GRETSCH BANJO et UKULELE...

En 1883, Friedrich Gretsch, un immigrant allemand, a ouvert une petite boutique à Brooklyn
pour fabriquer des banjos et des tambours.
L'entreprise a prospéré, mais en 1895, il mourut subitement à l'âge de 39 ans.
Son fils, Fred Gretsch, Sr., a pris le contrôle de l'entreprise alors qu'il était encore adolescent.

Fred un homme qui travaille dur pour un jeune, a rapidement étendue l'entreprise pour produire des guitares
et des mandolines.
Il a également commencé à importer des instruments
et des produits connexes (écorces,  sciures, copeaux de rabotage et poussières de ponçage,  chutes...)
 en 1916 l'entreprise occupait un énorme édifice de dix étages au 60 Broadway Street à Brooklyn.
Les annuaires d'entreprises des années 1920 affiche le nom de l'entreprise comme Fred Gretsch Mfg Co.

La société a continué de croître, et en 1929, une succursale a été ouverte à Chicago,
au 226, avenue South Wabash.  Ils ont produit une centaine de milliers d'instruments par an.
En 1940, la Société a acheté Banjo Bacon, et en 1967,
Gretsch a été acquise par le piano Baldwin et Organ Company.
They had been making and advertising banjos from about 1870 and in 1902 introduced
"Daynor" banjos, each of which had a hole In the vellum.

After World War I they made a range of banjos with the trade name "Rex" and these were
being advertised well into the 1920’s. By 1928 their range of banjos had been extended for
the company was by then advertsing their "Gretsch", "Clarophone" and "Orchestrella" models
in addition to the still-popular "Rex" range.

In addition to this they were making banjos for sale under many other brand names, notably
Wurlitzer and Bruno.In March 1940 the company acquired the Bacon Banjo of Groton, Conn.,
and the post-war "B.& D." range of banjos has been made in their factory and sold by them.


En plus de ce qu'ils faisaient banjos en vente sous de nombreux autres noms de marques, notamment
Wurlitzer et Bruno.In Mars 1940, la société a acquis le Bacon Banjo de Groton, dans le Connecticut,
et l'après-guerre "B. & D." gamme de banjos ont été réalisés dans leur usine et vendus par eux.

Exemple de bruno
Année 1838




Gretsch produit une grande quantité de banjo uke au fil des ans.
La plupart d'entre eux étaient des instruments peu coûteux, typique de ce qui est le "Clarophone"
illustré ci-dessous.  "tête et est estampillé" Gretsch américain "sur le dos du cheviller.

The Gretsch Broadkaster banjo line was introduced In October, 1928.

In Nov. 1928 Fred Gretsch signed a patent application for this banjo with "an all metallic banjo rim".

The line consisted of seven models.
 The more expensive models (2-6) had wood fretboards with increasingly more ornate pearl work up the line.
 The least expensive ($50-$60)
and the most expensive ($250) had pearloid veneered headstocks and fretboards.
Your banjo is the entry level model (my favorites).
Gretsch called the pearloid "pearl amerith"  or "mother of pearl amerith"
and the metallic rim "nickle-bronze" with silver plated finish.

No one has yet been able to accurately date a Gretsch Broadkaster from serial number.

However, the serial number does give a clue.
Gretsch banjos ('20s-60s) typically have the serial number stamped on the dowel rod inside the resonator.

catalogue 1939







Serial number Bacon .thank you "Valleyrover"   
http://www.mugwumps.com/BaconSerialNumbers.html

Gretsch 1920's Tenor Broadkaster Banjo







Vintage 1920s GRETSCH Clarophone Banjo Ukulele







   banjo ténor Gretsch des années 1920






Gretsch Broadkaster BANJO de 1920















gretsch 1920 ténor banjo résonator







Gretsch New Yorker Tenor Banjo.








http://www.banjohangout.org/
Gretsch'''' Broadkaster Plectrum Banjo






GRETSCH GUITAR Openback BANJO 1920'S 6 String








1925 Gretsch "Twenty-Five" Openback Tenor Banjo










Gretsch orchestrellaBANJO 1924 a 1928



















1929



Gold Sparkle Gretsch N.Y.C. 5 string banjo 1920'30'
Modèle entrée de gamme ... openback









GRETSCH BANNER BLUE TENOR BANJO. probablement en 1948








Thank you "Beezaboy".
http://www.banjohangout.org/

Un numéro de série à trois chiffres sur le cou à l'intérieur de la tête.

PS:
Mais l'image du bannière bleu est [C]
et l'image du Broadkaster est B .
Ils ont mélangé les banjos.  

Catalogue 1948.




Gretsch a fait l'acquisition des droits sur les instruments Bacon en 1941,
mais la bannière bleue ne faisait pas partie de cette acquisition car Bacon n'a pas utilisé le nom.

