2018 Gretsch Custom Shop Stephen Stern Masterbuilt '57 Jet Firebird Honey Sunburst
Offered is this very cool '57 Jet Firebird built in the Gretsch Custom Shop by Masterbuilder Stephen Stern. Stephen got his start in the Fender Custom Shop back in 1993 and was promoted to Masterbuilder soon thereafter. During his tenure, Stephen studied under archtop luthiers Bob Benedetto and James D'Aquisto. In 2004 he was elevated to head the Gretsch Custom Shop and has been building incredible Gretsch reproductions ever since. Please do not confuse a Stern-built Gretsch guitar with the far more common examples built in Japan - the difference in quality will astound you.
This '57 Jet Firebird reissue has a chambered mahogany body with a flamed maple top and a lovely honey sunburst nitrocellulose lacquer finish. It has a cream plexi pickguard and multi-ply white binding adorns the body, neck and headstock. It has a 24-3/4" scale length and a chunky C-shaped mahogany neck with depth measurements of .88" at the first fret increasing to .94" at the twelfth fret. It has a lovely dark rosewood fingerboard with a 12" radius, MOP "humpback" inlays, medium frets and a 1-11/16" bone nut. It has a Rocking Bar bridge and a Bigsby tremolo tailpiece. The tuners are vintage style Gotoh open-backs. The electronics include two Dynasonic single coil pickups, a master volume control, master tone control, separate volume controls for each pickup and a three-way pickup selector toggle. The guitar has a total weight of just 7 pounds, 14 ounces!
The tone of this instrument is just what you want from a Gretsch - clear and sweet at lower volumes, a nice growl when gain is added. All you need is a tube amp and your guitar with this Gretsch, effects pedals are almost superfluous! Please check out the brief sound sample included below. It plays superbly too. There is no mistaking this for anything but a Stephen Stern Masterbuilt instrument.
While built in 2018 this guitar remains in near mint condition with only the lightest evidence of prior play and the frets are like new. It comes in its original premium tweed case with the original paperwork, including the certificate of authenticity.
A new example of this instrument would cost you well over $7K and a lengthy wait. Get this near mint 2018 beauty thousands of dollars less and you can get it today. What a cool guitar! Make it yours.
Capital Guitars
Capital Guitars accepts payment via PayPal, credit cars via PayPal, wire transfer, or via bank check. Guitars ship only after payment clears. See something you wish to purchase? To pay via Paypal, just click the 'Buy Now' button, or send an email to capitalguitars@gmail.com indicating the guitar you wish to purchase, where you live (for calculating the shipping cost and NYS sales tax if applicable) and confirm the email address you use for Paypal. We will send you a Paypal invoice referencing the specific guitar being purchased. Just follow the prompts in the Paypal email to pay for your guitar. Once we receive your cleared payment we will contact you with tracking information and a paid invoice. That is all there is to it! Shipments to locations within the State of New York are subject to imposition of applicable New York Sales taxes. Trade proposals involving quality gear are welcomed! Email me a pic or two of your proposed trade and a brief description of its condition and we will let you know what we can allow you in trade. We also do LAYAWAYS! All layaways require a non-refundable up-front payment equal to 20% of the purchase price. Your deposit holds the guitar for you, with 60 days to pay the balance. Contact us via email for more details.
Shipping to Continental US addresses is via FedEx Ground, with flat rate shipping of $60 to Eastern time zones, $70 Central and $80 Mountain/Pacific. Shipping to Alaska and Hawaii is $100. A phone number at the shipping destination is required. Other shipping services, including express services and international shipping are available at our discretion, just contact us for a quote.
Refunds of the original purchase price less shipping and a 10% restocking fee may be requested within 48 hours of delivery. Exchanges within one (1) week of the original date of purchase may be made for an item of equal or greater value at the discretion of Capital Guitars. Where permitted herein, items must be promptly returned at the buyer's expense, in the same condition as received with all accessories and paperwork included. Sale items, purchases that are made via layaway, those involving trades and/or international shipping are considered final except upon an error by and at the discretion of Capital Guitars. All deposits are non-returnable. Our apologies, but we are a very small operation and returns are extremely time consuming and costly.