Synchromatic 400F

[fabandgear]

I used to frequent a cool little vintage guitar shop in downtown Honolulu called "Island Guitars". I arrived in Hawaii without a guitar, so after inquiring around found out about this shop. It was in a little office on the second floor of an old '30s-looking building in Chinatown back then and it's owner, Jim Danz sold me a '65 Gibson J160E. I told him I was a big Gretsch freak and he said he knew of a local who had a big old Gretsch acoustic flattop. During one of my later visits, Jim informed me that he'd traded for that Gretsch and was holding it for me to get first crack at. The case was HUGE and when we opened it, there was a beautiful early '50s 6042 400F Synchromatic! This was Gretsch's most expensive flattop offering way back when and it was in just striking! Unfortunately, it had a few binding issues (the material shrunk away from the waist of the body) and the pickguard had deteriorated off years before, but other than those fixable issues it was in great shape. I've since repaired the binding and it now sports a gold Lucite pickguard. Some day if I ever see another example of this rare bird, I may do a more correct guard plate in original niteocellulose tortiseshell with binding (I've made a bunch of replacement Gretsch guards-I made the one on this guitar in fact) but for now, the gold looks pretty cool. By the way, Jay Scott featured this guitar in his book "GRETSCH, The Guitars of the Fred Gretsch Company" on page 28 (note my original laminated guardplate. The fake tortise laminate didn't look that good, thus the gold Lucite guardplate.)

[admin]

Forrest: Would you mind saying a few words about its tone and playability? It is certainly a nice looker and a interesting story.

[fabandgear]

Forrest: Would you mind saying a few words about its tone and playability? It is certainly a nice looker and a interesting story.

Peter, these guitars are a strange hybrid. Gretsch's philosophy seemed to have been to put a flat top (sic) on an archtop's body. The result is that these guitars do NOT sound like a Gibson J200 or other like flattops. It has more of an archtop sound. This particular guitar has a characteristic sound all it's own. Clunky, but interesting. There isn't the ring and bite of true flattops, but an interesting clang of a sound. I have a 1957 Gretsch Rancher which is made similiar to this guitar, but it has nowhere near the good sound this 400 produces. One of the problems is that the top is not really flat. It is bent or curved if you will. Also, the massive "piano" bridge, with it's height adjustment saddle robs and true flattop tone, again giving it an archtop sound. As for it's playability, for a non-trussrod heavier profiled neck, the action is quite low and the neck is remarkably straight. I love the way it plays, especially the smooth fingerboard. It doesn't exactly feel like a Gretsch Chet Atkins Nashville, but I've played Martins whose necks gave me a lot more trouble. The guitar is 18" at the lower bout, a really BIG boy, but when you're 6'2" and 2 hundred and ugh ugh ugh pounds, at least this guitar doesn't look I'm playing a ukelele!

[admin]

Thanks Forrest. While reading online I came across this 1951 400F and I thought you might like to see the pickguard. This one is for sale, you just need 17K.

[libratune]

I have an acoustic Gretsch X75F Pre-Sierra that is also constructed with a "bowl-back" archtop but a flat top. It has the original thick tortoise grain pickguard. I think the pickguard screws may be original, though it is hard to tell.

[admin]

Ron: How gorgeous is that? What a beautiful deep brownburst top with the dark brown sides.

[fabandgear]

Yeah, that is lovely! Gretsch did indeed fasten their pickguards on with #3 screws. The nitrocellulose pickguards are notorious for crumbling like a lot of the nc binding. Funny, I had a late '40s model 100 Synchromatic with a perfect guard, but my '57 Rancher's deteriorated right before my eyes! I'll post a pic of it as soon as I can find one. I always LOVED the look of the Rancher-ever since I saw a pic of Elvis Costello posing with one. His had mirror-image gold pickguards. Mine has humped top block markers and a G brand on the bass-side lower bout. It originally had the brown tortise shell nc pickguard, but now has the cooler Gold. It also lays in it's original cooler than cool tweed Gretsch case. In fact, I'm headed over to my folks right now to pick it up!

[doctorwho]

I think that the sound hole on those is a really cool design.

[libratune]

Ron: How gorgeous is that? What a beautiful deep brownburst top with the dark brown sides.

Peter: Thanks. The shading on the outer edges of the top has almost a charcoal hue. The sides and back have a charcoal/brown cast.