1957 Gretsch 6003 "Jimmie Rodgers" 000-Size Flattop Guitar

Update 2019: The owner of this has too many guitars and several similar (a common crime) so it's come back for resale! I've updated the photos, made a new video, and updated the description where necessary.

A customer of mine sent this nice old Gretsch in for work. It's a good, earlier example of the 6003 "Jimmie Rodgers" model and while it looks like a Martin 000-18 at first glance, it specs-out more like a slightly-larger 00-size and has a long scale length which imparts more of a Martin OM vibe when the notes pop off the top. I have to admit that I love the plainspoken, country-style voice this has -- even though I'm generally not a huge fan of long-scale flattops.

It has a solid spruce, x-braced (with very stout squared-off braces) top over ply mahogany back and sides. The neck is solid mahogany, the fretboard is rosewood, and the bridge is ebony. The top and back are bound in white and it has a multi-ply, single-ring rosette. Unlike the later, weirder, pseudo-firestripe pickguards, this one is pretty typical tortoise.

Work included: a fret level/dress, crack cleat/repair on the upper bout top, and a bunch of bridge work: I had to move the saddle back over 1/8" and move the pin-holes back, too. While I was at it I converted the saddle-slot into a drop-in type and aligned the pins with the angle of the saddle in the way one finds on newer Martins. It's a fast player after work and the neck has a great feel. Action is bang-on at 3/32" EA and 1/16" DGBE at the 12th fret, strung with 54w-12 gauges.

Scale length: 25 1/2"

Nut width: 1 3/4"

String spacing at nut: 1 7/16"

String spacing at bridge: 2 1/16"

Body length: 18 3/8"

Lower bout width: 14 1/2"

Waist width: 9 1/2"

Upper bout width: 11 1/2"

Side depth at endpin: 4"

Top wood: solid spruce

Back/sides wood: ply mahogany

Neck wood: mahogany

Bracing type: x-braced

Fretboard: rosewood

Bridge: ebony

Neck feel: slim-medium C, ~14" radius board

Condition notes: there's some discoloration to the top edges where the binding has outgassed and there's one (repaired) crack to the treble side of the fretboard extension on the top. Some of the binding also shows outgassing deterioration but it's in very good shape compared to your average '50s Gretsch and nothing to worry about.

This guitar also had a jack installed in the side but no pickup in it. I had a spare, extra-large-size, K&K pickup from a resonator guitar that'd had it removed, so I fussed-around until I found a place to mount it successfully (behind the A+D pinholes on the rear part of the bridge plate), and wired it to the jack. Hey presto! It actually sounds good. I'm always impressed by K&K adaptability.

The nut is the original plastic one, though the saddle is a new bone one I made. The truss rod works perfectly.

The frets are a low-ish, medium stock, though they have plenty of level/dress jobs left in them.

The saddle has room to come down and the slot is plenty deep-enough so that you can shim it up to raise action in winter when action height tends to subside.

The tuners are interesting as they're the same type I'm used to seeing on Swedish guitars like Hagstroms and Levin/Goyas.

I added an antiqued strap button to the heel for rocking-out purposes.

Yes -- the label is upside-down -- the serial number places it at '57.