TOU RS O F THE
FACTORY. I BECAM E A TOU R G U I D E . T H EY ASKED ME ALL KI N DS OF
QUEST I O N S ABOUT C H ET ATK I N S AN D HAR R I S O N .
MANY WANTED TO K N OW I F WE GAVE TH E "COU NTRY G E NTLE
MAN" G U ITAR TO H I M . I TOLD THEM HE BOU G HT IT IN ENGLAN D AN D
H E WAS A G R EAT FAN O F C H ET ATKI N S AN D H E WANTED T H E COU N
TRY G ENTLEMAN G U ITAR. TH EY WANTED T O K NOW I F HAR R I SO N 'S
PLAY I N G T H E G R ETSC H G U I TA R I N C R E AS E D S AL E S A N D I TOL D
TH E M YES , BUT I F H E WAS N 'T A FAN OF C H ET ATK I N S H E P ROBABLY
WO UL D N 'T H AV E BOU G HT TH E G U I TAR. W H O WAS R ES P O N S I BL E
FOR THE SALES? l 'D HAVE TO SAY C H ET ATK I N S . BUT I F HAR R ISON
WAS N 'T S E E N O N T. V. WITH I T WHO WOU LD I T BE? A N D ARO U N D
AN D AROU N D W E G O ! J UST R E M E M B E R THAT AFTER ALL WAS SAI D
AN D D O N E ABOUT WHO O R WHAT CAUSED THE G ROWTH OF SALES
O N LY O N E P E RSON S M I LED ALL THE WAY TO TH E BANK .
G ETTI N G BACK TO T H E G U ITAR BOOM, PLAYERS WERE COM
ING UP TO N EW YO RK FROM DOWN SOUTH AN D SLEE P I NG IN TH E I R
CARS A N D VANS J UST TO G ET THE WELL K N OWN 48TH S T. D ISCOUNT
ON TH E I R P U RCHAS E OF A G R ETSC H G U ITAR. AS THE BOOM WENT
ON T H E D I S CO U N TS G OT LESS A N D L E S S . T H E S TOR E S W ER E
CHARG I N G N EAR TH E L I ST P R I C E . THE STORES WERE ASK I N G FOR
FASTER AND FAST E R D EL IV E RY. TH EY SAI D T H EY WOU L D F I N I S H
T H E G U ITA R T H E M S E LV E S , J UST S E N D T H E G U ITAR B O D Y W I T H
TH E N E CK ON IT. NATU RALLY W E D I D N 'T. A L L TH I S MAD N ESS OVER
G U ITARS WAS U N B E L I EVAB L E . I S U R E M I S S E D T H E Q U I ET DAYS
OF THE LATE F I FT I ES WITH J UST TEN G U ITARS A DAY, LITTLE D I D I
K N OW THOS E DAYS WERE R ETU R N I N G .
G O I N G BACK TO TH E GOOD YEAR O F 1 957, N EXT TO THE RE
PAI R D E PARTM ENT WAS TH E MAC H I N E SHOP. TH E FO R E MAN WAS
S I D LAK E N . H E WAS O N E OF T H O S E G UYS WITH ALL T H O S E D E
G R EES HAN G I N G ON T H E WALL BEH I N D H I S DESK . H I S COLLECTION
K E PT G ROW I N G . I D I D N 'T K N OW IF H E WAS GOI NG TO SCHOOL OR
A P R I NTER.
HE WAS A V E RY G OO D MAC H I N I ST A N D D I D A G O O D J O B . I N
TH E S IXTI ES H E WAS M OV E D TO TH E FACTORY O F F I C E AN D PUT
IN C H A R G E OF TH E T I M E S T U D Y O P E RATI O N . P I EC E WO R K WAS
I NTRO D U C E D AN D S I D WAS I N C HAR G E OF T I M I N G ALL TH E D I FFER-
44 Dan Duffy
ENT O P E RATI O N S .AT F I RST IT WAS A D I SASTE R . SOME JOBS WERE

TIMED SO BA D LY THAT T H E WORKER WENT OVE R HIS QUOTER IN
HA LF A DAY, H IS PAY CH ECKS WERE HUGE. QUALITY TOOK A STE P
BAC K A LS O . AFT E R A L O T O F WOR K R ET I M I NG TH E D IFF E R E NT
J OBS T H I N G S WOR KE D OUT. T H E WORKERS W E R E B E I N G PA I D A
FA I R WAG E FOR TH E I R LA BOR AN D T H E FACTO RY A LSO B E N E F IT E D .
TH I S M ETHOD H E L P E D CONTROL COST AN D P R I C I N G .
T H E MAC H I N E S H O P MA D E MOST O F TH E M ETA L PA RTS FOR
TH E G U ITA R S A N D D R U M S . N EXT TO TH E MAC H I N E S H O P WAS TH E
PLAT I N G D E PA RT M E NT WH E R E T H E M ETA L PARTS RECE IVED TH E I R
TH I N COAT I N G O F G O L D O R C H R O M E P LAT I N G . N OT H I N G I NT E R
EST I N G EVER HA P P E N E D I N T H E S E TWO D E PA RTMENTS BECA U S E
TH EY WE R E N 'T D EA L I N G W I T H TH E WOOD E N PA RTS O F TH E G U I
TA R .
M Y A S S O C IATI O N W I T H TH E " 7" S TR I N G G U ITAR G E N I US
"GEORG E VA N E P PS" WAS A P R IVI LEG E . TO TALK TO H I M A BOUT G U I
TA RS, M U S I C A N D OTH ER S U BJECTS WAS A LWAYS A MA I N EVENT I N
M Y L I F E . H E A LWAYS GAVE M E T I P S O N P LAY I N G TH E "7" STR I NG
G U ITAR . WH E N W E SAT O N E O N O N E V E RY EAR LY I N TH E M OR N
I N G AT TH E NAM M S H OWS H E WOU L D S H OW M E D I FFERENT WAYS
OF P LAY I N G A RRANG EM E NTS OF SONGS I WORKED OUT. I WOULD
P LAY AN D HE WOULD STO P M E AT C E RTAI N PARTS AND SAY "THAT'S
G R EAT DA N N OW TRY IT L I KE TH I S . " WH E N HE S HOWED ME HOW
H E D I D IT I A LMOST FELL O F F T H E CHAI R . S O M E OF T H E T H I N G S
H E S HOWE D M E W ER E R EA L F I N G ER TWI STE R S . TH I S M A N WAS
SO H U M B L E AN D S I NC E R E IT WAS OVERWH E L M I N G . H E S E NT M E
A C H R I STMAS CAR D O N C E . I COU LD N 'T B E L I EVE IT. I WENT TO S E E
H I M P LAY I N N EW YO R K C ITY EV E RY TI M E HE MA D E A RA R E A P
PEA RA N C E TH ERE. O N E T I M E W H E N I WENT TO SEE H I M P LAY H E
CA M E R I G HT OVE R TO M E , S H OOK M Y HAN D AND SAI D "H I DAN , ITS
G R EAT TO SEE YO U ."
G EO R G E W E N T O N TO SAY T HAT H E WAS R EA L LY HA P P Y
THAT I WAS TH ERE TO S E E H I M , A N D H EAR H I M P LAY. I N O U R ' CON
S E RVATION H E SA I D "AT LEAST I KNOW O N E P E RSON I S H E R E TO
L I S T E N TO M E P LAY A N D N OT H E R E TO C O U N T TH E M IS TA KE S I
MA KE . " MAYBE H E KN EW THAT TH E MAJ O R ITY O F T H E A U D I E N C E
WAS G U ITA R P LAYERS A N D S O M E HA D S U C H LA R G E EGOS THAT
EV E RY S L I G HT BLU N D E R I N H IS TEC H N IQUE PA C I F I E D TH E M . WELL
T H EY D I D N 'T G ET TH E I R EGOS SATI S I FI E D THAT N IG HT. H IS P LAY
I N G WAS O UTSTA N D I N G A N D TEC H N IQUE FLAWLESS. TO P E R FO R M
I N F R O N T O F S U C H A N A U D I E N C E HA D T O BE S U P E R P R ESS U R E .
EVERY G U ITA R P LAYER WHO COULD POSS I B LY BE TH E R E WOU LD
S H OW U P EV E NTUALLY. G EO R G E WAS TH E O N LY G U ITA R P LAYER
WHO U S E D H EAVY GAU G E STR I N G S ON H IS G U ITA R AND N OT G ET
F I N G E R N O I S E . I ASKED H I M H OW H E D I D TH I S A N D H E SAI D YOU
L I FT YO U R F I N G ERS U P O F F O N E NOTE A N D DOWN ON TH E N EXT
N OTE WITH OUT S L I D I N G TO IT. N EVER S L I D E FROM N OTE TO N OTE
U N LESS YOU WANT THAT S L U R R I N G EFFECT. TH I S TAKES A LOT OF
P RACT I C E .
G E O R G E WOULD ALWAYS P LAY AT THE N A M M ( NAT I O NAL AS
SOC IATION O F MUSIC M E R C HANTS . ) CONVENTION. TH I S IS A TRA D E
S HOW W H E R E A L L THE MAN U FACTU R E RS RENT A S PACE I N A C O N
V E N T I O N HA L L AN D D I S P LAY A L L T H E I R M US I CAL I N ST R U M E N TS .
TH EY U S UALLY HAVE TH E ARTI STS WHO EN DORSE TH E I R I N STRU-
46 Dan Duffy
M ENTS P LAY. G EO RG E WOU LD P LAY H IS G RETSC H "7" STR I N G G U I

TAR TO ABS O L U T E P E R FE CT I O N . EV E RY T I M E H E P LAYE D I WA S
T H ER E L I S TE N I N G , WATCH I NG AN D WON D ER I N G H OW H E MA S
T E R E D TH I S F I N G E RSTYLE M ETHOD O F P LAY I N G "WALKI N G BAS S ,
C H O R D AN D M E LO DY AT T H E SAM E T I M E W I T H S U C H P R O FO U N D
E F F I C I E N CY. I HAV E H EA R D MANY G UYS P LAY TH I S STYLE . TH EY
WERE V E RY GOOD BUT TH EY N EV E R CAM E U P TO G EORG E . I R E
M E M B E R O N E G UY C O M I N G U P T O G EO R G E WITH AN A C O U S T I C
G U ITAR. H E WAS T E LL I N G G EO R G E T O L I STEN TO H I M P LAY "SAT I N
D O L L" J UST T H E WAY H E D O E S B Y TU N I N G T H E G U I TAR D I FF E R
ENT. H E P LAYE D T H E F I RST E I G HT BARS AN D IT SOU N D E D L I KE TH E
C H O R D C H AN G E S G EORG E U S E D . G EORG E TOL D H I M T HAT H E
SOU N D E D G R EAT BUT IT WAS EAS I E R TO DO IT WITH NORMAL T U N
I N G AN D H E P R OC E E D E D T O SHOW H I M . TH E G UY SAI D H E L I K E D
H I S WAY B ETTER A N D WA L K E D AWAY. G EORG E J U ST LOOK E D AT
M E AN D S M I LE D . H E TOLD M E THAT OTH E R THA N TU N I NG T H E S IX
STR I N G DOWN TO "D" H E D I D N 'T L I KE ALT E R E D TU N I NGS AS TH EY
G ET I NTO BA D HABITS .
MOST PLAYERS THAT I KNOW O F WHO P LAY TH I S STYLE U S U
ALLY CAN MAKE A N IC E ARRANG E M ENT O F TH E MAI N M E LO DY BUT
WH E N ITS T I M E TO TAKE A SOLO T H EY CA NT KEEP THE BASS L I N E
G O I N G BEH I N D TH E I M P ROV I S E D L I N E TH EY ARE P LAYING .
C H ET ATK I N S A N OT H E R P LAY E R S P LAY E R A LS O A D M IRE D
G EO R G E S P LAY I N G . I R E M E M B E R O N E T I M E AT A NA M M CONV E N
TION G EORG E WAS P LAY I N G . CH ET, J I M MY WEBSTER AN D I WERE
STA N D I N G IN THE BAC K O F T H E R O O M WATC H I N G . C H ETS EYES
WERE FIXED ON G EORG E .
H E WAS HAV I N G O N E OF H IS S U P E R P LAY I N G DAYS A N D EV

E RYO N E WAS IN AWE OF H I M . ALL OF A S U D D E N G EO R G E MAD E A
S P ECTAC U LAR MOVE I N TH E P I EC E H E WAS P E R FO R M I N G , CH ETS
MOUTH O P E N E D W I D E AND H I S C I GAR FELL TO THE FLOOR . HE WAS
S U PPOS E D TO PLAY N EXT. H E D I D N 'T. G EORG E IS A TO U G H ACT TO
FOLLOW. H E TOLD J I MMY "I 'll P LAY LATER." EVE RYO N E WAS D I SAP
PO I NTED THAT C H ET D I D N 'T PLAY. HE PLAYED LATER AN D WOWED
TH E M .
I R E M E M B E R TH E BROTH ERS "LOS I N D IOS TRABAJAR I ES" HAD
N O T RO U B L E FOLLOW I N G G EO R G E . TH EY HAD A H IT R E C O R D AT
TH E T I M E "MAR IA-ELENA." TH EY BOTH P LAYE D WH I T E FALC O N S .
O N O N E O F T H E WH ITE FALCO N S WE HAD TO I NSTALL A N EXTRA
FRET U N D E R TH E F I RST STR I N G N EAR TH E B R I D G E . I R EALLY CAN 'T
R E M E M B E R HOW WE D I D TH I S , BUT I TH I NK IT WAS ATTAC H E D TO
AN EXTEN S I O N ATTACH E D TO T H E P I CK G UAR D . I D O N 'T R E M E M
B E R I F I T WAS S I LVER OR GOLD, B U T I WAS TOLD IT WAS O N E O F
H I S TEETH . FORG IVE M E I F I WAS M I S I N FO R M E D BUT IT S O U N D E D
WE I R D BACK TH E N AND IT STI LL SOU N DS WE I R D .
W H E N W E M A D E " B O D I D LEYS" G U I TA R I T HO U G HT "WOW"
A N OTH E R W E I R DO . WH E N I SAT DOWN TO TEST IT, I T WAS VE RY
U N C O M FO RTABLE. I PUT A STRAP ON IT AND P LAYE D IT STAN D I N G
U P. IT P LAYED VERY WELL. I D I D N 'T R EALIZE AT TH E TI M E I M I G HT
BE TH E O N LY O N E TO EVER ACTUALLY P LAY TH E G U ITAR U N LESS
SOMEON E ELSE WOU LD P I CK IT U P.WH EN I SAW HIM P E R FORM H E
D I D N 'T P LAY I T I N A M E LO D I C S E N S E . H E J UST STRU M M E D TH ES E
DAM P E N E D R H YTH M S W H I LE H E S AN G . W E I R D O R EXTRA O R D I
NARY I STILL DON'T K N OW.
Dan Duffy
I R E M E M B E R A B LACK FALC O N , A G RE E N FALCON A N D YOU

S H O U LD HAVE SEEN T H E R E D FALCON , IT H U RT MY EYES. T H E YEL
LOW FALCON GOT THE AWARD FO R "GAU DY." SOME P LAYERS HAD
T H E I R N A M E S I N LA I D ON TH E F I N G E R BOARD WITH MOTH E R O F
P EARL LETTERS .
O N C E AN O R D E R CAM E I N FROM A STORE FOR AN ALL BLACK
SAL SALVA D O R G U I TA R M O D E L # 6 1 9 9 . H I S C U STO M E R WANT E D
TWE N TY F I V E COATS O F LACQU E R O N I T. TH E O F F I C E TOL D H I M
THAT FOU R O R FIVE COATS I S TH E MOST YOU CAN DO. ANY M O R E
AND T H E LACQ U E R WOULD C RACK. TH E STORE SAI D TO DO IT T H E
N O R MAL WAY. W H E N T H E G U ITAR WAS R EADY TH E OWN E R OF T H E
STO R E SAI D THAT H I S C U STO M E R WOU L D P I C K U P TH E G U I TA R .
WH E N H E CAM E T O TH E FACTO RY H E AS KE D FOR M E . WH E N H E
P IC KE D U P T H E G U I TA R A N D L O O KE D AT I T H E S TA RT E D Y E L L
I N G A N D S C R EAM I N G ''TH I S I S N 'T TWE N TY F I V E COATS O F PAI NT"
OVE R AN D OVE R AGAI N . T H I S G UY WAS TOTALLY OUT OF CONTOL.
I G U ESS T H E STO R E OWN E R D I D N 'T TELL HIM THAT WE COULD N 'T
H O N O R H IS R E Q U EST. A FT E R A LON G P E R IO D O F T H I S RANTI N G
AN D RAV I N G H E PUT TH E G U ITAR DOWN AND STO R M E D OUT M U M
BLI N G TO H I M S EL F. I S H O U L D HAVE TOLD H I M TO TAKE TH E G U ITAR
TO "EARL S C H I E B" TH E AUTO PAI NT E R , H E D I D CARS BACK TH E N
FOR$29 .99 HOW D I D H E KNOW TH E R E WAS N 'T 25 COATS O F LAC
Q U E R O N TH E G U ITA R . ? MAYBE IT WOU L D HAVE B E E N TWI C E ITS
S IZE. I W I S H WE D I D II.
ONE T I M E AT A NAM M CONVENTION I HAD TO GO TO A BR EAK
FAST W IT H J I M MY W E BSTE R . IT H A D S O M ETH I N G TO D O W I T H
COU NTRY M U S I C AWARDS I TH I N K. IT WAS AT TEN O'CLOCK I N TH E
M O R N I N G A N D R E P R E S E N TATIVES OF EAC H COM PANY W E R E I N

VITED TO ATTEN D .
"JO H N NY CASH " A N D H I S B A N D W E R E T H E R E . I A M N OT A
C O U NTRY M U S I C FAN . I D O N 'T D I S L I KE I T, I J U ST L I KE STRA I G HT
AH EAD JAZZ. NOW R E M E M B E R , IT WAS TEN O'CLOCK I N T H E M O R N
I N G AN D TH E WHOLE AU D I TO R I U M WAS PACK E D . S U D D E N LY TH E
WHOLE P LACE GOES DARK AN D A D E E P VO I C E SAYS . "H I , l ' M J O H N
N Y CAS H ." T H E S POTL I G HT O P E N S O N T H E " M A N I N B LA C K" O N
STAG E . THE WHOLE P LAC E EXPLODES WITH SCREAMS A N D T H U N
D E R I N G APPLAUSE ALL ARO U N D M E . THE BAN D STARTED P LAY I N G .
TH E G U ITAR STARTED P LAY I N G THAT S I G NATU R E STR I N G M UT E D
VAM P. JOH N NY STARTED T O S I N G A N D AGAI N TH E EXPLOS I O N O F
C H E E R S A N D A P P LA U S E A N D TH E N A S U D D E N S I LE N C E A S T H EY
F I X E D T H E M S E LV E S I N A S TATE O F R E VE R E N C E TOWA R D T H E
STAG E A N D TH E "MAN I N BLACK" .
I STOOD TH E R E LOOKI N G AROU N D AT ALL THE PEOPLE WITH
T H E I R M IX E D E MOTI O N S . S O M E HAD B LA N K EXP R E S S I O N S O N
TH E I R FAC E S WITH TH E I R M O U T H S O P E N , S O M E W E R E S M I L I N G
A N D TH E O N E S W H O W E R E C RY I N G I T H O U G H T "HOW R E D I C U
LOUS" .
I STOOD TH E R E LISTE N I N G TO SONG AFTER SONG AN D START
E D TO G ET CAUG HT U P I N T H E C HAR I S MA O F THE "MAN I N BLACK" I
L I STE N E D TO TH E WORDS H E SANG A N D T H E STO R I ES T H EY TOL D .
I G OT CAUG HT U P I N TH I S M O M E N T O F TOTAL REVE R E N C E WITH
E V E RYO N E E LS E . I WALKED O U T OF THAT B R EAKFAST V E RY R E
LAXED AN D KI N D OF H I G H O N L I F E . I S POKE TO H I M VERY B R I E FLY
LATER THAT DAY. HE WAS VE RY S I NC E R E THE WAY H E S POKE, J UST
50 Dan Duffy
L I KE THE SONGS HE WR ITES AND P E R FO R M S . IT SAD D E N E D ME A

G R EAT D EAL WH E N H E G OT S I C K AND EVE NTUALLY PAS S E D AWAY.
H E L E FT H I S M U S I C A L M A R K O N T H I S WO R L D W I T H H I S S O N G S
THAT YOU STI L L H EAR TODAY.
I M ET LU I S BON FA' W H E N I WORKED FOR T H E O N E "THOUSAN D
DOLLAR MAN . " H E D R ESS E D L I KE A FARM E R . H E WOR E THOS E O N E
P I EC E D U N G E R E E S W ITH T H E STRAPS O V E R T H E S H O U L D E R S . I
T H O U G HT H E LOO K E D V E RY COOL. H E WAS T H E O R I G I N ATOR O F
T H E "BOSSA NOVA" RHYT H M . H E WROTE T H E T U N E "A DAY I N TH E
L I F E OF A FOOL." TH I S TU N E I S I N EVERY JAZZ M U S I C IANS BOOK.
THEY ALSO U S E D T H S TU N E F O R TH E MOVI E "BLACK O R P H E U S . "
TH E O N E THOUSAN D D O L LAR M A N I NTRO D U C E D H I M T O M E SAY
I N G "TH I S I S DAN D U F FY H E WORKED FO R G R ETSCH G U ITARS FOR
MANY YEARS AN D HE CAN F I X YOU R G U ITAR." I I M M E D IATELY TOO K
A D E E P B R EATH AN D SAI D T O MYS ELF " O H GOD H ELP M E . " I SHOOK
H I S HAN D AN D TO L D H I M H OW M U C H I E NJ OY H IS P LAY I N G A N D
T H E M U S I C H E WRITES . H E SAI D H E N E EDS TO G ET ANOTH ER H IT
L I KE TH E T H E M E F O R T H E M OV I E "BLACK O R P H U ES" SO H E CAN
GO BACK TO J UST F I S H I N G . I TOLD HIM THAT I GO F I S H I N G EVE RY
CHAN C E THAT I G ET, WITH T H I S WE STARTE D TALKING ABOUT F I S H
I N G . WH I L E W E W E R E TALKI N G I C O U L D S E E THAT T H E ON E THOU
SAN D DOLLAR MAN WAS G ETTI N G N E RVOUS. THIS I D LE C H ATT E R
WAS COSTI N G H I M M O N EY. A N YWAY, L U I S TOL D M E T H AT T H E
FR ETS ON H I S G U ITA R W E R E TOO H I G H A N D WAS HARD TO P LAY.
IT WAS O N E O F THOS E B EAUT I F U L FLAM E D ROS EWOOD G U ITARS
FROM B RAZI L . TO BAD TH E S E G U ITARS HAD S U C H A M O I ST U R E
PROBLE M . WH E N H E SAI D THAT T H E FRETS WERE TOO H IG H I I M -
M E D IATELY THOUGHT O F SAL SALVADO R . CAR M I N E U S E D TO LEVEL

