Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

And nobody does it better (in guitar finishes, that is!)

You got that right! I have a Caddy Green Anniversary too and love it. there's just something about Gretsch guitars and their custom colors that is unlike any other guitar company.

Cadillac Green is magic, and it looks best on a Gretsch!

The green finishes here are a sight to behold. You have to love Cadilliac Green.

Ron: Would you please tell us more about the T-zone tempered treble arrangement. Some close up photos of this guitar would be first rate if you have any.

drumbob wrote:You got that right! I have a Caddy Green Anniversary too and love it. there's just something about Gretsch guitars and their custom colors that is unlike any other guitar company.

Amen to that!!!!

admin wrote:Ron: Would you please tell us more about the T-zone tempered treble arrangement.

The “T-Zone” is the upper register of the fretboard on the Viking model (also on the late '60s White Falcons), and was marked by treble-side dot inlays on the fretboard; starting at the 12th fret, the frets were angled one degree sharp. The theory was that this compensated for an intonation issue that may or may not have been real, but was promoted by Gretsch, as explained on the 1st photo below, a close-up of the "T-Zone" card included with the guitar. Although your eyes (and ears) may not be able to detect the one degree offset of the higher frets, you will notice the last fret is slanted when compared to the end of the fretboard binding in the 2nd photo.

admin wrote:Some close up photos of this guitar would be first rate if you have any.

Here's a few close-ups of the 1966 Cad Green Viking shown above.
The “floating sound unit” a/k/a the “tuning fork bridge” in the photo above was another Great Gretsch Idea. It was located where the bridge should have been (the actual bridge was moved down) and was supposed to result in increased sustain. This mechanism proved to be a pain when actually playing the guitar and was often removed.

Great history and photos, Ron. Thanks for sharing. Ace guitars too!