Gretsch was founded by Friedrich Gretsch, a German immigrant who opened his own musical instrument business based in Brooklyn, New York in 1883. After Friedrich's sudden death in 1895, his enterprising son, Fred Gretsch Sr., took over the business as a teenager. He expanded the business, moving it to a new ten-story building at 60 Broadway Street. Fred Gretsch Sr. handed over the family business to his son, Fred Gretsch Jr., after retiring in 1942. Soon after taking over, Fred Jr. left to serve in WWII as a Navy commander, leaving the business in the hands of his younger brother, William "Bill" Gretsch. Bill Gretsch passed away in 1948 and the company was again run by Fred Jr. Fred Gretsch Jr. ran the company until 1967 when Gretsch was sold to Baldwin Piano Co. In the early 70's Baldwin moved drum production from Brooklyn, NY to a plant in Arkansas. In 1982, the company was bought by Kustom under the management of Charlie Roy. In 1983 the company celebrated it's 100th anniversary with a line of limited edition drums with a special finish and "centennial" badges signed by Mr. Roy. In 1985, Gretsch was bought back by a member of the Gretsch family, Fred Gretsch III (the son of the late William "Bill" Gretsch, and nephew of Fred Jr.). In the late 1980s, Gretsch bought the remnants of the Slingerland Drum Company, which was later sold to Gibson, with Gretsch retaining the Leedy brand which had been part of the Slingerland purchase. In 2000, Gretsch signed a distribution deal with Kaman to distribute Gretsch drums and this partnership has resulted in a much higher visibility of Gretsch brand drums since that time. In February 2007, Kaman purchased the right to manufacture Gretsch USA Custom and Signature drums. They also purchased the majority of the equipment used to make Gretsch drums. They now lease space from Fred Gretsch in his Ridgeland building. The drums are being made by the same people that have worked there for the last 10–15 years. Fender purchased Kaman in 2008 so now they own the right to manufacture both Gretsch guitars and drums.

This set contains 2 pages of drawings as shown in the photos above. The two prints are for the Gretsch floating unit, first introduced on the White Falcon models in 1966. Prints are 8.5" by 11.0" (21.6 by 27.9 cm) in size and are ready to frame for display. Please note that resoloution of these pictures has been optimized for fast picture loading here on Shopify. The actual files are as sharp as the original document permits. This is an excellent quality reproduction of the original drawings in high resolution taken directly from the US Patent Office archives. This reproduction was digitally restored and in some cases altered to remove defects or unwanted artifacts present in the original patent document. The artwork is printed in black and white on premium acid free, lignin-free archival 24lb/90g/m 8 1/2" by 11" Magna Carta parchment paper for that historical look and is ready to frame. This replicates the authentic and original feel of the patent document. Please note that the images shown are displayed on a white background for clarity instead of the natural color of the parchment paper. These patents make great conversational pieces and look fabulous framed in lobbies or waiting rooms as decorative wall art. Other great uses for these patents are: game rooms, dorm rooms, restaurants, bars, or cottages. They also make great gifts for those people who are difficult to buy for. Most people have an interest or hobby that can relate to a specific patent. Check out our other patent drawings in our Shopify Store. Disclaimer : Please note actual guitars shown below are not for sale and not offered with this patent drawing purchase.