Gretsch guitars: 6187 Viking

Gretsch 6187 Viking

With less flash than a Falcon and more features than a Country Club, the Viking was all set to plunder and pillage the mid-60's marketplace. It didn't exactly work out that way, but the Viking was still a pretty nice guitar, especially for fans of Gretsch gadgetry.

The Viking was second only to the White Falcon in the 1964 Gretsch lineup. Fittings and finish on the 17-inch guitars were the best Gretsch could offer, and it came complete with a full complement of the unusual Gretsch offerings of the day, such as the "Floating Sound" unit and "T-zone tempered treble" upper frets.

Vikings were offered in 6187 (sunburst), 6188 (natural) and 6189 (Cadillac Green) variants, with the 6187 being the most common, and the 6189 being the rarest.

SuperTron pickups were also standard on all Vikings. It was the first guitar to feature them.

With gadgets being the Vikings main claim to fame, of course Balwin began dropping them. By the early 70s, there was little to distinguish the Viking from a Country Club. For 1973, the Viking was re-designated 7585 (sunburst) and 7586 (natural), and then it was unceremoniously dropped from the lineup for 1974.

It didn't even get a Viking funeral.

See Also:

Comments

  1. daju wrote:
    I have a 1967 (6189)green viking and have owned it since about 1972. It is in excellent condition except for some worn gold finishes on the tuning heads. I am not impressed by the supertron pick-ups as I haven't been able get that traditional Gretsch sound. I use fender amps, so perhaps some one pass on the proper amp set up to me.

    — Oct 31, 2006 10:17 p.m.

  2. rossbennett wrote:
    Mine is a 1967. I use a Marshall Bluesbreaker together with a 1979 Mesa Mark II B and I get every bit of the Gretsch sound I was looking for. As far as Fender amps are concerned, they are all very different in their voice so I would have to know what model and year to even start thinking about a setup.

    — Apr 6, 2007 1:26 p.m.

User Ratings:

Overall rating:
5 (out of 5), 2 ratings
Playability rating:
5 (out of 5), 2 ratings
Collectibility rating:
5 (out of 5), 2 ratings

Basic Viking specs:

Body Material
Maple
Scale
25½"
Binding
Black and white on body, neck and headstock

1964:

Gretsch released the Viking in 1964 as a toned down alternative to the White Falcon.

Body Width
17"
Body Depth
1 7/8"
Body Style
Double Cutaway Hollowbody
Colors
  • Sunburst
Fretboard Wood
Ebony
Fretboard Markers
T-Zone Tempered Treble
Nut
Zero Fret/Bone
Tuners
Grover Imperial
Neck Pickup
SuperTron
Bridge Pickup
SuperTron
Controls
  • Master Volume
  • Neck pickup volume
  • Bridge pickup volume
  • Pickup selector switch
  • Tone Switch
  • Standby Switch
  • String Mute
Bridge
Space Control
Tailpiece
Telescoping arm Bigsby
Pickguard
Gold, with Gretsch and Viking logo in black

1966:

For 1966, a Floating Sound Bridge was added.

Body Width
17"
Body Depth
1 7/8"
Body Style
Double Cutaway Hollowbody
Colors
  • Sunburst
Fretboard Wood
Ebony
Fretboard Markers
T-Zone Tempered Treble
Nut
Zero Fret/Bone
Tuners
Grover Imperial
Neck Pickup
SuperTron
Bridge Pickup
SuperTron
Controls
  • Master Volume
  • Neck pickup volume
  • Bridge pickup volume
  • Pickup selector switch
  • Tone Switch
  • Standby Switch
  • String Mute
Bridge
Floating Sound Unit
Tailpiece
Telescoping arm Bigsby
Pickguard
Gold, with Gretsch and Viking logo in black

1968:

For 1968 a standard V-cutout Bigsby replaced the telescoping arm unit, and Baldwin-type knobs began to appear.

Body Width
17"
Body Depth
1 7/8"
Body Style
Double Cutaway Hollowbody
Colors
  • Sunburst
Fretboard Wood
Ebony
Fretboard Markers
T-Zone Tempered Treble
Nut
Zero Fret/Bone
Tuners
Grover Imperial
Neck Pickup
SuperTron
Bridge Pickup
SuperTron
Controls
  • Master Volume
  • Neck pickup volume
  • Bridge pickup volume
  • Pickup selector switch
  • Tone Switch
  • Standby Switch
  • String Mute
Bridge
Floating Sound Unit
Tailpiece
Bigsby B-6 (V-cutout)
Pickguard
Gold, with Gretsch and Viking logo in black

1971:

For 1971 the Viking lost its padded back.

Body Width
17"
Body Depth
1 7/8"
Body Style
Double Cutaway Hollowbody
Colors
  • Sunburst
Fretboard Wood
Ebony
Fretboard Markers
T-Zone Tempered Treble
Nut
Zero Fret/Bone
Tuners
Grover Imperial
Neck Pickup
SuperTron
Bridge Pickup
SuperTron
Controls
  • Master Volume
  • Neck pickup volume
  • Bridge pickup volume
  • Pickup selector switch
  • Tone Switch
  • Standby Switch
  • String Mute
Bridge
Floating Sound Unit
Tailpiece
Bigsby B-6 (V-cutout)
Pickguard
Gold, with Gretsch and Viking logo in black

1972:

For it's final year the 6187 no longer had a string mute. For 1973 it would be given the 7585 model number.

Body Width
17"
Body Depth
1 7/8"
Body Style
Double Cutaway Hollowbody
Colors
  • Sunburst
Fretboard Wood
Ebony
Fretboard Markers
T-Zone Tempered Treble
Nut
Zero Fret/Bone
Tuners
Grover Imperial
Neck Pickup
SuperTron
Bridge Pickup
SuperTron
Controls
  • Master Volume
  • Neck pickup volume
  • Bridge pickup volume
  • Pickup selector switch
  • Tone Switch
  • Standby Switch
Bridge
Floating Sound Unit
Tailpiece
Bigsby B-6 (V-cutout)
Pickguard
Gold, with Gretsch and Viking logo in black