USA Made Guitars

[Ray Bohlken]

Gretsch actually reissued the Super Chet a while back as the Super Gretsch (I think that's what they called it) exactly like you want it. They couldn't call it the Super Chet because Chet was still affiliated with Gibson. Here is a link to a Youtube photo of the guitar. It shows the neck inlays and the side binding, but not the headstock. I have a buddy who had one of these and I got to play it a few times and it was a great guitar.
Ray

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzBxWoi1MlA

[thenorm]

Super Chets never were a particularly good selling guitar to begin with. Chet didn't use them much on TV. I can only think of the one clip of he and Jerry when he uses it and, IMO the tone left a lot to be desired. The photos of him holding one don't count. That was for advertising.

It would make no sense to reissue a guitar that didn't sell well. It costs money to retool the line for a run of guitars that may or may not sell and the body style diverges too far from the basic single cut/double cut patterns.

And if the controls were not on the pickguard (an idea that didn't work well...lots of component problems over the years) then it wouldn't be a Super Chet.

They made a 'Deluxe Chet' that had body mounted knobs but, again, probably didn't make or sell many.

You can put a notifier on ebay that will send you an e.mail if one comes up for sale

[Paul Rauch]

There is a Gretsch Deluxe Chet on Ebay with a high bid of $781.99. It's shaped like a Super Chet. The controls are on the guitar like you want. I don't know how to make a link to Ebay. Just type in Gretsch Deluxe Chet and it will come up.

[Ray Bohlken]

It would make no sense to reissue a guitar that didn't sell well.

Norm, I have a photo of the Super Chet that Gretsch produced as a Super Gretsch. It has all of the body binding, neck inlay, and headstock inlay that the Super Chet had. I don't have a way to post a photo, but I can send you or some one an email of a couple of pictures of my friend's guitar.
Ray

[thenorm]

Bet it looks like this

http://gretschpages.com/forum/modern-gr ... 825/page1/

The guys at gretschpages couldn't put a name to it but it looks kinda like what you describe. A Baldwyn era guitar.

The thread about it is interesting

[David Elliott]

Norm,
I think all the "Super" guitars ( whether the original SuperChet, the re-issue Super Gretsch), or the Superaxe guitar, were "Baldwin" era guitars, weren't they?

David

[thenorm]

Yer prob'ly right David. I never followed those models that closely but you're probably correct.

The picguard on the gretschpages linked guitar I provided is more obviously Baldwyn which is why said that.

[Ray Bohlken]

Bet it looks like this

You're right, Norm...it looks just like that one. It's a beaut!
Ray

[Mike Nye]

The SuperChet was one handsome guitar, but it's flaws outweighed it's beauty.

The MAIN FLAW was the gearbox trussrod adjuster, and that the necks would often pop away from the body during string changes. If ya knew the tricks to fix these issues, you ended up with one helluva nice guitar.

I'd bought three of 'em DIRT CHEAP back in the 70s & 80s that were brought in with the case lid popping open from the string tension pulling the headstock against the lid.

In a few hours time you had a SuperChet if ya knew what to do ! ! !

As far a making guitars in the USA, there are MANY manufacturers building guitars that are BETTER THAN EVER due to CAD Automation where EVERY ONE is the EXACT SAME DIMENSIONS as the NEXT ! ! !

Rickenbacker in Santa Ana, CA is making some beautiful guitars, and is a family owned & operated business, employing people that have been with 'em for way over 40-years . . .

Once the JIGS & CLAMPING FIXTURES are produced, the rest is pretty straight forward.

Now days, if you want to re-issue a guitar that was from the 50s, you just scan it's profiles & dimentions into a digital pattern, make the JIGS & FIXTURES from the patterns and yer in business ! ! !

[thenorm]

That's true enough but as I pointed out, when Fred reclaimed the rights to the Gretsch trademark and suchlike he did not get the machinery or factory space (not to mention skilled labor) to just go out and build guitars again.

When Baldwyn bought Gretsch they moved the facotry down south allegedly for cheaper labor and found themselves in a fix because the key craftsmen in Brooklyn did not choose to move south.

"... you just scan it's profiles & dimentions into a digital pattern, make the JIGS & FIXTURES from the patterns and yer in business ..."

Plus find the technichians that have the skill to properly assemble the things. I saw a video of the Terada factory making a run of gretsch guitars and it is very labor intensive and involves a lot of machinery that Fred likely could not afford to buy. Again, he was essentially starting from scratch. All he had was the rights to the name.

"...Rickenbacker in Santa Ana, CA is making some beautiful guitars, and is a family owned & operated business, employing people that have been with 'em for way over 40-years . . ." Yes, and Fred, unfortunately lost all of his long time employees when The Suits at Baldwyn thought they knew better about how to build guitar. Cut corners and hire cheap labor.
That went well. Chet bailed on them because they wouldn't build his electric classic but he also didn't like the idea of his name being on guitars that, as you describe, were coming apart.

I still say there's more to it than "all ya gotta do is..."

but thats' just me...