Gretsch Model 6117 Double Anniversary White Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1968)
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Item #12422
Gretsch Model 6117 Double Anniversary White Model Arch Top Hollow Body Electric Guitar (1968), made in Brooklyn, NY, serial # 86102, white lacquer finish, laminated maple body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, original grey hard shell case.
Here's an unexpected find: a 1968 Gretsch Double Anniversary (a fairly common guitar, usually) sporting the all-white lacquer generally reserved for the top-of-the-line White Falcon. When we first saw the instrument we assumed it was a later refinish, but closer examination revealed a definite period Gretsch touch. The lacquer is identical to the 1960s White Falcon, but the kicker is the serial number on the back of the headstock is double stamped with the correct factory digits and gold fill. The guitar may have been pulled off the line for the white treatment or possibly even sent back from a dealer, but the white finish was added by the Brooklyn factory to a completed instrument which then had the serial number re-stamped, just slightly off from the first stamping. It doesn't get more Gretsch than that!
We can only assume somebody in 1968 really wanted a White Falcon but could not afford one (they ran $800-1000 at the time!) and settled on the much less expensive Anniversary, if the dealer could supply it in white! This would have been a fairly simple custom order at the time; We have seen way more oddball custom Gretsches than this! One assumes the purchaser was pleased with the result as the guitar has definitely been played and has a few charming minor cosmetic additions including the small eagle added to the neck pickup.
The 1968 Double Anniversary a was much more affordable instrument than the Chet Atkins signature guitars or White Falcon, running just under $300 depending on the finish; this one's custom order color would have added something to that! It has the same basic body, neck, and feel as the 1950s Chet Atkins model 6120 but with two single coil Hilo'Tron pickups and no Bigsby tailpiece. The round-backed neck is medium-chunky with a bound rosewood fingerboard inlaid with the "Neo-classic" pearl half-moons along the upper edge.
The single bound full-depth body has. The "Great Gretsch Sound" is provided by the dual Hilo'Tron pickups controlled by the standard '60s Gretsch rig: a volume knob on the lower bout for each pickup, master volume on the cutaway bout and pickup selector on the upper bout, along with a tone switch which players usually ignore. The Anniversary lacks the "standby" switch of the more expensive electrics. The bridge is the "Space Control" unit mated to a "G" cutout tailpiece. Other hardware includes Van Gent single-unit tuners with metal buttons and the unique screw-off strap buttons, still a great idea that never really caught on elsewhere.
We've nicknamed this Brooklyn oddity the "White Pidgeon" with love! This ivory Anniversary is a very good player and easily the coolest of the model we have ever seen. With its white-and-chrome livery this is a super classy and striking looking electric, about as rare as 60s Gretsches get, vibey as heck and if not one-of-a-kind then close to it.
Overall length is 42 1/2 in. (108 cm.), 15 3/4 in. (40 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This guitar remains largely original and in generally well preserved condition, showing signs of play and ageing to the finish but no really heavy wear. There are a few whimsical minor cosmetic modifications; the truss rod cover is a neatly crafted brass replacement in the correct shape, a small raised relief American eagle and flag motif trinket is glued to the neck pickup cover and a rhinestone added over the diamond etching in the Gretsch nameplate on the headstock. All of these appear decades old, likely done by the original owner.
There is some uneven yellowing to the topcoat of the white lacquer which is worn through in spots but the guitar's appearance is mostly relatively clean. The finish has fairly minor chipping and scratching here and there, mostly on the back of the neck and around the headstock. The discoloration is most noticeable around the heel, where some less professional looking fill was added around the heel seam. The area around the bridge feet has some minor seepage lines from someone once marking the location with a marker.
The bass side fingerboard binding has been neatly replaced, done correctly down to the little red dots. Some finish has been touched in along the bottom edge below this. The body binding has some check lines but its not cracking or crumbling; the celluloid cap at the treble end of the fingerboard has some light deterioration.
Apart from the small changes noted above the hardware appears original and complete. The wood base for the roller bridge has been notched slightly deeper than normal to allow a low action. The pickguard has a small crack off the forward mounting screw, the pickup rings have some small screw cracks as well.
This special guitar is a very good player with a better than average neck angle for a late '60s Gretsch. The frets have some wear in the lower positions but it plays well and offers a brighter sound than many hollowbody guitars thanks to the single coil pickups. This is a truly unique instrument, both in looks and the history behind it. It has been played and obviously loved by whoever ordered it and still resides in the original Gretsch hardshell case, somewhat battered but fully functional which also has an added American eagle on the upper side. Excellent - Condition.
