About That Great Gretsch Sound! History Friedrich Gretsch, an immigrant from Mannheim Germany, founded a small shop making drums in Brooklyn in 1883. He was to create a dynasty lasting to this day. Yet Friedrich Gretsch died unexpectedly in 1895 before he could see it bloom. Fred Gretsch Sr. took over for his father. Energetic as he was enterprising, Fred Gretsch, Sr. built the business on a reputation for precision and quality. Two decades after he had assumed direction as the boy in knickers, he had moved the operation to a mammoth 10 story building at 60 Broadway in Brooklyn, where it remained until the company moved to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1972. Fred Gretsch, Sr. retired from the company in 1942, his attire now the pressed suits of a successful businessman. His sons, Fred, Jr. and William "Bill" were well prepared to assume leadership. Both had been active in the business since 1927. From these headquarters he responding to the growing demand for more and more specialized guitars: The first acoustics becoming popular with country western performers, the age of electronics. In 1935 Duke Kramer, joined the company. Today Duke Kramer is still a valued counsel to the company, the string that ties the generations together. He says, "That distinctive sound was our product, the sound that energized the market for decades." In 1942 command was again passed to Fred Gretsch, Jr. and the Navy veteran led the company into a new age of prosperity. The age of rock. It was the explosion of the music market begun by Elvis Presley and continued by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and many artists of the day. Fred Gretsch, Jr. managed the operations briefly, then left the company to serve with distinction as a commander in the Navy, and Bill Gretsch became president. Duke Kramer recalls, "Bill was a man with a subtle talent for inspiring people to do their best and a genius for constructive counsel. His sense of humor was irresistible. When he passed away in 1948, a legion of individuals felt they lost their best friend." Determined to return the company to family ownership, it was in 1985, when Fred W. Gretsch, the great-grandson of the company founder, made good on his promise. The Gretsch Company was once again in capable family hands. Operations moved to Savannah, where the revitalized company began to offer new, vintage styled, Gretsch guitars and classic Gretsch drums. The success of the new products was immediate and Gretsch instruments were quickly back in demand. Today there is much to celebrate as the Gretsch Company has truly come full circle now spanning over 120 years and four generations!
Posted on: Sun, 07 Jul 2013 01:05:47 +0000
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