1880s: "That Great Gretsch® Sound"™ began in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York, when 27-year-old German immigrant Friedrich Gretsch founded a small musical instrument shop to make banjos, drums, and tambourines.

1890s: When Friedrich died in 1895, his son Fred assumed leadership and oversaw the tremendous growth of the company.

1910s: By 1916 the company was one of America's leading musical instrument importers and manufacturers, headquartered in one of Brooklyn's largest buildings.

1930s: Gretsch® began making archtop and flat-top acoustic guitars in the 1930s and introduced the company's first Spanish electric model in 1939.

1940s: Fred retired in 1942 and leadership of the company passed to his son, William, until the latter's untimely death in 1948. Leadership then passed to company treasurer Fred Gretsch, Jr., who oversaw Gretsch®'s tremendous growth through its heyday of the 1950s and 60s.

1950s: Gretsch® flourished in the rock-n-roll 50s by offering many space-age guitar gadgets and becoming the first guitar manufacturer to offer custom color finishes. Sales rocketed and players rocked—high profile endorsers like Chet Atkins, Eddie Cochran and Duane Eddy were all seen with their cool, great-sounding Gretsch® guitars.

1960s: The 60s heralded a second Gretsch® golden age—Beatle George Harrison played several models, as did other British invasion musicians, including the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones, the Yardbirds' Eric Clapton, and the Who's Pete Townshend.

1970s: Fred Gretsch, Jr. retired in the late 1960s and sold the company to Baldwin Manufacturing, an unhappy marriage that saw production moved to Arkansas and two disastrous factory fires. Gretsch® limped through the 1970s. With sales down and Baldwin increasingly disinterested, production ceased by 1983.

1980s and 1990s: That wasn't the end, though. Fred Gretsch III, great-grandson of Friedrich Gretsch, had vowed that the name would return. He bought the company in 1985 and engineered its return to glory through the 1990s with a successful series of re-issues and new models, including the Brian Setzer signature series.

2000s and beyond: In late 2002 a deal was struck for Fender Musical Instruments Corp. to handle Gretsch® guitar and amp manufacturing and distribution, ensuring that "That Great Gretsch® Sound"™ would have Fender's formidable resources solidly behind it, with tremendous commitment to quality and reverence for the Gretsch® spirit.