FREE TONY BACON: 50 YEARS OF GRETSCH ELECTRICS PDF Tony Bacon | 144 pages | 04 Mar 2005 | BACKBEAT BOOKS | 9780879308223 | English | San Francisco, United States 50 Years of Gretsch Electrics by Tony Bacon, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® Generally speaking, people use it to refer to Gretsch in the s. More specifically, however, it refers to the period when the Baldwin Piano Company owned Gretsch, which was substantially longer—from summer to early The Baldwin era is a much-maligned period in Gretsch history. The term is often used in an unflattering light to denote generally neglectful Baldwin rule that resulted in a decline in quality, unpopular new instruments, corporate upheaval and dwindling sales that ultimately led to Gretsch guitar production being shut down altogether in Gretsch had been a family- run company ever since Friedrich Gretsch founded it in New York in But in the mid s, Tony Bacon: 50 Years of Gretsch Electrics Fred Gretsch Jr. Baldwin, riding high at the time and spurred by its acquisition of U. The sale was completed on July 31, Long successful in building and marketing pianos and organs, Baldwin seemed to assume that its existing production and marketing methods would work equally well for guitars. A few stalwarts hung on, but there was no mistaking a definite decline. For these and other reasons, Baldwin never achieved great success with Gretsch guitars throughout the s. As Tony Bacon: 50 Years of Gretsch Electrics, the unfortunate character of the Baldwin era stands in sharp contrast to the original Gretsch golden age of the s and s. In recent years however, several Baldwin-era Gretsch models and design developments have experienced something of a rehabilitation. On the contrary, Gretsch produced several guitars during this period that are acclaimed by players and collectors as distinctively fine instruments. As for the Baldwin era, it ended quietly and not all that tidily. By the early s, Gretsch guitars under Baldwin rule had yet to become profitable, and premier endorser Chet Atkins left the fold for Gibson when his contract expired. Baldwin bought the Kustom amplifier company inbut a pairing of it with Gretsch proved both futile and short lived. Baldwin Tony Bacon: 50 Years of Gretsch Electrics Gretsch guitar production altogether byand parent company Baldwin United declared bankruptcy in late During this period, ownership of Gretsch and its remaining resources changed hands several times, each time coming back under Baldwin control. Fred Gretsch Jr. Tony Bacon: 50 Years of Gretsch Electrics Gretsch III had achieved some musical instrument Tony Bacon: 50 Years of Gretsch Electrics success on his own after leaving Gretsch in He bought Gretsch from Harrison in Januaryand with that the Baldwin era was truly over. As it had been for its first 84 years, Gretsch was once again a family-run company. While all this was going on, wider developments in popular music were once again conspiring to affect the future of Gretsch—this time for the better. In the early and mid s, a new generation of players was discovering Gretsch guitars, especially in the U. A Gretsch Super Chet; an elaborate note the controls on the pickguard but well-regarded Baldwin-era guitar. The stage was set for a new Gretsch era. A new golden age was about to dawn. Recent Headlines. View All. Baldwin Era Gretsch Guitars Were Pretty Bad - Electric Guitars - Harmony Central Guitar Reference. Backbeat Books Published by Backbeat Books HL. The influence of this spectacular new guitar spread to other models and guitar manufacturers. This book Tony Bacon: 50 Years of Gretsch Electrics the best of Gretsch's inventions over the past 50 years and tells the stories of their creation and the men who created them. Includes photos! This name will appear next to your review. Leave it blank if you wish to appear as "Anonymous". Used to contact you regarding your review. If you do not wish to be contacted, leave it blank. Tony Bacon: 50 Years of Gretsch Electrics a friend or remind yourself about this product. 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Tony Bacon (author) (page 1 of 4) | Presto Books By BbreakerApril 26, in Electric Guitars. I complained, and they hired a man called Dean Porter. He moved to Arkansas and got the guitars so they would play. But the quality never was like it was in Brooklyn. When they moved factories almost Tony Bacon: 50 Years of Gretsch Electrics the skilled workers did not move them so basically they were a new guitar brand. All true, but even before Baldwin took over, there were a lot of quality control issues. Gretsch knew how to make a great sounding guitar, but they didn't always know how to make a well built guitar. An awful lot of their 's guitars need a neck reset. On the other hand, the best sounding archtop I've ever played was a 's Country Club. I've tried a few of the modern Japanese 's and they seem to be the best of both worlds: well built and great sounding. Those ones are considered to be dogs, but some real Gretsch snobs will tell everything made after is no good. I really like the Japanese models coming out and I can't imagine that a new Gretsch was ever that nice. But I'm comparing a 41 year old guitar to Tony Bacon: 50 Years of Gretsch Electrics 6 year old guitar. You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Paste as plain text instead. Only 75 Tony Bacon: 50 Years of Gretsch Electrics are allowed. Display as a link instead. Clear editor. Upload or insert images from URL. Reply to this topic Start new topic. Recommended Posts. Bbreaker 2 Posted April 26, Posted April 26, Link to post Share on other sites. RothnRoll 0 Posted April 26, They basically ran the company into the ground There's a reason those old Gretsch guitars sell cheap compared to modern Asian ones. Author Members. You can find a decent one but not all are that good. Join the conversation You can post now and register later. 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