❌SOLD❌Gretsch 6193 Country Club Archtop Electric Natural, 1956

Here is a rarity – from 1956, a Gretsch 6193 Country Club in natural finish, with an added vintage Bigsby B6 and aluminum bridge set. The 6193 Country Club was introduced in 1954 as the top of the Gretsch line, but had previously appeared in 1951 as the Electro II Cutaway. The 6193 model number indicates the natural ‘blonde’ finish; the 6192 was sunburst and the 6196 Cadillac Green.

This Gretsch 6193 is not in fully original condition, as the original G-cutout tailpiece and Melita bridge were removed long ago to make way for the Bigsby B6 set. The Bigsby’s string bar features thread-in string pins, used on 1950’s and early 1960’s models. It has been refretted during 2011 with Dunlop 6130 fret wire at The Twelfth Fret repair shop, and fret wear is minimal.

The finish appears to be fully original with no touch-ups or repairs but lots of natural lacquer checking. The body finish is clean, the top finish is scraped a bit from the Bigsby aluminum bridge base sliding on it. The neck finish is worn where the player’s hand rested on the bass and treble sides, the back of the head is finished black to emulate a backstrap and there are two small wear spots, one on either side of the backstrap point. There is a small dent in the back of the neck below the 7th fret side dot, close to the center of the neck on the bass side. There is finish separation around the heel but the joint is solid. It may have had a neck reset at some point long ago.

The original plastic tail pin is in the case, and at the moment there is no tail strap pin; a modern style, non-Gretsch metal strap pin has been added to the heel.

The inlays on this Gretsch 6193 are Mother of Pearl in the hump-block style with the block Gretsch logo on the headstock. The binding is complete and in good shape, with a small gap on the rear binding, where two pieces meet at the cutaway.

The label is from Brooklyn and the 6193 stamp is faded; the serial number is 20691, issued in 1956.

Tuners are gold plated Grover Imperials with deco stairstep tuners. The pickups are original DeArmond DynaSonics, with 4-control wiring. There is some corrosion on the bridge pickup cover flange. The pickup selector has been turned 90 degrees.

The case is original, with the Gretsch banner inside the top.