I have a Gretsch Country Classic II here with original hardshell case. Serial number is 99912262-973 which i believe dates it to 1999 just before the Fender acquisition.
This Gretsch is in very good condition with light signs of use that i will summarize.
The body top looks great. I can find nothing to really single out there. There is surface level type swirling but not a heavy accumulation of it. A moderate amount of it with no penetrating, ugly scratches. There is some degree of fading to the gold plated hardware as is pretty common.
On the body sides/edges i found one scuff like scratch on the upper body edge. Beyond that i see no marks of note and similar minimal superficial swirling like the body top.
The body back shows just a faint little bit of surface swirling type scratches just above where the snap on protector would be. It appears the snap on body protector has been left on as the area under it looks very clean with no marks and minimal signs of use. The snap on protector itself looks pretty well worn, it has done it's job well.
The neck shaft looks excellent, with minimal surface signs of use only. The headstock has one little ding about 2-3 millimeters in size, in a discreet spot on the back/top edge of the headstock. The frets look great. I can detect just a little smidge of usage on the first couple B and G string frets on the lowermost cowboy chord area. Nothing leaving a pit or a divot just a minor trace. The majority of frets here show no measurable fretwear. The setup plays nicely. The electronics are working as they should. Loud and clear.
So overall i will rate this one an 8.8/10 and grade it as very good. For it's age i consider it on the higher side of very good, close to excellent. I found one small ding on the edge of the headstock, one shallow scuff like scratch on the body edge and beyond that a scattering of minor to average surface signs of use. There are no major marks, and it is structurally and sonically sound and looks and plays great.
Tonally it is a very refined and crafted tone. It has presence, articulation and no harsh or jaw clenching frequencies. The switches allow for it to have lots of different tones, so you can spend time dialing that in. It's a very large guitar but not particularly heavy. The large body area creates a tremendously big natural resonance. It has a huge spacious sound stage. The pickups to my ear make gain and overdrive sound a little fuzzy and whooly and make cleans sound more dynamic and distinct. The overdrive tones have a sweetened top end not as sharp as a humbucker.
That's the story on this one. The pictures do it justice, it's a gorgeous guitar and if you have been thinking about it and are in the market for one. This is a good one.
This guitar will be carefully packed, with sufficient filler and bracing in the shipping box and if needed a little in the case. I will detune the strings about one half a step prior to shipment. Another step i take is i will denote for it to be shipped "standing" with arrows drawn on the outer box and it will be marked fragile as well. It will be meticulously packed. Shipping is higher than normal on this one due to the massive size of this baby.
