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.
Natural
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