Gretsch guitars: 6188 Viking
<p>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.
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<p>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.
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<p>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.
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<p>SuperTron pickups were also standard on all Vikings. It was the first guitar to feature them.
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<p>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.
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<p>It didn't even get a Viking funeral.
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Natural
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