Gretsch a acquis Bacon ils ont également acquis le nom de "Bannière bleue" de Wm. L. Lange ou ses successeurs. Il semble très peu probable que Gretsch "bannière bleue" soit fait avant la guerre.
Gretsch n'a pas de banjos pendant la guerre et a commencé à fabriquer de nouveau en 1946.
Le banjo Gretsch bannière bleue apparaît dans le catalogue 1948-1949 Gretsch.






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GRETSCH BACON FOLK MODEL (1951)







model Gretsch Broadkaster Tenor













GRETSCH 5 STRING BANJO 1963 OPEN BACK









1975 Gretsch Ode banjo








Banjo, Tenor, Gretsch, Model "Fifty"


http://www.allmusicalinstruments.net/catalog.html

Banjo Bacon&Gretsch



1913 Earliest reference to Forrest Dale, VT address in catalog.
Actual maker at that time is still unknown, although later banjos were probably made or assembled there.
1920 - 1940 Serial numbers were at approximately #5xxx - when the Groton,
Connecticut works were started in April, 1920.
1920 Bacon announced 2 arched top, carved mandolins.
1922 David L. Day left Vega and joined the Bacon Banjo Company.
1923 Serial numbers were approximately #9xxx - when the Silver Bell was introduced.
1930 Ads for the new Sultana model appear stating "available in March."
1931 Serial numbers were approximately #29,xxx - when the "new generation" Symphonie, Sultana,
and Senorita were introduced.
1938 Serial numbers were approximately #35,xxx - when the famous Hurricane of 1938 (Sept),
closed the Groton works.
1938 - 1940 At first, The Bacon Company contracted with Gretsch to produce banjos for them.
There are some transitional instruments made by Gretsch - from late 1938 to early 1940
(probably from existing stock) - which carry Bacon serial numbers, and Bacon stamps.
1940 Gretsch purchased the Bacon Banjo Company in early 1940.
1940 - 1965 Sometime around 1939 -1940,
Gretsch apparently restarted their OWN serial numbers at #1 - on guitars, at least.
It's unclear whether the Bacon/B&D banjos were included in this renumbering scheme,
at this particular time.
1939/40 - 1965 From 1939/40 (#1 - or #001?) to 1965 (approx. #84xxx)
Gretsch supposedly numbered all guitars consecutively.
My observations suggest that at some point - in the early 1940's
- the Bacon banjos also began to conformed to this scheme.
1950s/60s During the "Folk Boom", Gretsch produced a line of 5 string,
open back banjos with both regular and extra-long necks.
These all had black plastic laminate peghead overlays with "Bacon" in outlined,
block letters and a small, metal plate engraved "Bacon Folk Model" tacked below it.
These appear to have their own serial numberig scheme.
1964/65 - 1970 From around 1964/65 to 1972, Gretsch used a different serial format showing, Month/Year/Production Number (3-4 digits), stamped as follows:
MYNNN or MYNNNN - (Month = 1-9 - with 3 or 4-digit production number)
MMYNNN or MMYNNNN - (Month =10,11,12 - with 3 or 4-digit production number)
(It's unclear whether the 3-4 digit "production number" is the total production for the Month - or for the Year.)
# 31197 would have been made: March, 1971 #197
BUT... #121197 could be made in either: Dec, 1971 #197 - OR: Jan, 1972 #1197
1966-67 Gretsch stopped active production of Bacon and B&D banjos,
around 1966-67 when Baldwin (Gretsch's parent company, at that time) bought the ODE Company.
However, some Bacon/B&D stock was still seen on 1970 price lists.
Problems Due to the various renumbering schemes,
there are many Gretsch-made "Bacons" and "B&D's"- with 3-digit, 4-digit,
and 5-digit serial numbers - which are often mistakenly identified as being made anywhere from 1910 to 1940.
For example:
#297 could have been made around 1908, or in the early 1940's
# 2197 could have been made around 1913, the late 1940's, or Feb, 1971 #97
# 31197 could have been made in the early 1930's, 1960, or March, 1971 #197
It's fairly easy to tell a 1910 Bacon Professional,
from a 1940's celluloid covered banjo - due to obvious stylistic differences.
But it can be very difficult to tell apart some Groton-made Bacons, and B&D's,
of the 1930's - from the later, Gretsch-made ones -
because the models and certain stylistic details carried over into the Gretsch period.
For example, there are some LATE Gretsch-made "Senorita" banjos with numbers in the 3X,XXX range -
which were ACTUALLY made in the 1950's and early 1960's -
but the serial number also suggests it might be a depression-era, Groton-made "Senorita".

It requires a broad knowledge of the various models, and stylistic details of each period to tell them all apart. (Although, in general - the quality of the Groton-made banjos, is MUCH higher than the Gretsch-made ones.)

