Events celebrating the 130th anniversary of the Gretsch Musical Instrument Company have been taking place all over the U.S. this year. But it was particularly fitting for two of those events to be held this past August 3 in Gretsch’s “home town” of New York City. The Gretsch Company was founded in 1883 when German immigrant Friedrich Gretsch opened his musical-instrument shop in Brooklyn. The company grew over the next several decades, and the Gretsch factory at 60 Broadway became a local landmark. Though Gretsch vacated the building in the late 1960s, it still stands today as a monument to the legacy of a great New York-based musical enterprise.
And so it was that Fred Gretsch—representing the fourth generation of the Gretsch Family—came to New York City to bring the anniversary celebration “back home.” Accompanying Fred was his grandson Logan Thomas—a sixth-generation Gretsch family member.
Meet And Greet At Maxwell’s Drum Shop
Fred and Logan’s first stop was Steve Maxwell’s Custom & Vintage Drum Shop on Seventh Avenue at 48th Street. In addition to serving drummers across the country with vintage sales and custom repairs, Maxwell’s is the second-largest dealer of new Gretsch USA Custom drums in America. Owner Steve Maxwell offered the shop as a site for a meet-and-greet between local drummers and Fred Gretsch. The event also celebrated the release of The Gretsch Drum Book, a new in-depth chronicle of Gretsch drums and the Gretsch Company authored by noted drum historian Rob Cook with researcher John Sheridan.
A special guest at the event was NYC drumming icon Sam Ulano, who, at the age of ninety-three, is the oldest living Gretsch drum endorser. Though in a wheelchair following recent surgery, Sam “held court” in a lively fashion for drummers in attendance.
Fred Gretsch spent time chatting with drummers, posing for photos, and even adding his signature to several drums. One belonged to Pavel Timoveev, who had come to America from Moscow a week earlier dreaming of owning a Gretsch drum, and who couldn’t quite believe his good fortune.
Concert At Rudy’s Music
The second event of the day was a concert at Rudy’s Music on Broome Street (just across the Manhattan Bridge from Brooklyn, and thus even “closer to home” for Gretsch). Rudy’s specializes in upscale new and vintage guitars, and Gretsch guitars of both types were on display.
Once again Fred and Logan represented the family, while a stellar roster of performers was on hand to entertain the enthusiastic crowd. These included jazz drummer Kimberly Thompson and her quartet, finger-style guitar band the CAAS Cats, and Canadian rockabilly trio Paul Pigat & Cousin Harley.
At one point shop owner Rudy Pensa took the stage to deliver a heartfelt description of how he came to America from Argentina with the dream of operating a professional guitar shop. With the opening of his SoHo shop—along with another location on 48th Street in Midtown—Rudy’s dream was realized, and he offered his thanks to Gretsch Guitars for helping to make that happen. Fred Gretsch then presented Pensa (and Steve Maxwell) with commemorative plaques and framed 130th Anniversary Timeline posters.
More information is available at Gretsch.com.
