The Gretsch brand has been around a long time.   Gretsch was founded by Fred Gretsch in New York in 1883.  Gretsch acoustic guitars first appeared in 1930's and Gretsch introduced the Electromatic Spanish guitar in 1949.  In 1953 Gretsch released their first solidbody single cut electric, the Duo Jet.  In 1954 and 1955 several more electric models were released including the Round up which is my favorite Gretsch guitar.    The Gretsch semi-hollow body Chet Atkins model 6120 was the first in a series of Chet Atkins inspired guitars.   Gretsch was sold to Baldwin in 1967 and remained a Baldwin company until approximately 1985 when it was taken private by the Gretsch family.  Gretsch continues to manufacture a wide range of guitars that are preferred by rockabilly and county artists however to the best of my knowledge most production is off shore.

Thanks to Rocknrollvintage for some of these photos.

Click on photos for larger images !