Ed Britt    http://www.mugwumps.com/BaconSerialNumbers.html

















Gretsch Bacon Symphonie Silver Bell Plectrum Banjo Archtop avec un résonateur 1940'.








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Gretsch style Paramont Banjo Piece Tail Don Reno style




This is the same type tail piece that Don Reno used for years on his famous RB75 Gibson ''Old Nellie''!!






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For example, there are some LATE Gretsch-made "Senorita" banjos with numbers in the 3X,XXX range -
which were ACTUALLY made in the 1950's and early 1960's -
but the serial number also suggests it might be a depression-era, Groton-made "Senorita".

It requires a broad knowledge of the various models, and stylistic details of each period to tell them all apart. (Although, in general - the quality of the Groton-made banjos, is MUCH higher than the Gretsch-made ones.)

Ed Britt    http://www.mugwumps.com/BaconSerialNumbers.html







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Les clés a banjo

1920's  



1940's


http://www.mugwumps.com/BaconSerialNumbers.html



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L’origine du Ukulélé.  

En 1879, un bateau portugais accoste à Hawaii avec ses 419 immigrants
venus des Iles Madère pour cultiver la canne à sucre et l’ananas.
Joao Fernandez était un de ses migrants et il ne se séparait pas de sa petite guitare portugaise à quatre cordes. Cette guitare s’appelle cavaquinho et plus précisément braguinha pour le modèle fabriqué dans la ville de Braga.


Le son de ce petit instrument fascina les polynésiens et le bouche à oreille
fut tel qu’il arriva jusqu’a King David Kalakaua, dernier roi d’Hawaii.
Ce monarque était un esthète, grand danseur et musicien,
il se passionnait bien plus pour les arts et les réjouissances que pour la politique.
Les premiers ukulélés furent donc fabriqués avec sa bénédiction.
Inspirés par ce cavaquinho, le ukulélé est encore plus petit que son “papa” et s’accorde différemment,
Sol Do Mi La pour le ukulélé et Ré Si Sol Ré pour le cavaquinho.

Le ukulélé qui signifie littéralement “puce sauteuse” en hawaiien en référence aux mouvements
de la main qui gratte les cordes devient rapidement très populaire dans tout l’archipel.
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GRETSCH ACAJOU  UKULELE AMERICAN de 1920






See original-era 1930s-1950s Gretsch catalog ads.







30'S GRETSCH UKULELE ROUND MOD












Ukulele Soprano GRETSCH de 1940










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the New
Gretsch Roots Collection

https://gretsch.forumactif.com/t489-roots-collection






A. G9400 BROADKASTER® "DELUXE" 5-STRING RESONATOR BANJO







B. G9410 BROADKASTER ® «SPECIAL» 5-STRING BANJO RESONATEUR





C. G9450 "DIXIE" 5-STRING BANJO






D. G9470 "CLAROPHONE ™" BANJO UKULELE-





E. G9460 "DIXIE 6" GUITAR BANJO-






A. G9110-SM "CONCERT DE LUXE"




B. G9120-SM "TENOR DELUXE"




C. G9121 «TENOR» CUTAWAY ELECTRIC MODÈLE




D. G9100 "STANDARD SOPRANO"




E. G9110 "CONCERT STANDARD"




F. G9120 "TENOR STANDARD"








Merci à "coco24"

source principale:" jusserand.com"."banjoukes.com"."gretsch.com"."gérard beuzon"  http://antebelluminstruments.blogspot.fr/  http://www.tallypaul.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/terry/abjo1.htm[/b]

mister M,ma maigre contribution n'est rien au regard de ce que tu apportes (avec beaucoup d'autres) à ce Forum.

Que vous en soyez remerciés. Les forums des marques concurentes sont loin d'etre aussi complets

Oui, gros boulot d'archivage de Mister M...

Ukulélé à ne pas confondre avec la guitare Hawaïenne. La guitare hawaïenne donna naissance à sa version électrique appelé communement lap steel.
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lap_steel_guitar

Et bien sur nous avons une version Gretsch avec l'Electromatic G5715.

Merci ...... je l'avais oublié celle la
Je m'en occupe

Bob, c'est pour le Ukulolo que tu sautille ainsi

Ukelele Hou ! Qu'elle elle est aguicheuse !

Bien sur!
Qu'est ce que vous allez imaginer...

G9400 Broadkaster Deluxe


G9410 Broadkaster Special.



G9420 suprême Banjo




G9480 Laydie Belle Irish Tenor Banjo

Il y en a vraiment de superbes!!   

[/url]



This Kaholas and Co. "Ukulele O Hawaii" Gretsch  is in like new unused condition...
it even comes in its original cardboard box, box is missing its top.
This is a great example of an ukulele that looks like it was made in Hawaii
when in fact it was manufactured by Gretsch,  a mainland manufacturer.




source Legendary Ukuleles