Sweet Gene Vincent's Femme Fatale
Ex John Entwistle

This late 1956, 17-inch-wide, 4 1/3-inch deep, jumbo flat top weighs just 5.90 lbs. Close-grained mountain spruce top with "G" brand and double-bound triangular sound hole, Highly flamed laminated rock maple back and flamed maple sides. Four-ply binding on the body and single-ply binding on the neck and headstock. Two-piece rock maple neck with mahogany center-strip, a nut width of just over 1 11/16 inches, a wonderful medium profile, and a scale length of 25 1/4 inches. Headstock with pearloid Gretsch "T-roof" logo and 'Horse Shoe' inlay. Individual open-back Grover StaTite tuners with oval metal buttons. 'Bullet' shaped two layer black over white plastic truss-rod cover with three screws. Bound Brazilian rosewood fretboard with 21 original thin frets and 'Hump-Block' pearloid position markers. Original gold lucite pickguard with four screws. Compensated "Rancher" height-adjustable aluminium bridge and slanted 'ridged' metal bar tailpiece on specific shape rosewood base. Inside the sound hole is the original Gretsch rectangular white label with the model number "6022" stamped in black, and the serial number "21489" stamped in red. All hardware gold-plated. This guitar is in near mint (9.25) condition. There are a few very small and insignificant surface marks on the body but overall the guitar is in remarkable exceptionally fine to near-mint condition. Housed in the original Gretsch five-latch brown 'Aligator' shaped hardshell case with dark-brown felt lining (9.25).

This guitar was formerly owned by the late John Entwistle of The Who, and auctioned at Sotheby's Entwistle Sale, May 13, 2003, lot 124. In the studio (using this, Entwistle's), and during The Who's 1996-97 Quadraphenia Tour Roger Daltry played a later 6022 for the acoustic guitar part to Who Are You? You can see him play it on tour on YouTube (at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44rweQpitw8).

The Gretsch Rancher is not usually highly-rated for it's sound BUT this one has a very special sound - almost certainly because of the aluminium bridge rather than the usual rosewood version. We have never seen a Rancher with an aluminium bridge - so it is most likely that this was specially fitted by John Entwistle…

The Model 6022 Jumbo Flattop was described in the 1955 catalog as "A spectacular model in real, he-man, outdoor Western finish with powerful appeal for Hill-Billy and Cowboy bands. Extra deep, extra large (17' body width) with a depth and power of tone to match. Finest rock-maple body and neck, close grained mountain spruce top, finished over all in golden red and highly polished by hand. Body edges, fingerboard and soundhole bound in black-and-ivory plastic. Rosewood fingerboard inlaid with pearl positions engraved in Western motifs. Rosewood attached bridge with adjustable feature to permit regulation of the playing action. Tooled saddle leather shoulder strap with stone-set buckle and knurled strap attachment studs. Individual tuning machines with polished metal buttons. Metal parts heavily plated with 24-K gold" (Jay Scott, The Guitars of the Fred Gretsch Company, p. 168).

"The 6022 Rancher is Gretsch's best-known and most recognizable acoustic. With its sunset orange finish, broad-shouldered body, triangular soundhole, unusual bridge and G-brand, it practically screams 'Gretsch'" (The Gretsch Pages at http://www.gretschpages.com/models/6022rancher/index.php).

The 6022 was the Western version of the Town and Country 6021. Unlike the Town and Country, however, there is nothing subtle about its appearance; its orange lacquer finish and "G" brand jump off the guitar. It is one of the coolest looking acoustic guitars ever made, and its handsomely flamboyant good looks are perfect for the modern rocker. While its tone is not to everyone's taste (this is not the guitar to play concertos on), it knows how to assert itself and cut through a modern band. Early rocker Gene Vincent played one. Versatile rocker Jack White swears by them, so much so that he owns three, each named after a Hollywood Golden Age femme fatale movie star: "Rita," for Rita Hayworth; "Claudette," in honor of Claudette Colbert; and "Veronica," in tribute to "the Peek-A-Boo Girl," Veronica Lake.

And perhaps that's how the 6022 should be thought of, as the Femme Fatale of Acoustic Guitars, with looks that seduce and a come-hither, va-va-voom tone. It’s a guitar to make you feel weak in the knees. See it and wolf-whistle. Or Entwistle.