Gretsch G6193 • 2006 Country Club • Natural Spruce Top “Oops” Model w/Dynasonics

Gretsch G6193 • 2006 Country Club • Natural Spruce Top “Oops” Model w/Dynasonics
This is one of an unverified-but-small number Country Clubs (fewer than 20) which escaped the Terada factory in 2006 with natural blond spruce tops AND Dynasonic pickups - a spec which was then not in the catalog. The Gretsch overseers at FMIC didn’t realize the “mistake” till the guitars were discovered in stock at dealers. Apparently dealers didn’t notice either, as no mention was made of the unique spec till Gretsch forum members noticed the guitars.
The Country Club is the longest living link to the earliest Gretsch electric guitars. It evolved from the Synchromatic and the early Electromatics of the late 30s and 40s - Gretsch’s full jazz guitars -  into the Electro II. These changing names were always attached to a fully hollow 17” x 3.25” single-cutaway - physically the biggest guitar in the Gretsch line, and the most expensive.
The Electro II was given the Country Club moniker in 1954, offered in the traditional choices of sunburst (6192), natural (6193), and the new Cadillac Green (6196) - as well as occasional custom colors. About the same time it was given a forked headstock, gold glitter binding, and a whitewash to become the Falcon.
The Falcon and Country Club have soldiered on together ever since, one the flashy extrovert and the other the classy, understated luxury cruiser. In the beginning, both had spruce tops and Dynasonic pickups (and no Bigsby). The Falcon continued to get spruce tops for a few years, but after 1955 the spruce top became more unusual on Country Clubs.
Both went through numerous spec changes through the years, including the change to FilterTrons to 1958 and the change to slimmer (and sometimes double-cut) Electrotone bodies in the early 60s.
Fast-forward to the mid-2000s, when the Country Club lineup officially included the…
• 6192: Laminated maple top, Sunburst; 2 Dynasonics & tone-knob circuit, Adjusto-Matic bridge, G- Cutout tailpiece, rosewood fingerboard with humpblock markers
• 6193: Laminated maple top, blond natural; 2 Dynasonics & tone-knob circuit, Adjusto-Matic OR Synchro-Sonic (Melita) bridge), G-Cutout tailpiece, rosewood fingerboard with humpblock markers
• 6193T: as above, but FilterTrons, tone-switch circuit, ebony fingerboard, and Bigsby
• 6196: Arched solid spruce top, Cadillac green; 2 Dynasonics & tone-knob circuit, Adjusto-Matic OR Synchro-Sonic (Melita) bridge, G-trapeze tailpiece, rosewood fingerboard with humpblock markers
• 6196T: as above, but FilterTrons, tone-switch circuit, ebony fingerboard, and Bigsby
A close reading of that breakdown shows that the spruce top was officially offered only on Cadillac green guitars - and, conversely, that the only natural blond Clubs had maple tops.
Thus when 6193s began appearing in music stores with SPRUCE tops, it looked as though Gretsch might be reviving one of the earliest Country Club specs. But when Gretsch management was asked about “the new model,” they avowed no knowledge of such guitars. They had to be shown pictures and then physically inspect representative instruments to believe Terada had made, and they were selling, G6193 Country Clubs with natural spruce tops and Dynasonics.
To this day, no one has been able to determine how this happened at Terada. Maybe a batch of Clubs got lost on their way to the paint booth to become 6196 Cad greens, and were mistakenly sprayed clear and labeled as 6193s - or maybe someone at Terada intentionally recreated a classic model.
In any case, perhaps 12 or 14 have been conclusively documented - and there’s even a registry for the model at The Gretsch Pages. This is one of those guitars.
To be clear, what makes this an “Oops” Country Club is the combination of spruce top, natural finish, and Dynasonic pickups. It doesn’t sound any different than a Cadillac green 6196 of the same era - but the classic looks and mysterious history of the instrument create demand among some players. (Some because they prefer the natural look and Dynasonics - others because of the rarity.)
Virtually all the Oops Country Clubs are in immaculate condition, because their rarity has been recognized from the beginning and owners know what they have. The guitars bring a premium over either the Cad green 6196s or the more common maple-topped 6193s. Also, they don’t change hands often.
This example is virtually as new, with original specs throughout. The exception is the bridge, which is a Tru-Arc™ rocking bridge.


This guitar is in excellent-to-near-mint condition, in its original hardshell case, with original Gretsch guarantee. Twelve years on, the spruce top has some seasoning to enhance the tone that only Dynasonics on a big-bodied spruce-top guitar can produce.
This Oops Club was owned by a discriminating player/engineer/producer who was particular and meticulous in maintaining his little-played guitars. The collection includes both premium and more modest guitars - but all were selected and kept for their superior tone and performance. You can be confident this guitar is right.