❌SOLD❌ Gretsch Country Club G6196TCG Cadillac Green, 2005

The Gretsch Country Club, model G619x, appeared in 1954 as a rebrand of the ‘Electro II’, itself built from 1951 to 1953. There were three ‘619x’ versions and the ‘x’ indicated the colour. 6192 was sunburst, 6193 natural or Blonde and 6196 the Cadillac Green finish seen here. Intended to sit at the top of the Gretsch line, this model aimed to convert ‘classic’ archtop players so the top was carved Spruce, rather than laminated Maple, often used for feedback rejection.

This 2005 version of the Gretsch Country Club G6196TCG is presently out of production, and the replacement is the “G6196T-59 Vintage Select Edition ’59 Country Club”. Both models come from the Terada plant, as indicated by the ‘JT’ at the start of the serial number. The next four characters of the serial are the year and month – 05 for 2005 and 05 for May.

The differences between the two are not all visible – the newer model uses TV Jones Classic pickups and has a laminate Maple top. Here in this 2005 model, the pickups are standard Gretsch Filter ‘Trons. The body is not entirely Maple laminate – the top is Spruce, as was the case on the originals. This model also has a zero fret, helping ensure that the action is consistent along the neck. The fingerboard is bound Ebony, as is the base of the Space Control bridge – the key feature of this bridge is that you can simply roll the saddles to properly space the strings.  Tuners are Grover Imperials with the deco stair-step buttons, and the tailpiece is a V-cut out gold plated Bigsby B6 single roller model with Gretsch logo. 

The Gretsch Country Club body is braced with parallel tone bars and a sound post under the bridge.

The wiring is largely standard Gretsch for their Filter ‘Tron guitars – master volume, pickup selector, tone switch, individual volume controls, and on this model, a standby switch near the tail. That’s a very handy feature for an archtop, which can be prone to feedback!

The Cadillac Green finish on this Country Club is in very clean condition, with just the lightest scuffing here an there. The gold plating on the Bigsby arm is worn, as happens rapidly.

This is a really nice guitar to play. The action is smooth and clean, and the sound is full and responsive.

The original Gretsch hard shell case is included.