Gretsch: The Guitars of the Fred Gretsch Co.

Jay is a fun to read writer. his examples and excerpts are good for keeping the details easy to comprehend.

If you are Gretsch fan you should have this book. There is a lot of Gretsch history in these pages.

I was initially disappointed by the predominantly black and white photos. But given the fact that the company is so old, color photography just wasnt around yet. This brings me to my comment about the material being dated. The materials timeline seems to stop around the 70s. Thusly, there was no information about the new 6120 variants, Japanese reissues, Korean Jets, the 512x variants, or the work done by Fender FMIC. This is disappointing as these are the main points of something of a modern resurgence for Gretsch. Owners of contemporary Gretsch guitars may be somewhat disappointed as they wont find any information on their guitars here. Still, it does a good job of documenting the past.

interesting

Poorly edited book by an individual who is very knowledgeable on the subject. Book would benefit greatly by the use of color photos (why black & white in this day and age?).Fraught with misspellings and generally a good cure for insomnia. The info is there, but it's not an enjoyable way to get it. Book has interesting testimonials from famous Gretsch owners. As a reference work, it stops too soon. Later company history and products not covered. The author obviously knows his subject, but a decent editor would have made a "ho-hum" book a real "Must Read".

As a collector of all books guitar, I have to recommend this book. Jay Scotthas done a great job. The best history book on Gretsch hands down. For another slant,check out the Dan Duffy book. Like having a conversation with a friend in the local bar,who just happened to work at the Gretsch factory when it happened.

Jay Scott's book is still the most comprehensive guide to older Gretsch guitars, with an amazing amount of detail in both the text and the photographs. If you are a Gretsch fan you will find hours of fascinating reading about these guitars and the company's history. You will also enjoy the centre section of colour photographs.Unfortunately the book is dated in a number of ways. While there are many black and white photographs, too many are poorly reproduced. It looks like a book from the sixties or seventies in terms of the quality of the images and the drab layout. Also, it was written over twenty years ago and so does not include much about the Gretsch renaissance and nothing about the new golden era under the ownership of FMIC.The author has a quirky prose style which may grate on some readers and his judgements are at times subjective and irritating.Nevertheless, for anyone interested in the history of this grand old company and its unique instruments, Scott is both comprehensive and informative.

If you are interested in Gretsch history, especially the early "Golden Years", you need this book. Its about 13 years old now, but I have constantly referred to my two copies over the last decade plus. It has information that the Bacon book doesn't have. Jay Scott was a nutty guy, and a Gretsch nut on top of that. His business "Nutty Jazz Guitars" seemed to disappear after he wrote this book, maybe he got it out of his system. At the time it was the only comprehensive history of Gretsch. Yes a modern book would likely have more color photos, but if you are interest in the subject matter and not just pretty pictures you'll find this book helpful.

An excellent book about an american icon of guitar makers, packed with great photos and relevant text, a must for people who love the only guitars worth owning.

Great

Very informative information concerning the history of Gretsch guitars. I really like the copies of the original ads of Gretsch guitars in early days.