THE FR ETS ON H IS G U ITARS ALL TH E WAY DOWN AND TH EN ROU N D
TH EM O F F. WH EN YO U R DON E WITH T H E F I L ES YOU HAVE TO USE
VAR I O U S G RADES OF SAN D PAP E R AN D WOR K ON O N E F R ET AT A
T I M E B R I N G I N G IT TO A B R I LLIANT S H I N E AN D A SMOOTH E G LASS
L I KE F I N I S H . YOU HAVE TO TAKE YOU R T I M E D O I N G TH I S . YOU HAVE
TO BE V E RY CAR E F U L R O U N D I N G O F F T H E E N DS O F TH E F R ETS
B ECAUS E TH E R E I S N T M U C H M EAT L E FT ON TH E F R ET I TS E L F. I F
YOU TAKE OFF TO MUCH YOU W I L L HAVE A SHORT FR ET. T H I S FRET
W I L L POP U P AN D CAUS E A B UZZ. NO G LU E W I LL H O L D IT DOWN .
I T M I G HT H O L D F O R A W H I LE B U T E V E N T U A L LY I T W I L L P O P U P.
R E P LAC I N G O N E F R ET I S KI N D O F HAR D . YO U US UALLY HAVE TO
R E P LACE ALL TH E FR ETS . ALL MY G U ITARS WERE DON E TH I S WAY
BY CARM I N E .
I C O U L D S E E THAT TH E O N E T H O U SAN D DOLLAR M A N WAS
G ETTI NG VERY N E RVOUS AND ABOUT TO J U M P OUT OF H IS M O N EY
B E LT. TO EAS E H I S PAI N I TOLD H I M I WAS ALMOST DON E . AS I WAS
TEST I N G T H E G U I TAR LU IS CAM E OUT O F TH E O F F I C E A N D WALKED
OVER TO M E . I STOPPED PLAY I N G AN D HAN D E D THE G U ITAR TO H I M .
I TOO K H I M TO TH E S HOW ROOM W H E R E ALL T H E I NSTR U M E NTS
WE R E ON D IS P LAY. IT WAS VERY Q U I ET T H E R E . HE SAT DOWN AN D
P LAYED TH E G U ITAR. H E P LAYED FOR Q U ITE AWH I L E . H E KEPT NOD
D I N G H I S H EAD W ITH A P P ROVAL AS HE P LAY E D . HE EVENTUALLY
SAI D THE G U ITAR PLAYED TE R R I F I C . T H E O N E THOUSAN D DOLLAR
MAN S M I LE D , I S H OOK HAN DS WITH L U I S , HE COULD N 'T THANK M E
E N O U G H . I S A I D G O O D BYE A N D W E N T BACK T O WO RK. T H E O N E
THOUSAN D DOLLAR MAN WAS R E L I EV E D .
52 Dem Duffy
BACK IN T H E R E PA I R D E PARTMENT AT 60 B ROADWAY, BROOK

LYN , ARO U N D T H E GOOD YEAR O F 1 963, CARM I N E WAS TRY I N G TO
SOLVE TH E MYSTE RY O F TH E WEAK SOU N D I N G P ICKU P. T H E G U I
TAR CAM E BACK FOR A R E F I N IS H AN D N EW P I CKU PS. W E GOT A LOT
OF R E F I N I S H JOBS D U R I N G TH E G U ITAR BOOM. G UYS WERE P I C K
I N G U P TH E I R G U ITARS AGA I N AN D IT WAS C H EAPER TO TAKE TH I S
R O U T E . I TOL D CARM I N E THAT I KN EW W H AT WAS CAU S I N G T H E
P RO B L E M . TH E P E O P L E DOWN STA I R S W H O MAKE T H E P IC K U P S
W E R E PUTT I N G T H E MAG N ETS I N TU R N E D AROU N D . T H I S CAU S E D
T H E P I CKU PS T O BE O U T OF PHAS E . T H E POLAR ITY WAS OFF G IV
I N G THE G U ITAR A VERY D I FFERENT SOU N D W H E N BOTH P I CKUPS
WERE ON AT T H E SAM E TIME. YOU HAD TO RAI S E TH E VOLU M E TO
H EAR IT. LAT E R TH I S SOU N D WOU LD B E P E RFECTED E L ECTRO N I
CALLY AN D O FT E N U S E D . O U T O F P HAS E BECAM E AN ACC E PT E D
SOU N D I N LATER YEARS AN D H E R E I WAS F I X I N G I T. J UST L I KE T H E
AM PS W E WER E MAKI N G . W E W E R E TRYI N G TO MAKE A N AM P THAT
P LAYED AT A H I G H LEVEL WITHOUT D I STORT I N G .
T H I S WAS A N EV E R E N D I N G Q U EST. LOU D A N D CLEAN IS WHAT
WE WANT E D . T H I S P RO B L E M WAS E V E NTUALLY S O LV E D BY T H E
D ISTORTION P E DAL. CAN YOU B E L I EVE IT? ALL T H E YEARS TRY I N G
T O P E R FECT A C L EAN S O U N D I N G A M P A N D T H EY K I L L I T WITH A
P E DAL. TH E ACC E PTED SOU N D WAS N OW LOU D AN D D I STO RT E D .
T H E AM PS NOW H A D TO BE B I G ALSO. SOME W E R E LARG E E N OU G H
T O S TA N D I N . O N E H A D C U S H I O N E D V I N Y L COVE R I N G . I G U E S S
IT H A D T O B E C U S H I O N E D I N CAS E T H E F I V E G UYS W H O W E R E
CAR RYI N G IT TO TH E G I G F O R YOU D RO P P E D IT. T H I S AM P WAS
R EALLY A D U M B LOOKI N G T H I N G . IT B E L O N G S I N TH E SAM E CAT-
EGORY WITH THE PADD E D G U ITAR. TH EY WOULD LOOK GOOD S I D E

B Y S I D E . D U M B A N D D U M B E R . O N E S E R IO U S N OTE AT TH I S T I M E ,
I WON D E R W H E R E TH E PAD D E D G U ITARS A R E ? TH E R E WAS TWO.
O N E WAS G R E E N AND TH E OTH E R WAS TAN . DON 'T FORG ET TH EY
LOOK L I KE CAR S EATS OR A S K I JACKET.
A B O U T A M O N T H LAT E R TH I N G S WO U L D TAKE A D RAMAT I C
T U R N . I H EA R D T H I S G U ITA R B E I N G B A N G E D O N O U T S I D E T H E
FACTO RY O F F I C E . NOT B E I N G P LAY E D , J U ST B E I N G S TR U M M E D
O P E N STR I NG S AN D LO U D A S H ELL. I WALKED DOWN TO TH E OF
F I C E TO S E E WHO WAS G IVI N G E V E RYO N E A H EA D AC H E . F R E D
G R ETSC H WAS TH E R E TRYI N G T O TAL K T O TH I S G UY OVE R TH E
N O I S E T H I S L I TTLE R E D H EA D E D KI D W I T H F R E C KLES WAS MAK
I N G . T H E K I D LOOKED L I KE H E B E LO NG E D ON TH E COVE R OF "MAD
MAGAZ I N E . " YO U KNOW, TH E K I D W H O SAYS 'WHAT ME WOR RY?"
TH E K I D KN EW HE WAS ANNOYI N G ME BUT HE KE PT BAN G I N G AWAY
AT TH E G U I TA R . T H E O LD E R G UY WAS T E L L I N G F R E D THAT T H E
TR E N D N OW WAS SMALL A M P S THAT P LAYE D LO U D . " H E R E WE GO
AGAIN" I THOUG HT.
F R E D AS KED ME WHAT I THOUG HT, I SAI D I DON 'T KNOW BUT I
WOU L D G ET J I MMY WEBSTER . I WAS N 'T G O I N G TO LET J I MMY G ET
AWAY WITHOUT CATC H I N G TH I S KIDS ACT.
J I M MY CAM E I NTO TH E FACTO RY WITH THAT STI N K I N G P I P E
C L E N C H E D B ETW E E N H IS TE ETH A N D LOOKED AT TH E "WHAT M E
WO R RY K I D " WAC K I N G AWAY AT H I S C R A P PY G U I TA R S HOWI N G
H OW LO U D T H E AM P WAS . J I M MY WAL K E D R I G HT O V E R TO T H E
KI D , P U T H IS HAN D ON THE G U ITAR A N D SAI D "OKAY, O KAY WE ALL
KNOW YOU CANT PLAY" THEN HE LOOKED AT ME, I WAS LAUG H I NG
54 Dan Duffy
L I KE C RAZY. I STARTED TO WALK AWAY AN D THE KID STARTED TO

BAN G ON TH E G U ITAR, J I M MY T U R N E D A RO U N D AN D LOO KED AT
H I M AND H E STO P P E D . I WALKED AWAY STILL LAU G H I N G AN D THAT
WAS T H E BEG I N N I N G OF T H E N EXT B I G CHAN G E I N AMPS .
Y E ST E R D AY 5/28/05 I D E C I D E D TO TAK E A R I D E TO T H E
G R ETSC H FACTO RY I N B ROOKLY N . I H AV E N 'T B E E N T H E R E I N 35
YEA R S . I WAN T E D TO TAKE S O M E P I CT U R ES OF T H E B U I L D I N G . I
WAS TO L D T H AT I T WAS MAD E I NTO V E RY EXPE N S IV E C O N D O S .
MY W I F E PAT CAM E W I T H M E T O TAK E T H E P I CT U R E S . I D I D T H E
POS I N G A N D M Y TWO SONS B R IAN AN D J O E D I D TH E D I R ECTI N G .
M Y SONS STILL LIVE I N MAS P ETH WH E R E I G REW U P. ITS O N TH E
Q U E E N S , BROOKLYN BOR D E R L I N E AN D I S ABOUT 1 0 M I LES FROM
T H E G R ETSC H B U I LD I N G . MY SON B R IAN D ROVE SO I COU LD C H ECK
OUT T H E BROOKLYN AREA THAT I HAD N 'T SEEN FOR A LONG T I M E. I
COU L D N 'T B E L I EVE HOW M U C H TH E A R EA CHAN G E D . T H E STR EETS
W E R E ACTUALLY C L EAN. T H E R E IS A S MALL RESTAU RANT AC ROSS
TH E STRE ET FROM THE B U I L D I N G WITH AN OUTS I DE D I N I N G AR EA.
T H E O N LY O UTS I D E D I N I N G I EVE R S AW WAS A G UY P U S H I N G A
FRAN KFU RTE R CART. I SAW A POLICEMAN WALKI N G A BEAT. I N EV E R
SAW THAT DOWN T H E R E , TH EY W E R E US UALLY TWO T O A CAR .
TH E G RETSC H B U I L D I N G WAS R ESTO R E D I N S I D E A N D O U T.
I T L O O KS R EA L LY G O O D . T H E C O N D O S A R E V E RY EXP E N S I V E . I
R EA D I N T H E PAP E R THAT O N E S O L D F O R $350, 000. IT WAS 700
S Q U A R E F E ET. I D O N 'T KNOW WHO OWN S T H E B U I LD I N G N OW. I
AS KED T H E S EC U R ITY G UARD I F I COULD GO I N S I D E AN D H E SAI D
H E WAS O N A B REAK. THAT'S T H E N I C E WAY O F SAY I N G N O . T H E
G LASS E NTRANC E I N FRONT AN D BACK ARE LOCKED. T H E SECU R I -
TY G UARDS LET YO U I N WITH P R O P E R I . D . l ' M S U R E T H E TENANTS

AR E HAU N T E D BY T H E FAI NT SOU N D OF T H E G R ETS C H G U ITARS
P LAY I N G THE "FRED G R ETSC H B L U E S . " IT WAS A GOOD DAY FOR
ME. A DAY O F M IX E D EMOT I O N S , BUT A GOOD DAY.
T H E P I CTU R E OF M E STAN D I N G I N FRONT OF T H E B U I L D I N G
W I T H TH E G RAFFITI A L L OVE R IT I S WHATS L E FT O F " R E D 'S" BAR .
R E D QU IT G R ETSCH WH EN T H E P IANO G UYS TOOK OVER THE COM
PANY. HE J UST SAI D " l 'M OUTTA H E R E . " RED WORKED T H E R E S I N C E
H I G H S C H O O L . H E BOUG HT T H E B A R BUT IT O N LY LASTE D A FEW
YEARS . FR E D , RED AN D MYS E L F H U N G OUT H E R E EVERY CHAN C E
WE H A D . E V E RY T I M E I TAL K E D T O T H E M WE WO U L D R EM I N I S C E
ABOUT T H O S E G R EAT T I M E S .
T H E G R E E N O K CAR D FOLLOWE D M E WH E R E EVER I WENT.
I N 1 980, TEN YEARS AFTER MY TOU R O F D UTY WITH T H E G R ETSCH
COM PANY, I G OT S ICK. I WAS IN TH E H OS P ITAL FOR A FEW WEEKS.
W H I L E I WAS TH E R E I M ET T H I S H OS P ITA L ATT E N D A N T W H O
WOR K E D T H E N I G HT S H I FT. A FT E R A W E E K I S TA RT E D T O F E E L
BETT E R S O I S P ENT MOST O F M Y N I G HTS I N T H E VIS ITORS ROOM. I
WAS N EVER A GOOD S L E E P E R . THE ATTEN DANT BROUG HT M E COF
FEE EVERY N I G HT AND WE WOULD S IT AN D TALK. HE TOLD ME H E
P LAYED TH E G U ITAR A N D THAT H E H A D A G R ETSC H C H ET ATKI N S
MOD E L G U ITAR. W H E N I TOLD H I M THAT I P LAYE D T H E G U ITAR AN D
S I G N E D TH E G R E E N OK CARD THAT H U N G ON TH E G U ITAR WH E N
H E B O U G H T I T H E F L I P P E D O U T. T H E N EXT N I G HT H E B R O U G HT
I N H I S G U ITA R . T H E P I EC E WAS F I FT E E N YEARS OLD AN D WAS I N
G R EAT S HAP E . WH E N H E O P E N E D TH E CAS E H E HAD TH E BODY I N
S I D E A TEES H I RT A N D T H E N ECK WAS WRA P P E D I N TH E POLI S H I N G
56 Dan Duffy
CLOTH THAT CAM E WITH TH E G U ITAR. THESE WERE ALL T H E S I G N S

THAT I KN EW H E CAR E D F O R H I S I NSTRU M E NT. I P ICKED U P T H E
G U ITAR A N D P LAYED IT. T H E G U ITAR N EE D E D A N EC K ADJ U STMENT
SO I TOLD H I M TO BRING THE R I G HT H EX W R E N C H SO I COULD AD
JUST IT. I F I X E D T H E N ECK T H E N EXT N I G HT AND WE BOTH S P E NT
TI M E P LAY I N G THE G U ITAR AN D TALKI N G . H E TOLD M E ABOUT A LOT
OF S T RA N G E D I S EAS ES H E S E E N WO R KI N G AT T H E H O S P I TA L . I
TOLD H I M P LAY I N G THE G U ITAR WAS L I KE A D I S EAS E . H E LAU G H E D
AN D AG R E E D WITH M E . WH EN I WAS G O I N G H O M E H E S M I LE D AN D
SAI D" l 'M G LAD YO U GOT S I C K, COM E BACK SOON". I LEFT T H E HOS
P ITAL F E E L I N G P R ETTY GOOD, I E NJOYED MY STAY.
A FEW WEEKS AGO I GOT TH E I D EA FOR T H E COVER OF T H I S
BOOK SO I TOO K A R I D E T O T H E S A M AS H M U S I C STO R E I N CARL
P LAC E , L ON G I S LA N D I STI LL GO TO SAM AS H F O R MY S T U F F. I
STARTED G O I N G TO T H E B R O OKLY N STO R E WH E N I WAS V E RY
YO U N G . MY S O N B R IAN CAM E WITH M E . I WENT TO TH E G U I TA R
D E PARTM ENT W H E R E T H EY HAD SOME G RETSCH G U ITARS HANG
I N G U P, T H EY HAD THE N EW VERS I O N O F T H E G R E E N OK O N T H E M .
I AS K E D T H E P E RS O N I N C H A R G E I F I C O U L D H O L D T H E G RE E N
CARD WH I L E M Y SON TOOK A P I CTU R E OF M E HOLD I N G IT. H E SAI D
YES R I G HT AWAY.WH E N H E WAS G ETT I N G T H E G U ITAR D OWN H E
ASK E D M E WHY I WANTED J U ST T H E CARD , S O I TOLD H I M W H O
I WAS AN D W H AT I WAS D O I N G . A NOTH E R P E RS O N CAM E O VE R
A N D T H EY BOTH STA RT E D AS K I N G M E Q U E ST I O N S ABOU T T H E
G R ETSC H G U ITA R S F R O M T H E 6 0 ' S . T H E Y TOL D M E T H EY BOTH
HAD TH E C H ET ATKI N S M O D E LS F R O M T H E 60' A N D HOW G O O D
TH EY WER E . T H EY SAI D TH EY WE R E TH E B EST SOU N D I N G G U ITARS
EVE R . TH EY CONV I N C E D M E TO TAKE A P I CTU R E HOLD I N G THE G U I

TAR A N D T H E G R E E N OK CAR D . T H EY WERE VERY CORD IAL TO M E
AN D MY SON .
l 'M 73 YEARS OLD NOW AN D H EAR I N G TH E M SAY THOSE GOOD
TH I N G S ABOUT TH E G R ETSC H G U ITARS P R O D U C E D IN MY YEARS
AT THE FACTORY MADE ME FEEL GOOD . I TR I E D VERY HARD DUR
I N G T H O S E YEARS AND N O W THAT I KNOW I D I D N 'T FAI L EVE RY
TH I N G IS F I N E WITH M E .
WH E N MY T I M E COMES TO LEAVE T H I S EARTH I H O P E SOME
ONE HAN G S TH E G R EE N CAR D ON ME. THE BIG G UY AT TH E GATE
OF G U ITAR H EAVEN W I LL S E E IT A N D SAY "LET H I M I N H E'S OK"
58 Dan Duffy
A OF
tN 1 954. WAS I HAPPY ? YOU 1:1>11::·rie:
r : lt!I
YEARS l HAD TH�S
THIS JACKET.
Inside the Gretsch Guitar Factory 1957�1970 59
T H I S JS A PICTURE OF ME AND MY MODEL # 6 1 92

G R ETSCH COUNTRY CLU B GUITAR . l WAS
THl RTY T H REE YEA R S OLD . IN MY OPIN ION THIS
WAS THE BEST ALL AROUND PIECE MADE BY
US.NOTICE THE N A M E " DANNY SHAW. " WHEN I
WAS OFFERED TO PLAY THE HOTEL ROOMS fN
NEW YORK CffY THEY A'SKED ME TO CHANGE
M Y NAME BECAUSE MINE DIDN 'T SOUN D
· " SHOW BJZZ. " WHEN I WENT BACK TO THE
CLU BS , I TOOK THE NAME WITH M E . I G OT
U SED TO IT.
60 Dan Duffy
THIS IS A MODEL OF THEGRETSCH BU ILDING.

I T LOOKS LIKE THEY HAVE V ARiOUS T REES
AND PLANTS SCATTERED AROUND. I ooN·T
KNOW WHAT ELSE IS UP THERE BUT WHAT
EVER iT IS I WISH IT WAS THERE IN 1 957!l970.
THE SMALL BUILDING ON THE LEFT GROUND
FLOOR WAS THE BANK FRED GRETSCH
WORKED AT ALL DAY EVERY THURSDAY. I
WAS TOLD THAT HE WAS ON THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS THERE. HE WAS A VERY HARD
WORKING MAN. CARRIED TWO LARGE
BRIEFCASES TO AND FROM WORK EVERY
DAY .
THIS IS A P tCTURE OF THEOLD

B UILDING BEFORE THE NEW
RENOVATION. DON 'T B E FOOLED B Y
· m e: PHOTO, IT WAS VERY WELL
MAINTATNED.
62 Dan Duffy
F RONT OF BUILDING ON5/28/05

TH1S IS A HUG E DIFFERENClt FROM
THE FACTORY l KNEW. lF IT WAS IN A
DIFFER.ENT LOCATION AND NO NAME
ON lT , l'D PASS IT BY .
Inside the Gretsch Guitar Factory 1957-1970 G3
THIS IS THE BACK OF THE BUILDING ON 5/28/05.

