AITSCH GRETSCH

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 8:31 pm

Well, a little liberty with spelling keeps the captions interesting.

Many of you have been hearing about the Gretsch that I've been working on for Aitch. This grew out of my old Pro Jet project, in which I took a 5275 (Guitar Center special) Pro Jet and tarted it up with a 120th Annie paint job and trim pieces and a new set of TVJones Filtertrons.

My buddy Tim (Proteus to Gretschpages.com habitués) goaded me on with photos of his gorgeous '55 Cadillac done up in Caddy Green and Ivory, and before I knew it I was committed to doing three of them. Aitch's is the first to be completed.

The project involved taking a Pro Jet (5235), removing the back and completely hollowing it out, thinning the body a full half-inch in the process. A new back was fitted, and binding applied to match the front binding. The guitar was now 2 1/2 pounds lighter than it started. The old "Electromatic" logo was removed from the headstock and replaced with a headstock inlay reading "GreTsch", an NOS 1950s item. The old bridge post holes were filled, as were the holes for those awful chrome hummers that Gretsch puts on their Pro Jets. Then new pickup holes were milled, along with enough taken out of the center block to allow wiring entirely through the pickup holes. I wanted no cheezy plastic access plates to spoil the lines and the killer Caddy Green paint on the back.

Time for paint--the front got about a dozen coats of Caddy Ivory and the sides and back were done and redone in Cadillac Metallichrome Green, mixed by yours truly. Lots of conversion varnish followed. At times I swore Murphy accompanied me into the spray booth--whenever I got a nice coat of varnish on the face of the guitar, some kind of airborn crud would find its miniscule way into the varnish, looking like a dark spot on the face of the sun. This happened five times, necessitating four redos of the face. The fifth time, the only damned fruit fly in a three block radius decided to land on the semi-cured varnish and perish from the fumes. I found him the next day. He sanded and buffed out, however, without a trace.

Yes, folks, I'm guilty of buffing a drosophila...

Anyway, here's the old body clamped in place on my mill, prior to removing the back and thinning it out:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/GRETSCH%20deVille%20Project/clamped.jpg

...and after hogging out most of the mahogany in the interior:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/GRETSCH%20deVille%20Project/chamb4.jpg

Here are the new holes for the Filtertrons being milled into the filled-in top face after recontouring:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/GRETSCH%20deVille%20Project/DSC00968.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/GRETSCH%20deVille%20Project/DSC00970.jpg

Here is the newly reinstalled and bound-to-match back, before priming:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/GRETSCH%20deVille%20Project/DSC00980.jpg

A couple of shots of the guitar after urethane primer, next to my 6120JR2. Note the difference in thickness:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/GRETSCH%20deVille%20Project/DSC00973.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/GRETSCH%20deVille%20Project/DSC00972.jpg

Post-paint, and pre-varnish:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/GRETSCH%20deVille%20Project/DSC01005.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/GRETSCH%20deVille%20Project/DSC01011copy.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/GRETSCH%20deVille%20Project/DSC01012.jpg

And here are the final shots. We brought it to the RIC75 festivities, but it hadn't had its Bigsby fitted yet. I spent a couple of days getting it wrapped up, so Aitch could finally play it--one year after he first ordered it. Aitch, thanks for your patience!!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/GRETSCH%20deVille%20Project/DSC00020aw.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/GRETSCH%20deVille%20Project/DSC00021aw.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/GRETSCH%20deVille%20Project/DSC00022aw.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/GRETSCH%20deVille%20Project/DSC00023aw.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/GRETSCH%20deVille%20Project/DSC00029aw.jpg

And one final shot that I think deserves poster status:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/jingle_jangle/GRETSCH%20deVille%20Project/DSC00024aw.jpg

The guard and TRC are custom laser-cut and laser-etched with "de ville" and "aitch" script, which was subsequently chrome-filled. Yes, Martha, that's genuine dark green alligator on the handmade armrest (it's also on the jackplate). We're going to have a green alligator strap made, too.

The Bigsby is a gold B3 with a handmade aluminum tailpiece radius adaptor plate. The bridge is a classic gold rocking bar with ebony base. Pickups are TVJones, neck a Filtertron and bridge a Plus HT from a 6122-59 CC. These are ohboyhot.

Tuners are gold Grover Sta-Tites a lá '57 Duo Jet; all other trim is gold-plated. Controls are similar to a Setzer Hot Rod: a volume control for each pickup, a pickup selector switch, and a standby switch. No silly mud switch or tone controls.

Aitch, I have these pics really large (22 X 35") which I'll burn onto a disc for you.

Now you're an official Aussie Hillbilly.

leesh · Post by **leesh** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 8:43 pm

Absolutely fantastic Paul! Great gold Bigsby! Congrats Aitch!

beatlefreak · Post by **beatlefreak** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 8:45 pm

Beautiful work once again, Paul.

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Sun Sep 03, 2006 9:30 pm

jps · Post by **jps** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 5:32 am

That looks awesome, Paul. Aitch is one lucky...

harvey49 · Post by **harvey49** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 1:20 pm

There you go Howard - patience is a virtue and you have been well rewarded for it!! We'll have to play duelling Gretsch's when you get back.

Once again Paul a fantastic project - take a bow!!

karl_teten · Post by **karl_teten** » Mon Sep 04, 2006 3:01 pm

SWEEET!! (grinning ear to ear)

ozover50 · Post by **ozover50** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 6:47 am

Thanks everybody. It's been a slow process but I can tell you that Paul has been very fussy about the final outcome and I wouldn't have had it any other way!!

His attention to detail - especially in the paintwork - has been amazing. In regard to hardware and wiring I pretty much gave him licence to do whatever he felt would provide the best outcome and to say I am absolutely delighted with it would be an understatement. The combination of ivory, green and gold is something to behold!

I managed to play it for an hour or so before I left SF and it is a beautiful player. The neck pickup gives a nice jazzy, bluesy sound - the bridge pickup is so hot you could fry an egg on it!!

Thanks for all your hard work and dedication to the cause, Paul!

Roll on October!!

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 6:55 am

Hey, Aitch...it was a pleasure. You were a perfect customer, even buying refreshments as we got close to wrapping it up!

This one took almost exactly a year from start to finish, and Aitch's patience with it played a large part in the way it turned out.

britye · Post by **britye** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 9:55 am

WoW!!! Paul, what an artisan you are!! Aitch lovely, enjoy, What a beautiful piece of art.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 10:04 am

Once again Paul, you astound us all with your artistry...an utter gem....great, great work.