1954 Gretsch Truss Rod & Neck

[Rob Carty]

LOL, it so happens I have half a dozen friends who are dentists ...

[Rob Carty]

Well, after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, we decided to see how she'd do with 009-gauge strings (which is what my buddy usually uses) and a Synchro-Sound bridge he'd bought before bringing it over to me. The bridge was a touch too high, so I removed the thumbwheels and used some thin washers as shims. Not as convenient as the thumbwheels, but effective. I also had to put some nuts on top of the posts to keep them from vibrating.

Bottom line, the action is a skosh high -- and I mean just a touch -- but despite everything, it's still quite playable without any buzzing. I'm really surprised how comfortable it is. That said, my buddy still hasn't come by to play it, so the jury is technically still out.

I'll post some photos as soon as I can take them. Thanks again for everyone's insights. I still want to fix that truss rod ... maybe someday.

[Rob Carty]

Here's a pic. I added a bit of saturation so you can see the figuring ... and 63 years of sweat stains. Like I said, this baby has gigged all over the planet.

[Rob Carty]

One more notable thing about this guitar. You can see it in action on Pam Tillis's "Spilled Perfume" video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seXH9zr9LPc

[Mark Swanson]

Ha ha, one of my friends just showed me a picture of him and his first grade class, Pam Tillis was in it with him.

[Rob Carty]

LOL ... small world. So do you and I have one or two degrees of guitar separation?

[Rob Carty]

One more. I gave Jesse Dayton access to my Google Drive and he posted one of my pics on Instagram. It gives a little more history on this very interesting instrument. (He gets the year wrong, but he hasn't owned it in decades.)