ALL TH E CONSTRUCTION lS NEW. THE
BALCONIES ARE MUCH BIGGER NOW . THE
THlRD BALCONY FROM THE TOP IS SUPPOSEDLY
THE LAUNCHING SlTE OF THE CLARIN ET ON TH E
ROPE.
64 Dan Duffy
HER,EI AM BACK AFTER 35 YEARS

STANDING JN FRONT OF ''REDS"
BAR.ITS TWO BLOCKS FROM THE
GR.ETCH BUILDING. ALONG SIDE THE
BUILDlNG IS THE WILLIAMSBURG
BRIDGE. THIS PLACE HOLDS MANY
MEMORIES OF GOOD FRIENDS. AND A
LOT OF GOOD TIMES. rr LOOKS LIKE
THEY'RE OQJNG TO TEAR IT OOM.t
" RED" PASS.ED A\VAY TWO YEARS
AGO BUT WE'EL MEET UP AGAIN. AS
HE ALWAYS SAID THAT'S A FACT' '
"
THE MON:KEES GUITAR MODEL

WAS A GOOD SELLER. NO ONE
WANTED THE MONKEE NAME
ON THE GUITAR PICKGUARD OR
THE ROD SHIELD COVER.I WISH f
HAD ONE .
'
66 Dan Duffy
ALL THB CHET ATKlNS GRETSCH GUITARS

WERE BEST SELLERS FOR THE COMPANY
ra1w WERE WELL DESIGNED.THEY
PLAYED GREAT, LOOKED GREAT, AND
SOUNDED GREAT. I WlSH I HAD
ONE
'
,
Inside the Gretsch Guitar Factory 1957q1970 67
TH IS I S THE SAL SALVADOR MODEL

6 l 99 JAZZ GU ITA R . I STUFFED IT
WITH FfBER G LASS TO REDUC E
FEED BACK . I GET THE ITCH JUST
TH I N K ING ABOUT IT.
I
I
-
(
\ \
68 Dan Duffy
THIS THE
MODEL # 6 135 WAS ON E OF
BEST GRETSCH GUITA RS. THE
DESIGNED
NECK ADJUSTME"-JT ROD WAS INSTA LL ED
THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE NEC K . ALL
OTHER MODELS ADJUSTED ONLY F ROM
N UT TO THE TWELVE OR FOURTEENTH
FRET . IF THE PLAY ER HAD A PROBLEM IT
COULD B E ADJUSTED EASILY . THE OTHER
r"10DELS USUALLY REQU IRED FRET
REPLACEMENT FROM THE 1 2 TH FRF:r TO T H E
EN D OF THE FINGERBOARD.
THE PLAYER ALSO HAD AN EASY
REAC H TO AU . THE FRETS. THIS GU ITAR
PLAYED GREAT. l WISH I HAD ON E.
THE "GRETSCH- EN- STINE "
MONSTER BASS WAS BIG AND CLUMSY. ONCE

Y O U LEARNED TO HOLD IT YOU HAD THE
FATTEST SOUND ON STAGE, IN THE STUDIO AND
AT THE ADAMS FAMILY REUNI ON . I WISH l HAD
ONE
70 Dan Duffy
TH I S MODEL # 6022 FLAT TOP GUITAR HAD

PROBLEMS BACK IN ! 957. TH E TOP WOULD
SfNK lN BETWEEN THE BRIDGE AND THE
SOUND HOLE. A SLIGHT CRO\VN TO THE TOP
CURED IT. THEY SHOULD CALL IT A CROWN
TOP NOT A FLAT TOP.I DON 'T WANT ON E .
THIS IS TRULY A GREAT

CLASSIC GUITAR . I HA VE ONE OF THESE G REAT
INSTRUMENTS. ITS MODEL NUMBER 600 I . AT
THIS VERY MOMENT ITS IN THE LIVING ROO M
NEXT TO MY CHAIR.
I PLA y IT EVERY DAY, EVEN IF rrs J UST FOR
F I VE M INUTES. ITS BEEN NEXT TO MY CHA I R
SINCE THE DAY I GOT IT 4 5 YEARS AGO. THAT
M UST BE SOME KIND OF RECORD.
72 Dan Duffy
THIS FOLK GUTT AR #6003 FOUND ITS

WAY JNTO THE COFFEE HOUSES IN THE
60'$. IT WAS ALSO A GREAT
BEGINNERS GUITAR, DESIGNED FOR
THE SMALL HAND AND EASY FIRST
POSITION PLAYING. USUALLY THE
STIJDENT STARTED OUT ON THE.
HARMONY "STELLA" GUITAR
( GRETSCH ALSO SOLD THESE) THEN
TO THE MODEL # 6003.
Jf YOU H A V E ONE OF THESE JAZ.:Z

GRETSCH ACOUSTIC G U ITARS PUT ONE OF
TODAYS " E M G " PICKUPS ON IT THEY
HAVE ONE THAT YOU CAN HAVE
ATTACHED TO THE PICKGUARD. DON 'T
CUT AN Y HOLES IN THIS BEAUTIFUL PIECE
OF AMER1CAN KNOW HOW, MADE fN GOOD
OLD BROOK.LYN,RY. I WISH f HAD
ONE.
74 Don Duffy
"G reat Chord Changes"

Taught to me by Hy White 1 954/1 955
Three g roups of chords -root on 6th strin g . Roots on 1 -3-5-of a Major

chord . G , B, D=G Major Memorize the sequence M ajor (M) , Major 7th (M7) ,
7TH , 6th . The root note descends the scale Chromatically.
G , F#, F, E , o r o n e fret chang i n g t h e n a m e of t h e chord, M , M7 ,
7th , 6t h . All chords m ove u p and down the fingerboard . The name o f the
chord changes according to the root note .
R o ot
p o s it i o n
R o ot <G6
1 - G --.. <G 7
3 rd <G M 7
F ret
<G M
G l st
I I n v e rs i o n
<G6
3 rd i n
<G 7
b as s
St h I '"-+-'-+-i--t�--1 <G M 7
fret B <GM
2nd
Inversion
5t h i n
b as s
D- 1 0 <G6
fret - <G 7
<G M 7
G <G M
R O OT
G · 3 rd II
F R ET ( 1•
I) 0 u II H 0 ii II
Ii II U 0 II
Ill
GM GM? G7 G6
Play t h i s exercise i n all keys- Root on 6th string
II: G I I I I G M? I I I I G7 I I I I G6 I I I :II
II: F I I I I FM? I I I I F? / / / I F6 I I I :II
I I : CM? I C6 I CM? IC6 :II
I I : BbM7 I Bb6 I AbM7 1 Ab6 :II
I M PORTANT - Play these exercises . Memorize them . Make up you r

own . Play the 4 G chords, then move u p one fret to Ab. P lay the 4 Ab
chords. Move up one fret to A. Continue l i ke this through the 1 2 keys .
76 Dan Duffy
Contin ued practice with root on 6 stri ng - M- M7- 7- 6 This practice

session has you jum ping all over the Fingerboard - it will help you finger
each chord without hesitation - learn the notes on the 6th string - they are
the roots for these chord changes.
I CM? I C7 I FM? I F7 I 8bM7 I 8b7 I EbM7 I Eb?
I AbM7 I Ab? I DbM7 I Db? I GbM7 I G b7 I DbM7 I Db?
EM? E7 AM? A7 I DM7 I D7 I G M? I G7
C6 C7 F6 F7 8b6 8b7 Eb6 Eb?
Ab6 Ab? Db6 Db? Gb6 G b7 86 87
E6 E7 A6 A7 D6 D7 G6 G7
Contin ued practice with root on 6th string
c CM? C6 C7
F FM? F6 F?
Bb BbM? Bb6 Bb?
Eb EbM? Eb6 Eb?
Ab AbM? Ab6 Ab?
Db DbM? Db6 Db?
Gb GbM? G b6 G b?
B BM? 86 87
E EM? E6 E?
A AM? A? A?
D DM? D6 D?
Play 4 beats t o each Chord . Memorize .

78 Dan Duffy
G
'
3 rd i n II II u
bass
B
(1 j) II 11 ID ••
GM GM? G7 G6
1 st I nversion G Major 3rd ( b ) i n bass on 6th stri n g .

Or you c a n use t h e root note (G) on t h e 4th strin g .
It's best t o u nderstand t h e 1 - 3 - 5 - Roots. You s h o u l d know both .
Play the following stud ies of the 1 st i nversion i n all keys. Write them
down . - This is very i m po rtant.
ll: G I GM7 IG7 IG6 :II
l l : G M7 I G6 I GM? I G6 :II
I I : FM? I F6 I FM? I F7 :II
I I : F6 I F7 I BbM I Bb7 :II

FM .A FM l F FM ? FM ? l
II
\ (I D II
..
II ••
(11 ..
This exercise is on the ROOT position chord and the 1 st i nversion

of the chord , marked with a #1 . The exercise written below is on the two
M ajor?. Using the same format do the two Maj? and 6th .
I BbM7 I BbM7 1 I FM7 I FM7 1
ICM? ICM? 1 I G M7 IGM7 1
I F#M7 I F#M7 1 I BM? IBM7 1
IAM7 IAM7 1 IAbM7 IAbM7 1 I

80 Dan Duffy
Conti n ued p ractice o n root position and 1 st position chords.

Make a copy of page 74. Keep it next to this page for Reference as
you practice these exercises if you need it.
Play 4 beats each.
IF IF1 I F? I F7 1
I Bb 1 Bb 1 1 Bb7 1 Bb71
1 Eb 1 1 E b7 I Ab 1Ab1
1Ab7 1 1Ab7 1 0b6 1 0b7
IG bM7 1 G b7 1 86 1 87
IE 1 I E7 1 IA1 IA
IA7 1 IA? 1 07 1 071
IG6 IG7 1 IG7 ICM

2 f\J D i n v e rs i o n
3 rd i n b as s o r
root o n 5
·wh e n p l ay e d o ut c,f
t h e p rogre s s i o n ad d
t h e note o n 2 n d st r i n q
-
�-
/ - -
H II s•
(1 1) :: 1 •Ji' ( ifiu ..
II
Iii
-·- '7
CM CM7 I.._. l C E.
Finger placement for 2nd i nversion - o r root on 5th string Optional

to play. Remember to learn 1 - 3 - 5 - of scale = a Major chord . Learn in
all 1 2 keys. The 2nd i nversion chords will be marked with a 2 after it. On
standard sheet music the i nversion is not marked the choice is you rs .
F o r example if t h e m usic calls for a G chord for 2 or more bars , play
the othe r i nversions to add variety to the sou n d .
P LAY I N A L L KEYS - Al l 2 n d I nve rsion

IC ICM? IC? IC6
I Eb I EbM? I Eb? 1 Eb6
ICM? IC6 ICM? IC6
I EbM? 1 Eb6 I EbM? 1 Eb6

82 Dan Duffy
Contin ued practice o n Root - 1 st and 2nd inversions Memorize each

line - do in all keys
IC ICM7 IC7 IC6 II
IC1 ICM71 IC7 1 IC6 1 II
IC2 ICM7 2 IC7 2 IC6 2 II
IC7 I FM 2 I F7 2 I Bb II
1 Bb7 1 Eb 1 1 Eb7 2 !Ab II
IA7 1 06 2 1 07 2 IG II
IG7 1 G b7 I F? I E7 2 II
ICM7 IC7 I FM7 2 I F6 2 II
1 1 Bb7 1 Eb72 1Ab7 1 0b7 2
1 G b7 1 87 I E7 2 IA7
1 07 2 IG7 I C7 2 I F? II
The fol lowi ng chart shows the th ree i nversions of the

Major, Major?th , 7th , and 6th . Must be learned i n the
h - F
1 2 keys.
e .
F Fl F2
m
n
F
/ ••
II (-,/
A"'
84 Dan Duffy
MAJ O R TO AUG U M E NTED - Root positio n (root on 6 string) 1 st and

2nd I nversions. The + sign after the chord name Means (Aug) augmented
(raise the 5th note of the chord)
c C+ C6 Cl
c �� ····
R o ot p o s .
R o ot o n 3 c C+ C6
G�- c R o ot o n 5 C+ C6
C+
C61111 1
Root position exercise - This is used the most
IC IC+ IC6 IC7 II
Transfer t o all Keys

M i nor Prog ressions - Root position - 1 st and 2nd I nversion - M inor

to augmented - minor always has a smal l m as the symbol or min after the
chord .
Example : Cm or C m i n - Sometimes C -
Cm6
R o ot Pos i t i on
Cml
C on 6th st r i n g
CmM 7
Cm _..,.+-+--+--t--t
l s t I n v e rs i o n
Eb
root b 3 o n 6th
str i n g Eb
2 n d I n vers i on
Cm6 root o n 5 t h .
G Cml G o n 6th
Cm M l str i n g
Cm
m i n o r t o au g ( +)
Cm
R o ot on C o f
Cm+
6 t h stri n g
Cm6
c Cml
86 Dan Duffy
M i nor chords - Root on 6th string - 1 in bass
M i n o r c h o rd s - R a i s e t h e 5 t h a h a l f t o n e o r
o n e fret t o c h an g e t h e name of t h e c h o rd
R o ot
A -Am
1-+--t--+---+--t
5th l--f-+-1--1--1
- Am +
fret Am 6
-...JL.JL.=.-...L-...L_,
- Am 7
F i n g e r i ng fo r t h e c h o rd s
Am Am + Am 7 Am6
II
II
�·) II ( 1 I) u
...."'....
... . /
w h e n p l ay e d o ut
o f pro g re s s i o n y o u
c an ad d t h e s e n ot e s
P LAY I N ALL KEYS
!Am I Am+ 1Am6 1Am7
1Am7 1Am6 !Am+ I Am
l l :Am7 1Am6 (09) : I I

M i no r - root o n 6th string - Remember - 1 -b3-5 of scale = m i no r

chord
Cm6
Cm 7
C m M 7 -=--+--1---l---l
C m / ��
R o ot
Cm Cm M 7 Cm 7 Cm6
II
II
() ••
�
I ------
Th e s e c h o rd s h a v e n o root . Wh e n
R o ot
p l ay e d outs i d e t h e p ro g re s s i o n
y o u m u st v i s u a l i z e t h e root.
P LAY I N ALL KEYS
I Cm ICmM7 1Cm7 1Cm6
I Arn IAmM7 1Am7 1Am6

88 Dan Duffy
M i n o r c o nt i n u e d
l s t i n v e rs i o n - C m - b 3 i n b as s o n 6 t h st r i n g
R o ot o n Eb
Cm6
Cm 7
Cm M 7
Cm
Cm M 7 Cm ? Cm6
II II II
If II)
nu u
P l ay i n a l l k e y s
!Cm I Cm M 7 1Cm 7 1 Cm6
Th i s is seen a l ot F rn 6
m6 (al so cal l e d ) Dm 7 b 5 Cl
m 7b 5 or hal f d i m ·�o......
Pl ay i n al I keys 11 II
� •••
II
Inside the Gretsch Guitar Factory 1957�1970 89
M i nor c o nt i n u e d - R. o ot 5 o f seal e - G - o n
6t h stt" i n g O p t Root o n 5th str i n g - C -
m
C rn 6
Crn 7
Crn M 7
. ...
.. .
Cm ()T1 M 7 C rn 7 C rn 6
��
; (
:J t
b - li -- · - ·
/
opt //
root
C P LAY I N A L L K EY'S - You h e ard t h i s
progre s s i on a l ot -
I Crn ! Crn M 7 1 C rn 7 1 C rn 6
Cm ? F7
Yo u s e e t h i s a l ot
a
..
rn 7 to 7th
'11' �
.
....._
H P LAY I f\J A L L K EYS
O pt i
ro ot I i
/
C- on I
5th / Root
str i n ';J
90 Dan Duffy
tv1 i n o r 7t h to D o m i n ant 7t h - y o u s e e
t h i s a l l t h e t i m e . Yo u s h o u l d k n o w at
l e ast T H R E E w ay s t o p l ay t h i s p o p u l ar
c h o rd s e q u e n c e . Th i s i s c a l l e d a 2 - 5
o f a g i v e n k e y . Th e 2 n d s c a l e c h o rd
o f a k e y i s a m i n o r an d t h e 5 t h i s t h e
d o m . 7t h
B e l o w i s t h e fi n g e r i n g fo r t h re e 2 - 5
s e q u e n c e . PLAY I N A L L K EYS -A N D
M e m o r i z e . Wr i t e t h e m d o w n .
Gm7 Cl
u
ii
G - • {1 I i Iu 0 lfl .
[..,-
l ••
Gm7 Cl
Gm7 Cl
5 .. I ll
D - (ii1 II
\., v
D o m i n ant 9 - b 9 - #9 - l 3
C9 Cl 3 C#9 C 7b9
II !I ll ll
P LAY Th e fo l l o w i n g . Th e n m ak e u p y o u r o w n .
M i x t h e m u p . Wr i t e t h e m d o w n . A l l K EYS .
l l C9 ICl 3 I C#9 I Cb9 II
llCl 3 1 Cb9 ICl 3 1 Cb9 II
1 1 D 7#9 I D 7b9 I D 7#9 I D 7b9 II
Ad d i n M aj o r an d m i n o r c h o rd s root o n 6
GM? Am ? Bm7 E7b9
Bm 7 1 Bbm 7 1 Am 7 I D 7b9
P LAY IN A L L K EYS :
92 Dem Duffy
Pract i c e o n 7 t h - '3th - l 3
R o ot o n 5 o n 6
A. l 3 A9 01 3 07
IG l 3 IG9 ICl 3 ICl 3
I Fl 3 I F? I Bbl 3 1 Bb 7
I Eb l 3 I Eb ? I Ab l 3 1 Ab 7
I Ob l 3 I Ob ? I F# l 3 I F# ?
I Bl 3 IB7 I El 3 I E?
IAl 3 IA? 1 01 3 07 II
09sus4 09 09b9
II
..
(II ) II
01 3 0 1 3 b9
G M9 G6
..
11 11
I :G u
U s e i n g t h e c h o rd s ab o v e p l ay
t h e s e p ro g re s s i o n s i n a l l k e y s
I 09sus4 1 09 IG M9 IG6 :II
1 09 I 09b9 IG M9 IG6 :II
1 01 3 1 0 1 3 b9 1 G m9 IG6 :II
I 09sus4 101 3 1 G m9 IG6 :II

94 Dan Duffy
D I M I N I S H E D 4 r\J OT E C H O R D S -
H AS 4 N A M ES - EAC H N OT E I N T H E
C H O R .D C O U L O B E TH E f\J A M E.
U s e i n g t h e c h o rd s b e l o w p l ay t h i s
p ro g re s s i o n i n a l l k e v s .
D i m i n i s h e d an d b 9 are
i nt e rc h an g e ab I e
SA M E C H O R D 4 N A M ES
U) I
H II
G6 G#d i m Am ? 07
II
(••' I II II
II (1 ') I
( II ) 11 11 1
Bm ? Bd i m Am ? D 7b 9
tv1 i n o r9 , 7#9 , t o 6 / �l are q o o d s u b st i t ut e

c h o rd s fo r U1 e 2 - 5 - 1 of J( e v v o u are i n .
Th e v are a l s o u s e d fo r t u m aro u n d s .
C rn 9 C b 7#'9 F E, / �i
• •• D O I r··J .A L L f< EYS
F' l av 1 C rn 9 I C b 7#9 I F F.:.J 1/ q

-·
I A.rn �l I A.b 7#'9
1 B br-n 7 l .A 7#'9 I A.bE. / 9
R o ot o n 5 -o pt t o p I av
D rn 9 D b 7#9 C.: 6 / '9
P l av i n a l I k e v s - rn e rn o r i z e -
I D rn 9 I D b 7#9 I C 6 /' 9
96 Dan Duffy
M 7 b 5 R o ot Pos i t i o n
a :s
G m7b5 C7
P RACT I C E T H E
F O LLOWI N G
G o n e m e a s u re at a t i m e .
-
.
R e p e at p l ay i n g i t o v e r and
.
o v e r.
1 st i n v e rs i o n P l ay each i n t h e 3
i n v e rs i o n s .
G m 7b 5 C7
l l : Am 7 b 5 I D ? :II
��
c
'--. .G - l l : Em 7 b 5 IA? :II
G l l : Fm 7b 5 I Bb 7 :II
2 i nv e rs i o n l l : D m 7b 5 IG 7 :II
G m 7b 5 C7
l l : Bm 7b 5 I E? :II
��
b5 lmE c- l l :G m7b5 IC7 :II
Db
m ttlm l l : Cm 7 b 5 IF? :II
G-
• .
1 3 t h, aug 7 ( au g 5 ) ( + 5 ) an d b 5
b5
7th
+5
G-
c
b5
+5
-1 3
P l ay i n a l l k e y s :
R o ot o n 6
! C l 3 1 C 7+5 l C 7I C 7 b 5
R o ot o n 5
1 3 ! C l 3 1 C+5 I C9l C9b 5 1
7 b 5 c h o rd s h av e o n e fi n g e r i n g but 2 n am e s
II. tm
-
b 5 c h o rd s are a l s o c a l l e d #4 o r # l l
C7b5 G b 7b 5
·1 L_ TWO r\J A M E S
'·
-..__ SAM E C H O R D
Roots are c i rc l e d
A? .A 7 b 5 D7 D7b5
11 11 11 11
C7 G 7b 5 C7 C 7b 5
11 11 11 11
F7 F7b5 Bb7 B b 7b 5
11 11 11 11
U s e i n g t h e fret b ox e s ab o v e t o g u i d e v o u p l av t h i s
fi n q e r t w i st e r : A. 7 - A. 7 b 5 - D 7 - D 7 b 5 - G 7 - G 7 b 5 -
c f - C 7 b 5 - F 7 - F 7 b 5 - B b 7 - B b 7 b 5 - C o nt i n u e
98 Dan Duffy
" T I P S W H EN BUYING A NEW GUITAR "
I) MAKE SURE THE NECK IS STRAIGHT.
WITH THE HEADPIECE TURNED TOWARDS YOU LOOK
DOWN THE NECK FOCUSING ON THE TOP/RIGHT SIDE

FROM THE FIRST FRET TO THE LAST FRET. AS A RULE I T
IS SLIGHTY CONCAVE. A S L IGHT ADill S TMENT IS
NEEDED. ANOTHER WAY I S TO HOLD DOWN THE S IXTH
STRING AT THE FIRST FRET WITH THE INDEX FINGER OF

THE LEFT HAND. NOW PRESS THE STRING DOWN AT THE
1 4™ FRET W ITH THE TIP OF YOUR RIGHT HAND THUMB,
REACH DOWN WITH YOUR RIGHT INDEX FINGER AND
PRESS THE STRING DOWN. IF THERE IS TOO MUCH SPACE
BETWEEN THE STRING AN D THE FINGERBOARD THE
NECK NEEDS TO BE ADJ U STED .
2) MAKE SURE THE FRETS ARE SMOOTH
ON THE SIDES AND NOT STICKING OUT.

3) MAKE SURE ENDS OF FRETS A RE NOT
POPPING UP.
4) C H EC K THE INTONATION.
MEASURE THE DI STANCE BETWEEN THE NUT AND THE
1 2™ FRET. L ETS SAY I T ' S 12 INCH ES. NOW MEASURE 1 2
IN CHES FROM THE 1 2™ FRET T O WHERE THE STRING
SITS ON TOP OF THE BRIDGE.

