THAT SOUND!

LISTEN.

LISTEN TO THE DISTINCTIVE REFRAIN OF MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED YEARS. IT'S "THAT SOUND" AGAIN!

It's that Great Gretsch Sound developed by four generations, now more than one hundred years better where better is possible. The Great Gretsch Guitar Classics are back in limited production, in celebration of the history of stringed instruments and in tribute to the great family that made so much of That Sound possible.

That's the sound, the anthem that began when Friedrich Gretsch, an immigrant from Mannheim Germany, founded a small shop in Brooklyn in 1883. He was to create a dynasty lasting to this day. Yet Friedrich Gretsch died unexpectedly in 1895 before he could see it bloom.

He passed away while on a trip to his homeland leaving the company to the enterprising mind of his teeneage son still in school, still in knickers. When young Fred Gretsch entertained customers at a nearby restaraunt, the waiter took the drink order but quickly advised the boy. "No matter what you order, your going to drink milk!"

Energetic as he was enterprising, Fred Gretsch, Sr. built the business on a reputation for precision and quality. Two decades after he had assumed direction as the boy in knickers, he had moved the operation to a mammoth ten story building at 60 Broadway in Brooklyn.

From these headquarters he responded to the growing demand for more and more specialized guitars: first the acoustics becoming popular with country western performers, the age of electronics.

In 1935 Duke Kramer, joined the company. Today Duke Kramer is still a valued counsel to the company, the string that ties the generations together. He says, "That distinctive sound was our product, the sound that energized the market for decades."

Fred Gretsch, Sr. retired from the company in 1942, his attire now the pressed suits of a successful businessman. His sons, Fred, Jr. and William "Bill" were well prepared to assume leadership. Both had been active in the business since 1927.

Fred Gretsch, Jr. managed the operations briefly, then left the company to serve with distinction as a commander in the Navy, and Bill Gretsch became president. Duke Kramer recalls, "Bill was a man with a subtle talent for inspiring people to do their best and a genius for constructive counsel. His sense of humor was irresistible. When he passed away in 1948, a legion of individuals felt they lost their best friend."

Command was again passed to Fred Gretsch, Jr. and the Navy veteran led the company into a new age of prosperity, the age of rock. It was the explosion of the music market begun by Elvis Presley and continued by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and many artists of the day.

Continued...