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1998 McKerrihan Fretstyle

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SN#: 1008

Nut Width: 1 3/4" Scale Length: 25 1/2" Body size: 16" Body depth: 2 1/4"

Finish: Light cherry finish, nitrocellulose type

Materials: Solid bookmatched handcarved fiddleback flame maple body; solid mahogany neck; solid ebony fingerboard; multi-ply binding; polished bone nut

Hardware: All original gold hardware includes twin handwound Ray Butts 12 pole humbucking pickups, compensated adjustable Tunematic style bridge, Grover Imperial tuners, Bigsby B3 tremolo tailpiece, knurled gold barrel knobs (master volume, master tone, and individual neck and bridge pickup volume), 3 way selector switch. Additional bound tortoise pickguard installed, original guard in case.

Notes: Chet Atkins. Duane Eddy. Bryan Setzer. And a host of red hot thumbpickers and rockabilly kings all made their names with the legendary Gretch 6120. To showcase his work at the 1998 NAMM musical merchandise convention, Arizona luthier Glen McKerrihan built the version Gretsch should have made but never did. Hand carved with all solid tiger flame maple in place of the plywood body of the original, and sporting a generous 1 3/4" solid ebony fingerboard, the McKerrihan Fretstyle takes the thinline guitar to an unprecedented level of custom craftsmanship. Best of all, the guitar is fitted with a rare matched set of pickups handmade by the late Ray Butts, the legendary engineer behind the original Gretsch Filter-Tron pickup, and a close collaborator of Chet Atkins, Scotty Moore, and a star-studded roster of Nashville super pickers.

The body is carved of bookmatched flame maple, with a solid mahogany neck to improve overall balance. The fully hollow 16" Venetian cutaway body is a comfy 2 1/4" deep, and is built without soundholes to reduce feedback.The twin 12 pole humbucking pickups provide detailed, rich amplification of the warm, woody acoustic voice. Action is smooth and low over a gentle shallow D profile neck with finely dressed medium fretwork.

A versatile design, the Fretstyle is a particularly good choice for the fingerstyle player, a guitar equally at home with jazz standards, blues licks or Travis picking. We believe this rare and handsome guitar may well be the only example of this model ever produced. She's been maintained in superb condition, 100% original, without cracks, pick, buckle, or fingerboard wear. The back of the neck has been rubbed to a smooth matte finish, and a pair of strap button holes filled near the neck heel. Crafted with McKerrihan's immaculate fit and finish, this rare bird offers classic design, custom luthier quality, and an unbeatable price.

Case: Original deluxe arched black plushlined hardshell case.

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