OR, A TOTAL OF 24 INCHES FROM THE NUT TQ THE
BRIDGE. IT HAS TO BE EXACT.
5) IF T H E NECK IS CONVEX AND DOES NOT

COME DO WN WHEN THE ROD IS LOOSENED A LITTLE (
LOOK AT ANOTHER GUITAR.) IF TH E ROD IS TOO LOOSE
I T W I L L RATILE WHEN YOU P LAY .
HOLD THE BACK OF THE N ECK TO WARDS YOU AND TAP
THE BACK OF THE N ECK LIKE YOU WERE KNOC KING ON

A DOOR. IF ITS LOOS E YOU W I LL HEA R IT.
6) MAKE SURE THE ACT ION AT THE NUT
IS C UT LOW FOR EASY 1 ST POSITION P LAYING .
7) MAKE SURE THE STRINGS ARE IN THE

CEN TER OF THE FINGERBOARD AND NOT PU LLING TO
ONE S I DE BY A TAILPIECE OR FIXED BRIDGE THAT I S ON
CROOKED.
8) PLA Y THE " FRED G RETSCH BLUES"
MAKING SURE THERE A RE N O B UZZING FRETS . PLAY IT
ACOUSTICALLY SO YOU CAN REALLY HEAR EACH N OTE

. LOUD AMP PLA YING H I DES MANY FLAWS .
9) S ET THE ACTION AT THE PLAYING
HEIGHT YOU WANT . VERY LOW IS GOING TO BUZZ.
THE LOWER THE ACTION THE L I G HTE R YOU HAVE TO

PICK .
1 0) THE L I G H T ER THE STRINGS THE
EASIER IT IS TO PLAY. T H E H EA V I E R THE STRINGS THE
FATTER THE SOUND. SOLID BODY ELEC TRI C GU ITARS

100 Dan Duffy
USUALLY COME WITH GA U G ES .009 TO .042. TRY A SET
OF I O'S ( .0 IO TO .046 ) I PLAY WITH .0 1 3 TO . 056. AS FAR
AS ST RIN GS GO I FIND THAT N I CKEL PLATED STEEL
WORKS B EST FOR ME ON MY ELECTRI C ' S AND
PHOSPHOR BRONZE ON THE ACOUSTICS, .0 1 2 TO .052.

THE ELECTRIC BASS I S USUALLY N IC KEL PLATED STEEL
.045 TO . 1 05 .
FOR CLASSIC GUITAR I PREFER A HEAVY 4,5,6.
STRIN G SILVER P LATED COPPER AND THE l ,2f0

STRING CLEAR NYLON . DO N OT USE A MATERIAL
CA L L ED TYNEX FOR YOU R TREBLE STRINGS. THE
INTONATION IS VERY BAD. A GOOD STRING YOU
SHOULD CHECK OUT I S " ARKA Y "MADE ON LONG
ISLAND.REMEMBER I MAD E STRING S FOR EIGHTEEN
YEARS AND FOUND THAT A GOOD SET OF STRINGS CAN
MAKE ALL T H E DI FFEREN CE.
1 1 ) PIC KUP S ARE A MATTER OF
PERSONAL CHOICE. JUST REMEMBER T H E CLOSER IT IS

TO THE STRINGS THE LOUDER THE SOUND,
SOMETIMES TH I S SETTING MAKES IT HARD TO BALANCE
THE SOUND. T H E BASS WILL OVER POWER THE TREBLE
OR DO JUST THE OPPOS ITE
1 2) FLATOP, CLASSIC AND ARCH TOP JAZZ

G U I TA RS SOUND BEST WITH SOLID TOPS.
13) WHEN CHOOSING A FLATTOP OR

CLASSIC ALL THE SAME RULES APPLY. MAKE SURE THE
B RIDGE IS IN THE CORRECT POSI T I ON FOR THE
INTONATION AND IS NOT PULLIN G OFF, SEE IF A PIECE
OF PAPER WILL SL I P UNDER THE BACK OF IT.
ASK THE SALESMAN TO REMOVE THE PINS IN THE
B RI DGE AND PUT THEM BACK. SOMET I M E S AT THE

FACTORY THEY HAMMER THEM IN TOO TIGHT AND
WHEN YOU WANT TO C HANG E THE STRING S THE TOP OF
THE PIN WILL SNAP OFF .

IN G ENERAL ALL T H E SALES PEOPLE
W I LL HELP YOU WITH ALL YOUR QUESTIONS BUT ITS
ALWAYS GOOD TO KNOW A CERTAIN AMOUNT ABOUT
THE INSTRUMENT YOURSELF.

102 Dan Duffy
A N SW E R S TO F R E Q U E NTLY AS K E D Q U E STI O N S , FACTS, & M O R E
STO R I ES
I wou ld l i ke to start th is section of the book with A Trib ute to my two best
friends who worked with me at the G R ETSC H G u itar factory d u ring those
years. Fred Rodriguez and Felix Prevette, his nickname was "RED". Fred
past away on 1 2/28/05 and "RED" two years ago . I wish they both were alive
to help me with this book. It wou ld have never got done because both of them
would be disagreeing on everything. It was all in fun and RED never stopped .
After work if we went to the bar to shoot pool, it went on for hours. The loser
had to sweep the floor of the whole place while being razzed by everyone in
the place. They emptied all the ash trays on the floor as you passed by with
the broom . Fred and I swept the most because RED was the best. Red was
always gambling and in trouble with the shylocks for paying his tab late. His
main thing was PLAYI NG N U MBERS and S HOOTI NG POOL.
Red started at the G R ETSC H Factory when he was about 20 years

old , it m ust have been around 1 948 and he knew all the operations in the
construction of the g u itars . He started in the woodshop. Vinnie D'Dominico
was the foreman at the time and told me a Funny story . He told me that
Red was always d isappearing d u ring the day and he cou ld never find h i m .
O n e day he was wal king down t h e cente r i s l e o f t h e woodshop a n d an arm
104 Dan Duffy
was hang ing down from the overhead storage racks for the wood supply.
It was R E D . He was sou nd aslee p . H e always worked part time at n i g ht
somewhere to help pay his gambling debts. Vin n ie got a P I N and stuck h i m
lightly i n t h e hand. Red gave o u t a scream a n d a line o f cu rse words and
disappeared among the wood i n the racks. Vin n i e kept call i ng out "Come
down R E D , I know it's you ."
Red never Answered . Later that day Red was at his bench working
and Vinnie went over to h i m and said . " I know you were sleeping i n the
overhead racks, show me you r Finger. " Red put u p his M I DDLE F I N G E R
and they both had a good laug h . Red had many places to have a nap, so
the game went on.
Red was responsible for bringing the u n io n i nto the factory. He d i d a

lot to help all the workers get a fai r deal from the company. After doing so
much for them for five years they voted h i m out. The company respected
h i m so much for fig hting so hard for the workers, that they offered h i m a
position i n management. He became the G U ITAR ASS E M BLY FO R EMAN .
Th ings got a lot better i n the assem bly department after that . All his experi
ence on both sides of the fence was of g reat valu e . He got so upset when
the company was sold , he q u it. I tried to make him stay and so did Fred
but he said , " NO." He boug ht the BAR o n South 51h Street along side the
Wil l i amsbu rg Bridge. He had the Business about 5 years and then closed
it. He never told me or Fred why.
As the years passed h e worked i n variou s p lace s . H e eventua l l y

found THE JOB O F ALL J O B S a s he called it.
He d rove the L I MO of a wealthy businessman and woman . He only

drove them to d i n n e r and shows, about fou r h o u rs, th ree o r fou r times a
week and was paid a g reat salary. They l i ked h i m so much they paid all his
hospital b i l ls when he started getting the heart attacks. H e had the best
heart speciali st in N ew York takin g care of h i m . They kept h i m alive for
many years. Finally after fou r or five attacks he passed away i n 2003 . He
played a B I G PART i n making the G R ETSC H g u itars of the 50's and 60's.
Fred Rodriguez was h i red by the factory to work fo r m e i nspecting

the g u itars. H e was always on call fo r Latin record dates . H e was a good
reade r on both G u itar And Bass . We became g reat friends. Fred loved
G R ETSCH g u itars. Long before Fred worked for the com pany he bought
a 6 1 1 8 An nive rsary Model two tone g reen when they fi rst came out, and
used that g u itar the rest of his l ife . To him that was the best g u itar eve r
mad e . H e had oth e r g u itars but acco rdi n g to h i m they d i d n 't meas u re u p
t o h i s 6 1 1 8 . H e taug h t me all t h e Latin p h rases (they are very d ifficu lt to
read) and I tau g ht h i m The Hy Wh ite c h o rd system . He g ave me some
Latin record dates when h e had two at the same time. A reco rd date was
th ree h o u rs to reco rd six t u n e s . No reh e a rs i n g . Th e re were u s u a l ly at
least ten i nstru ments , a singer and backg ro u n d vocals . I d id OK on them
and they asked for my card . Once yo u do a good job, the arrang e r wil l
cal l you back. That's how yo u g et i n t h e n etwork. T h e arrang e r knows
what you can hand l e .
It was very difficu lt t o get recording dates u n less you knew someone.
The record dates were controlled by a g ro u p of g u itar players called TH E
AM P L I F I E R C L U B ; they were all good readers and were first o n call . I was
106 Dan Duffy
told they would work around the clock before they wou ld refuse a date, they
d i d n 't want any newcomers.
I asked Fred why he wanted the job at G R ETSC H and h e said his
wife was after him to get a day job and just work weekend G igs. I knew
what he meant because I worked a six n ight a week gig once for six weeks
and it almost killed me. Just a few hours of sleep, (if you can sleep ) just
doesn 't make it.
I went to the hospital to see Fred the day before he passed away and
it was very sad . He was in and out of a coma. I know he recogn ized me
because h e said my name very softly. I believe I 'II see them both i n the
next l ife and I 'l l let it g o at that.
People always ask me, what's with the V I NTAG E G U ITAR SER IAL
N U M BERS? They don't follow i n sequence and it's very hard to tel l when
the g uitar was mad e . First of all we didn 't know that you g uy's were going
to fall i n love with these G u itars, col lect and put such a h i g h price on them
and make them so valuable. If all the g uys were stil l alive they would be as
proud as I am for the success of the g uitars we made together. I 'm also
asked what I t h i n k of the Gretsch gu itars made in J apan , Korea , C h i n a
?. The true answer wil l be i n fifty years. Wil l they stand the test of time l i ke
the ones I helped make? A lot of you young g uys wi l l find out. The serial
n u m bers were kept in rol l s in my desk d rawe r and taken out at random .
The g i rls who pol i shed the g u itars were told to use them i n sequence . If
the main g i rl was out and a substitute was u sed for a couple of days to pol
ish the g u itars, they went out of sequence. N o one really watched it that
carefu l ly. The metal plates that were used for the model and serial n u mber
were made i n advance, and the same th ing happened. I n 1 963 the serial
n u mber was stamped on the top of the headpiece, just before it went to the
assembly, it was more i n sequence contro l . The numbers continued i n se
quence fol lowing the same order as the labels. The n u mbers were actually
copied from the labels. I n early 1 965, [FEB. or M A R .] the serial n u mber
was stam ped on t h e back of t h e head p i ece and t h e serial n u m ber
system was changed . The first o r first two n u m bers was the month, the
next was the year, and the remai ning n u m bers was the n u m ber it was pro
duced i n that particular month . We produced around 1 500 guitars in one
month o n ly twice, and that was i n 1 964. If you have a serial n u m ber with
the last fou r d i g its over 1 500 someth i ng went amiss. The p roblem with
this system i s t h i s . G u itars p roduced in the months of OCT, NOV. And
DEC proposes a problem. If you have a serial n u mber 1 2632 it cou ld mean
that the gu itar was made in Jan, 1 962 the 632nd g u itar made that month .
It could also be the 32nd g u itar made i n Dec. of 1 966. The only true way
to date a G retsch G u itar is by the b i l l of sale because most g u itars were
made on ord e r, they d i d n 't sit in the dealers store too long . Sometimes,
if a g u itar was made a special color, o r anyth ing d ifferent from the specs,
the serial nu mber came along with the order sheet. THIS N U M BE R WAS
P I C KED AT R A N DO M I N THE O F F I CE ON THE 7TH F LOOR A N D I S
TOTAL LY OUT O F SEQ UENCE . WHY? I DON 'T KNOW. If a g u itar was
pu rchased in 1 955 with square h u m p top position markers, and replaced i n
1 963 for some reason , it got the new neck with half moon position markers
on it. Now you have a 1 955 g u itar with a 1 955 serial number with a 1 963
half moon position marker neck and another mystery g uitar.
108 Dan Duffy
"The mystery of the HI - L O T R O N p i c ku p . " W H O M A D E IT?
J E R RY P E R ITO. W H O WAS H E? Jerry was the foreman of the woodshop

where they made the g uitar from the beg i n n i ng up to the poi nt of the final
sanding before the fi n ishing room . You wil l never read his name anywhere
i n any of the books about G retsch g u itars except when I mention h i s name
as one of the foreman i n Bacon & Days book on G retsch G uitars. J erry
was always playing around with g u itar pickups. He made q uite a few d iffer
ent designs that were very good . He always asked me to try them . Every
once in a while as I passed by his desk, I 'd notice h i m making the pickup i n
various desig ns. O n e day he came to me with the first H I-lo Tron pickup as
we all know it. He asked me to try it, as usual. I was very i m p ressed with
the sound, but it d id n 't have enoug h output. He said he could fix that, said
thanks and went back to the Woodshop. He kept improvi ng it u nti l one day
I was called to the showroom . Chet was sitting there playing the first 6 1 1 9
p rototype. They s n u c k the g u itar passed m e . I never u nd e rstood t h at
. J i mmy Webster was there and Chet was p l aying it. They both ag reed
how good it was. I remember C H ET saying " H EY TH I S I S N 'T BAD". Jerry
Perito was n 't there and no one mentioned his name. It was l i ke the g u itar
just appeared there with this new picku p . IT was a secret, no one cou l d
know , n o o n e s a i d "TH I S I S A N I C E P I C KU P J E R RY M A D E " I d i d n 't
make much of it at the time but 40 years later I stil l hear g uys talk about the
LOVE/HATE H I-LO TRON picku p . Someone o n the G R ETSCH D ISCUS
S I O N PAG ES ( a web site dedicated to Vintage and new G retsch g u itars)
Asked me " What is the history of the H I-LO TRON pickup?" It triggered my
memory back to this G R ETSC H MYSTE RY. I don't know why J erry was
never mentioned as the one responsible for the H I-LO TRON picku p . D I D
H E G ET PAI D FOR IT? I don't know , but I doubt it. All the books call it,
TH E G R ETSC H H I-LO TRON picku p. Why not call it the J E R RY P E R ITO

P I C K U P, after all he made it.
A R T H U R G O D F R E Y ' S G R ETSC H E L EC T R I C T E N O R G U I TA R
tu rned out to be a very coo l experience for me. Arthu r Godfrey was a big
time television host of the fifties and sixties. He also had a Radio show
d u ring the day. REMO PALM I E R ( A G R EAT G U ITAR PLAYER) who played
in the band for the show came to the factory one day and wanted a tenor
g u itar for Arth u r G odfrey. REMO also told me that he taught Arth u r Godfrey
the solos he played on h i s show. I remember they were q u ite i m pressive
being played on a baritone U KE. I asked him what he had i n mind and he
told me a FOU R STR I N G BLACK DUO J ET, and would I personally look
over the construction of the g u itar. We made special 4 pole piece picku p
heads and Spacer Bridge . The neck came out perfect and when it was fin
ished Remo came to pick it up. He was overwhelmed with the looks of the
g uitar. He played a few things on it and I said "Arthu r is a l ucky guy." . He
laughed and thanked me fo r all I did for h i m .
The next day R e m o called me and told me t o listen t o t h e radio show

the next day. On my way home the next day I listened to the radio show.
Arth u r Godfrey said he g ot a b rand new E LECTR I C TEN O R G R ETSC H
G U ITAR FROM R E MO. H e said " I want to personally thank m y friend Dan
Duffy at the G retsch G u itar Company for designing this beautifu l g u itar for
me." I thought that was very cool of ARTH U R AN D REMO.
I MADE TEN 4 STR I N G B A N J O S V E RY H A P PY one day, when

I was sent o n anot h e r m issio n . It was about 1 960 and the s i n g e r J I M-
110 Dan Duffy
M I E RODG E R S had his own TV show. It was very pop u l ar. They cal led
the com pany one day and wanted to borrow the banjos for a S KI T in the
show. N atu rally they sent me over with the BANJO S . There was a co u ple
of BANJ O P LAYERS there who were going to play the banjos off stag e ,
while these T E N G O R G E O U S G I R LS held t h e banjos a n d m a d e l i ke they
were playi ng . The one banjo player (he thought he was my boss) told me
to g ive a banjo to each of the g i rls. I said "WITH P LEAS U RE" and pro
ceeded to hand a banjo to each one of these BEAUT I F U L G I RLS. Each
one s m i led and thanked me as I handed her the banj o . The BANJO BOSS
g ave me a d i rty look. They had a blackboard there with a 4 stri ng fret box
d rawn on it. They h ad the dots in the fret box i n dicat i n g a D7 chord and
anothe r box a G Major chord . They wanted the g i rls to finger each chord
to put real ism i nto t h e i r playing . N atu rally the g i rls d i d n 't u nd e rstand so
the BANJO BOSS told me to go over to each g i rl and show her what to
do. Again I said "WITH P L EASU RE" and I got anothe r d i rty look. I spent
time with each g i rl . They were all smi les and g i g g l i n g . They kept saying
" L I KE T H I S , DAN ?" They knew they were annoying THE BANJO BOSS
but they kept it up. One of the g irls said "Dan , if you stand behind me and
show me where to put my fingers , I 'm s u re I w i l l g et it. Another g i rl said"
ME TOO DAN . "
With that t h e C H O R EOG RAP H E R said "OK, THAT'S E N O U G H F U N ,

LETS G ET TO WORK." T h e BANJO BOSS SAI D "and w e don't need you
anymore." I asked the Choreog rapher if I cou ld stay and she said "NO, BUT
THAN K YO U FOR EVERYTH I N G ." As I was leaving the g i rls were calling
"GOOD BYE DAN . " I looked back at TH E BANJ O BOSS and he was really
upset. Two weeks later the 1 O Banjos were retu rned . The P E R FU M E stil l
I nside the Gretsch Guitar Factory 1957-1970 111
l i ng ered ON T H E BANJOS , but I left them that way in remembrance of the

TEN GORG EOUS G I RLS .
Did The W H ITE FAL C O N G u itar receive extra attention when it was
being made . ? This Is a popu lar question often asked of m e . The g u itar
went thro u g h the same i nspection process as eve ry g u itar did while being
b u i lt, no more and no less. When it came to the final inspectio n , I always
had to g ive it extra ti m e , if it was a stereo g u itar. The g u itar h ad many
switches, and I had to make s u re that they all worked . The Tu n i n g Fork
Bridge was always a p roblem setting the i ntonation . The space between
the picku p bezel , m u ffle r pads, and bridge was very tight. Someti mes the
bezel had to be trim med down because the pickup hole was cut too close
to the bridge. The pickup h ad to be as close to the bridge as poss i b l e
fo r the treble response . There were fixtu res a n d gauges made f o r all t h e
ro uting cuts for the picku ps but I sti l l r a n into problems. T h e Gold b i n d i n g
wou l d sometimes s h ri n k a n d p u l l away from the body. A small amount of
acetone d ropped i nto the open i n g , and applied press u re , wou ld solve this
problem .
" F RED G RETSCH A N D ME. " O n a rare occasion o n e d ay F R E D

asked m e t o take a ride with h i m to a local music store . He heard that the
store was doing somethi n g he did not l i ke . As a rule he sent J i m my Webster
on such a m ission but he was on the road P R EAC H I N G THE G R ETSC H
GOS P E L . I don 't ever remember Fred doing somethi ng like this before. O n
the way t o t h e store, F R E D told me that he got a phone cal l from a you n g
g u itar player w h o j u st bou g ht a COU NTRY G ENT. He said He loved the
g u itar but the store charged him extra for the accessories he tho u g ht came
112 Dan Duffy
with it. H e said he paid extra for the G retsch G uitar strap, The g u itar chord ,
the polishing cloth and the bottle of polish .
When we walked i nto the store F R E D i ntrod uced h i mself and m e .
T h e two clerks j u m ped t o attention. O n e o f t h e clerks said "WHAT C A N I
H E L P YOU WIT H , S I R?" I thought I was back i n BOOT CAM P. Remember
- This was the height of the g u itar boom, C H ET ATK I N S , G E O R G E HAR
RISON, T H E C O U NTRY G E NT and T H E G R ETSC H N A M E WAS KING.
FRED told the clerks what he had heard. They both looked at each
other and one of them said "we will have to get back to you sir." Fred said
" I 'll WAI T. " The answer S H OC K E D the two clerks . They thought they
cou l d S N U FF him off. WHAT A JOKE, that had no idea who they we deal
ing with . Fred stood there looking very stern . Just then the owner came
out and saved the two clerks. He said "Hello" to Fred and me . They knew
each other very wel l . Fred told him the story and the owner cou l d see he
was u pset. He m ad e a big m i stake when he said "Fred , you shou l d n 't
make such a B I G D EAL out of it." Fred told h i m "it was a B I G D EAL to the
you n g player who called him with this problem . " Fred now went on very
calm ly and told h i m that he markets the G u itar and Accessories as a u n it,
and wou ld h e please d o the sam e . The owne r apolog ized over and over
again . The store was a Franchise Dealer and he cou l d have lost it. He
assu red Fred that he wou ld make the changes.
The next day Fred came i nto my testing room and told me that the
you ng player called and thanked him for helping h i m . H e sai d , the store
called h i m and they refu nded the money for the accessories. The store
said it was a mistake . Fred thanked me for going with h i m , put h i s thu mbs
i n his colorfu l suspenders, chest out, and went back to business as usual.
This i ndeed was a rare occasion, IT WAS L I KE WE WERE B U D D I ES .
O n e d ay, M R S . G R ET S C H was i n the office . S h e came o u t to

