When did Gretsch get into guitar building?
FG: Youre right! Banjos were one of the first products, but mandolins were as well. Those, along with drums, tambourines and related accessories were the initial products of the company. We were making guitars by 1890 and we were doing everything by hand. We had craftsmen. We were located in the Eastern District of New York as it was called. Williamsburg is what it was also called. Today, its called Brooklyn. And that was really a manufacturing Mecca, really much more so than Detroit. But it really came into its own in the 1930s and 1940s. So, Brooklyn in the 1880s and 1890s was the manufacturing hub and all kinds of innovation was happening there. There were a lot of craftsmen coming over from Europe that we added to our team and to the innovation and manufacturing processes. It was the Silicon Valley of its day! So thats where we began our guitar making. Probably around 1890. And we were able to use the wealth of all kinds of manufacturing and techniques and new technology in Brookly
