All images and text copyrighted and property of Greg Gagliano.

FACTOIDS AND TRIVIA

Gretsch attempted to go head to head with Gibson and Epiphone in the acoustic archtop market in the 1930s and 40s. Gretsch failed even with endorsements from famous jazz artists such as Harry Volpe and Django Rheinhardt. Gretsch guitars during this time period did not have truss rods and no musician wanted a guitar with a neck that could not be adjusted. World War II also hurt any momentum that may have been gained by the "Gretsch 7 Points of Supremacy" advertising campaign. In response to poor sales Gretsch dropped all, but four, of its acoustic archtops in the early 1950s. Hence, Gretsch acoustic archtops of any kind are considered rare or uncommon. The Corsair was in the Gretsch lineup from 1955 to 1959 as a non-cutaway model and from 1960 to 1969 as a cutaway model.

GRETSCH 6040 CORSAIR (1957)


 

 Body:  Hollow; laminated pressed spruce top, laminated maple back and sides; single bound top and back

 Finish:  Sunburst, nitrocellulose lacquer

 Neck:  3-piece flame maple/rosewood, set-in; single bound mahogany headstock overlay with pearloid logo

 Fingerboard:  Brazilian rosewood, single bound; pearloid "hump block"  markers

 Number of Frets:  21

 Pickguard:  Acrylic

 Bridge:  Rosewood on rosewood base; chrome Gretsch tailpiece

 Nut:  Plastic

 Tuners:  Waverly, open, nickel with plastic buttons

 Pickups:  None

 Controls:  None

 Scale Length:  25 1/2 inches

 Neck Width at Nut:  1 11/16 inches

 Body Width at Lower Bout:  16 inches

 Body Depth:  3 3/8 inches

 Weight:  n/a






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