1961 Gretsch Sal Salvador 6199 Sunburst

Original Gretsch Sal Salvador- 17" lower bout. Scale length: 25.5", 1 11 1/6" nut, Solid bookmatched lateral braced.spruce top; flame maple back, sides and neck; solid ebony fingerboard with pearl thumbprint inlays; three ply body, neck and f-hole binding; original bone nut with zero fret. Gold plated hardware includes original Gretsch logo tailpiece; original Grover Imperial tuners with stairstep keys; gold plated floating original tailpiece and original humbucking pickup ; adjustable compensated ebony bridge. Original Gretsch Hard shell case. Frets are in excellent shape! Great low action and playability. Great tone acoustically or plugged in. The only thing not original on this guitar is the black pickguard. (However we do have the original gold Gretsch pickguard with logo and volume control knob that came with this axe new. The gold pickguard is warped, which is why we replaced it. But the original gold pickguard is also included in this offering.)

Gretsch introduced this model, the 6199, as the Convertible in 1955, and renamed it after Sal in 1958. This example is the most desirable version, with floating pickup, made only through 1965. The guitar retains all its original tobacco sunburst finish in excellent structural condition, with no pick or buckle wear. There is a spot on the neck where there is a dent but it does not effect the sound or performance. Features a solid ebony fingerboard, triple bound f-holes, and G-logo tailpiece and knob ,tobacco sunburst nitrocellulose finish, original pickup and tuners.Sal Salvador made his first recording as a leader for Capitol in 1953, after working with Stan Kenton, Terry Gibbs and Mundell Lowe in New York. A disciple of Charlie Christian, he fronted big bands and combos alike, backing artists from Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett and Julie London in a long career as a studio pro, and concluded his career as an author and professor at several colleges in Connecticut. The guitar has a fine open voice, with appealing warmth and clarity. The Sal Salvador model was produced in very limited numbers, and is rarely offered in the marketplace. (This is the first one we've seen apart from catalog photos.) An historic guitar in exceptional condition, this guitar is a fitting tribute to a journeyman giant of jazz.

Comes with a case which may be original but it is not very sturdy and very beat up.