Gretsch's short-lived Beast series debuted in the late '70s, and was discontinued just a few years later. The BST-1000 was available with one or two humbuckers (though very few single pickup models were produced), and is frequently confused with the BST-1500, which features an identical body, but came stock with a black pickguard and cream DiMarzio humbuckers.

The Beast series also includes the symmetrical double cutaway BST-2000, and the neck-through body BST-5000.