Gretsch Mandolins

[Dminor]

Hey everyone, i recently got my first mandolin. It's one of the new(er) Gretsch Roots Mandolins (G9300). Iv played a Grestch guitar for years and years, its a name i can trust. So when i decided to go Mandolin and i saw this (especially for the low price of $200) i figured i'd give it a go. Now personally i love it, i know its not the best, but it makes me happy. I was just wondering if anyone else had any thoughts on them.

[Kerry Krishna]

D, how about a few pictures?

[lenf12]

Now personally i love it, i know its not the best, but it makes me happy.

If you love it and it makes you happy, that's all that REALLY matters.

Best of luck,
Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[MikeEdgerton]

They modeled them after the Harmony mandolins that were built from the 30's through the 60's. If you like it that's all that really matters.

[Dminor]

I'm trying to load a picture on here from my phone.

[Dminor]

[Murphy Slaw]

First I've seen.

[Spruce]

They modeled them after the Harmony mandolins that were built from the 30's through the 60's.

I think they are a copy of the original GreTsch mandolins of the 50's, which were built in-house by GreTsch??

That was my first mandolin, and it killed any A40/A50 I ever ran into...
It was a great mandolin, but I just didn't know it...

[AlanN]

Looks very nice, has a certain cool factor.

[Kerry Krishna]

Dee, it looks terrific! Thanks for doing that for me!

[MikeEdgerton]

Gretsch may or may not have built those mandolins. They did a heck of a job making them look like Harmony built instruments.

Here's an earlier thread on these mandolins.

Gretsch had a history of farming out mandolin production that goes way back. Look at this thread.

[delsbrother]

The world has plenty of low end A model mandolins. What I wish they'd make are double-cutaway semihollowbody mandolins with pickups, sparkle pickguards, cactus inlays, etc. Either that or reproduce a Bigsby emando (weren't they involved in Bigsby guitars at one point?). I'd actually love a Bigsby repro much much more than a Mandocaster.

[Spruce]

I'd actually love a Bigsby repro much much more than a Mandocaster.

Have you seen this from Earnest Instruments?
I'll get a good look at it today...

[MikeEdgerton]

Who owns the Bigsby name now?

[Marty Jacobson]

I played one of those Gretsch mandolins in a big-box retailer. It sounded better than the LM-520 sitting next to it. It was a little tubbier in sound, but it was more responsive and had better sustain. It may not have been as loud, but it struck me as being significantly better instrument in every respect (tonally speaking).

[Dminor]

It may not have been as loud, but it struck me as being significantly better instrument in every respect (tonally speaking).

They arn't very loud, but im learning, so for some people that can be a good thing! lol

[JMUSIC]

Fred Gretsch owns the Bigsby name now.

[MikeEdgerton]

Fred Gretsch owns the Bigsby name now.

It's a natural. He should do reproduction Bigsby mandolins.

[JMUSIC]

He has some Bigby guitars over in Pooler Ga. Rumor has it that Clapton came and bought one a few years back. Also, a couple of years ago he had a guy working in the warehouse there, the guy put one of the Bigsby guitars in the dumpster, came back and got it and pawned it in Savannah. The pawn shop put it on Ebay and Gretsch was able to track it down to get it back.