[JasonN]

Hi , I have an old Gretsch and Ive looked high and low and can not i.d this guitar..Any help would be appreciated.
I obviously know which model it is but I dont know the year or anything Ive looked all over..Wondering if its worth selling or not.

[Wayne Gretschzky]

Hi Jason, These are very uncommon, and from the 1930s best we can tell. This model does not appear in any catalogs we've uncovered. It's rarity does not translate into value however, because although there's a small supply, there's an even smaller demand, as most people don't know the Broadkaster guitars even existed. They are middle-of-the-road in quality, and might have been marketed via mail order catalogs. Can you please verify what the serial number is, as it's hard to make out from the photo, but could assist in a more accurate dating. I've assembled a lot of research on the Gretsch Broadkaster banjo line, and I'm wondering if that serial number is from that same banjo system. Let me know... Thanks!

[JasonN]

Hey thanks Wayne.
Just want to know if it is even worth putting it on ebay.
I wouldnt be concerned with making any money off of it because it isnt that nice of a guitar...But I know certain people even like collecting the crappy ones too and I'd rather see someone else with it than me having it..It will just sit here rotting because I have no personal history with it.

I also have another really old gretsch acoustic that I play and would never get rid of.

I cant for the life of me read the serial number..Ive even tried taking impressions of it with paper and pencil and I cant make the number out.
Thanks for the help though

Also if its any help this guitars neck unbolts and can be detached from the body..The neck slides onto this fitting and it attached with a single wing nut at the bottom.

[Dan C]

Originally Posted by Wayne Gretschzky

Can you please verify what the serial number is, as it's hard to make out from the photo, but could assist in a more accurate dating.

Looks like 1520 to me?

The 5 could be a 6 but the other 3 don't have any numbers that are similar.

1
5 or 6
2
0

[stevo]

It was a Gretsch Broadkaster that caused Fender to change the name of their guitar from the Broadkaster to the Telecaster. But I'm not sure if it was a drum set or a guitar in that case.

[JasonN]

Yeah Dan that number 1520 or 1620 or going for a some long shot I even tried 1S20 and nothing has ever come up when searching for it.
Thanks

[Wayne Gretschzky]

Hmmm... I was thinking 1580, but your probably right. Jason... can you post a photo of that bolt-on neck arrangement you described? Also... any cracks in the body or top, I may have interest in this guitar.

[DimeStoreRiot]

I might be interested in the guitar as well, though Wayne certainly would have right of first refusal. But please do give a heads up if you decide to sell. Also intrigued by your other old Gretsch acoustic - care to embellish a bit? Thanks!

[JasonN]

Here are a couple pictures of that slide on neck and a couple of pictures of the other old Gretsch I have..I doubt anyone would have interest in either of these guitars as they are money pits..The thing about the beaten up Gretsch that I just just dug out is that once it is strung up it plays like a dream and has a pretty good tone and sound to it..Ive actually recorded a few things with it...Im a guitarist and not much of a collector or have a lot of knowledge about old acoustics..The one thing Ive never been able to figure out about the second guitar here in the pics is the way the binding on it looks like its been burnt by a flame..But it hasnt been..It wasnt like that when I bought it at a military auction back in the 80's , over time it has began to look like that.

[JasonN]

[Wayne Gretschzky]

Sorry for the delayed response...

The flat-top is a Folk model 6003 (aka Jimmie Rodgers model) dating from 1971 based on it's date-coded serial number (and zero fret, enclosed tuners, etc.). The "burned" affect is an extreme example of the infamous "Gretsch binding rot". Basically the adhesive and celuloid binding aren't getting along together and it's deteriorating, much as many Gretsch guitars do from the 60s. Might be a fun project for an aspiring home-luthier, but no value to bringing such a low-end model back to spec, except for the play-value.

Now on that Broadkaster guitar... does the neck fit well into the contraption on the heel? Are you thinking that it's a factory design or an after-market add, because I really can't tell! I am still interested in this guitar if you'd like to contact me via the messaging service they have on this site. Thanks for the pix!