the factory looking for her h usban d . S h e went over to F red Rod ri g u ez
and asked h i m if he seen M R . G R ETSCH . Fred replied " I 'm sorry , but I
haven 't seen "TH E O L D M A N . " Freddie told me what happened and that
MRS G R ETSC H got u pset when he tried to explain . He told her that i n the
NAVY the captai n of the ship is called THE OLD MAN and is a respectful
m i litary expression meaning the leader. Freddie said, she just doesn 't l i ke
her h usband being referred to as TH E OLD MAN , and walked away.
Later that day I ran i nto M r.G retsch . I explained what happened and
he said He u nderstood . I said many of the employees call him THE OLD
MAN or THE H EAD HONCHO and that I cal l him "TH E MAI N MAN . " He
said "TH E MAI N MAN?" I 'l l settle for that one. He said "Thanks Dan " and
walked away s m i l i ng .
FRED GRETSC H ALWAYS WOR E NAVY B LUE OR B LACK B U SI
NESS S U ITS. The 1 967 NAM M show was corning up and I believe o n the
advise of h i s w ife h e got a new wardrobe. He d i d n 't attend many of the
shows, if he did I think he only stayed one day. He was always the object
of friendly jokes by the salesmen and friends at the show because of h i s
su its. They were always cleaned and pressed b u t they were very outdated .
At this particular show he looked real good i n his new wardrobe and every
one was tel l i n g h i m so . I never saw h i m smile so m uch . He looked l i ke a
man who had reached his goal i n l ife . H is com pany out produced and out
114 Dern Duffy
sold everyone else. H e had to be very proud of hi mself and his company
but as far as I know he was very h u m ble about the whole thing . I heard
someone say to h i m . "Fred I don 't know which looks best, YOU OR YO U R
G U ITA R S . "
Everyone knew the name G R ETSC H . At the show you always got
a name tag with you r name and the name of the company you represented
on it. As I walked aro u n d the show visiting the various booths with their
p ro d u cts o n display, they saw the name G R ETSC H , and wou l d always
start asking me q u estions because they all knew the name. In later years
when I worked fo r Vinci Strings and then D 'Aq u i sto Strings the response
to the name o n my tag was very d isappoi ntin g . I was so used to the i m
mediate attention o f t h e name on m y tag that I cou ld never get used t o the
negative response. They cou l d n 't even pronou nce the names correctly. I
am not putting down these names, but only a handfu l of people heard of
the m . Althou g h Vinci i nvented the automatic string winding machi n e , and
D 'Aq u i sto was a famous J azz g u itar maker, d i d n 't m ake a difference. J azz
g u itar represents less than 1 0% of the whole music i ndustry and is a h ard
sel l . The l ack of advertising by Vinci made their product a hard sel l also.
I have read o n the GRETSC H DISC U SSION PAGES website that the
famous H U M P E D N EC K PROBLEM has started to appear on the new l i n e
o f G retsch g u itars made i n t h e F a r East. Wel l it's noth ing new t o m e , or any
manufact u re r of g u itars. The o n ly difference between them and me is, I
did something about it. I described my efforts at G R ETSCH , earlier i n the
book. I mporters of g u itars don't l i ke to h i re g uys l i ke me or any other g uitar
player to re-inspect a g u itar when they already paid the factory to do this.
They j ust want to put a shipping label on the carton and send it out. They
soon learn that this does not work. The g u itar is a piece of wood that can
d ry, warp, shrink and crack at any time.
H u m ped necks a r e an o l d i s s u e w i t h g u itar com panies . They all

experience it. Don't believe them if they say " N OT US" The mai n reason
for h u mped necks is the d ryi ng of the EBONY OR ROS EWOOD F I N G E R
BOAR D . They dry, shrink , and actually come ungl ued from the fingerboard
and h u m p u p . The same th ing causes the end of the fingerboard to push
down i nto t h e body. The J apanese are very fami l iar with this p ro b le m .
They i n vented The N E C K STR AI G H TI N G I R O F';J back i n the seventies .
It was a heavy i ron - shaped l i ke a fingerboard , about 2" thick . It h ad a

temperatu re gauge and timer. It was placed on top of the fingerboard . The
neck was held by clamps that came with it. When I worked for Unicord they
i m po rted g u itars from Braz i l , mostly Classical and steel string acoustics .
Every shipment that came i n had a couple thousand g uitars with h u m ped
necks. They had this i ron there but for some reason th ey didn't know how
to use it. I tried it and it worked so wel l that we bought more of them . We
made a table that fit about Ten G uitars.
I set u p a reg u lar P roduction System . Ten g u itars were set u p o n

the table at a time. The heat was applied for twenty min utes, a n d cooled
for twenty m i n utes i n the i rons. Th ey were taken off the i rons and anothe r
t e n g u itars were p u t on. After t h e i ron procedu re t h e fingerboard a n d frets
were red ressed, and you had a perfect playing g u itar. WHAT H A P PENS
IS TH IS. The heat warms the wood of the fingerboard . The heat loosens
the g l u e between the fingerboard and the n eck stock. When the fingerboard
116 Dern Duffy
cools, the pressu re from the clamps g lue the fingerboard back to the neck
stock STR A I G H T. For those who doubt this, I fixed at least fifty thousand
g uitars with this method. I tau g ht a you ng g uy who worked with me named
TOM R I ZZI how to use the i rons and how to repai r g u itars i n general . He
works for another i m porter now and is doing very wel l . I'm sure the i rons
are sti l l burning. He calls me every once i n a while to say hello and thank
me for all I tau g ht h i m . I t h i n k that's pretty nice of h i m to remember m e .
Most people just tap you r brain d ry and you never hear from them again .
I NTON ATI O N - I f you r g uitar goes out o f tune as you move u p the
fingerboard, the i ntonation is out. First, C H A N G E T H E STRI NGS. Always
have m u ltiple wraps aro u n d t u n i n g posts. If the gu itar stil l will not tune,
check the neck. It has to be straig ht. Sight down the neck on the bass side
and glance to the treble. If it has a dip (concave) the rod has to be tig htened
( clockwise - always loosen strings before adjusting , if the dip in the neck is
extreme.) Be careful , you can snap the rod if you over tighten. If you can't
see it by eye you can use a straight edge. Place it on top of the fingerboard .
Look to see if there is space between the straight edge and the top of the
frets. If there is space, tighten the neck adj u sting rod. Another way i s to
hold the 6th string 1 st fret down with the left hand 1 st finger. With the meaty
part of you r right hand palm, press down on the 6th string at the end of the
fingerboard . With you r right hand i ndex finger, press the 6th string down . If
there is space between the string and the fingerboard the neck h as to be
adjusted. A slight space is usually ok. You can check the treble side l i ke this
also. MEASU RE T H E B RIDGE P LACEMENT - THE BEST WAY is with a
straight edge. Lay the g uitar flat, place the straight edge on top of the finger
board - treble side - (i st string) Hold it up against the nut or fret nut. Mark
the straight edge at the middle of the 1 2th fret. It has to be exact. Now hold
the straight edge up against the 1 2th fret and set the bridge on the spot you
marked . Meas u re the bass side the same way. Some players set the bass
side a l ittle toward the tailpiece. Never m ove the treble side. Make s u re
the strings move freely in the nut. If you hear a squeak when you tune the
string, the n ut slot has to be widened with a small file. You may encounter
this, if you go to heavy gauge strings. Check the heel of the neck for a crack.
Check for loose braces u nder the top by tapping the top with you r fingers.
Make sure all screws are tight on the tuning machines.
If you have a problem hearing the octave at the 1 2th fret, use one of
today's digital tuners .
T H I S I S A G R ETSC H N E C K A D J U ST I N G R O D TOO L M A D E I N
TH E FACTO RY I N TH E SO' S A N D 6 0 ' S . IT' S A STE E L R O D W E L D E D
I N TO A H O L E O F A G R ETSC H D R U M KEY, WITH TH E G R I PI N G W I N G S
C U T O FF.
" Z E R O F R ET" - "ACTI O N FLOW" - We ca l l ed it the "TH E F R ET
N UT" in the factory. The fret n ut was C H ETS idea. WE started to use this
118 Dan D uffy
i n 1 959. At first I d i d n 't l i ke this innovatio n , but when I saw the value of it,
I changed my m i n d . I always rejected g u itars for a high action at the nut. I
always wanted them cut as low as possible to make for easy action i n the
1 st positio n . As a teacher, the first th i n g I did for a beginner student was
to lower the action at the nut. A new player has a hard time pressing down
the strings, gets disgusted and takes up the A C CO R D I A N . I don't wish that
on any kid , altho u g h when electrified it has a very cool sou nd teamed u p
with G U ITAR AN D BAS S . That was a popu lar sound i n the 50's.
The F R ET N UT took the p l ace of the m etal n ut and worked wel l .

I d i d n 't h ave t o reject the g u itars for n ut adj u stments, the g u itars h ad a
better fee l , they seemed to play i n tune better because the stri ng playi ng
press u re was the same i n all positions, it also saved production time ( LESS
R EJ ECTS) When I made the statem e n t about savin g p ro d u ctio n tim e
some of the players o n the G R ETSCH D IS C U S S I O N PAG ES WEBS ITE,
said that we did this to save money and it's a cheap idea. Production time
is very important i n the sel l i n g price of the g uitar. I respect the opinion of
every player but I have to say this. Fro m 1 959 to 1 970 I N EV E R GOT O N E
LETT E R O R P H O N E CALL R EJ E CTI N G T H E " F R ET N UT. " Also remem
ber this was Chets idea and he d i d n 't care about cost, he looked at this as
an i m p rovement to his g u itars.
I h ave to ag ree with one player who said " O N LY P RACTI C E
MAKES YO U A G O O D G U ITAR P LAY E R , N OT TH E " F R ET N UT. "
T H E R E A R E N O TWO N EC KS T H E S A M E . Vintage G RETSC H

g u itar necks were STR I C K LY H A N D M A D E . There were n o d u p li cator
m achi n e s o r memory machi nes contro l led by a com p uter to m ake each
g u itar neck the same. We cut off the excess wood from the neck block with
a band saw. The neck was shaped with D raw Knives, hand saws, cut
ting knives, and files. The final shap i ng was done on a flatbed and spindle
sander. Gauges were used throughout the procedu re , but we stil l had to
contend with the hu man factor. Some of the workers were better than oth
ers at what they did . The longer they stayed on the job, the better they got .
T h e more w e practice t h e better gu itar players w e become. It's t h e same
th i n g . U ntil the last day, sometime in 1 970 when the last g u itar was made,
it was done this way "STR I C K LY BY H A N D "
P I C K U P S - BUTTS F I LTE R T R O N O R DeArmond -
When the company was phasing out De Armond Pickups and replac
ing them with the Butts system , not everyone was happy. After the change
a few letters came in. They said they d i d n 't l i ke the new Butts pickup. I
for o n e , was n ot convi nced that the B utts pickup was better. O n e d ay
Fred G retsch asked me how I l i ked the Butts picku p . I said its good but it
does n 't have any " BALLS. " I said " The DeAmond pickup has more balls."
"WHAT?" "WHAT?" Fred kept repeating "WHAT?" I tho u g ht maybe he
doesn 't know what " BALLS" means i n g u itar lang uage. I explained that it
means a " b i g fat sound." I told h i m you have to turn the AM P vol u me too
h ig h , causing a h u m , and then the H U M B U C K I N G feature means noth
ing. J im my Webster came to talk to me about my conversation with Fred
G retsch . He said that I was n 't the fi rst one to criticize the Butts p icku p .
He got together with Ray Butts and i m p roved the picku p . Once I g o t used
to the new picku p , I heard thei r valu e i n the recording studio. They were
clean sounding and they didn't have the hiss l i ke I was fryi ng eggs. This
120 Dern Duffy
made the recording engineer very happy. The new BUTTS pickup system
became a huge success, as we all know. When we first made the change,
ord e rs came in for the g uitar to have DeArmond pickups. They were i n
stalled in bodies with the" I NTE RNAL B R I D G E BRAC I NG" or "trestle brac
ing" as they now call it. These g u itars h ave a g reat sou n d . I used to switch
my fingerboard p i ckup back and forth from Butts to DeArmond . I cou ld
never make up my mind.
There are many G retsch MYST E RY G U ITARS as everyone knows.

I was never i nformed about most of them . One day the final TU N E AN D
ADJ U ST man , (J I M MY Mc Coy) came to me with the first "7" String G uitar
tor G eorge Van Eps. He asked me what kind of strings go on it. I told h i m I
wou ld find out and went to see J i m my Webster and he gave me the strings.
He also told me all about Georg e . I told him that I heard the name, but I
never heard h i m play. J i m my said "you wil l . " The strings were heavy gauge
with an .080 for the S EVENTH strin g . J i m my Mc Coy and I tried to fig u re
what note the seventh string was. We had a lot of fun that day trying all
d ifferent notes. Finally we fig u red it to be a Lower "A".
Mystery G u itars are difficult to remember u ntil someone asks me if I

ever saw a particu lar one. One time I was i nspecting g u itars com i n g out
of the finishing room . On the rack was six all maple COU NTRY C L U B S .
They were BLEAC H E D WHITE. They were all natu ral b u t t h e w h o l e g u itar
was as WH I T E AS PAP E R . They were beautifu l and strang e . They h ad
none of the brown wood g rain of the n atu ral finish g u itar. They were assem
bled with gold hardware . Also o n the same rack was some b l u e sparkle
ann iversary g u itars . These were not the d r u m cover sparkle colors but real
pai nt. There was red and g reen sparkle also . They looked l i ke the car finish
you see today when you get u p close you can see the sparkle.
J i m Mc Coy was The Final Tu ne and Adj ust man ( 1 956 to 1 960) i n the
assembly department. He made the g u itar play by leve l i n g the frets and
then rounding them off. Setting the bridge, adj usting the n ut, and all the
rest of the procedu res of the final set up before it came to me. J i mmy was
a g reat player and we used to JAM together. He showed me a lot of stuff
and I did the same for h i m . We became g reat friends. He passed away i n
1 960 from cancer. It was very sudde n . He had it i n t h e stomach a n d d i e d i n
t h e hospital. Like I said before , Fred G retsch was lucky t o have such g ood
people worki ng for h i m .
W H AT KI N D O F G U ITA R S DO I H AV E ? I have m y o l d faithfu l 6 1 92

C O U NTRY C L U B m ad e i n 1 96 0 . This g u itar i s l i ke m y right arm . It's
been all over with me, I wou ld never sel l it. My G retsch "7" string Van Eps
IS an outstanding instru ment. It's Beautifu lly made and lots of fun fig u ring
out the poss i b i lities of chord i nversions. I made a "7" string SOLI D BODY
and it has a g reat sound. I have my G R ETSC H Classic. I play it every day
because as I mentioned before, it's i n the l ivi ng room next to my chai r. I
also have a 1 948 G I BSON "L?'' that my friend Fred Rod rig u ez gave to me
a year before he passed away. I made a pickg uard with an EMG JAZZ
P I C K U P attached , I didn't put any holes in the g u itar. I sti l l have my fathers
G ibson that went on many adventu res with me.
When I was 1 6 years old I bought a 1 935 Bu ick. It was an 8 cyl i nder
and looked l i ke "AL CAPON ES CAR". One nig ht, my friends and I took a
122 Dan Duffy
ride to a lake about 50 mi les away. I always took my Fathers G i bson g u itar
with me. I 'd play and sing in the bars all aro u n d the lake . Free Beer And
lots of G I RLS . G U ITA R , B E E R , G I R LS, A CAR, what more cou ld a you n g
guy want. W e always stayed i n t h e c a r over nig ht. T h e next d ay I was
speedi n g on the back roads when I blew a piston through the block. I left
the car off the road and we started to walk. We were only 50 m iles from
home . N atu rally I had to carry my g uitar. It took a long time to get home.
Was it worth it? YOU BET!
Many times, late at night, I wou ld sneak out of the house with my
fathers Gibson gu itar, and go to one of the neighborhood bars. I wou ld hang
around a while, play the g u itar, and sing a few songs. I 'd make some lunch
money and go home. My favorite place was "KE N N ELLYS ." The place is
stil l there . It has a new name. My son Brian who is a g reat g uitar player told
me this story. About 1 2 years ago he stopped i n the same bar on a weekend
night with his g i rl . He said he noticed a guy sitting at the bar that looked l i ke
B RIAN S ETZ E R . My son asked h i m if he was S ETZER and he said yes.
He was i n the neigh borhood on personal business. My son knew that h e
was a G R ETSCH G U ITAR g u y and told h i m a l l about m e , and m y job with
G R ETSCH . He asked about Chet Atkins, and my son told him some stories
that I told him about Chet. They talked for hours. My son told him what I was
doing now with the string company and went home and brought back some
strings. He was very g rateful . They had KARAOK E that n i g ht and they
got u p and sang some songs together. One of the songs was " B E B O B A
LU LA" by G E N E VINC ENT My son BRIAN stil l has the TAP E . " Kennellys"
Bar has a lot of memories for me and now for the TWO Brian's.
Back to the subject of today's Modem G R ETSC H G u itars. I met

Fred G retsch after he got the G retsch name back . I was real happy for h i m .
To t h i s d a y I don't u nderstand why he cou l d n 't do somethi n g with t h e name
before Baldwin bought it. He was now having the G retsch G u itars made i n
Japan. He asked me t o try them fo r h i m . T h e sou nd a n d fee l o f the g uitars
did not i m p ress me at that time. The colors and fi n ish of the g u itars was
very good . I had 7 years experience with J apanese i m ports at that time
working for U nivox. I was used to seeing the excel lent finish but the sound
was far beh i n d American made g u itars. When my son took the pictu re of
me holding the 6 1 20 in the music store for the cover of my book, its one of
the J apanese g uitars made today. At the time I d i d n 't play it. I went back to
the store a week ago and played some of the g u itars. They are stil l OK but
they all sound the same. They don't seem to have the i n d ividual sou l that
each Vintage G R ETSCH G u itar has. If you own a Vintage G R ETSCH g u i
t a r model 6 1 20 a n d you r friend has t h e same g u itar each one wil l b e differ
ent in some way. Even if you don't see it you wi l l either fee l the difference
or hear a slight d ifference. I found this i n the factory years ago playing one
after anothe r. I d i d n 't find th is at U n icord playi ng 50 or a 1 00 Les Pau l cop
ies from J apan .
The m usic store has a WH ITE FAL C O N i n one g l ass case, and a
C O U NTRY G ENT i n another glass case , the display is q u ite impressive
and rem in d s me of the o l d d ays when the G R ETSC H N A M E G OT R E
S P ECT.
When I worked for U n icord , ( now it's KORG ) I was told by the buyer
fo r the company, the enti re Japanese g uitar Bodies were made in one tac-
124 Dan Duffy
tory and the N ecks i n another. I know this to be a fact because I opened a
case once i n a sh ipment, and the g u itar had an "AR IA" logo o n the head
piece instead of "UN IVOX." Same g u itar, d ifferent name. Just a bu nch a
g uitars mass produced , each one without a sou l of its own .
I attended the June 2006 Vintage guitar show on Long Island and saw
a sacrilege being committed. Famous American G U ITAR builders names put
on sub par Asian made guitars. They should have the word COPY under the
name on the Headpiece. I know this has been going on for quite some time.
I g uess they can't make it with their OWN NAME. On the other hand , this
will make the l uthiers name l ive on. I know the guitar is just being copied to
make money so I think I 'l l let the reader decide. SO WHAT DO YOU THI N K?
The G R ETSC H factory always made g u itars only on order. When the
G uitar boom came, along with the orders, it wasn 't u nusual to see racks of
twenty Country Gents rol ling aro u nd the factory floor. One h u n d red 6 1 20's
and One h u n d red 6 1 22's became a common sig ht.
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO B U I LD A G U ITA R ? The g u itar took

30 d ays to complete i n the n atu ral p rodu ction cycle. N atu ral l y we cou l d
make o n e i n a week i f it was a rush.
I never l i ked rush i ng the g uitar building process for any o rder.
H E R E' S A C H ET STO RY, Once when C H ET ATK I N S was i n town,

he was sitting i n the big leather chai r, behind the desk i n Fred 's office. He
had his feet u p on the desk sitting there l i ke he owned the place. (Maybe he
did) He had Fred 's letter opener i n his hand and was tapping it on the corner
of the desk. Chet said he had a g reat idea for a new feature for his guitars
and he wanted me to work o n it for h i m . The idea was to make the guitar
sou nd l i ke a SITA R , the I ndian instru ment the Beatles were fooling around
with at one time. Chet picked u p the guitar that was i n Fred's office. He put
the g uitar on his lap, picked the strings, and lightly touched the strings with
Fred's metal letter opener. The g uitar sounded like the S ITAR . Chet said , "If
you can make a small metal piece come up and touch the strings l ightly it will
work." He added "just like the muffler." Knowing Chet, he had already tried
and couldn't make it work . . I said OK and went back to work. D u ring the next
few weeks I tried a few thi ngs but they didn't work. The slightest movement
of the neck and the crown shape of the bridge made it hard to work on a con
sistent basis. A few months passed and Chet came to the factory again . He
asked me how I made out with his Sitar idea. I told him "G R EAT, H E R E IT IS"
and handed him Fred's letter opener. He laughed and so did I .
FI N G E R B O A R D B L O C K POSITI O N M A R K E R S were changed be

cause 1 > Chet and J i m my Webster wanted a whole new look for the Chet
Atkins l i n e of g u itars . 2 > The factory was having a problem with the in lay
work and a lot of filler had to be used . 3> Less weakening of the neck. 4 >
As they advertised " The neo classic Feel - Nothing but smooth Ebony."
C O M P LA I NTS - D ifficu lty fi nding yo u r way aro u nd the fingerboard
on the treble side.
H EA D P I E C E W I N G S - Early Chet Atki ns g u itars and some other

models had what we cal led headpiece wings, Pieces of wood g lued to both
sides of the head pi ece . They use to crack open where the screws were
i nserted to hold the t u n i n g m achines on . To repair this, the wings were
126 Dan Duffy
reg l ued and a piece of veneer was g l ued over the back of the headpiece,
sanded and sprayed black. It looked really good. They started to do this
on the N EW g u itars u ntil the headpiece was made in one piece.
IF YOU R B R I DG E MOVES - when you use the Big bsy Vibrato, be
fore you pin it, check to see if the bridge base is flush to the top of the body.
If you can slide a piece of paper u nder the wood base, it has to be sanded
to fit. Take the stri ngs and bridge off. Carefu lly place, and hold a piece of
sand paper (g rit side u p) on the top of the g u itar where the bridge goes.
Sand the base. The top will g ive you the right conto u r to fit the bridge. This
should help hold the bridge in place. If the body is too bad ly warped, sand
paper o r two way tape can be used on the bottom ends of the bridge base
to hold it in place. Bigsby shou ld have made an adju stable hold down bar,
to set the amou nt of tension on the strings between the Vibrato Tai l piece
and the bridge . This wou ld have helped red uce the movi ng of the bridge
when you use the Vibrato arm of the tailpiece.
C R O O K E D TAI L P I E C E ? If the bridge of you r g u itar is movi ng and

causing the strings to come off the side of the fingerboard the tai lpiece is
on crooked . Hold the body of the g u itar and point the headpiece towards
the floor. Eye the strings fro m the tai l piece g o i n g over the bridge . You
can see the 3rd & 4th strings the best, going over the bridge on an ang l e .
T h i s means t h e tailpiece is on crooked a n d h as t o be moved , or y o u can
shim it. If the tai lpiece is on an ang le the body i s crooked. You can see
the crooked body better from the back. The proper way to fix it is to sand it
straight, but that's a factory job or a repair man who can match the color. If
it's a new Modern g u itar take it back for exchange.
T H E M E LITA B R I D G E - Like the FORD COM PANY of the ?O 's, the

