Inside The Gretsch Guitar Factory 1957/1970

As a guitar teacher ,player and repairman, i find Dan Duffy's pride in his roll at Gretsch insane....Gretsch suffered for years with accusations of shoddy workmanship and poor construction..most of which occured under Mr.Duffy's watch....Cracked inlays,pickguards and pickup surrounds were commom...poor paint jobs and inconsistantg metal plating et all. Gretsch was a great guitar in spite of these guys not because of them. Even Chet Atkins was constantly unhappy with their factory workmanship to the point of pulling his endorsement in favor of Gibson...True, Baldwin destroyed the Gretsch name completely when they bought out the Gretsch name but the groundwork was already in place... As for the new Gretsches..Mr Duffy should play a few and maybe then he will understand what a great improvement the new Gretsch guitars are over the old ones. I have owned many vintage Gretsch guitars and can speak from experience the main difference is the ridiculous prices that are being asked for the old ones. To me ,Gretsch is like a Porsch..if you don't own one you don't understand...2/27/13..I just purchased a 6136 re issue and this instrument confirms my belief that the new Gretsch guitars are amazing. I will cherish this baby always...

Dan Duffy was the guy that tuned, played, inspected and finally signed-off on every guitar that left the Gretsch factory from the late '50s until 1970. He tells what it was like to be there during the boom caused by George Harrison's very public use of Gretsch guitars and he tells of the fallout when that boom passed and ended up with the comapny being sold to a piano manufacturer that ultimately presided over its demise.If you a are a Gretsch afficianado you'll enjoy this book a lot.

If you like Gretsch guitars, you need this book. Lots of info on general Gretsch history and behind-the-scenes events. Dan Duffy is an interesting figure, and he was there at what were arguably the critical years for the company.I have two negative points on this book: it's not very well organized, and it's written in all caps. The first is relatively minor, but the second makes it very difficult to read, at least for me. The revised version of the book may have fixed this. I have the first version (101 pages), as opposed to the later 167 page version. It's still worth having.

I loved this book and wish I could meet it's author. Dan Duffy gave a great account of what it was like to actually be a part of the creation of so many fabulous guitars. Interesting stories! If you want to be an authority on Gretsch guitars you have to put this in your collection after you read it! I love this book! I liked the info you would not normally find in other books on Gretsch guitars such as the info on "The Monkees Model" Gretsch. Thanks Dan for writing this book!

Very entertaining read for any Gretsch nuts. Gives you a good understanding of many of the processes that went into making some of the most amazing Gretsch guitars. Very insightful and you feel the author is someone you really want to meet as he's such a nice guy. A truly great book if you are well into the subject matter.

Learned a lot more about Gretsches and about where my Gretsch was made in 59............

This book is obviously aimed at people who play Gretsch guitars, many of whom are fanatically loyal (as am I), but it's really good reading on a number of levels. Mr. Duffy writes as he undoubtedly speaks, and the book is self-published so there are some grammatical or spelling errors, but he writes earnestly about his life and the product he helped manufacture. He shifts off periodically to some of his own musical and personal experiences, he writes about friends in and out of Gretsch and he offers some unique insight into the music business and related trends.I really enjoy talking to people I've never met before and asking questions that will get them to talk about themselves, and that's what this book is. It's a conversation with a really interesting guy. I read it in a couple of days and finished with the feeling that I had a friend. Mr. Duffy's style is personal and enthusiastically open. I'd love to meet him in person.Finally, this appears to be a second issue. After what appears to be the original book, he has included 30 pages of guitar chord changes and exercises (great for any aspiring player, but undoubtedly useful for virtually anyone who doesn't know everything about chording) followed by another text that appears to be a response to the many questions people sent him after reading the first printing of the book. He didn't leave out anything in the initial story, but people who read it obviously wanted more of his anecdotes and wisdom. That's probably the best review of the book-other people who read it wanted more.Dan Duffy is an average guy with a sharp memory and the ability to tell a story. It's said that there is a book inside of each of us, and Mr. Duffy is one of the very unique people who took the time and patience to share his.

As if you met the author in a bar and had a casual conversation. Dan Duffy has offered us facts that only an employee of the Gretsch company during it`s golden years could know. If you are a fan of Gretsch guitars, a must have book.

inhaltlich ein tolles Buch mit vielen Infos zu den Produktions- und Testprozessen aus der altehrwürdigen Gretsch-Gitarrenmanufaktur. Spannend und informativ geschrieben - zwar auf Englisch, aber man kann es trotzdem sehr gut lesen. Die sehr einfache Aufmachung ( Spiralbindung, kopierte Fotos ) ist zwar nicht gerade "wertig", aber die Geschichten und der Informationsgehalt machen das in jedem Fall wett - zudem ist der Preis ja auch wirklich günstig. Sehr empfehlenswert für alle Gretsch-Fans - unbedingt kaufen !

Ein herrliches Büchlein für echte Fans der Marke Gretsch.Viele Anekdoten und hochinteressante Detailinfos, die man nirgendwo sonst finden kann.Inhaltlich wirkt das Buch etwas unstrukturiert. Was das Kapitel mit (zugegeben genialer) Gitarrentabulatur inmitten des Buches zu suchen hat, und weshalb der Autor viele Seiten seinen Aktivitäten außerhalb von Gretsch widmet, erschließt sich mir nicht. Vielleicht wollte er, wenn er schon ein Buch schreibt, in einem Handstreich gleich alle Dinge, die ihm in seinem beruflichen Leben wichtig waren, schildern.Ich fand es trotzdem unterhaltsam.Formal ist das Ringbuchformat ungewöhnlich aber nicht unpraktisch.

This book is what i would call a hommage book to Mr Dan Dufy and is personal working experience at the Gretsch factory and his work ,you do not need eyeglass to read this book and there is an interesting part on guitar chords roots and exercise (20 pages)+ few black and white photos reproductions of Gretsch guitars.Reads easily.thanks.