1954 Gretsch 6185 Electromatic Archtop Electric Guitar

I've had a decent gathering of Gretsch 6185 models come through the shop. This one's got all the stuff you'd like to see -- an original DeArmond DynaSonic pickup, original clear volume and tone knobs, and a medium-heft (rather than fat or too skinny) neck profile, and looks. The pickguard is a replacement and so is the bridge, but  neither detract from the ambience.

I think of these as electric guitars first and acoustics second, despite a big hollowbody like this potentially being a "half-n-half" guitar. The reality is that this guy has an all-ply body that's a little too stiff to make it sound "pro" as an acoustic. It works well-enough as an acoustic for figuring songs out and practicing or, perhaps, as an instrument to stick on a mic now and then for effect.

A local customer brought it this in and it needed what most of these need -- a neck reset, fret level/dress, and proper setup. An enterprising previous repairman added a custom-cut adjustable bridge and the aforementioned replacement pickguard, but the in-the-past neck reset job it got clearly wasn't sturdy enough as action had grown high and it needed another one.

Post-repairs it plays fast and easy and now has a proper ground wire from the tailpiece to the wiring harness. It has a bright, clean, aggressive sound that really suits rockabilly, country-style strumming, or early clean-and-clear electric jazz vibes. DeArmond DynaSonics are some of my favorite pickups because they're so adaptable to different styles.

Repairs included: neck reset, fret level/dress, new board pearl dots at 15, 17, and 19, cleaning, and setup.

Body wood: ply spruce over ply maple

Bridge: rosewood (replacement)

Fretboard: rosewood

Neck wood: maple

Pickups: 1x DeArmond DnyaSonic (original)

Action height at 12th fret: hair-over 1/16" bass and 1/16" treble (fast!)
String gauges: 50w, 36w, 26w, 20w, 15, 11 nickel-wound

Neck shape: medium C

Board radius: ~12"

Truss rod: non-adjustable

Neck relief: essentially straight

Fret style: medium-wide

Scale length: 25 1/4"

Nut width: 1 11/16"

Body width: 16 1/16"

Body depth: 3 1/4" + archimg

Weight: 5 lbs 0 oz

Condition notes: it's all-original except for the pickguard and perhaps the bridge. The bridge itself might just be modified, though -- with a new saddle unit. It's pretty clean throughout, too, though there are marks and small scratches and nicks here and there all over. The headstock veneer is classic!