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Here's an unexpected find: a 1968 Gretsch Double Anniversary (a fairly common guitar, usually) sporting the all-white lacquer generally reserved for the top-of-the-line White Falcon. When we first saw the instrument we assumed it was a later refinish, but closer examination revealed a definite period Gretsch touch. The lacquer is identical to the 1960s White Falcon, but the kicker is the serial number on the back of the headstock is double stamped with the correct factory digits and gold fill. The guitar may have been pulled off the line for the white treatment or possibly even sent back from a dealer, but the white finish was added by the Brooklyn factory to a completed instrument which then had the serial number re-stamped, just slightly off from the first stamping. It doesn't get more Gretsch than that!
We can only assume somebody in 1968 really wanted a White Falcon but could not afford one (they ran $800-1000 at the time!) and settled on the much less expensive Anniversary, if the dealer could supply it in white! This would have been a fairly simple custom order at the time; We have seen way more oddball custom Gretsches than this! One assumes the purchaser was pleased with the result as the guitar has definitely been played and has a few charming minor cosmetic additions including the small eagle added to the neck pickup.
The 1968 Double Anniversary a was much more affordable instrument than the Chet Atkins signature guitars or White Falcon, running just under $300 depending on the finish; this one's custom order color would have added something to that! It has the same basic body, neck, and feel as the 1950s Chet Atkins model 6120 but with two single coil Hilo'Tron pickups and no Bigsby tailpiece. The round-backed neck is medium-chunky with a bound rosewood fingerboard inlaid with the "Neo-classic" pearl half-moons along the upper edge.
The single bound full-depth body has. The "Great Gretsch Sound" is provided by the dual Hilo'Tron pickups controlled by the standard '60s Gretsch rig: a volume knob on the lower bout for each pickup, master volume on the cutaway bout and pickup selector on the upper bout, along with a tone switch which players usually ignore. The Anniversary lacks the "standby" switch of the more expensive electrics. The bridge is the "Space Control" unit mated to a "G" cutout tailpiece. Other hardware includes Van Gent single-unit tuners with metal buttons and the unique screw-off strap buttons, still a great idea that never really caught on elsewhere.
We've nicknamed this Brooklyn oddity the "White Pidgeon" with love! This ivory Anniversary is a very good player and easily the coolest of the model we have ever seen. With its white-and-chrome livery this is a super classy and striking looking electric, about as rare as 60s Gretsches get, vibey as heck and if not one-of-a-kind then close to it.
Overall length is 42 1/2 in. (108 cm.), 15 3/4 in. (40 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 11/16 in. (43 mm.).
This guitar remains largely original and in generally well preserved condition, showing signs of play and ageing to the finish but no really heavy wear. There are a few whimsical minor cosmetic modifications; the truss rod cover is a neatly crafted brass replacement in the correct shape, a small raised relief American eagle and flag motif trinket is glued to the neck pickup cover and a rhinestone added over the diamond etching in the Gretsch nameplate on the headstock. All of these appear decades old, likely done by the original owner.
There is some uneven yellowing to the topcoat of the white lacquer which is worn through in spots but the guitar's appearance is mostly relatively clean. The finish has fairly minor chipping and scratching here and there, mostly on the back of the neck and around the headstock. The discoloration is most noticeable around the heel, where some less professional looking fill was added around the heel seam. The area around the bridge feet has some minor seepage lines from someone once marking the location with a marker.
The bass side fingerboard binding has been neatly replaced, done correctly down to the little red dots. Some finish has been touched in along the bottom edge below this. The body binding has some check lines but its not cracking or crumbling; the celluloid cap at the treble end of the fingerboard has some light deterioration.
Apart from the small changes noted above the hardware appears original and complete. The wood base for the roller bridge has been notched slightly deeper than normal to allow a low action. The pickguard has a small crack off the forward mounting screw, the pickup rings have some small screw cracks as well.
This special guitar is a very good player with a better than average neck angle for a late '60s Gretsch. The frets have some wear in the lower positions but it plays well and offers a brighter sound than many hollowbody guitars thanks to the single coil pickups. This is a truly unique instrument, both in looks and the history behind it. It has been played and obviously loved by whoever ordered it and still resides in the original Gretsch hardshell case, somewhat battered but fully functional which also has an added American eagle on the upper side. Excellent - Condition.
