This old Gent is all original and in really excellent condition all round and with what I believe to be the original case, also in excellent condition. The guitar even has the original Gretsch truss rod adjusting tool!

The guitar has the original Gretsch tubular arm bigsby, much superior to the flat arm bigsby, and it is incredibly smooth in operation.

All the switches work really well with no crackles, as do all the knobs. This early 70s model has the by-pass switch, often known as the kill switch, which the mid and late 70s models do not have. This is great for live work as it allows you to cut all power to the guitar by flicking one switch.

The pickups are Gretsch Filtertrons and are surprisingly powerful with incredible range. They are smooth and drive incredibly well.

The binding is in A1 condition with no issues at all and is now nicely yellowed. The frets are in great shape with little wear and the guitar has not been re-fretted. The ebony fingerboard shows no signs of wear. The action is low and very playable and the guitar is set up with 11-49 strings.

One point of interest is that this guitar was one of literally a handful that left the factory in 1973 with a temporary or ‘transitional’ label. A fire consumed the Gretsch plant in 1973 and in the resulting chaos a few guitars were fitted with a white label with a yellow border – this label gave the model number and a serial number but the serial number was actually a drum serial number, not a guitar number. This is documented in AR Duchossior’s ‘Guitar Identification’ book published in 1983.

There is very minor worming to the back of the guitar, most of which has not penetrated the varnish. There is also a very small mark on the front of the guitar by the bridge. The back of the neck and headstock are in amazing condition.

I include two links to Gents that are currently for sale in the UK, both later mid and late 70s models:

http://www.guitarjunction.com/shop/view_product.html?prod=1835

http://www.justgreatguitars.com/product/Electric/Thinline/Semi/Gretsch-country-gent-7670.aspx

This 1973 appears to be in better condition than either of these guitars.

I am looking for a ’56 or possibly ’57/’58 reissue Gibson Les Paul or an old 50s or 60s fender amp and am willing to swap or part ex. Please feel free to come and try the guitar. Please phone 01353 659599 or 07981 945662 or email for more photos: enquiries@bccsi.co.uk

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