G R ETSC H Company of the SO 's was in the parts b u s i n ess. The M e lita
Bridge parts. Every d ay o rd e rs came in for the T h u m b S c rews, Stri n g
R ests a n d Adj usti n g wheels . T h e players were moving t h e string rests
to get the stri ng to tune better. They were taking the bridge apart and los
i ng the pieces. They d i d n 't have a clue about what they were doing . The
d i rections that came with the bridge said , "Do not move the string i nserts."
They are preset by the factory. Only move if necessary. If the note is flat
move the stri ng rest towards the fingerboard . If the note is sharp move the
string rest towards the tailpiece . R E M E M B E R what I said before , I F YOU R
G U ITAR W I LL NOT TU N E - F I RST " C H A N G E T H E STR I N G S . " I was told,
that because of all these p roblems, they wanted to make a change. They
went for the S pacer B ri d g e designed by J i m my Webster. I d o n 't use a
Bigsby tai lpiece. I prefer a plain E B O N Y O R ROS EWO O D bridge.
When I fi rst set u p my new bridge, I never cut the top of the bridge
for the string slots . I space the distance between the strings that I want. I
tune the g u itar and readj ust the spacing of the strings. Then I press down
h ard on each string with a hard object. Just press hard enough so the string
does not move anymore. Each time you tune the g u itar the strings get a
l ittle more secu re . The strings never get caught u p i n the slots. N atu ral sus
tain is i mproved . Yo u should never cut i nto the string slots to lower the ac
tion (wood or metal} always cut down the base of the bridge. On solid body
g u itars I l i ke a Stop tai lpiece and Tu ne-o-Matic type bridges. The sustain is
natu rally better and each string can be set to a fine tu n i n g . I never found a
compensating bridge was necessary on my Country Club G u itar.
128 Dan Duffy
C O L O R S - STA I N S - P RO B L E M S - U n l i ke other g u itar companies

G retsch ventu red i nto the world of color. I was told, the other m ajor com
panies said G R ETSCH WAS C RAZY to go away from tradition and wou ld
not be accepted . They were wrong and J immy Webster was right. It was his
idea. Along with something new always come problems.
When I started at G R ETSCH i n 1 957 the Company was in a transi

tion p h ase. Some n ecks h ad HALF MOON position m a rkers and some
had Block i n l ays, Melita Bridges and Spacer Bridges, All kinds of d ifferent
combinations were appeari ng and lots of COLO RS. The 1 954 Chet Atkins
G u itar was advertised as R U D DY/O RAN G E B ROWN . I rem e m b e r this
darker o range because of g u itars retu rned for repair. I thou g ht this color
was real ly rich looking .
As the years went by they changed to a more R E D/ O RAN G E . This

was advertised as A M B E R R E D . The C h et Atk i n s sol i d body 6 1 2 1 and
6030 were never big sellers. These g uitars started out with the R U D DY/
ORAN G E i n 1 954 and they were made AM B E R/RE D also.
One time a few 6 1 20 Chet Atkins g u itars were retu rned because the
tops faded. They tu rned a l i g ht washed out looking orange with no RED at
all . I n some cases the store owner told us that he had the g u itars d isplayed
in h i s front window. We assu med the s u n cou l d h ave faded t h e m . We
always exchanged the g uitars. Some players who had the g u itar for o n ly
six months had the same problem. We refinished them at no charge. The
factory had the paint supplier i n and changed the clear lacquer form u la.
Th is fad ing also happened on WH ITE FALCONS. They tu rned YEL

LOW. A certai n amount of fad i n g is accepted after time but not only after
six months. We stood by o u r g uarantee back then and did the right thing
for each g u itar and its owner. This always made new friends and sold more
g uitars. One Wh ite Falcon came back twice. The g u itar kept t u rn i n g P I N K.
The second time he sent it back for the same thi n g , I found a picture of h i m
holding his g u itar in t h e standing position and wearing this bright red band
jacket. The problem was solved . I told him the red dye from the jacket was
being absorbed by the clear lacquer tu rning the g u itar pink. I R E F I N I S H E D
TH E G U ITAR AGAI N . He told me i n a letter that he bought a new gold color
jacket and takes it off before he plays. He thanked me for solving the mys
te ry. I never heard from him agai n . About six months later a guy called and
said he and h is brother were going to buy WH ITE FALCONS on the advice
from a g uy they seen playing in a club. He said his gu itar tu rned pink and
I fixed it for h i m under the g uarantee. They asked me if I would pick them
out and I said " O F COURSE" - and I d i d .
We experimented with t h e polyu rethane finish i n t h e late 60's because

of the H I G H G LOSS it had . I personally didn't l i ke it because it looked l i ke a
cheap plastic coveri n g . It was very d ifficu lt to work with because it cracked
so easy. You cou l d n 't put a screw i nto it without it crackin g . I was satis
fied with the lacquer finish and I real ly d i d n 't th ink it was a step forward . I
l i ked the lacquer finish buffed to a h i g h g loss. When Baldwin took over they
brought with them a lot of thei r B u rns g uitars that had a Polyu rethane fin
ish. They had chips and pieces m issing all over the g uitar. They also had
some organs they wanted me to go over. I o n ly checked one g u itar. It was
beyond reasonable repai r. They knew we only did lacquer fin ishes. I made
130 Dan Duffy
out red cards and told them to sell at 50% off or junk the m . I did the same
thing with the organs. They were all busted u p . Not worth looki ng at. They
never asked me to do stupid things again .
T h e B uffers were t h e hardest workin g people i n t h e factory. T h ey

had to lean hard i nto the buffing wheel with the gu itar. It was very easy to
bu rn thru the lacq uer, so it was a ski l l ed job that took some time to learn.
They were very proud of each g uitar they finished and placed o n the rack
for i n specti o n . They worked the hard est and com p l ained the least. The
d i rtiest job i n the factory was the Buffers of the metal drum hoops. They
g ot b l ack d u st a l l over t h e m se lves b u ffin g metal d r u m parts b efore t h e
C H RO M E P LAT I N G was done.
D U O J ETS G ET A BAD R E P & R A P- when this gu itar was first m ade

i n the early 50's ( 1 954 ) G i bson and Fender were already establ ished i n
the S O L I D body g u itar market. G R ETSCH had a real tough road ahead of
them but they never q u it. The biggest problem was the reputation of the
necks com i ng off. This was finally solved i n 1 958 with the screw put i n at
the heel of the neck and covered with a round disc. It was accepted that
way except for the trad itionalists , ( myself included) The arg u ment for, was
Fender had a bolt on neck so WHATS T H E B I G D EAL. G i bson was hav
ing their problems too . When I met LES PAU L I told h i m I had one of h i s
G O L D TO PS with the TRAPEZE B R I D G E made around 1 950 a n d he actu
ally fl ipped out. He said the neck pitch was wrong and the tailpiece was no
good and his words were " G ET RID O F IT AND G ET T H E N EW M O D E L "
I told h i m that I corrected the problems at the G retsch factory. I told him
that I work there and what I do . I said I reversed the strings on the bridge to
go over the top of the metal bar rather than underneath and reset the neck
and it plays g reat. He calmed down and said "THAT'S G O O D , BUT STI L L
G ET A N EW O N E . " I guess he was just embarrassed that these g u itars
were sti l l out there in the field .
Othe r players who had Fender g u itars told me they were good g u itars
but o n ly had one good sou n d . It wasn't versatile, although I heard some
players g et a pretty n ice JAZZ sound on the m .
Wel l , they all had the i r problems, but G i bson sti ll had the endorse
ment of LES PAUL and Fender had many endorses with h it record i ngs. The
o n ly t h i n g G R ETSCH had was a solid body g u itar that wasn't exactly solid
(it was semi-solid) but it did have a d ifferent sou n d . Along with the u n ique
ness of b e i n g sem i sol i d , a d ifferent s o u n d , and a l l the c h oice colors,
G R ETSC H started to hold there own i n the solid g u itar market. I think the
si lver jet (the top was drum material) was the most popular of the N ITRON
top g u itars. I remember a G R E E N S PARKLE top g uitar, black body and
neck with gold hardware that was a special order. This really caught you r
eye. Another special order from a store was for 6 d u o jets in t h e anniversary
colors , TWO TO N E SMOKE G R E E N with gold hard ware . Red tops, black
tops, all the drum sparkle Tops, I believe gave G R ETSCH the edge d u ring
the g u itar boom of the 60's.
T H E T R A P EZ E G i bson b r i d g e and t a i l pi ece com b i n at i o n on

m y 1 950 G o l d Top Les Pau l , gave m e a n idea to have the mach ine shop
make one for me to fit my G R ETSC H Cou ntry Club. I wanted to see if it
wou l d i n c rease the sustain o n the g u itar. It increased the sustai n and I
132 Dan Duffy
used it l i ke that fo r years . One day I b ro u g ht it i nto the facto ry to

adj u st somet h i n g on the g u itar a n d J i m my Webste r h eard the
g u itar a n d came to my test i n g roo m and asked me "WH ATS
THAT. " I exp lained what ! d i d and he s ai d "it so u nds g o o d" and
wal ked away. A few mo nths later the D R EAD E D T U N I N G FO R K
B R I D G E WAS BO R N . I f o n l y h e d i d n 't see TH I S B R I D G E , i
th i n k we wo u ld h ave been spared the AG O N Y O F the F LOAT
I N G S O U N D U N IT
T R E ST L E B RA C I N G - S O U N D T R AN S F E R B A R - I N T E R N A L
BRIDGE - ARE ALL THE SAME THING- D i fferent n a m e s h ave com e

along t o describe the Ray Butts - C het Atkins idea to su pport the Filter
tron pickups and con n ect the top of the g u itar to the back and e l i m in ate
feedback and improve the sustain of the instru ment. There is a big diffe r
ence between the g u itars with and without the Trestle Bracing . TRESTLE
B RAC I N G g ives the gu itar more sustain but takes away some of the natu
ral acou stic amplified sou nd.
The g u itars without the bracing have more of the natu ral g u itar sou n d .
Each o n e is a g reat g u itar. IT'S YOU R CHOI C E.
H ere i s t h e b r i d g e a n d tai l piece c o m b o I had made a n d used
o n MY Cou ntry Club Guitar. The h i nge was made heavier to hold the
angle down to apply p ressu re to the stri ng bar. It was Gold Plated and
looked good i n 1 960.

I T H I N K T H I S G AV E " J I M MY W E B ST E R " T H E I D EA F O R T H E
TE R R I B L E T U N I N G FO R K OR FLOATI N G SO U N D B R I DG E - N O MAT
TER WHAT Y O U CALL IT - IT WAS A C U R S E -
The "T" Z O N E- Another terrible thing to do to a g u itar is, d e l i ber

ately place the frets wider apart above the 1 2th fret to get better i ntona
tion and play accu rately i n tu n e . This does not work. The "T" ZON E was
an old "CAM E L" cigarette ad that described the flavor the butt g ave you i n
t h e mouth a n d th roat a n d was t h e exact spot that it gave you CAN C E R .
You d i d n 't g et cancer from t h e G R ETSC H "T" ZON E b u t you s u re got a
headache trying to get it i n tune. TH E "T" ZON E and T H E TU N I N G FOLK
B R I D G E should be e l i m i nated from all G retsch h istory. Th i s should be the
last print. ALSO add the TON E TW ISTER to the U NWAN T E D L I ST.
" I S THAT P I C KG U A R D O R I G I NAL?" " O n l y if it's cracked ! " The

134 Dan Duffy
cut outs for the pickups on all pickg uards from the 50's were done by hand
in the assem bly d e p artment. The two holes w e re d ri lled and reamed for
the screws to mount the pickguard . One to the bracket that attaches to the
pickg u ard, and to the side of the body. The other to the top of the guard and
mounted to the top of the body at the cut-a-way. These often cracked while
putting them on, or a short time after when they were out in the field . When
they were made from a mold in the late 50's, or early 60's ( I 'm not sure when)
they cracked even more . Different plastic formu l as were tried and after years
of rejects and replacements, the cracking got less and less. When a pick
guard was replaced it went out from the WHOLESALE MUSIC ACCESSORY
department of the G R ETSCH Company. They always had a supply of all the
pickg uards. If you sent in for a 6 1 1 9 Chet Atkins black pickg uard you cou ld
get a plain black pickg uard or the Chet Atkins signature or you could get the
S I G N POST which is the right one. Hu man error is always a factor.
I h e a rd t h i s m any t i m e s from t h e woods h o p i n my years with

G R ETSCH , "Do n 't forget, Dan , there's always the HU MAN ELEM ENT in
volved . " This answer use to really get to me. I know that its very true in
all business, but if I got 20 g uitars at the end of the l i n e with the neck pitch
off, sometimes I j u st cou l d n 't except that answer. So when I don't have the
answer to a q u estion , I can o n ly repeat the ph rase "DON'T FORG ET T H E
H U MAN ELEM E NT." R E M E M B E R if t h e pickg uard is cracked , that's you r
proof the g u itar i s a T R U E VINTAG E G R ETSC H . American car makers
recall thousands of the i r vehicles each year. So why am I complai n i n g ?
G ROVE R T U N I N G MAC H I N ES were by f a r the best. T h e 1 6 t o 1

ratio made it very easy to g et a fine tu n i ng on each string. They also held
the g u itar i n tune better than all the rest. They were packed with g rease
and you can reverse them from rig ht to left. J u st open the back plate and
do it. One bad th ing was the l ittle screw that held the step like end of the
machine on . It use to come out and the piece wou l d get lost. We got many
complai nts and replacement orders. In late 1 957 I got the idea of a small
LOCK WAS H E R . I had the machi n e shop m ake some and they worked
very wel l . I sent some to the G rover Com pany with a letter. The next ship
ment had this l ittle gold plated lock washer on every mach i n e . The problem
was solved . The parts replacement business for G rover was over. Do you
th i n k they had this l ittle lock washer before I sent them my sample? They
never answered my letter, they just installed the lock washer.
The Assembl y Department had a lot of homemade tools to work

with on the g u itars. They made S NAKES to i nstall the pickups i n the g u i
tars. The snakes were made o f t h i n flexible cable. T h e o n e for the i n put jack
had a g uitar jack attached to it. You just plugged it in and p u l led the wire
thro u g h . Another cable had a switch cap attached to it. You just screwed
it on and p u l led the wire t h ro ug h . There was two with switch caps, o n e
for t h e picku p selector switch and o n e for t h e tone switch . A two pronged
fo rk was made to hold and g u ide the pots to the i r destination The wooden
stri ng winders were works of art. They were hand carved and buffed to a
high g loss. Once I had a guy come in and wanted a tou r of the factory. He
had a camera and I told him NO CAM ERAS A LLOWED. When I showed
h i m the R E PA I R D E PARTM ENT he became very i nterested in Carmi nes
TOOLS . He picked u p the string winder and asked me if he could have it. I
laughed and showed him the way out. I th i n k the plastic string winder came
from this g uy.
136 Dan Duffy
The J apanese were always comi n g for tou rs with their cameras hang
ing o n their n ecks. There were always 5 o r 1 O from different factories i n
Japan . Fred G retsch told m e "Under n o circumstances d o they take pic
tu res of the factory operation ." Once on such a tou r, one of them took out
an ARTISTS PAD and started making sketches. I cou l d n 't believe how fast
and skil led he was. I 'm sure he made the GODZI LLA movies. I stopped h i m
and escorted them o u t . They complai ned t o F R E D a n d he told t h e m very
n icely (without bowing) That's company policy.
It real ly d i d n 't m atter i n later years, w h e n we became a S E RV I C E

C O U N T RY, (let them make i t , w e w i l l buy it , service i t , a n d sel l it.) W E
EVENTUALLY WENT TO JAPAN AN D S HOWE D T H E M HOW TO DO IT.
Natu ral ly they say we didn't. Even today I ' l l bet that when the G R ETSC H
Company tel l s t h e Japanese t o d o somethi ng a certain way on t h e g u itars,
they say, "It will not work that way." Then they do it and tel l you it was the i r
idea.
"WAS ALL T H E WOOD AG E D IN 1 950 - 1 970 ? " To my knowledge,

the company always bought the best woods available. I don 't know how
long they were aged for, but the longer they were aged the more you had to
pay. It was l i ke paying rent. Vi ncent D'Dominco who was very knowledge
able i n this area, suggested at least a three year agi n g process for the solid
spruce tops AFTER TH EY W E R E CUT. Some companies today that su p
ply woods for g uitars say they have barn stored wood for 30 to 40 years.
How true it is, no one really knows. A famo u s JAZZ G U ITAR B U I L D E R ,
that I knew for many years , brought me his g ui tars t o try when he finished
the m . I th i n k they were the best ever made. They were all works of art. He
always respected my opinion even though we d isag reed on a lot of things.
He brought me a g u itar once with a natural finish. I played it and it was re
ally outstandi n g in every way. I pointed out this l ittle dark brown l i n e in the
top near the bridge. He started getting all upset the way he usually d i d , be
cause he was a total perfectionist about his i nstruments. He said "the more
I sand it the worse it gets ." He said his wood supplier charged h i m a higher
price than usual for that piece of close g rained spruce just because he gets
aro u nd $ 1 2 , 000. 00 for each g u itar. He was i n my opinion being screwed . I
told h i m that I think the dark line wil l eventually crack and he agreed . About
6 months later it d i d . He was very u pset and said "It does n 't matter what
you pay, or how long it's d ried ." "WO O D IS G O N N A DO, W H AT WOOD IS
GONNA DO."
D u ri n g the g u itar boom, it was necessary to set u p the wood suppli

ers to make the sides, lam i n ated tops, back and the neck blanks for u s .
I u n d e rstand that Vincent was sent there t o set u p the operati o n w i t h all
the tools and fixt u res. It became an extension of the factory and worked
out very wel l . The factory as big as it was, cou ld not hold the wood that
was needed every day. Every day tops, backs and neck blanks came i n
and went right i nto p roduction . When they eventually cau g ht u p t o what
we needed , and then some, they stacked them all over the factory floor.
I remember one time we made so many g u itars, at the end of the month
there was no n ecks, no tops, backs and sides any where in the factory.
There was n 't a screw left i n the assembly department. Not a single picku p,
harness, tai lpiece o r bridge o r tu ning mach ine. Not even one g u itar. The
racks were empty. I expected a TU M B L EW E E D to come rol l i n g up the isle
138 Dan Duffy
l i ke in a G H OST T O W N of a western movie . It was very spooky. It was

l i ke the storm had come and gone, leaving noth i n g behind. It was V E RY
EERIE. We all looked around at each other i n d isbelief at what we just ac
complished . When we finally came out of the trance we were i n , we all said
" W E LL, L ET' S DO IT A G A I N . " We kept the pace up u ntil the G U I TA R
B O O M WAS OVE R .
B A C K AGA I N TO M O D E R N G R ETSC H G U ITA R S
The p rice of the new G retsch g u itars really tu rns me off. I am not a
fan of the copies made i n the Asian cou ntries. They are n ice g u itars made
with a good neck fit. The neck has no fingerboard extension and fits flush to
the top of the body so that also is a big plus. I h ad Carmine at the G retsch
factory fit the neck of my Cou ntry C l u b l i ke this in 1 960 . It improved the sus
tai n and was very comfortable to play with the slightly forward neck pitch .
The pickups had to be lowered so the strings d i d n 't touch the m . The finish
on the copies is also very good . The sou n d is s u b par and the fret work is
roug h .
I heard o n e player say " l ' M getting a new G retsch G uitar model # ???
and the first t h i n g I 'm g o i n g to d o i s c h a n g e the tu n i ng m ac h i nes, t h e
p i c k u p s a n d w i r i n g harnes s , and g et a R EA L B IG S B Y tai l pi ece a n d
bridge. This does not say a lot for the copies. If all the hardware parts are
not as good as the o riginals, that means the WOO D that the guitar is made
of has to be suspect also. This player wants the NAM E and QUALITY parts
of the original g u itar. H E 'S PAYI N G FOR IT W I T H T H I S OUTRAG E O U S
P R I C E so why doesn't he get it? B EWA R E S U I TS - IT W O N T LAST FOR

