1942 Gretsch Commander Archtop Acoustic

Description

Here I have a 1942 model Gretsch Commander archtop guitar. This is a wartime model made to honor Fred Gretsch Jr. becoming a Commander in the US Navy. There is a red ink stamp inside the f-hole which has the serial number 399. This guitar is in great condition! The body was cracked next to the neck joint and this was re-glued and repaired. There are still a couple of stress cracks in the finish. The neck was then reset at a modified angle to give the bridge more adjustment room. The bridge is original as are all the other parts. The neck binding was replaced. It was aged to give it an older look. It even has the original strap button. The tuners are original. They have new buttons as the old clay buttons broke. One tuner was broken and replaced with another of the same model and vintage. This tuner has the "Chicago" stamp on the underside of the plate as the others do not. This guitar plays great and retains it's original frets. It would make a great addition to any collection. These guitars are similar to the New Yorkers of the same era but are immensely more difficult to find and this is reflected in the price.
Neck Reset
Original Parts
Plays Great!