The Gretsch Pages

<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. </p> <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 &quot;Floating Sound&quot; unit and &quot;T-zone tempered treble&quot; upper frets. </p> <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. </p> <p>SuperTron pickups were also standard on all Vikings. It was the first guitar to feature them. </p> <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. </p> <p>It didn't even get a Viking funeral. </p>

See Also:

• 6187 Viking

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1973:

The sunburst-finished 7585 Viking only lasted a year. It can be easily spotted by its Baldwin pickguard, bent arm Bigsby and plastic knobs.

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

"Bent-arm" Bigsby

Pickguard

Balwin-style