EVE R !
A G R EAT G R ETSCH G U ITA R no one ever mentions was the SHO

BRO S PAN I S H with the spun alu m i n u m resonator. Shot J ackson of the
Sho Bro com pany came to the factory in the late 60's. He worked with Vi n
cent De'Do m i nico in desig ning and building both the Hawai ian and Spanish
Sho Bro g u itars with the G R ETSCH name on them .
He had a lot of g u itar knowledge and was a g reat player. He cou ld
really h a n d l e tool s , for such a g re at p l ayer. H e a n d Vi ncent g ot a l o n g
very wel l . It was really i nteresti ng t o watch both t h e g uys b u i lding these
g u itars by themselves. If you want to know more about S HOT JACKSON
just type his name in the search engine of you r computer. You wi l l find it
very interestin g . I was q u i ckly enth used by the S PAN I S H model as it had a
very u nusual sou n d . I really l i ked it and had one that I played i n my testing
room for weeks. I wish I had it now. No one ever talks about these g u itars .
If anyone reading these pages finds one pick it up and play it. It was de
signed to have a light ( .01 0 ) set of stri ngs on it. If you real ly want to have
fu n , and if you can put u p with some BUZZ I N G , Try 9's.
My G R ETSC H COU NTRY CLUB and me seen a lot of action around

the Brooklyn and Queens area playing i n all the clubs. One Satu rday night
i n a club i n Brooklyn th ree guys and one g i rl came i n the c l u b and sat i n a
table near the band stand . I knew right away they were part of the local
boys that owned this part of town . This was the first of many nights they
came in the club. They usually came in about two in the morning and were
sti l l there whe n I left about Th ree AM . One n i g ht they asked me to join
140 Dan Duffy
them at their table when they came in. They told me how much they l i ke
the way I play. They requested some songs and I played them when I went
back on the band stand . When it was Th ree AM and time to q u it they asked
me if I wou l d stay and play some tunes for the m . Of cou rse I said "YES". I
stayed and played for them til l about Five or Six o 'clock i n the morn i n g . We
became very friendly and they came i n every Satu rday n i g ht and I always
stayed late and played for the m . It was always a party atmosphere . They
always drank SCOTH AN D CHAM PAG N E C H AS E R S . The owner of the
club never said a word , he just kept serving them. They always made it
worth w h i l e for me to stay and play fo r the m . One n ig ht as they stuffed
some cash in my pocket I said "Thanks, but that's not necessary. " They
gave me a look l i ke I i nsu lted the i r mothers, and I q u ickly said I was sorry
and d i d n 't mean to down g rade thei r enormous generosity and that I just felt
g u ilty about the amo u nt of money they gave me. Their death looks tu rned
i nto (NOT SO O FTEN) smiles and they said "Dan" , "YO U ' R E A STAN D U P
G UY" "and w e l i ke you ." After that I just went along with the party. They
were actually some of the best g uy's I ever met. They rem inded me of my
friends I g rew u p with when I was very you ng in the streets of Brooklyn and
Queens. You cou l d trust them and they cou ld trust you , not l i ke some of the
people I met it the M usic Manufacturing business.
One Friday n ig ht i n the club, after I finished playing a set, I was stand
ing next to the bandstand talking to a g i rl I knew. The next thing I remem
ber is waking u p u nderneath some tables laying o n top of my g u itar. I had
an enormous pain in my head . The guy's in the band tried to pick me u p
b u t I said for t h e m t o wait because I cou l d n 't see . Eventually my vision
came back but was very blu rry. They told m e a big gori l l a hit me i n back
of the head . They said he was d ru n k and just went wi ld. I went home and
the next day I went to the doctor for the pain . He said I had a concussion
and I shou ld stay i n bed for a few day's and rest. I took the pills for the pai n
but they didn't help much . I stayed i n bed for a few days . I went back to
work after a day or so . Both my eyes were BLACK AND B L U E from being
hit so hard in the back of the head . I was embarrassed 'walking i nto the
G R ETSC H b u i lding so I wore Sun glasses . J immy Webster was the first to
spot my two black eyes and said "That's why I q u it playing n i g hts, its safer
here". I ag reed .
The fol lowi ng Friday night I went to the club. It was my last two nights
of a six week contract. My eyes were getting better but were stil l a l ittle
black. Every one was checking out how I looked . After the second set this
B I G G O R R I LLA comes u p to the band stand and say's "I'm sorry for what
I d id" I told h i m he almost ki lled me and let it go. The next n i g ht the three
g uy's and the g i rl came i n . After the set I went over to them and said hello.
They said they heard what happened and wanted to know if the BIG GOR
R I LA APOLOG IZED to me. I said that he did. They said he'll never bother
you o r anyone else again . I thanked them and let it go. I said goodbye to
them later that night, and told them it was my last n i g ht, and that I wil l be in
a club i n Queens for six weeks, if they want to see me. They said "WE 'LL
BE TH E R E DAN" and I g rabbed my g u itar and amp and l eft. They never
came to the club i n Queens. After about a year I went back for another six
weeks in that club and I never saw the BIG G O R R I LA or the TH R E E G UY'S
AN D TH E G I R L . It was l i ke they n ever existed . I stil l th i n k about them
today after all these years.
142 Dan Duffy
Anothe r time, I finished a gig early and I stopped i n a local bar before
I went home . The owner was a friend of mine for a long time so I stopped
in to see h i m every once in a whi le , it was about two in the morni n g as I
sat at the bar talking to this guy I knew from the neighborhood . We were
the only people there . I had my Cou ntry C l u b G u itar in its G rey plush l i ned
case leaning against the bar next to me. I heard the door to the bar open
behind me. I looked at my friend behind the bar and he was looking at me
with a strange look o n his face. Suddenly I felt somethi n g cold push against
my neck. IT WAS A G U N . Suddenly another g uy was stand i ng next to my
friend behind the bar with a g u n to his head . He came in the back entrance.
The guy leaned over and patted me down to see if I had a g u n . He said ''we
want nothing from you , all we want is the bank" The " BA N K" is the money
taken i n a l l day a n d put i n a s m a l l metal box a n d h idden somew here i n
the bar. Only a small amou nt of cash is left i n the cash reg ister at a tim e .
Just e n o u g h t o make change. R E M E M B E R , if you ever p u l l a sticku p, ask
for the bank. The robber told me and the guy next to me, to get up , don't
turn around, and go i nto the M E N 'S ROO M . I got u p , g rabbed the hand le
of my g u itar case and started to wal k to the men's room . He pushed the g u n
i nto the back o f m y head as he escorted us there . He d i d n 't say anythi n g
about m y cherished g u itar that I h e l d onto very tightly.
Wh i l e we were i n the men's room I cou l d hear them threaten i ng my

friend, the owner. I knew he wou ld g ive them the bank because he wasn 't
stupid and there wasn 't that much money i n the box anyway. There never
was. The g u y i n the men's roo m with me was starti n g to panic and was
trying to rip the bars off the window trying to get out. The metal bars were
to prevent g uy's from breaking in ( WHAT A JOKE) . I told h i m to be qu iet
or they wou ld fill us fu l l of holes and flush us down the toi let. I wrapped my
money in a paper towel and hid it in the bottom of the waste basket. I prob
ably had more money on me, than was in the bar's ban k. I didn't want to
take a chance in case they changed their minds and wanted o u r cash too .
left a few bucks i n my pocket j u st to keep them happy if they d i d .
After a w h i l e it was very q u iet, s o I went o u t . The other g uy started

to p u l l on the bars again as I left the men's room . I cal led out the owners
name but he d i d n 't answer. I fou n d h i m tied and gagged, in the kitche n ,
i n t h e back. He was sti l l shaking a s he cal led t h e police. T h e police took
two hou rs to get there . When they finally got there they went th rough the
usual q u estions, paper work and were g o n e . The next afternoon while
I was teaching , I remembered the g i g money I hid i n the trash basket i n
t h e men's roo m . When I was d o n e teaching I went straight t o t h e bar. I
thought it would stil l be there because the men's room never got cleaned
until someone complained . When I got there I went straight to the men's
room and the waste basket. The money was stil l there j u st l i ke I left it. I put
it in my money clip and went out to the bar. My friend came over and said
"TH EY GOT TH E BAN K." All I thought was I STI L L HAVE MY C O U NTRY
C L U B G U ITA R . Believe it or not that's the only thing I was thi n king about
through the whole thing .
Another time I was o n the band stand i n a club on Long Island when
a g uy came i n Yel l i n g "WH E R ES MY WI FE" over and over agai n . When
I looked at him I saw he had an axe and was waving it around as he was
yel l i n g . All the people were screami n g as he came up to me. I forget what
I was playing but I remember p rotecting myself with my gu itar. As I held my
144 Dan Duffy
g uitar i n front of me and stopped playi ng he shouted at me "WH E R ES MY

W I FE ?" I said I t h i n k she's i n the lady's room , just to g et him away from
me and my g u itar. As he went in there , the cops came i n . I told them he's
i n the ladies roo m . They started to shout for h i m to come out. I h eard a lot
of screami n g and chopping com ing from the ladies room . When the cops
finally got the door opened , without breaking it down, they fou nd a large
hole in the wall and he was gone. HE C H O P P E D H I S WAY O U T.
"The rise and fal l of a G u itar String com pany"
G U ITA R STR I N G S - I spent about 20 years in the manufactu re of

G U I TA R A N D BASS STR I N G S . I started with "VI N C I " G u itar Strin g s
about 1 978 a s G e n e ral Manager. I d i d n 't know that I was G e n e ral Man
age r of noth i n g . I first met TOM V I N C I when I worked for U n i co rd . The
com pany bou g ht Vinci strings to rep lace the strin g s o n the g u itars that
came from Japan and Braz i l . The g u itars were equ ipped with bad strings
and they sti l l are in my opinion. Tom 's father i nvented the auto m atic stri ng
win d i ng machine aro u nd 1 952. He also made his version of the automatic
ball end m achi n e . The BALLE N D machine put the brass ball end o n the
rou n d wire for the Plain Strings and the H EX CORE WI R E for the Wrapped
stri ngs. The BALLEN D E R was capable of making 1 5 , 000 plain strings i n
an eight hou r day. Almost Every G uitar String Manufactu ring Company has
a couple of these String Wi nding 'Machines m ade by Vi nci . They always
had to buy two machi nes because they knew they cou ld copy the machi n es
i n their own mac h i n e shops. I thi n k the o n ly U . S . pattern Vinci cou l d g et
was - "no one cou ld copy the machine and sell it - but they cou ld copy it
and use it"
The first time I visited the Vi nci factory, I was sti l l worki ng for U n i co rd .
They had a large factory which they owned , and the factory next door that
they owned also and rented. I d i d n 't know the father owned everything
and he always remi nded Tom that he d i d . I thought he really had a g reat
setup with about twenty fou r machi nes and two Ball End Machines. One
made plain rou nd strings, and the other made the hex core wi re .
I said i n t h e beg i n n i n g , I d i d n 't know I was going t o b e General Man
age r of noth i n g , because when I went there the first day there was nothing
there . He had a FI R E . All the machi nes were gone except for a couple that
were being refu rbished to be sold . So here I was again , starti ng from the
g round up in a business I knew noth i ng about. Having all the past experi
ence and knowledge of the g u itar really helped . He had a few orders there
but it was just about over for the company. The only calls that came i n were
from suppliers who wanted the i r money. There was 4 g i rls there packagi n g
strings. T h e strings are coi led b y h a n d one at a t i m e a n d put i nto a 4x4
envelope. One g ross of each gauge of the string set was p repared l i ke
th is. When the six gauges were fin ished , they were collated i nto 1 44 sets
(1 G ROSS) with a cover on each , and put i nto a 4x4 plastic pouch . Then
i nto a small box that held 1 2 sets. Then the 1 2 doz. Boxes were put i nto a
special made carton that held them . One carton held 1 44 or 1 g ross sets.
GOT IT? All p roduction was done by the g ross. After a whi l e and a little
convincing we d ecided to start up again . We started buying b u l k strings
from the man ufactu rers and packaging them with the Vinci name on the m .
Tom knew a l l t h e string makers because o f the machi nes h i m a n d h i s father
made and sold to the m . There was no money, so every thing was done on
146 Dan Duffy
30 days terms. They were lucky if we paid them i n 90 or 1 20 days. They

all knew Tom 's father was wealthy AND H IS C R E D IT WAS I M P ECCABL E .
Not that h e was g o i n g t o help Tom , b u t they didn't know that. It took a l o t of
work and beg g i ng from Tom to get help from his father. We went along buy
i ng and selling strings but not getting anywhere because of all the money
he owed .
The first winter came and the factory was in bad shape . There was
leaks everywhere . All the pi pes were frozen in the bathrooms. There was
ice everywhere. The floors were frozen and slippery. There was no money
for o i l to heat the b u i ld i n g . We had to heat this enormous building for just
seven people. This didn't make any sense. I got the idea to move the fou r
g i rls and the whole packag i n g operation i nto the front of the bui ld i n g . There
was a very l arge conference room next to the office that Tom and I u sed .
The accounting firm for the company was there twice a week checki ng the
books to see if any money came i n so he cou ld g rab some. The company
owed them a lot. They also charged (I think) $200.00 a day every time
they were there , so we were g etting no where with the i r bill. I S E A L E D
A l l T H E D RAFTS I N T H E C O N F E R E N C E R O O M . I got six space heat
ers and set them u p . The place got warm as toast and we were able to g et
through the winter.
There were a lot of strings i n the factory that were discolored by the
fire h e had . They were mostly acou stic 80/20 b rass and phos. b ronze. I
looked them over and took an i nvento ry. If we sold them at a low cost we
cou l d make $250 , 000.00. This wou ld solve a lot of problems and send us
o n o u r way. Tom said he knew a cleani n g sol ution that might work. We
got the solution and I started cleaning the stri ngs. They were tied together
by the g ross . You had to u ntie the g ross and put the stri ngs i n the solution .
Then you had to move them around for a few minutes and take them out.
Then you rinsed them off with water, tied them back togethe r i n 1 g ross and
h u ng them all around the factory to d ry. You had to wear rubber g l oves,
old shoes and clothing because it was an acid based clean ing agent. They
tu rned out so good that some were brig hter than new. We started shipping
them out on orders and things started to slowly change.
The machine shop that Tom 's father owned was in Brooklyn . He was
sti l l making the machi nes there . He said he h i red a mach i n ist who was very
good and he cou ld put togethe r a cou ple of STR I N G WI N D I N G MAC H I N ES
for us. H i s name is ANTO N I O and we wou ld work together for the next 20
years .
Anto n i o m ad e fou r m ac hi n e s . Two for C l assic strin g s and two for

steel strings. We started maki ng the stri ngs i n the machine shop and Tom
wou l d bring them out to us on Long Island to fill the orders.
Vinci had a chance to rent the big factory we were in so we moved to

a place his friend owned . It was rent free . It was in the basement of a l arge
factory o n Long Island. There was water d ripping everywhere i nto puddles
on the floor. I had to keep everything on skids . I tried to keep everything
d ry and away from the water. There was gnats everywhere and once again
I thought I was back on PAR R I S I S LAN D being eaten alive by those th ings.
T h e g i rls fou nd a s pray that kept the g n ats at a d i stance . Every d ay, I
thought of walking away from this i n sanity but I always felt the potential
148 Dan Duffy
was there for a good futu re. Finally after lots of gnat bites and wet feet we
fou nd a small store to do the Packag ing i n . The only down side of this place
was all the supplies were in the basement. There was a lot of up and down
stairs.
We had heavy d uty racks to hold about 250 ,000 4x4 envelopes. The
envelopes came in small boxes. Each box held 1 000 envelopes. I h ad to
contin u al ly hau l envelopes to and from the printer. There was always an
arg ument about when he wou l d be pai d . He also printed the covers for the
string sets. We needed our own pri nting press. You need a lot of printing
done i n the string business. Six envelopes and a fou r color cover for each
set. Half the cost for a set of g u itar strings is the packag i n g . The sets that
come with the six d ifferent colored ball ends to determine the g auge of the
strin g , is cal led envi ronmental packag i n g . No envelopes, no cover, no plas
tic pouch j u st a pri nted plastic sealed bag . You sti l l have to coi l the stri ngs
by hand , but it costs less for material.
We went on l i ke this for a while, slowly b u i ld i ng up the busi ness. We

had to do a lot of private label business.
Private label i s supplying anyo n e with their name on the package .

M any o f the G u itar a n d Bass strin g sets hanging i n you r favorite Music
store is p rivate labe l . All the Major String Makers do this. You really don't
know who made the set of strings u n less it said so. Private Label was a big
business and I g u ess it sti l l is.
When we first set u p the l ittle store, Antonio came out with Tom from
B rooklyn . He helped me set up the racks i n the basement. He was from

Argenti na but he was already speaki ng some English. He was determi ned
to become an American citize n , and with a lot of hard work and studyi ng
he d i d . He said this was a d ream come true. Eventually he spoke like he
came from Brooklyn , just l i ke me. M aybe " OATS" not so good . We got
together and worked l i ke a team . I always took care of the books. I paid
the b i l l s and made up the payro l l . This was always a strugg l e . There never
seemed to be enough money. The more business we did the more supplies
and people we needed.
One day Tom came i nto the store with Antonio and said he wanted to
show us someth ing . We drove to the old factory that we started i n . Right
across the street there was another smaller b u i l d i n g o n the corner. H e
said "come o n , " and w e followed h i m . He stopped i n front of the building
and said " W E J U ST B O U G H T T H I S B U I L D I N G . " I was speechless and I
cou l d see Antonio felt the same. I wondered if this was the reason I had so
m uch trouble paying the b i l ls.
Tom came to terms to pay off the accou ntants. I g uess I wasn 't such
a good bookkeeper. After we moved i nto the new b u i ld i n g his wife took
care of the books l i ke she did when they were close to bankruptcy, ( that's
my o pi n io n , } but just didn't file.
Antonio and a cou p le of men we h i red , started to prepare the b u i ld

ing f o r t h e machines. They had t o run l i nes for t h e air compressor, needed
to operate some of the fu nctions of the mach ines. They b u i lt a wal l out
of cinder block to make a separate room for the m achines. I d o n 't th i n k
150 Dan Duffy
there wasn 't anythi n g Anto n i o cou ld n 't d o . When the factory was ready
the moving started agai n . It seems that all we did was move around but
this time it was different. This was o u r own b u i lding . We came a long way
from the freezi ng cold b u i lding across the street. Moving those machines
was always a hard job. One time one s l ipped and it pinned me and Antonio
against the wal l i nside a truck. I really h u rt an already very bad back and
Anto n i o ' s t h u m b was hang i n g off. I took him to an emergency roo m and
they sewed it back together.
Antonio started to build more WI N D I N G M AC H I N ES and B A L L E N

DERS. The mach i nes were g etting better and better. Antonio was chang
i ng a lot of things from the origi nal desig n . I thi n k h e made 26 String Wind
ers and 3 Ball End machi nes. We also got our own printing press to do the
envelopes. This machi n e ran all day. When a part broke Antonio made a
new one better than the old. He made the printing press work better than
new. The press h ad metal plates with the gauges o n them that I had made
the Art Work for. Later we used some form of h ard rubber. When they
wore out, I got replacements Other plates h ad our LOG O on them also
either Acoustic or Electric and what ever else was needed to describe the
contents of the 4x4 envelope.
Making g u itar and bass strings i s a lot easier than maki ng G u itars.
Working with wire is a lot easier than wood .
T h e w i re companies supply all the stri ng makers, s o they know ex
actly what you need. There is no mystery to it. The only problem you have
with w i re is the tarn ish i n g . Also, the wrap wire has to maintain a special
strength so it does not spring back after it is wound on the core wire . If it
springs back just a little the string wil l have a dead sound . The tension of
the wrap wire has to be tight. The wire passes thru this tensioning device
and is held at a certain tension d u ring the wrapping process. Antonio de
vised a tensio n i ng device that was contro l led by a small computer. I used
to randomly put the strings on my g uitars at home or in my office to keep
checking the quality. We tried different formula of wrap wi re and core wire
to come u p with a good sounding stri n g . Jerry Garcia, N eal Shawn a n d
Tony R i ce were some of o u r endorses. They real ly loved the strings.
When we settled i n the new building, I started doing a lot more sales
by h i ring salesmen for the different parts of the cou ntry. Eighty percent of
o u r business was in E u rope. The salesman al ready had thei r accou nts
so it was easier than I thought. They represented (Rep for short) a lot of
companies so all the stores knew them. I set up a prog ram for them with
the percentage they got. They l i ked the whole prog ram and I treated them
very fair. They got all the samples they needed , to leave with the i r custom
ers to try, and the orders started to come in. Everything started to come
together. Every small order that went to the stores i n the States went out
COD. I was managing the Payrol l with j u st the COD o rders. I had this plan
for a long time, but it took years to achieve . It worked for a while but then
sticky fingers got i n the way. The old way was starting to appear. It seems
some people never learn . They disregard all the people around them and
o n ly thi n k of themse lves. They forg et what these people h ave done for
them and dest roy it all with the i r g reed . After com i n g back all that way,
you 'd th i n k they wou l d n 't repeat the same stupid g reedy nonsense . We
were doing over two m i l l ion dollars in sales a year. Every one was making
a decent salary. I n the beg i n n i n g a lot of us had to go weeks without a
152 Dan Duffy
paycheck. Why this happened - I don't want to get i nto. When I worked for
U nicord an incident happened that made me think to myself ( "th is G I G
w m be over soon")
A very h ard working guy from the office stopped by my desk every
morn i n g . He never took a day off. He was the first one in and the last one
to leave. One day as he stood tal ki ng to me, two guys walked up behind him
and put h i m i n handcuffs . They were Detectives and they arrested h i m .
He j u st looked at me and said " I ' m sorry Dan ." He embezzled $250 ,000 .00
that they knew of. I never heard of him again . I thi n k this was one of the
reasons the owners of the company C L EAN E D HOUS E . It seems that no
matter where you work, these people are around, l u rki ng i n the shadows
acting l i ke n ice guys ready to do their thing .
Back to my story - After phone calls came i n threatening to blow u p

t h e b u i l d i n g I knew we owed m o re t h a n j u st wire b i l l s . I cou ld n 't believe
what was happe n i n g . It didn't take long for the company to get so far back
in debt that the whole thing got to me and I walked out. As I drove home
I was thi n ki n g of what I did. All the business we worked so hard to get. All
the machi nes ANTO N I O b u i lt. Every one who seen the business we b u i lt
was amazed . I left everything behi n d . I was sixty now and I stil l had to
work. All the machine operators wou l d be out of work also. Everyone who
stayed with the co mpany from the beg i n n in g was o n there way out and
there was nothi n g I cou ld do. N OT T H I S TI M E .
Two m o nt h s after I wal ked o u t , ANTO N IO fol lowed me. After we

walked out we were accused of stea l i n g everyt h i n g i n s i g ht. About six
months later after we were gone, a private investigator made a video of

the c u l p rit load i n g the com pany station wag o n with the packaged i nven
tory to sel l it cheap i n the city for cash . Th is was i ndeed g reed and i nsan ity
combined . This was destroying everything that eve ryone worked so hard
to ach i eve. I don't know the exact ending of this story. I understand every
thing was sold in order to pay all the debts. This story is not i ntended to
harm the Vinci name. It's a story of what can happen to anyone, anytime
i n the m usic business. I helped create the Vinci g u itar string and its quality
name in g u itar strings. I hope it contin u es to make the g reat strings, l i ke it
did years ago . It probably does. I 'm s u re they have the same g reat ma
chines that Antonio b u i lt and are putting them to good use. As long as they
are hard working people i n charge, they can 't fail .
When Antonio left h e went to the Mapes piano string wi re company to

