In the early 2000’s, Gretsch produced a limited run of an extremely unique guitar, the Bigsby BY-50. The original design, built for Merle Travis, was conceptualized and built by Paul Bigsby in the late 1940’s. To this day, this guitar is displayed proudly in the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.  Under 100 of these reproductions were built by Gretsch and they prove to be a wonderful addition to any serious collector’s arsenal.

The BY-50 features a 3-piece Maple body, Maple neck, Rosewood fingerboard with playing card suit pearloid inlays, and a beautiful Birdseye Maple top. To add to this already unique design, the guitar is equipped with a Rosewood pickguard, tailpiece, and decorative armrest. Other appointments include the rounded shoulder, Florentine cutaway, and vintage-voiced overwound single coil pickups that give this guitar a voice that’s as unique as it looks.

This particular BY-50 weighs in at 9.2lbs and is functionally and sonically excellent. The only modification is the aftermarket Bigsby as the original didn’t have one oddly enough. The original Rosewood tailpiece is included as well for those who wish to revert the instrument to its original form. There is some very mild playwear on the body, but there aren’t any major issues, cracks, or dents. There is also some finish clouding on the headstock under the “Bigsby” logo. The fretwire is very lightly played, but there is plenty of height left for future dressings. The back of the neck is pristine and an absolute joy to play.

Overall, this guitar is in great shape for a used piece and has its whole life ahead of it. If you have any questions about this rare piece of music history, please feel free to reach out to us anytime!

***This guitar is part of a wonderful collection of southpaw instruments.  Many of them are not currently online so if you would like to know about others we have available, please don't hesitate to reach out to us!***