Gretsch Penguin - Stephen Stern Masterbuild

Custom Shop Gretsches are usually very special, and this one was commissioned to be very special indeed. This is a Stephen Stern hollow body Penguin, in an extremely dark metallic green - almost black until it catches the light. Sparkly silver binding and cream sides and rear really makes this one stand out even amongst other Sterns and Madrigals.

There are 3 Dynasonic pick-ups - these are 10.33k, 10.57k and 10.45k from neck to bridge, and all 3 sound phenomenal at any level of gain, and their character transforms from a warm clarity with low levels of gain right up to aggressive brightness as the drive increases; but they always feel in control - a more refined version of the original DeArmond 2000 on which they are based.

Thanks to the crystal clear clarity on offer, mixing the pick-ups offers enormous versatility with tones you may not expect from a Gretsch. The control layout assumes a normal twin pick-up Gretsch in that the pick-up selector offer neck, neck and bridge, and bridge in its 3 settings, and each pick-up has its own volume control. The neighbouring toggle switch will activate the middle pick-up in any of the settings and its own volume control is the bottom knob. The middle can be heard on its own by turning the other pick-ups' volume down. On its own it is a very pleasant tone and pleasingly different. A third toggle switch feeds the signal through a pair of Squeezeboxes to give you the usual Gretsch tone pre-sets. A Master Volume with a treble bleed completes the control layout.

The Bigsby provides the normal wobble of the pitch, but stays firmly in place at all times - no chance of tuning instability with this one. Almost unplayed since new, this joined a large collection and shows no signs of use. It comes in its original case complete with all the paperwork including CoA.

This beautiful guitar has one tiny cosmetic flaw in that the paint has minor cracks in 2 places - one at the heel and the other at the bottom below the strap pin. The binding and paint have expanded at slightly different rates and this occurred a few weeks after delivery and has not changed since. Some have suggested this occurred in the aeroplane, but we can't commit to that. We have captured this in the photos and please contact us to let us show you over a videocall if this may be an issue.

That tiny flaw aside, this is an outstanding guitar with an interesting and useful specification - Stephen Stern models are perhaps the most sought after modern Gretsches and chances to own one are few and far between. It is here at the Hall and can be viewed and played by appointment - thanks to recent UK politics, the exchange rate may well suit overseas buyers - we will ship worldwide, pack to extremely high standards and guitars are despatched with full value insurance.