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1954 Gretsch 6193 Country Club

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Serial #: 12093

Finish: blonde finish, nitrocellulose type

Body size at lower bout: 17" Scale length: 25 1/2" Nut Width: 1 11 1/6" Body depth: 3 3/8"

Materials: Arched maple top, back, sides; solid maple neck; solid Brzilian rosewood fingerboard; triple bound body, neck and f-holes; bone nut.

Hardware: Original gold plated hardware includes Gretsch cutout logo tailpiece; open back Grover Sta-Tite tuners; bound tortoise pickguard; twin adjustable DeArmond Dynasonic single coil pickups; clear control knobs, three way pickup selector switch and adjustable truss rod. Adjustable compensated Brazilian rosewood bridge.

Notes: When Gibson debuted its flagship L-5CES electric archtop in 1951, the Fred Gretsch Guitar Co. introduced its Electro II model as a competitor. Designated model 6193 in blonde finish and 6192 in sunburst, this model would be rechristened the Country Club in 1954, the year this handsome example rolled out of the Brooklyn factory. Boasting celebrity players like Al Caiola, Mundell Lowe and Mary Osborne, the Country Club was the company's top-shelf electric, and according to Gretsch maven Jay Scott, significantly outsold the L-5CES through the rest of the decade. A perennial favorite of jazz and pop players alike, the Country Club has remained in the Gretsch catalog to this day.

Gretsch craftsmen reserved their most highly figured wood for the blonde 6193, the firm's most expensive electric model. With its full depth 17" arched maple body with Venetian cutaway, the Country Club was most closely equivalent to the Gibson ES-350, with its full length 25 1/2" scale. Equipped with twin adjustable DeArmond Dynasonic single coil pickups, the 6193 is configured with controls including master volume, master tone, three-way pickup selector switch, and individual pickup volume controls.

This outstanding example is a rare first-year Country Club, with transitional features including the Synchromatic headstock logo, block inlays from the third fret, Grover Sta-Tite tuners, clear control knobs and bound tortoise pickguard, all seen for the last time this model year. The signature G cutout tailpiece premiered this year, and highly figured tiger maple replaced arched spruce in the soundboard, with triple binding on both body and soundholes, a premium touch.

This gleaming guitar is in wonderful condition, with all-original amber blonde finish without cracks, pick, buckle, thumb or fingerboard wear. The fingerboard binding is tight to the neck, though showing some fine cracks, and apart from some tarnish on the pickup covers and and a few finish lines on the laminations on the back of the peghead, the guitar shows few signs of age. Fitted with a 50's vintage adjustable compensated Brazilian rosewood bridge, the guitar has a sweet, lively voice with excellent clarity and detail. Smooth low action over a freshly reset gentle C profile neck with excellent bridge height and fine original medium frets.

Nestled in its stylish Gretsch logo tweed hardshell case, this flamed beauty comes complete with an original set of Gretsch Electromatic nickel wound strings, individually labeled in their clear round hard plastic container. A rare find, from the dawn of the modern electric guitar. Call now.

Setup: The frets have been precision leveled, recrowned and polished; trussrod tension and neck relief adjusted; bridge height adjusted; bridge compensation set; string slots at nut and bridge inspected and recut as necessary; bridge foot contour inspected and fit to top as necessary; bridge radius inspected and recurved as necessary; bridge wheels and tuners lubricated; fingerboard and bridge oiled; body and neck cleaned and hand polished.

Setup: This instrument is strung with medium gauge nickel strings (.012-.054). The guitar will accommodate lighter or heavier gauge strings, according to preference. String action is set at 5/64" to 6/64" at the 12th fret, with moderate relief. The action may be lowered or raised to your requirements with the adjustable bridge.

Case: Original Gretsch logo arched tweed plush lined hardshell case.

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