work. We bought some of o u r wi re from the m . They are a very old compa
ny that su pplies core and wrap wi re to the whole i n d u stry. They also make
strings under thei r name MAPES . Years earl i e r, they bought an old ball end
machi n e they cou l d n 't get to work so Antonio fixed it for the m . They visited
o u r factory m any times. They knew h i s ski l l s and h i red h i m on a phone
cal l . After one day there he cal led me and said he was com i ng back from
Ten n essee and wanted to tal k to me about start i n g o u r own g u itar stri ng
company.
We rented a small u nit in an industrial area. We went out and bought

a Lathe, m i l l i n g machine, drill press, industrial saw and what ever else we
needed to make a small machine shop. Antonio knew exactly what we need
ed . He set up the lathe for me to operate. I drilled m iles and miles of holes
154 Dan Duffy
through rou nd aluminum pipe. Every part of the machine was inside Antonio's
head . He made notes on how many pieces of round or square parts was
needed . My wrist was in a lot of pain from turning the lathe. I tried all kinds
of different things wrapped around it, but nothing helped . When I was almost
finished dri l ling the miles of holes, Antonio fixed the lathe to run automatic.
The joke was on me. Anto n io was a w izard on the M i l l i ng machi n e . He
made every single part, small or large on this machine. He also knew how to
set up the electronics for the machine. I think he is the G EORGE VAN EPPS
of the G uitar string and machine making business. Just like George plays the
"7" String G uitar [Knowledge, Creative, and P recise] Antonio makes G u itar
Strings and Machines Needed for the g uitar players needs.
We made fou r G U ITA R STR I N G WI N D I N G M AC H I N ES. Two would

be for u s and two we were going to sell to Jim D 'Aq u isto and his partner
who wou l d put u p the m o ney. We were g o i ng to fin ancially s upport o u r
company b y b u i ld i n g machines for the m . It was hard t o g et g uitar string
orders from the people I knew because of the l ies that were told about us
when we left Vinci . I knew that some day the truth would come out but it
was taking too long . Antonio and I decided to go in partnership with them
for a small percentage of the business. We put up our small machine shop
and our two winding machines. Jim D 'Aq u isto put u p his name and his part
ner put up the money. They knew noth ing about maki ng or sel l i ng strings.
J i m had a small string business buying strings and putting his name on the
label . I made and packag ed his strings for h i m when I was with Vi nci . J i m
was p ro m pted t o do this because Vinci was s i n ki n g fast because o f sud
den lack of funds. J i m was supposed to just put u p his name, stay home,
make his g u itars and stay away from the every day business of the stri ng
company. This did not go wel l with h i m . After about a year his name was n 't
l iving u p to expectations and the business was doing p ractically noth i n g .
From the beg i n n i ng the DADDY B I G BUCKS did not want t o make private
label strings. Th is was a big mistake and I told h i m so .
J i m and D addy Big Bucks were at each oth e rs th roats constantly.
They weren 't com i ng aro u n d m u ch any m o re so I decided with Anto n i o
to do it m y way. The way that was successfu l a t Vinci for s o many years
before the G reed took over. DADDY B I G BUCKS approached me about the
same time and said he wasn't putting i n any more money and that Antonio
and I h ave to take a cut i n salary. After speakin g to Anto n i o we did. He
wasn 't happy about this saying "THAT WAS PART O F TH E D EAL," "LOOK
AT TH ES E MAC H I N ES I B U I LT, and Look at the sales you r getting he's
renegi n g on everyth i n g . " "Jim my's name d o n 't work and now he does n 't
want to pay us, lets take o u r machi nes and get away from these two g uy's . "
I told h i m it wasn't that easy a n d that t h e com pany owned everything we
d i d . We were trapped . I kept a record of the a m o u nt of money we were
owed and later when the sales were coming in I told DADDY BIG BUCKS
we were going to start taking back the money we were owed . He wasn't
happy. He thought he beat us out of it. Right after that, the money man
came and told me he was going to cou rt to be sentenced . I d i d n 't know
what he was talking about. He explained to me that he was convicted of
B R I BERY. H e told me he bri bed buyers for govern m ent contracts in
h i s othe r business and was caught. Antonio a n d I were really off the wall .
I f we had a lawyer at the time we probably cou ld have done someth i n g . He
shou ld have told us this before we went i nto business together. I know I
would have stayed far away h i m . He was sentenced to six months home
locku p with the bracelet on his ankle to monitor his whereabouts.
156 Dan Duffy
I set u p a whole Private Label and Bulk String Prog ram for E U RO P E
and the business started t o come i n . Salesman f o r o u r stores i n t h e various
states i n the U.S. were g iven a P rivate Label P ro g ram . They were also
g iven a monthly sales disco u nt promotion on certain D 'Aq u i sto Label sets.
The company was now i n first gear and movin g . It took about fou r years
after that to h it close to a M I LLION DOLLARS I N SALES .
Once again G R E E D l ifted its ugly head . It was no su rprise. I seen

it many times before . J i m D 'Aq u i sto passed away after losing his name
i n a cou rt decision . I retired and Antonio left soon after to open h is own
Company with his Son . We left behind 26 String Winding mach i nes and
Two g uitar ball end mach i nes. We did the same thing for the second time.
The approxi m ate sale value at the time, for all the string winding equ ip
ment was about TWO A N D A H A L F M I L L I O N D O L LA RS. You defin itely
need you r own Lawyer when you go partners in business. You can 't trust
anyone. When someone wants to make a deal with j u st a handshake you
better ru n . The old joke about cou nting yo u r fingers after a hand shake is
very tru e . These g uys are nothi ng new, they j u st thi n k they are . I n the
end they either go to jail o r l ive the rest of their l ife i n m isery B E C A U S E
TH EY A R E M I S E R A B L E T O B E G I N WITH.
I knew Jim when he worked for J o h n D 'Angelico in the late fifties

and sixties. D 'Angelico made g reat arch top g uitars and J immy wou nd up
maki ng better g u itars than his teacher. Jim was not a healthy guy when we
were partners in the string business. Sometimes he wou ld call me every
cu rse word he could think of. This was not the g u y I remembered , when I
was maki ng his strings at Vinci . Although we had o u r bad moments, we
h ad some laughs. Once we had to go to the NAMM show i n California.

The day we were leaving we had an I C E STO R M and we missed our flight.
When we finally arrived at the ai rport , we went straig ht to the assig ned
boarding area. There was no one there except the g i rl behind the cou nter.
We went u p to her and presented o u r tickets and board i n g passes. She
said " Y O U M I S S E D Y O U R F L I G H T S O I ' l l H AV E TO G ET Y O U O N
A N O T H E R O N E, STA N D O V E R T H E R E A G A I N S T T H E WAL L A N D
WAIT. " J i m went WAC kO . He said "are you A N U N ? " "Are you Sister
Mary Margaret that I had in Catholic G rammar Schoo l ?" "DO I L O O K SIX
YEARS O L D ? " Do I have l ittle blue shorts on and my l ittle blue tie?" "Who
are you to tel l me TO STA N D AGAI N ST T H E WAL L ? " He kept it u p u ntil a
guard came over and told us to qu iet down . J i m asked the g u ard if he went
to Catholic school and he said yes. J i m said "that g i rl th i n ks she's a N U N " ,
she told me t o stan d agai nst the wal l a n d wait. " The g u ard looked at
me strangely, and said "Si r, please cooperate ." I finally calmed J i m down
which was n ext to i m poss i b l e . We were ass i g ned to anot h e r fli g ht and
boarding gate. Jim and I walked there lau g h i n g .
When w e were a t t h e NAM M S HOW i n Frankfu rt , Germany, w e had a

n ice twenty foot d isplay booth with all large si m u lated pictu res of the packs
of strings. It really looked good . No one knew the name D 'Aq u isto except
for a few Jazz people who were fam i liar with the G U ITAR. It was qu ite em
barrassing . I had to repeat the story beh i n d the name all day long . They
cou l d n 't even pronou nce it. Diaqueve , d u iqueti , dayqeesti , I heard enough
different ways to pronou nce the name than I thought possible. I thought if
they cou l d n 't pronou nce it , how cou ld they remember it to place an order.
This situation put the spark u p the C E O 's butt , "DADDY B I G B U C KS" to
158 Dan Duffy
con stantly g et o n J i m 's back. "Yo u r name s ucks" - "It's worth noth i n g "
- "Where is a l l t h e b i g name endorsers you said you had?" - t h e barrage of
insu lts never seemed to end. On this particu lar day at the NAMM S H OW I
guess he had enoug h . Daddy Big Bucks came ru n n i ng up to me all out of
breath saying "He's after me and he has a KN I FE . " He said " I 'm GONNA
STI C K YO U , " "You NAZ I . " The whole thing was very B I ZAR R E . Finally
Jim appeared and Daddy Big Bucks stood behind me, acting l i ke he was
so afraid< I wanted to laug h , but I didn't. I really felt sorry for J i m . He was
sick a long time with some ki nd of i l lness that made h i m take seizu res. All
this was causing h i m to get nasty with everyone. He told me that he took
out h i s kn ife and cal led h i m a Nazi. He said he told h i m he wanted out and
wanted his name back. This set the tone for a terrible week in G ermany.
Eventually he got his lawyer and started proceedings for his NAM E to be
retu rned to h i m . He lost his name in the cou rt proceedings. Jim told me
"YO U R N EXT, DAN", "He'll start with you n ext. He wants everything for
h i mself" he was right. I was sixty fou r at the time and had a very serious
fam i ly problem so I retired . I had it with all these people who didn't belong
i n the M U S IC business. Working for the G R ETSCH G uitar Company was
by far the best job.
T H E S E A R E T H E G U ITA R STR I N G WI N D I N G MAC H I N ES ANTO
NIO, HIS SON A N D I B U I LT W H E N WE STA R T E D O U R OWN C O M
PANY. I D R I L L E D M I L E S O F H O L E S TH R O U G H R O U N D A LU M I N U M
MATER IAL . S O M E A R E STACKED O N A B E N C H I N T H E TOP L E FT O F
TH E P I CTU R E . I N T H E BACK YO U CAN S E E TH E M I L L I N G MAC H I N E
- D R I L L P R ESS A N D LATH E U S E D T O MAKE T H E MAC H I N ES . I ALSO
TU R N E D B L U E FROM H EAD TO TOE W H E N WE USED CANS O F B L U E
M ETALLIC S P RAY PAI N T. AFT E R A l l ' ' l ' M J UST A G U ITA R PLAY E R " I
ALWAYS U S E D TH I S EXC U S E W H E N I S C R EWED U P.

160 Dan Duffy
T H I S IS A C LO S EU P P I CTU R E OF TH E G U ITA R STR I N G WI N D
I N G MAC H I N E WE MADE. IT'S M ETALLIC B L U E C O L O R MADE TH E M
T H E B EST LOO K I N G MAC H I N ES ANTO N I O EVE R MADE. ( with m y
help ) I F YO U L O O K C LO S E Y O U C A N S E E A H EX C O R E W I R E I N
T H E M AC H I N E R EADY F O R T H E W R A P WI R E TO B E WO U N D O N
TO P. TH E BALL E N D O F TH E H EX W I R E I S P LA C E D O N T H E H O O K
AT O N E E N D A N D T H E P LAIN E N D IS PUT I N T H E O P E N C H U C K AT
T H E OTH E R E N D . T H E P E DA L O N T H E F L O O R I S P R ES S E D A N D
T H E C H U C K C LOSES A N D P U LLS T H E C O R E WI R E TIGHT B ETWE E N
B O T H E N D S . T H E W R A P WI R E IS ATTAC H E D AT T H E B A L L E N D . T H E
MAC H I N E I S STARTED, TH E C O R E WI R E S P I N S P U LLI N G T H E WRAP

WI R E TH R O U G H T H E T E N SI O N I N G D E V I C E THAT IS P R ES E T. THE
L E NGTH O F T H E W R A P I S A LSO P R ES ET AT T H E C O M P U T E R . W H E N
THAT L E NGTH I S R E AC H E D T H E MAC H I N E AUTOMATIC A L LY STO P S .
T H E WRAP WI R E C U TS A N D T H E STR I N G I S D O N E . T H E TE N S I O N I S
V E RY I M PO R TANT T O T H E Q U A L ITY O F T H E STR I N G . I NTO N ATI O N ,
B R I L LA NC E , S USTAI N , D U RA B I L I TY A N D A l l OTH E R AS P ECTS O F A
G O O D G U ITA R STR I N G A R E T H E R E S U LT O F A G O O D T E NS I O N I N G
DEVICE. A N OTH E R PA RT O F T H E MACH I N E THAT IS M OST I M P O R
TANT IS T H E "CAR R I AG E " . THIS DEVI C E CAR R I ES T H E W R A P W I R E
A L O N G S I D E T H E S PI N N I N G C O R E WI R E AS I T P ULLS TH E W IR E
THROUGH THE T E N SI O N I N G D EV IC E . O N E P E RS O N O P E R AT E S
TWO M AC H I N ES. TH E M AC H I N E O P E R ATOR STA N DS I N B ETWE E N
TWO M A C H I N ES A N D WH I L E O N E M AC H I N E I S WI N D I N G A STR I N G
T H E Y STA R T T H E P R O C E D U R E O N T H E O T H E R M AC H I N E . T H E Y
C A N M A K E B ETWE E N 8 A N D 1 2 G R OSS { S O M ETI M E S M O R E ) A C
C O R D I N G T O T H E G A U G E O F T H E STR I N G .
162 Dern Duffy
THIS I S THE B A L L E N D M AC H I N E
T H I S M AC H I N E P UTS T H E B A L L E N D O N T H E R O U N D W I R E
F O R TH E P LAI N STR I N G S A N D T H E H EX WI R E FOR T H E WRAP P E D
STR I N G S . T H E W I R E I S F E D A U T O M AT I C A L LY T H R O U G H T H E 4
W H E E LS O N TH E L E FT TO T H E C H U C K THAT H O LDS T H E BALL I N
P LA C E . T H E C H U C K S P I N S WRA P P I N G TH E WI R E O N IT.
I nside the Gretsch Guitar Factory 1957-1970 1 63
IT C UTS T H E L E N GTH A UTO M ATICALLY A N D D R O P S T H E F I N
I S H E D P R O D U CT I NTO T H E STR I N G C ATC H B ELOW. IT I S I D EA L TO
H AV E TWO OF THESE MAC H I N ES . O N E FOR H EX A N D T H E OTH E R
FOR ROUND WIRE. I S P E NT 4 0 Y E A R S I N T H E M US I C M AN U FAC
T U R I N G B US I N E S S , G U I TA R S , S E RV I C I N G I M P O R T E D G U I TA R S
A N D M A K I N G G U ITA R A N D BASS STR I NGS. TH E B EST TI M E O F IT
All WAS AT N I G HT ON T H E B A N DSTA N D P LAY I N G M Y G R ET S C H
C O U N T RY C L U B G U ITA R .
"TH E A B S O L UTE E N D "
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ISBN 141206823-1
111 1 1 1 11 1 111 1 1 1111

9 78 1 4 1 2 068239

Inside The Gretsch Guitar Factory - From 1957-1970

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Inside The Gretsch Guitar Factory - From 1957-1970

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Inside the

© Copyright 2007 Dan Duffy.

Printed in Victoria, BC, Canada.

We at Trafford believe that it is the responsibility ofus all, as both individuals

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North America & international

The United Kingdom & Europe

MY NAM E I S DAN D UFFY A N D l 'M A G U ITAR P LAYE R . I WAS H I R E D

OR TWE LVE G U ITARS A DAY. D U R I N G TH E M I D D LE S IXTI ES IT WAS

TH E I D EA OF A "STEREO" G U ITAR. THE WI R E HARN ESS WAS V E RY

OVE R THE T H I RD BAR THEN U P TO THE TU N I NG MAC H I N ES . W H E N

TORY MANAG E R AND H IS ASS ISTANT B I LL HAG N E R WHO LAT E R BE­

R UTHLESS A N D D E MAN D I N G M O N EY LEN D E R" . WOW! ! ! NO ITS N OT

BUTT OFF. HIS HANDS WERE SCAR R E D . THEY LOOKED LIKE S O M E­

TH R E E YEARS OLD . I WENT I N THE MAR I N E CORPS. AT AG E TWE N ­

"G R ETSCH COU NTRY CLUB G U ITAR". IN THE F IFTIES AN D S IXTI ES A

I N S PECTION TH I N G THAT I WAS DO I N G . H E WAS TH E FACTORY MAN­

WE R E P U T O N . TH E G U ITAR WAS T H E N PUT I N TH E RACK AT TH E

ALSO N O D D E D APPROVAL. I FELT BEITER THAN GOO D , WHAT EVER

PAY. AGA I N l 'M STU N N ED . IS ALL T H I S R EAL? AM I H EAR I N G R I G HT?

THE G U ITAR TO ITS O R I G I NAL CON D IT I O N . TH E G UY WAS SO HAPPY

N E EDED SOMEON E TO F I X TH E S ITUATION O R SOMEON E TO B LAM E

T H E MAI N P ROBLEM WITH ALL T H E R ETU RNS WAS T H E N ECKS

A GOOD STAN DAR D N ECK P ITCH M U ST B E ESTABLIS H E D . ALL

WEEK. STI LL B E I N G "G U N G HO" I J U M PED AT THE CHANCE.

TAR. TH E I R G LASS ES H U N G ON THE E N D OF TH E I R NOS E AN D EACH

I SAI D TH E R E'S A B I G D I FF E R E N C E B ETWEEN A DOD G E AN D

VERY DAM P P LACES FOR YEARS. EVE R SO OFTEN WE WO ULD G ET

STOR E WOU L D OR D ER I T WITH S P EC IAL I N STRUCTIONS FOR M E

BLOCK LON G , A BLOCK WI D E WITH A S MALL PARKI N G LOT i N T H E

I C WO U L D I NSTALL A R I D I C U LO U S LOOKI N G H IG H SAD D L E IN T H E

BECAUS E THAT'S WHERE YOU BEG I N . G ETT I N G THE STR I NG S LOW

T I M ES TH E WOOD S H O P WOU LD MAKE THE TO P TH I CKER TO P R E­

RES ET. G R ETSC H WAS R EALLY RESPECTED FOR T H E S E G U ITARS .

M E A COMPANY O N LONG I S LAN D WAS LOOK I N G FOR ME. I CALLED

WE C R EATE D T H I S M O D E L G U ITA R A C CO R D I N G TO W HAT T H E Y

"SOM ETH I N G EVI L T H I S WAY COM ES"

HOLD AN EXORC I S M . SO MUCH FOR TH E " B I KI N I"

N E E D ALL T H O S E D E G R E E ' S TO KNOW THAT TO MOVE T H E COM­

HIM "TH E TWI N REVE R S . " AT THAT T I M E EVERY O N E WAS TRYI N G

P LAY I N G A N D TH EY H U D D LE D TOG ETH E R L I KE A FOOTBALL TEAM

N IG HTS I N T H E OTH E R G R ETSC H B U I L D I N G A FEW BLOCKS AWAY.

LOOKED I N S I D E THE BAG AN D SHOOK TH E I R H EADS IN D IS B E L I E F

ENT O P E RATI O N S .AT F I RST IT WAS A D I SASTE R . SOME JOBS WERE

M ENTS P LAY. G EO RG E WOU LD P LAY H IS G RETSC H "7" STR I N G G U I­

H E WAS HAV I N G O N E OF H IS S U P E R P LAY I N G DAYS A N D EV­

I R E M E M B E R A B LACK FALC O N , A G RE E N FALCON A N D YOU

M O R N I N G A N D R E P R E S E N TATIVES OF EAC H COM PANY W E R E I N ­

L I KE THE SONGS HE WR ITES AND P E R FO R M S . IT SAD D E N E D ME A

M E D IATELY THOUGHT O F SAL SALVADO R . CAR M I N E U S E D TO LEVEL

BACK IN T H E R E PA I R D E PARTMENT AT 60 B ROADWAY, BROOK­

EGORY WITH THE PADD E D G U ITAR. TH EY WOULD LOOK GOOD S I D E

L I KE C RAZY. I STARTED TO WALK AWAY AN D THE KID STARTED TO

TY G UARDS LET YO U I N WITH P R O P E R I . D . l ' M S U R E T H E TENANTS

CLOTH THAT CAM E WITH TH E G U ITAR. THESE WERE ALL T H E S I G N S

EVE R . TH EY CONV I N C E D M E TO TAKE A P I CTU R E HOLD I N G THE G U I ­

T H I S JS A PICTURE OF ME AND MY MODEL # 6 1 92

THIS IS A MODEL OF THEGRETSCH BU ILDING.

THIS IS A P tCTURE OF THEOLD

F RONT OF BUILDING ON5/28/05

THIS IS THE BACK OF THE BUILDING ON 5/28/05.

HER,EI AM BACK AFTER 35 YEARS

THE MON:KEES GUITAR MODEL

TORY MANAG E R AND H IS ASS ISTANT B I LL HAG N E R WHO LAT E R BE

BUTT OFF. HIS HANDS WERE SCAR R E D . THEY LOOKED LIKE S O M E

TH R E E YEARS OLD . I WENT I N THE MAR I N E CORPS. AT AG E TWE N

I N S PECTION TH I N G THAT I WAS DO I N G . H E WAS TH E FACTORY MAN

T I M ES TH E WOOD S H O P WOU LD MAKE THE TO P TH I CKER TO P R E

N E E D ALL T H O S E D E G R E E ' S TO KNOW THAT TO MOVE T H E COM

M ENTS P LAY. G EO RG E WOU LD P LAY H IS G RETSC H "7" STR I N G G U I

H E WAS HAV I N G O N E OF H IS S U P E R P LAY I N G DAYS A N D EV

M O R N I N G A N D R E P R E S E N TATIVES OF EAC H COM PANY W E R E I N

BACK IN T H E R E PA I R D E PARTMENT AT 60 B ROADWAY, BROOK

EVE R . TH EY CONV I N C E D M E TO TAKE A P I CTU R E HOLD I N G THE G U I